I was thinking "family thing" in terms of as they grow into adulthood. They may learn the basics as children and go from there into adulthood. I should have been more clear. )

In addition to the EXCELLENT advice already given...

I have an 8 month old pup, who can sometimes be mouthy...keeping treats nearby at all times has worked great for us. He pretty much gets a look in his eye when he is about to start this behavior. He knows it is NOT something he is supposed to do, but that doesn't quite stop him (yet) because he knows it will get my attention. When he approaches, I just quickly redirect with a few minutes of obedience/tricks, which he absolutely LOVES!

He is to the point that when he wants attention from me, he calmly sits and waits instead of mouthing me now about 90% of the time.

For me, it is about redirecting his bad behavior and turning it into something positive that he enjoys and will benefit from.

(Oh, and I have three working line GSDs. One mile of running/walking/etc will not even take the edge off...for us, it's the "thinking" type activities along with physical exercise that make the most difference. We do agility and seriously, 10 minutes of that equals about a half an hour of any equivalent exercise!)

Thanks!
I did forget to answer the crate question, we do crate.

As for the treats, that would be a good idea to use. For now I am keeping a tug toy with me at all times and short a short leash.

I have plans on exercising her brain. My plans are to give her a job around the house. I am thinking of having her help me pick things up around the house and find ... that darned lost shoe. LOL! Anyone who has children know that there is always one shoe missing right when it is time to leave the house.

Anyway I am just not the type of pet owner that can have an animal take up space without having a purpose ... this is why I am not a cat person. ;o)

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=168&Number=310586&Searchpage=2&Main=28405&Words=video+contest&topic=0&Search=true#Post310586

You'll see a few examples of dogs learning the behavior of "pick up that object" in some of these videos.

Marker training.

I would not START with this behavior however... start with something easy and then work up to this more advanced work. JMHO.

Nice!
I would like to first start off with her fully assimilated to the family, a foundation of good behavior to start followed by sit, stay commands.

Once we have that going for us I was considering teaching her to do simple tracking (the kids loved this with our previous GSDs), followed by more intensive work in the future.

I figure in about a year's time we should have the hard work behind us. I will stay on this site since I have always found it the best for common sense training and nurtures good relationships between owner and dog.

Maybe one day I will have a fun little video for you. )

 Quote: tam haga

Nice!
I would like to first start off with her fully assimilated to the family, a foundation of good behavior to start followed by sit, stay commands.

AND a solid "come" command. Rock solid.

And fun stuff - keep it fun for her! My GSD loves the flying squirrel and we burn off tons of energy every day working with this item. Find what turns your girl on and use those items/behaviors to your advantage!! FUN. Keep it fun.

Update:
I have been getting her mouthing/biting under control. She is learning that this is not acceptable behavior. I have had times where I put a muzzle on her as a form of correction. I did this only during the times where she was frustrated from lack of exercise (blizzards do that). The muzzle actually has worked the best of all my corrections. In one day there was vast improvements. Today the only time she opens her mouth is towards a child who pulls her tail. I can't blame her for that, but it is still not acceptable. Of course the dog isn't the only one being trained. The whole family is.

My goal is to have my GSD be well mannered. I have too many children in my house. I need to be able to trust my GSD.