Hello,

I got my first German Shepherd puppy, call name "Roman", Sunday before last. His father is Axel vom Rolling Acres, who was fathered by Cejlon z Hundorfu, and whose mother is Setti vom Leerburg. His mother is Ema z Policia, who was the dam of a Pohranicni Straze litter before being imported to the US. Roman is now 9 weeks, 4 days, so we've had him 11 days. Here are some pictures of him, if you're interested: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v704/Xandras_Zoo/Roman/

For the most part, he's been great. When he got off the plane, he came out of the crate with a wagging tail and was soon bouncing around in the airport parking lot (on a leash, of course.)
When he came home, he greeted the entire family happily and was running around the yard and house, playing with the rag, care-free, within minutes.
He's a quick learner. He only cried the first night to be let outside, and he'll go outside to do his business if he can. He will wait till I say "Take it!" before eating any treats or his meals. He's fine with umbrellas (when I unfolded it he barked at it, then came over to chew on it when I put it on the floor), and loud noises. I dropped about a 50 lb piece of steel onto another piece right behind him, and he just started, looked at it, and continued on. He wasn't scared of the llamas. He'll boldy investigate anyone on our property. But as soon as I take him on a walk all he wants is to get HOME. On a walk he'll balk slightly when I'm leading him away from the house, and when we're out of sight of the driveway he stays right behind me or at my heels and hardly explores. If I drop the leash, he'll follow me. If I stop, he'll sit in front of me, look me in the eye and cry. He's skittish on walks. He shies away from people. When we turn towards the house again, he pulls at the end of the leash all the way back, looking back at me every now and again. Why does he hate walks so much? Initially I thought he was just a nervous dog and hates new places, but then he was totally fearless when I first brought him home. Would you agree that he has weak nerves, or do you think it might be something else? I'm just having a hard time understanding what's going on in his head.
Also, sometimes when I'm playing with him with the rag, he'll start humping while holding on. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Alexandra

im not as clued up as other ppl, but i can tell you that my pups did the same when they were younger when we went for walks. they shied away from a lot and kinda stayed right up against me or behind me. and on the way home they would be more cheery and kinda pull to get home and then once back home they are excited and fearless again. but now they go on walks fine. fearless and enquisitive. they are now 8 months old.

just a thought but maybe he is not as confident in your judgement that the place is safe just yet. i dont kno what other ppl would say but i do kno that the common rule with dogs is persistance. keep at it and take it slow.

Hi Alexander,
First of all, welcome to the board! Next, your photos cannot be viewed because it says that it is a private album and has to be logged in. Hope you can fix that so we can see Roman!

Next, it sounds like normal puppy behavior to me. You've only just had him for 11 days so he is still "settling in." You might try taking a few tasty treats with you on your walks and encourage him to follow along beside you. Be sure and not give him a treat when he is crying because that will only reinforce that unwanted behavior. Just try to make it a very pleasant and positive experience for him - he is still such a baby at only 9 weeks old!

I did not take my dog Nickie outside for walks until he was 16 weeks old. He acted exactly the same way as your Roman. I had to coax him from the front door to the front sidewalk with treats in my hand and lots of encouraging words. It took us probably three days of that (little sessions of about 5 minutes or less each day) to get that far. Then each day afterwards, we would go just a few feet further. It is still so new for the little guys! So many strange smells and sounds!

Just be patient and enjoy your puppy!
P.S. My pup Nickie is now a year old and we now go on walks each morning of one mile - you will be able to do the same after your pup gets much older. Just enjoy helping him settle in for now and building your bond with him.

Sorry about the photos- I didn't know I had a private account!
This should work: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v704/Xandras_Zoo/Roman/

Thanks for the reassurance. Everything I read said they should be "fearless" or they had weak nerves. I feel better now.

Way back in the evolutionary chain, a puppy who wandered too far from the den usually didn't live long. (He would be an easy target for predators). This could be why he is uneasy.

I think when he gets older, going farther from home will be natural.

Until then, maybe you can take him places rather than try to lead him away. For instance, car rides to the park. Just an idea.

Alexandra, congratulations on your new good puppy He's a handsome guy.

I think you're taking things too fast. You didn't mention how long your walks are, but a puppy that young shouldn't be taken on long walks. There's no reason to be walking him at all right now. They tire easily and quickly. Short 5 minute sessions 2-3 times a day hanging out in the front yard and letting him investigate is better than a walk right now. When he decides he wants to investigate further and go out of the front yard, he'll start doing that and then you can take him out further. I wouldn't force it. Let him tell you when he's ready. He can get all the exercise he needs for now in your house and backyard.

I don't know what your street is like, probably cars going back and forth, completely new sights and sounds to him, etc so remember he just got born and you don't need to expose him to everything in a few days. Just take it easy. Don't put him in situations that are too stressful for his baby brain to handle. If you go slow, the puppy will become more confident as he tackles new things, and he will start exploring more. You can encourage, just don't force. Force is not a good thing with a puppy.

Just watch him, read him, he'll tell you when he's ready to take on the world, even if it is just bit by bit .

Also, he's probably not had a leash on before, and if he has it probably wasn't often. So he needs to get used to the leash as well. If you try to get him used to the leash as well as make him tackle new sights and sounds at the same time, well that won't fare well. He has a baby brain and excessive stimulation will cause him stress which will cause him to balk, run home, stick to you like glue out of fear, etc.

Alexandra,

Roman is a very handsome boy! Another reason we didn't take our pup out on walks at such a young age was our vet said to wait until after he had all of his puppy shots. There was plenty for him to explore in the back yard! Also having him wear a little drag line attached to his collar is a good idea to get him used to it. Of course he is always under your supervision when he has the drag line on - it's amazing how something can get tangled up in just a few seconds.

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Until then, maybe you can take him places rather than try to lead him away.

That was my first thought too.

Then treats.

Alexandra,
You are definitely going way too fast! Your pup is only nine weeks old. Dogs are not machines that you flip a switch on and they are ready to go. Give your dog some time to grow up, like a year or more. It sounds like you are putting that poor thing through all kinds of tests that it doesn't need to endure at this age.
WTF is up with "I dropped about a 50 lb piece of steel onto another piece right behind him"??? The only thing that this can be useful for at this age is seriously injuring your puppy or killing it!
Take it easy or your dog will end up with what I call "environmentally induced weak nerves".
Have fun with your pup and when it isn't fun for him anymore stop immediately!
--Steve

Thanks for the replies everyone! They're all appreciated.

 Quote: stevezorn

WTF is up with "I dropped about a 50 lb piece of steel onto another piece right behind him"??? The only thing that this can be useful for at this age is seriously injuring your puppy or killing it!

How is a sound going to seriously injure or kill him? I'm not talking about pushing a piece of steel off a roof inches behind him, I'm talking about making a loud noise. If you've watched some Leerburg videos you'll see that some breeders fire a gun off near a litter of puppies around Roman's age. A loud noise didn't seem to bother my dog or that litter.
I'll agree that I went too fast and won't take him for walks he doesn't want to go on anymore.