Another basic question:

Sometimes Tara, who's just over 9 weeks old now, gets overly excited when trying to play tug with our hands or pant legs, etc. If I try to avoid getting bit by redirecting her onto a toy (which she totally ignores most of the time because my hands are so much more enticing) or simply putting my hands out of her reach, she sometimes, but not often, starts growling and jumping up, trying to get a bite. Or, if she stuffs her mouth with "bad things" after some exciting play, and I try to open her mouth and fish the stuff out, she growls, too.

I think it's just a little child getting too wild in playing, but my wife is somewhat worried about the growling. We obviously don't correct for this, we try to sooth her, offer her treats and otherwise redirect her attention in a loving way.

I saw that growling Corgy in "8 weeks", but we don't do anything remotely approaching the rough-housing that Ed did to get her into that state. Our Tara just winds herself up with playing.

She doesn't growl in any other circumstances, whether over food or anything else, and she's already learning to sit in front of the doors and stairs. So it does seem to be strictly a prey frustration-driven behavior, and I don't think it's an issue of early dominance, but being completely new to this, I thought I'd ask.

Are we doing the right thing? Should we continue to just try to calm her down and bring her out of this hyper, played out state?
Or is this growling coming out of a 9-week puppy something serious and a potential problem in the future that we need to address now, before she's a fully grown GSD?

Is she growling AT you or growling in play?

If she gets too worked up just pop her in the crate until she calms down.

I think she's growling in play, even though she's growling in my direction when she's trying to bite my hand, if that makes sense. Basically, she's growling at my hand which she can't reach. It's a frustration at not being able to bite me when she's all worked up to do so.
Crating her after she's like that is what I do. It's getting her from the yard where this occurs into the house and the crate that's the interesting part.

So, it's nothing to worry about, right?

Thank you, Tanith!

I wouldn't stress about it.

Let her run in the garden trailing a leash, that way you can take her back to the crate without having to touch her.

Yep, she's always on the leash when not in the crate.
Not touching her is kind of hard when she can't keep her jaws away from me.
But you are right, if there's nothing to worry about here, it's not a big deal. We're slowly learning to redirect onto other toys, besides my appendages.

Thanks again!

The growling is probably a frustration/play growl. "Hey, hand! get back here!" Especially if she's making little yippy barks.

Wonderful toys for avoiding puppy teeth are those really long brightly coloured fleece tugs, and .. dang it, aphasia moment... those stuffed animals on the end of a fishing pole. Forget what they're called at the moment. I have one like this: http://www.chaseitpettoys.com/ (the website is garish, sorry)

It keeps the puppy out of teeth reach. They love the squirrel toy!

Flirt Poles?

Long fleece tugs, here I come! Several of them, I guess, because she looses interest in toys real fast. Of course, a day later, it's new and exciting again.

I kind of made my own flirt pole out of a long wooden pole, string and an old towel, but she seems to prefer the actual pole to the towel, and I'm worried about her teeth. That squirrel sure does look interesting, though!

Baaah, yes! Flirt poles! That's IT! lol.