I have a question regarding my new male GSD puppy who is now 14 weeks old (have had him for 3.5 weeks).

It seems as though we are finally bonding and he is understanding his pack position (beta) to me and my fiancee but a new behavior has begun in the past few days that I'm not sure how to handle.

If my fiancee and I hug or kiss each other in front of the puppy he will aggressively bark and will then seem to 'check us out' (sniffing, kissing) when we come over to him as if to make sure we're OK. He also has done the same thing when he saw me vigorously shaking a paint can as if he thought I was struggling with it and was then very relieved and extra-kissy when I showed him I was OK. We keep him in a crate or a soft crate which will use as a playpen when he is in the house and not on leash so he has been crated and has watched these events from the crate when he reacts with very aggressive barking and attempts to break out of the crate.

In a related event at one point last night he thought that my fiancee was hurting me (she was not) and a minute later when I let him out of his crate to see we were OK he ran up to her and bit the side of her face pretty good (left marks but did not break skin).

He seems to be protective of both of us, which is fine, but not against each other. I am interested in him being protective of the pack against strangers who appear to be doing harm but not within the pack itself. I feel that is my job as alpha, and perhaps he does not fully realize his position yet.

So, my questions center around what should I do when this happens and is this just a puppy thing or do I need to take some specific actions against this unwanted behavior?

Thanks!

I'm not an expert, but 14 weeks is young for any sort of actual aggression, he is just a baby IMO.

Were you and your fiance wrestling or playing when "he thought she was hurting you"? Is it possible this wasn't aggression but rather that he wanted to play and wrestle too? Mouthiness and play biting is common in young pups/

at 14 weeks a firm no and possibly a scruff shake is how I would handle any sort of too rough play or biting/mouthiness

I would ignore him if he is being a pain when you are being affectionate with each other. I would not try to reassure him as this may be taken and praise or reinforcement of this behavior.

In that particular case we were trying to get him to 'speak' and we knew that by us playing it would get him to react with barking. We didn't expect the outcome (him biting at her) and we won't be encouraging that again but at the same time we don't want to hide from the dog or be less affectionate with each other just because the dog has some issue with it. Ignoring him will work as after he has some time to calm down he will usually just go to sleep (he's a puppy). I would prefer him to be more submissive when just 'his pack' are involved, but I agree that if he thinks he is missing out on playing that might help explain his reactions. Biting either of us (especially on the face) is definitely something we can't tolerate though for any reason.

Jerry,
If you've got a 14 week old pup showing protective behavior, please send him to me, I'm looking for a good Mondio prospect.

If however if he's being just a puppy (my opinion), he just wants to play the game with everyone else. Don't read too much into it.

What are your plans for the little terror?
My advice is, socialize, socialize, socialize.
Randy

Jerry,
You were posting while I was writing.

The thing is Jerry, and what many people have a hard time with, is that to a dog (and particularly a puppy) biting is perfectly normal play. In fact thats the key many of us use for training our dogs in whatever venue we're interested in. Whatever turns the dog on, we use.

Biting is natural for a dog.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

No way Randy, you can't have him

My plans for him are as a companion and family protector. He's been getting a lot of exposure to different people and animals in the neighborhood on his daily walks (lots of people out walking their dogs and in their front yards). He's been very friendly with most everyone he meets but did give the business (adult-sized fearless barks) to someone who surprised us on our walk, which I appreciated. He will sit and stare at people walking or on bikes at a distance, and is very curious, but if people and dogs are close enough to reach then he wants to play with them for the most part.

He's getting his final shot and rabies shot in two weeks so at that point I plan to expand his socialization even further (walks downtown with more people and animals, and more exercise away from the house, which has a limited yard). He will also be attending some classes offered by his breeder in the near future.

He tends to get a little 'humpy' at times on walks which is pretty embarrassing so I'm hoping that ends before we get too far from home

I know he could use more exercise than a few walks and some daily hide and seek in the house but I want to get the shots out of the way and that is coming soon. Any open field I find seems to have it's share of abandoned stools and I'd rather not risk anything. Even then I plan to keep him on a long lead until I can get a reliable recall.

I understand that biting is what he knows and loves. I am just trying to understand why he responds in a way which I see as aggressive when I show affection to someone else, or when I shake a paint can, for example.

Shots???!!!!
What might those be?

Do a little reseach and you may find that most of what you're giving him he is already protected from via the mother.

At any rate read up on that stuff, and make an informed decision before it's a done deal. The side effects sometimes are of a higher percentage than the actual occurrence of the affliction.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Thanks Randy. I have read and heard about 'vaccinosis'. Rabies isn't an optional one however (legally), and I'm going with my breeders and vets recommendations on the standard shots. Just like almost everything dog or otherwise there's always two or three schools of thought on a topic and I've decided to follow my breeders/vets advice on the vaccines.

 Quote: Jerry Pannick

He tends to get a little 'humpy' at times on walks...

???

Humpy on whom or what?

Jerry,

Sounds like the barking and aggressive behavior has been reinforced

Do you keep him on a leash/tether when in the house?

What was he doing when you let him out of the crate, the time he bit your girlfriend? How did he have access to her face in order to bite it?

Even puppies should not have faces readily available to their mouths. I have a gnarly permanent scar on my nose from my current pup, he decided to take a flying leap off the porch and as I caught him in midair my ponytail swung around my face, he went for the pony, got the nose. At 12/13 weeks of age he lacerated the top of my nose and the septum clear open and punctured inside the top of my nose all the way through to the other laceration. Just a pure playful puppy accident. I keep my face away from sharp little puppy needle teeth as a general rule.

I would not read much into "adult sounding" barks from a 14 week old puppy. Humping is another deal - I am with Connie in wondering if he is humping objects, people, other dogs/animals?

When he begins to bark and whine and "act aggresively" during horseplay or fast motion, etc. what do you do? Are you cooing to him/talking nicely in an attempt to calm him? Do you pet him, give him treats? Etc... If so, you are only reinforcing the behavior and in a sense, intensifying it.

I recommend keeping him on a tether and ignoring the behavior until he is calm and then rewarding the calm, quiet puppy with calm and quiet praise/treats.

I also think that it sounds like a puppy reacting to playful motions/gestures/actions and wanting to join. Some puppies can sound quite ferocious when they bark. My current AB pup has sounded like a monster from the day I got him at 9 weeks old and today at 5 months has people outside my house thinking he's a mastiff.

Is he a working bred pup, or a showline/pet/companion bred dog? Knowing his lines or parentage will also help us determine the source of the behavior, but I am in agreement that 14 weeks is a little young for true protective aggressive behavior.