Hello....

I am new to this forum and have a few questions and concerns and would like any guidance or suggestions you all might have. I know some of these might fit into another board but I am going to combine them all together, sorry....

I have a now 12 week old GSP, which I think to begin with was taking away from its mother to early and started on hard food at 4 weeks. We actually got him at 5 weeks ( 3 days before 6 weeks ).

Biting/nipping, I know all puppies go through this stage but I have a pretty good cut on my finger now ( partly my fault ).. My problem is all he wants to do is bite even when walking he wants to bite/nip at your legs/feet. Playing is pretty tough bc he starts out licking then it turn into all he wants is hands, feet, legs.. I have tried to redirect him with different objects which he shows interest in for a few seconds then back to the above. I have popped him on his bottom while firmly telling him NO which seems to make him even more interested in biting. He will back away and starting barking ( not an aggresive bark but seems playful ) and he will go back to biting. This is a generic brief of the problem bc I dont want to write a book, lol...

A couple other problems or concerns is the fact that he likes cat food better than his own food. They have seperate eating spaces but Jagger ( dog ) always seems to find the cat food. Is this normal ? And rocks, my puppy is attracted to rocks... yes, he will sit their and chew on rocks when his toys are right their next to him. Is this part of teething process or is my puppy doomed to a life of eating rocks ? Ears, anybody know the process ? They were kinda floppy and now they are part up and straight back.. Sorry I know this ran on but I am curious and need advice.

Thanks

Other folks will correct you on some of your bitiness management, but I can tell you quickly that the cat food should be inaccessible to the puppy. I would find a place easy for the cat to reach and not possible for the dog to reach, or if the cat eats all his food at once, keep the dog out of that room while the cat eats. There's more than one reason for stopping this. Yes, it's normal, and no, you can't allow it. It's a management thing, IMO.

Keep the cat away from the dog's food while the dog eats, too, IMO.

Don't let him chew on rocks. http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=109



Ears ..... I believe, but the puppy experts will correct or confirm, that this is months too early to even think about that.

well of course the biting , nipping is normal but you learned pretty quick that " popping him on the bottom " only increases his interest in you as a play thing so stop that right now .

you just have to be persistent in your efforts to show him that " we don't play / tug / bite with what you found , we play play / tug / bite with what i have " . the dog must always be on a line , and you may have to physically remove whatever it is he has , making sure you always have a better alternative immediately available .

i'd keep any sessions short , and plan them in areas that you know are free of the type of distractions that will be a problem for him . you might also keep the crate nearby so that he can go in there for a quick " timeout " .

and a question : are you marker training this dog ?

henry learned " phooie " ( leave it ) real quick when he figured out there was a greater reward by not picking up random things to mouth . now i'll see him be distracted momentarily by a stick then consciously turn away . i mark it , then reward . the dog needs to be on a line though so you have 100% access to him at all times .

don't issue any command you don't have near 100% expectation that it will be obeyed , or that you can back it up if he doesn't .

at this point in his development there will be nothing that will be anywhere near 100% so you have to make sure you are controlling as much of his environment and his activities as you can . marker training allows you to create opportunities to reward rather than correct the dog which sets the tone for the relationship to flourish .

and the ears ?

i presume you meant German Shepherd Puppy ? don't worry about it . . . if his parents had upright ears , he will have upright ears , but at this stage in his life his growing energy is being directed at more important things like bones , muscle , organs , brain , etc .

sorry one more point about the behaviours : as the guy in charge , YOU decide what things you will allow , and what things MUST stop . so if you allow jagger to sit there and chew rocks , guess what , he will chew rocks .

i'll overstate this just for effect : if you saw your kid doing crack . . . what would you do about it ?

IAN,

Thanks for the responce. Marker training ? Anything here on the boards that explain that bc honestly I have never heard of it. Yes, we are new to the puppy arena.

About the rocks, we do remove the rocks as soon as he picks one up and hand him his tennis ball he loves but it only keeps his interest for a very short time unless he is inside which he will chase all day long as long as you are their to play. Our yard is very large and we have not had him on a line ( I guess you mean some sort of leash ) as of yet bc I have read the German Shepherds learn and establish their boundries pretty quick. Is it to early to start Jagger on a leash and do I use a regular collar or something different ( please dont say a choker bc I have a hard time with that )?

About your crate comment, again as I am learning, I have read to never use the crate as a timeout/punishment type of thing. Is this not true ?

One other scenario, and hopefully this is a good one. Jagger will not walk out the door ( as we use only one bc thats also what I read to do ) unless I walk out first and he will not go into the house unless I go first as he will just sit their with the door open until I go and that is also the same way with coming on to and off of the porch. When we are walking around the yard he walks slightly behing me on my left side...

Thanks

 Quote: Marc Justice

One other scenario, and hopefully this is a good one. Jagger will not walk out the door ( as we use only one bc thats also what I read to do ) unless I walk out first and he will not go into the house unless I go first as he will just sit their with the door open until I go and that is also the same way with coming on to and off of the porch. When we are walking around the yard he walks slightly behing me on my left side...

This is a good start, the most basic of actions where you want to exert your leadership authority.

This needs to be carried over into a lifestyle of respect. The rocks should be very much like the doors. He doesn't go near them unless you've given permission, which of course you never will.

Same thing with the cat food. He doesn't go near or in that room/area unless you've gone there first or given him permission.

The leash or tether is an excellent tool to instill this at this stage, not making a move without you. He's just a baby and will get into anything and everything if YOU let him.

I would not be using a choke chain on a puppy. A regular flat collar should be fine. Lots of folks even use little harnesses.

And personally, I don't like tennis balls. There's so many good balls out there these days that don't cause the wear and tear on their teeth, not to mention come apart and allow them to ingest bits of the fuzz. They tend to retain a lot of dirt and moisture as well. A germy breeding ground as far as I'm concerned.

Bully sticks are great for the down time and if he's into rocks he's probably love frozen stuffed kongs, which are also great for little teething teeth. They unthaw quickly and are a great chew toy.

And personally, I think all dogs should be crate trained. Never to be used as punishment. I also don't believe in time outs for dogs. More of a human term for "give ME a break". I don't think it has the same effect on dogs as it does on human children. There's no communicated understanding to instill the lesson, but he should learn it is his safe place to go and relax.

Welcome to the board Marc, sounds like you’ve got a fun pup there. Pictures?

Oh and good call on the GSP Ian. I thought for sure he had a German Shorthiared Pointer.

" Marker training ? Anything here on the boards that explain that bc honestly I have never heard of it."




Marker training is the method that "clicker training" falls under, But it's a larger and more important method than the term "clicker training" may have led you to think. (I made that mistake, years ago. )


http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=17

http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=522

and then

http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=124

http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=664

or

http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=775


Also start now, today, with free articles, eBooks, and PodCasts, along with video Q&A with Ed and Michael Ellis:

http://leerburg.com/articles.htm#marker



I urge that you learn marker training asap. You will use it for the rest of your life, IMO, with every dog you have.

marc , those are all great links connie has provided and i highly recommend them .

if you decide to pursue this avenue of training ( reward based training ) these provide the information you will need .

as to crate training , you are correct : the crate should not be used as a punisher . having said that there are many times when you will want to use it to your advantage .

first , let me remind you that dogs are derived from denning animals . the crate becomes their den , a place where they can be alone , where they know they are secure , where they know that when you want them you will come and get them . compare that to a tie out , or a basket/dog bed , where they have the freedom to get up and leave or passersby can encroach on their space . distractions can become much more of an issue if the dog doesn't feel protected from them . when your dog is in his crate you can relax because you know he can't get into anything , and nothing can get to him .

a crate trained dog is a more " grounded " dog because he knows that he has " his " place . you can take your crate with you when you travel , and not only will he be welcome in more places , in his mind he knows that he has his refuge , despite whatever the rest of the world outside looks like .

i use crates extensively . i have as many as five in use right now . one he sleeps in at night . one in the car . one for travelling in the company vehicle . a couple each on whistler and blackcomb mountains ( where i work ) . and i have one on wheels that i use to move him around when i think he needs the security , like his first few trips on the gondolas . from the safety of his crate new experiences like those were easier for him to adapt to .

with respect to the timeout . . . there will be times when you are working with the dog when things aren't going the way you want or his " engagement " just isn't there . the crate can be used as a gentle form of social isolation : in essence you are saying to the dog " this game isn't going the way i want it to , why don't you go to your place for a while and we'll play again in a bit ". you don't get angry , don't let your tone change , it's just part of the way things are . if you don't approach it like punishment , neither will he . he just may be more inclined to play the way you want next time .

of course , the dog has to like his crate , and that is a whole training regime in itself . henry loves his crate , and will run right up to it to get in . that has been learned but it sure makes your , and his , life a lot better .

we have made a food chasing game out of coming out and going in , and every time he comes out ( to go some where ) food goes in so he comes to expect that there will something nice waiting for him every time .

if it sounds like henry spends alot of time in a crate , he does , and he's happy about it , because he knows that when he does come out , there will fun and games with me . his engagement is good , and improving daily . if i'm not doing something with him , i don't want him " inventing " his own fun , and the crate is key to that .

re the ball : unless you have a string on the ball , i am not a big fan especially for a puppy . there are some challenges with a ball . they are hard for a puppy to target and grip so they wind up on the string a lot because that is what they can grab most easily . the other issue is this : either the dog has the ball , or you've just taken it away from him . both scenarios can create conflict in the relationship . i'd select a rag , a ring , or some sort of tug that you can both be playing with together . the games that you develop with your dog can be the foundation of a lifelong relationship based on mutual enjoyment .

sorry for the long post BB . as you can tell i'm a big proponent of the crate , and marker training .

I am far from the expert here, just wanted to point out one thing I think the others overlooked.

What they mean by line or tether is that many people here have the dog always tethered to them by some sort of line when indoors, unless they're in the crate until they reach a certain age or no what's allowed and what's not. I thought it was unnecessary at first and I don't really tether my 5 month old pup to me, but he's always on a leash in the house so that I have easy access to stop him from chewing or otherwise doing something he's not supposed to. Listen to what these people are telling you, they've helped me tremendously in the past few months and marker training is just amazing.

By the way. The biting, chewing will get better. Be persistent about redirecting to toys or bones and he'll eventually get it. Mine still occasionally goes through those fits of going after hands or whatever when you try to redirect but it's no where near as bad as it was at your pups age.