Puppy advice?

Ok so I recently got my son a german shepard puppy... my son is totally infatuated with german shepards... Stitch was 8 weeks old when we got him and is now around 14 weeks...
We have been very successful at crate training him, and he loves his crate, he also behaves well when he is outside... but when he is inside and not in the crate, he wants to get into everything! I dont like keeping him in his crate nor do I like to leave him outside for a long period of time... but after about 15 minutes of yelling NO and chasing him all over the house I get frustrated and don't know what to do!
Any ideas on how to teach him to behave inside when he can roam freely? Or am I expecting too much, since he still just a puppy? Do I just need to wait and hopes he grows out of it? HELP!

In my experience its just nature hun, my puppy grew out of it after chewing through a whole conservatory set

SO CUTE btw

Thanks Willow!
At what age should I expect him to gorw out of it?
omg and he loves to play keep away... he will grab something, wait til I see him , then make me chase him all over, run behind chairs, couches.. anywhere he can fit.. Hes a brat! I have no idea where het gets it from!

Wow, I've never seen a dog with one green ear heh. Cute puppy. Puppies will be puppies, they are like children and get in to everything until they get older and learn what is what. But then again, if I were stuck in a crate and let out for awhile, I'd be pretty rambunctious too lol


btw, I used to have that entertainment center hehe

Such a lil cutie!!

-Ghoti

Continue to use crating methods (and ALWAYS if you are not watching him). He is still very young. I won't say he will grow out of it, but he will get better. Be firm. Be consistent. Be on the spot - they get confused easily, don't discipline unless you catch him "in the act", otherwise they have no idea what they are being taken to task for. Keep a steady routine as much as possible. Make sure to use exercise and training sessions (no more than 15 mins at a time for mentally stressing tasks) to keep him occupied. A bored puppy is a destructive puppy. Remember to play on YOUR time. He doesn't get to bring a ball or whatever and tell you when to play. Ignore it. Come back to him with it in a few minutes and play because you said it was the time. This is the time to establish who is in control. You are the pack leader, make sure he understands that. The more lenient we are with them (on the bed, people food, whatever) the more they take advantage.

I have heard people go so far as to (i) keep him on leash all the time, so you can give him a quick yank - attach it to your hip - whenever he misbehaves, (ii) always eating before him, (iii) spitting in his food before giving it to him (i know, gross, but this establishes your alpha dog scent and lets him know where he stands), (iv) never let him through a door ahead of you.

LOL, oh he doesn't have the green ear anymore... the breeder we got him from had 2 litters of puppies, 15 pupies total,and they were all given thier shots, AKC registered and microchipped, the puppies had a # tatooed on them to keep thier idenity in order.

As for the entermainment center, it isnt there anymore either it has been replaced with my husbands new toy lol a screen tv, and I hate it!

Anyways... any puppy tips you may have are very well appreciated... also he isn't stuck in the crate all day, usually just when hes sleeping or we have to leave the house.

That is some great advice Gabe, ty!
I have thought about the leash thing, but then wonder if I am being cruel... My dad raised cocker spaniels as I was growing up and I don't remember it being this hard lol!

Awesome, my parent raised and showed cockers!

It's only cruel if you apply it poorly. They like their crates, it is a den for them, safe and warm and the older they get, the longer they are able to stay in it. As for leash techniques, quick yank and release on correction - no extended pulling. Think like a mommy dog. Puppy misbehaves and they give them a quick nip to the side of the neck. And for keeping it leashed all the time, remember that the dog wants to be with you anyway.

You are not breaking their spirit you are teaching the house rules. They want to please you and the more clear you make it for them the quicker they will learn.

This is true - dogs are pack animals and they want to be one of the pack. I did put the crate in my bedroom though, so my puppy could sleep with us, little den in the big den. You also need to make sure that he understands that YOU are the alpha dog.

You can do this in various ways. Giving him his food and treats are one way. Making him sit and be calm for his treat reinforces this. If he is particularly wild, you may want to do things like pick up his back legs in play to show you can and that you are stronger.

By all means, give him a green bone to chew on. Puppies need something safe to chew on.

I know this sounds absolutely nuts, but howl with him. LOL It helps you bond. It tires them out too without much effort on your behalf.

If he whines at night a ticking clock or something that makes a steady noise like a fan will sometimes stop that, but mostly his just being able to hear you breathe will stop it, which is why I recommend putting the crate in the room where you sleep.

Also, if mine was tired after a long walk or hard play and he did decide to fall asleep on the floor instead of in the crate then I would get down on the floor and put my arms around him and sleep with him sometimes - more bonding.

Good luck with him Sensual - he is SO, so adorable!!

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Hi Sensual,

Wow...that sure is a cute pup! There's some great advice in this post (particularly about crating and leash corrections), and I'd like to add my experiences as well.

My wife and I more or less rescued a 10 month old Rottweiler from some folks that were having discipline issues with him. Particularly, he...ate a couch, forcing the previous owners to try and find a home for him. Granted he wasn't quite as young and fiesty as Stitch is, but he was still technically a puppy albeit with ingrained habits that needed addressing.

Luckily, he had obedience training from a local kennel operator who had been versed in the ways of Bundeswehr military police dog training. Because his previous owners had more or less neglected him, he had forgotten most of the training (before and after the couch incident they had left him outside and hardly if ever worked with him).

So we made use of the crate. He got more than one correction with a pinch collar. We worked with him. We retrained him. And he turned out to be one of the best dogs I have ever seen, period. And even though he turned out to be a 170 lb. behemoth, he was an inside dog.

He did have his moments of puppiness though. We would calmly take him to the crate and place him in a 'time out' of sorts. No yelling, no chasing about the house, and this did work wonders.

My suggestions would be to follow the advice already posted, and also keep in mind that dogs are social animals that want to show love to their owners. My rottie's previous owners left him alone and he did not feel as if he was a member of the family. He was not allowed to show his love to them, and as a result he started misbehaving to get attention.

Also, I would suggest getting Stitch some obedience training of some sort when he gets a little older, from a reputable trainer. It is likely to be some of the best money you will spend on your pet and it will give him skills that will last him a lifetime.

Sorry for the ramble, but I wish you and your family the best of luck with Stitch!

Great points! I feel like I neglected to mention positive reinforcement, but this is as important as correction. Also, when he steals your socks, runs away and you chase him - he has just engaged you in play and got what he wanted and will do it again when he feels like playing. Try to ignore this, if possible, so that he doesn't associate the act with play. Hopefully, he isn't eating your Oprah-endorsed Birkin bag.

I had a similar experience as Numa, though my Husky ate the drywall. We got it sorted out with patience, training and judicious use of a pinch collar.

Mmmmm...drywall - the other white meat!

A big thumbs up on the pinch collar, Gabe. As we both know, a short snap of the lead is all it takes to let the dog know they've done wrong.

I've had well-meaning people argue with me about the use of them, claiming they are cruel devices. My counter to their arguments was to compare which was more cruel - a brief moment of discomfort for the dog, or to have an undisciplined dog that could easily kill someone running around.

We lost our big boy back in May to lymphoma, and have been debating ever since on getting another big dog. Fifty bucks says that as soon as I show my wife that pic of Stitch, we'll have another family member soon!

I agree with Gabe 100 percent. A puppy has to be watched, otherwise they are going to pick up bad habits and do things you won't find out about until much later. Anything they do that no one tells them is wrong they figure it's okay. If you're not there to tell them it's wrong, they will assume it's okay.

A baby gate is your best friend! Puppies shouldn't have the run of the house until they are reliable potty wise. Also, it's very difficult to puppy-proof an entire house versus just one room or area. You're on the right track with the crate training. Don't feel that the dog needs to be out all the time. Puppies are like babies and they're doing a lot of growing so they need sleep. A crate is like a nice little den for them. Encourage your puppy to love it's crate by tossing in cookies and bits of cheese.

A nice long walk or a game of fetch in the back yard will tire your puppy out and he'll be ready for a nap when you bring him inside. I also recomend puppy obedience classes, especially for a german shepherd, a working breed that if not properly socialized with other dogs as a puppies can be very aggressive with strange dogs (and sometimes people it doesn't know) as it gets older. And then you're stuck with a walking lawsuit on your hands. I would say do puppy kindergarten and basic obedience classes at the very least. You'll probably love it. I did. German Shepherds are extremely intelligent and trainable. They just need to know who's in charge. Yours might make it to the top of the class.

Ingrid is right. Gates are wonderful. Be careful of the type you get, though. I used, for the previously mentioned Husky, the wood one I have always used for our well-behaved Lab. Husky ate that too.

I have never heard of putting dogs in crates in the UK. Is this a common practice in America?

Alexa

Yes, it is fairly common, because our dogs are ill-mannered and oafish, just like the rest of us. Particularly in the puppy stages.

What a cute puppy!! I had a german shepard puppy when I was in HS in Col. anyway about this puppy...I have had dogs all my life. It's alot of work to train and it can take months but it pays off when they grow up. Best thing is to always make sure the dogs knows right from wrong ....with tone of voice is best. If you want you can IM me in world on this also
He is soooo cute!!

It's not so much of a crate as it is cage, that is often collapsible and usually covered up to mimic a den. It's a great way to house train a dog, and usually, if the dog is accustomed to one since puppyhood, it will go in on it's own for naps as an adult. It's a safe place where they feel comfortable. You never leave a dog in one for more than 4 hours at a time. Google "crate training"

http://www.petdreams.com/Casual-Cratewear-3-Piece-Set-p-16199.html

Thanks for explaining.

Alexa

Wow guys thank you all for the wonderful advice it is greatly appreciated... can someone expain a "pinch collar" to me? is that different than leashing him? is it a device? And what age should I consider Obedience classes for Stitch?

PAWS has some good information on their website:

http://paws.org/cas/resources/fact_sheets_dogs/

http://paws.org/cas/resources/fact_sheets_general/

A pinch collar, is a collar that has prongs on it which dig into the dog's neck if it pulls. Not exactly a good introduction to walk time for a young puppy. He'll end up hating walkies, and besides, it's not like he's going to pull you off your feet just yet at this age. I have one for my 85 pound lab because he practically breaks my arm when i walk him (even after 7 years of obedience training), but honeslty, i don't like it and I've stopped using it. If he's still pulling on the leash as an adult when he walks, you can consider something like the "haltee" or "gentle leader" that turns the dog's head if it pulls and so they stop. It's much more humane.

You can start with a training collar and as he gets older a choke collar if needed. You'll learn all about the different types in puppy school and how to use them. Definetely read about how each should be used before you slip one over his head. You don't want to freak the little guy out with something too harsh.

You can start puppy classes from 8 weeks to 5 months of age I think. The basic obedience is the next step after that, and advanced. It really is alot of fun. And german shepherds love it becaus eit's challenging. You'll end up with a dog who listens well to you.

The prong or pinch collar is as Ingrid described. It is not fit for a very young dog, and is not appropriate for all. If applied properly, it is not inhumane and can actually be better than a standard choke collar since it is restricted from full closure. The gentle leader types can be useful as well. You have to determine what is best for any individual dog. My Husky broke two chest harnesses and a haltee head lead before I went to the pinch collar, which does not bother her in the least, but serves to keep her mostly in check.