# My dog is very rough



## gsd4lyfe (Nov 29, 2017)

My 6 month old can be very rough. Tonight I got the hiccups and he decided to bite me because he didn’t know what they were. After they went away he started jumping and snapping at me, and running wild laps around the room. He at first wouldn’t actually bite me, he would only put my arm in his mouth and then pull away, until he slowed down some then he tried to actually bite. I was finally able to grab his collar but he would not calm down until I got Behind him and had my legs on either side of him. He does this a lot. He is currently in training and his trainers say it’s because he is dominant and has an attitude. He’s also very large for his age, he’s over 60 pounds, probably closer to 70 now, and he knows it. 

Is dominance the only reason he acts like this? Or could there be something else? Hes a very intelligent dog and can be very sweet and loving until something doesn’t go his way.


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

I'm no expert by any means, but that just sounds like a dog with too much energy and who is trying to irk you into playing with him in a poorly mannered fashion.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

“Running laps around the room “ sounds to me like the zoomies but I can’t be sure. I know Max would on occasion when a pup would get into a zooming state and then like to jump and bite like a nut in a playful way as a pup but obnoxious and devilish. If I lost my patience this would rev him up even more. Keeping calm I would have to leash him and put him in a down or practice some obedient exercises so he can find his brain again -this settled him down. This helped him control his impulsive rude ways. Sometimes I would just crate him.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

If I don't lose a little blood daily, it's because I haven't played enough with my puppy! We've always played rough, I don't mind, but I have taught her to stop when told. I opened with that to illustrate that what you might call a bite, I may refer to as simple play...no way for me to really gauge what you're describing. If you don't allow rough play and your dog is doing it anyway, stop it! Correct him and stop the interaction. It sounds to me like he got excited by your hiccups and just wanted to play. But again, if him biting or nipping you is something that's not allowed, don't allow it! Correct him and end the play with crate time or having him "place" for a bit to calm down.


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Femfa said:


> I'm no expert by any means, but that just sounds like a dog with too much energy and who is trying to irk you into playing with him in a poorly mannered fashion.


 this ^^ my already energetic and excitable 8 month old pup has just decided to up his energy and excitement to the next level and all of a sudden he's a mouthy zoomy jerk again. So on top of all the fetch and tug and obedience and walking I've set up a spring pole sort of deal for him to tug on his own when his in the yard. It's almost to the ground because I don't want him jumping and hanging from the thing - just something he can tug himself out with and it's helped a lot. The sound of the spring seems turn him on a lot and he wears himself out. In turn he's less mouthy, barks less, and as a side bonus he seems to prefer that over digging.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

Sounds like a young dog with energy to burn. Up your exercise and training. If he does this often you could use a drag leash (a leash with no loop handle) so you can grab the leash and get him under control. A drag leash is used during free roaming in the house. Not to be left on when crated or unattended. Much easier to grab a leash then a collar to give a correction. 
I personally wouldn't call it dominance. He's still young and is just being ill mannered. He wants you to play. But it's you who decides when it's play time not the dog. 
Continue to work with your trainer. Give him plenty of both mental and physical exercise and stay consistent with behavioral rules and you should see a change for the better soon.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

thegooseman90 said:


> this ^^ my already energetic and excitable 8 month old pup has just decided to up his energy and excitement to the next level and all of a sudden he's a mouthy zoomy jerk again. So on top of all the fetch and tug and obedience and walking I've set up a spring pole sort of deal for him to tug on his own when his in the yard. It's almost to the ground because I don't want him jumping and hanging from the thing - just something he can tug himself out with and it's helped a lot. The sound of the spring seems turn him on a lot and he wears himself out. In turn he's less mouthy, barks less, and as a side bonus he seems to prefer that over digging.


Nothing like a triple win! This is a great idea!


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

tim_s_adams said:


> Nothing like a triple win! This is a great idea!


 I always had one for my "other" dogs but they used it different. They'd jump up and hang on it but i wouldn't imagine that's a good idea for a gsd. It's great exercise for them tho. Easy to make too if you have a tree or you're willing to put up some beams. If anyone is interested I can show pics of mine or do a quick how to.


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## gsd4lyfe (Nov 29, 2017)

Springbrz said:


> Sounds like a young dog with energy to burn. Up your exercise and training. If he does this often you could use a drag leash (a leash with no loop handle) so you can grab the leash and get him under control. A drag leash is used during free roaming in the house. Not to be left on when crated or unattended. Much easier to grab a leash then a collar to give a correction.
> I personally wouldn't call it dominance. He's still young and is just being ill mannered. He wants you to play. But it's you who decides when it's play time not the dog.
> Continue to work with your trainer. Give him plenty of both mental and physical exercise and stay consistent with behavioral rules and you should see a change for the better soon.



He is at training from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. We do a lot of fetch and things like that, but when he gets nippy he doesn’t know when to stop. We can sometimes get him to place to calm down but when he is extra wild he starts getting harder than just a play bite. He has a drag leash attached to his prong collar, but he doesn’t like to be controlled, I mean as soon as you can get the leash and get behind him he stops, but he will do everything he can to keep you from getting behind him.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Have you tried a time out? Put him up, either in another room or his crate, for a short period of time when he acts this way. He may see anything else as rewarding, including the corrections (since he has made a game out of avoiding them). Don't make a big deal about it, but just take him into another room and leave him, if you don't use a crate, or put him in his crate for a bit.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

thegooseman90 said:


> I always had one for my "other" dogs but they used it different. They'd jump up and hang on it but i wouldn't imagine that's a good idea for a gsd. It's great exercise for them tho. Easy to make too if you have a tree or you're willing to put up some beams. If anyone is interested I can show pics of mine or do a quick how to.


I want to see please.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

gsd4lyfe said:


> He is at training from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. We do a lot of fetch and things like that, but when he gets nippy he doesn’t know when to stop. We can sometimes get him to place to calm down but when he is extra wild he starts getting harder than just a play bite. He has a drag leash attached to his prong collar, but he doesn’t like to be controlled, I mean as soon as you can get the leash and get behind him he stops, but he will do everything he can to keep you from getting behind him.


Is he at some kind of a daycare? Does he get rest? Does he come home from daycare ready to rumble?


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## GandalfTheShepherd (May 1, 2017)

Second (or third?) the more exercise recommendation. My guy is too pooped from running outside in the morning that he comes in the house and sleeps. IF he does get the zoomies I'll throw him out in the yard and we play chase until it's gone. If it's raining out or muddy the spot command keeps him in his place and eventually that energy dissipates. With such a young dog you're going to be dealing with this a lot, better get used to it and teach him an off button in the house. Brain games don't wear my guy out but an hour off leash or long line hike with some ball in between sure does! I also like to give kongs, chews, and bones during certain times to help reinforce calming behaviors in the house. Don't let him get away with being a butt in the house and time out in a crate if he is getting out of control, he'll get it soon enough. If he is being nippy, TIME OUT. Biting behavior should not be rewarded. At 4-5 months old I feel like the mouthiness really went away with our guy.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

Redirecting consistently to a toy? I am a first time owner, but I couldn't correct this out of my dog. Corrections just made it worse. My dog met conflict with conflict, not because of dominance. Depending on why and what time of day the solutions were different. Crate, redirection with me and him playing hard with a toy or an off leash run. You are also at the height of what was the last of teething for me, over the next couple months it stopped completely. I don't only attribute the decline to teething, but also a change in my handling. I saw a big difference in maturity from where he was at 6 months versus 9 months. Had I not figured it out I would be in a mess now I think. HTH


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

gsd4lyfe said:


> He is at training from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. We do a lot of fetch and things like that, but when he gets nippy he doesn’t know when to stop. We can sometimes get him to place to calm down but when he is extra wild he starts getting harder than just a play bite. He has a drag leash attached to his prong collar, but he doesn’t like to be controlled, I mean as soon as you can get the leash and get behind him he stops, but he will do everything he can to keep you from getting behind him.


Training for 11 hrs a day??? I have a hard time believing any dog would be trained for that much time in a day. Is he just being boarded with some training? Or is this a doggie day care? While there how much time is he spending in a crate or kennel? If it is a doggie day care and he is allowed to play all day then he may just be having trouble with his "off switch" ie: he hasn't learned to settle. If this is a board and train type place then I would bet he is getting a couple of training sessions a day and the rest of the time he is in a crate or kennel. Meaning he may not be getting enough physical exercise. Hard to say as I don't know what type of facility he is at. 
Does this facility tell you what his exact daily activity/training schedule is? Are you sure he is getting exercise vs. being kenneled most of the day? Answers to these questions make a big difference in the way he is acting and how to deal with correcting the undesirable behaviors.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

To add. He is a 6 month old showing his ass and pushing boundaries (think human terrible two's). As I said in my previous post. Stay the course. Be firm but fair and most importantly consistent with training. He'll get it. Learning desired behaviors doesn't happen over night and some are harder than others to get there.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

I reread your post. I'm not an expert by any means but this could be an issue as well:

"I mean as soon as you can get the leash and get behind him he stops,* but he will do everything he can to keep you from getting behind him.*"

I wouldn't be getting behind him. I would be taking the leash. Bring him to your side and put him in a sit or down with focus on you. Then I would work on the place command. He needs to learn his place in your family pack. He doesn't need to be "dominated" he needs to learn respect. You (the humans) lead the pack. Mutual respect brings good thing. The dog does as asked, the dog learns he gets good things (treats, praise, pets, play time, etc.) in return you get dog that is easy to live with and enjoy. 

Again, it takes time. You'll get there


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## gsd4lyfe (Nov 29, 2017)

Springbrz said:


> Training for 11 hrs a day??? I have a hard time believing any dog would be trained for that much time in a day. Is he just being boarded with some training? Or is this a doggie day care? While there how much time is he spending in a crate or kennel? If it is a doggie day care and he is allowed to play all day then he may just be having trouble with his "off switch" ie: he hasn't learned to settle. If this is a board and train type place then I would bet he is getting a couple of training sessions a day and the rest of the time he is in a crate or kennel. Meaning he may not be getting enough physical exercise. Hard to say as I don't know what type of facility he is at.
> Does this facility tell you what his exact daily activity/training schedule is? Are you sure he is getting exercise vs. being kenneled most of the day? Answers to these questions make a big difference in the way he is acting and how to deal with correcting the undesirable behaviors.



He’s obviously not training non stop for the whole time. He does have playtime and then kennel time. It’s a leave and learn program. He’s only in it for 4 Weeks. He’s definitely getting exercise, they take them outside to a field to run around in and they have an indoor ring to play in. When he gets home we play fetch, he runs laps around the house outside, works on commands, etc.


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## gsd4lyfe (Nov 29, 2017)

Springbrz said:


> I reread your post. I'm not an expert by any means but this could be an issue as well:
> 
> "I mean as soon as you can get the leash and get behind him he stops,* but he will do everything he can to keep you from getting behind him.*"
> 
> ...


Most of the time we try to work on a place or a down stay when he gets excited. But sometimes it gets to the point he just doesn’t listen. I’m not necessarily trying to dominate him, but when he’s excessively biting someone’s arms/legs/etc. I have to do more than that.


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Apex1 said:


> I want to see please.


Here you go! Didn't want to derail this thread so I made a new one

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/equipment-how-use-where-find/722546-how-springpole.html


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