New puppy, I'm exhausted! - Page 2

Teanderson0322,

There is a bit of immediacy to your proplem. You already received correct advice by the stellar posters who have given you the benefit of their experience, so far. And I will agree, this is not your better half's problem. You can and will feel better when you learn to understand the basic principle that drives the undesirable behaviour. All the "submissive" crap you have done, coinciding with your dog's perceived view of you as a submissive subject, is counter to your desired results. 

 I will add to that.

Your GSD proceeds as if he's smarter/more capable than you. That is what you need to rectify. 

Time to seek some competent professional help. You won't be sorry.

Definitely seek help.

By the time my boy was your puppies age he did a l/2 hour down stay, sit, come, slow motion when heeling as well as heeling on command, of course all on leash, and of course puppy version of any corrections you might give an adult.  Tll that said you have a lot of homework to do with him.  NEVER is he allowed to disrespect  you,  NEVER is he allowed to bite anyone AND THAT IS NOW AND FOREVER...  All is done on leash with you, all is done puppy version, all is done with happy and reward treats for his good behavior.  This includes YOU doing the leash work he requires until he is somewhat satisfied then on leash he gets to go into his crate with his favorite ball or toy reward, nothing edibile that he can chew up and swallow. 

You have a handfull of a puppy.  Your reward can be a toy playing session, short and sweet with his favorite toy.  Then on leash into his crate or holding pen for a nap or rest. 

Be sure he has lots of fresh water in his crate or pen.

Be sure your  vet has given him a thorough exam;  fecal,heart, temp, etc as you want to be sure your puppy feels A-OK before putting him through any training.  If he does not feel 100% well then it is not fair to expect him to retain anything you are trying to teach him.  And until you seek training assistance he is not allowed to use his mouth for anything except eating and drinking and playing with his toys.  NO TUG GAMES until you seek training assistance.  You can teach to retrieve his favorite ball or toy.

Puppy training is like training children which is0-3 for foundation;  puppies are 0-16 weeks for his basics;  which are sit, down, stay, come, retrieve if he is a natural, ALL ON LEASH.  You will gain more control all on leash.  Anytime he does anything you do now like, he is on leash, so YOU  have control of his next move.  These guys need structure just like a 2 year old child, boundaries.  Without that you have NO control.  Some are easier than others, some will push you their whole lives always, some just want to please you at any cost. 

Good luck with your boy and it would help all of us if you post his pedigree so we understand more about his background.  Nan

Hundmutter has given you some great ideas!  With puppies, everything is a game waiting to begin.  I do most of my mental games in the house like hiding a favorite toy and teaching the puppy "go find."  I might start this game by interacting with the pup with a tug, playing keep away...I used to sit on the floor and get the puppy to run circles around me, trying to get his tug which I would be just keeping out of his reach.  Then I would quickly hide the tug under my shirt, under my leg, anywhere under me.  He had been so busy with the chase, he would stop and look at me and I would tell him "go find."  He would start sniffing all around me to locate his tug and win the prize.  This lasted until he was about 16 weeks old; then he grew too big so I made modifications to the game by emphasizing the "down" command.  He had to hold a short down while I hid his toy just around the corner; then came the "go find" and he could go find his toy.  As he got faster and more mature and could hold a longer down, I got trickier with my hiding spots.  It's still a good house game on rainy days.

Hide and seek in the house is great fun with the whole family...someone hides in a closet while you hold the puppy; then, have that person call the puppy's name.  Great for learning to come when he hears his name called.  It's also a great game to teach him the names of all the family members.  When the person who is hiding is calling for him, ask the puppy: "Where's (name)?"  When the puppy finds the person, praise with "there's (name)."  The puppy will catch on quickly and be learning at the same time.

Back to your puppy, specifically...you say he doesn't play with his toys.  Well, actually, he might just be waiting for you to make those toys come alive.  Puppies have different levels of prey drive, some are more drivey  than others.  Test him by rolling balls to see if he chases them; try making him play tug with a rag...make the rag jumpy and see if it spikes his interest.  Most puppies love to chase down a moving object. And most GSD puppies want to chase and then sink their teeth into that moving object.  If you initiate ball and tug play with fun energy, I bet he won't stay laying around the house and sleeping.

Walks...yes, I remember my puppy deciding that he didn't want to walk (on a leash), that he preferred to rest on the neighbor's grass and he would just lay there and look at me.  But these walks at this time were just short strolls around the neighborhood. For the most part I humored him, but then I would call his name and reward with a treat for him getting up and coming to me; then we would start our walk again. Now we go out for 3 - 4 mile hikes every morning.  So, it's just a puppy thing...  Before long, you might be back asking the forum members for advice because he'll be pulling you down the sidewalk on your walks!

Potty business...at this age, you've got to wait them out.  I can remember middle of the night potty business...go potty...my puppy would just look at me like "whatever." Have patience, especially when you know he needs to go.  Potty business is much easier if you have him on a schedule for his meals.

Your puppy is 10 weeks old.  How much does he weigh?  I wouldn't be too concerned about how much he is eating depending on his weight right now.  What does your vet think?  Some dogs have more food drive than others.  My dog is a food hound, meaning he has high food drive.  My mom's GSD has zero food drive; he is just not interested even when she adds tasty treats to his kibble.  The difference is hilarious to us both.  Just make sure your puppy is a healthy weight and that you add more to his portions as he grows.

I think you are getting too many ideas too fast and too much here.  Yes read them all , and especially ,get him in a big wire crate and let him learn to sit when open to let out...Teach one lesson at a time...in your case , SItZ,,,BUT YOU have a very agressive pup and if you said ," he is not driven to go after balls , etc, or does he have high food drive,? if not,  then I would be talking to his breeder... Breeder ought to be able to guide you...Sitz is very important as it is to get him off of you..use a tug , ball , or piece of his food to get his attention ...work on sitz and if you could get  the book  "The THeory and Method of Schutzhund" by Ray Hilliard and Stewart ,you will learn real fast what to do...I do not expect you to do schutzhund but that book addresses  a high drive biting pup and what and how to proceed.  You do not want "no ", or holding mouth shut or hitting with papers, or anything.negative.  .YOU reward with his toy, his food and calm petting and do it in small short time amounts.. A puppy cannot do focus in timely manner,they have very short attention spans, they want to play and bite....,.they are puppies..BUT EACH  week his time to sitz and to focus on you will lengthen...use a leash on him and let him drag it around your house ...attach it to you in kitchen and if he tries to bite ankles get attention with a rag tied to a short rope...let him chase the rope and the rag..when he gets it...praise him...let him take it to his crate , take off leash , praise him...good sitz or good kennel or good toy...not good dog...you praise the deed...one deed at a time for now...Make him sitz for everything,..it is a good all time obedience exercise and most pups do it very quickly holding his food or a tiny meat treat over his head and automatically he will sitz, then praise and give treat immediatly,

Wrong training will not work for a biting dog, only excite him and since this is new to you, it is certainly new to a robust pup,,So when he gets bite happy on you,,just lead him to kennel with treat or toy or rope and put him up,...do not scold..You want him to love you, and then let him back out in 30 mins do same things over and over till he gets bitey again...Back to kennel ..no scolding...just take his wish to bite to the rag, or tug or rope  then into kennel...In other words, make him obey by using his want to play in a more beneficial way on anything other than your ankles or hands. If you force him , he will bite more so use method of distracting his bite to a toy or other object and lead into his safe place a locked kennel..DO not put toys in a kennel with a dog..choking is too easy.

Get a trainer who is a german shepherd trainer, not a pet trainer...High prey and agressive pups need lots of positive training no negative rule...Rule will make him  bite more. You must act like a clown and use his talent of biting as a tool to keep him focused on a toy, rope or a tug..but do not tug..his teeth are not ready for that yet.

until you get a professional to show you how to tug it can be destructive to him and you...

Lots of good help come from all of us here..Read all and incorporate as needed .

YR