# Body Slamming



## a_dugas6 (Aug 27, 2013)

My 6 month old female, Anya, did something this morning that I have never seen before. This is my first GSD that I actually own. I grew up with them, but they were always my father's dogs. Anya is doing extremely well with all of her training, she sits, stays, come, leave it, drop it, everything. She also usually does very well on her walks, a few pulls here and there, but for a 6 month old her behavior is really off the charts. Prior to her turning 6 months old last week, I was walking her every morning for 1 1/2 miles, then she get training time at around noon for 30 to 45 minutes. Training can be anything from practicing new commands, "find the cookie", sit and stay when I get her deliberately excited first, some tricks and games. She then gets another walk for about 1 mile in the early evening. So once she turned 6 months (again last week), I increased her morning walk to 3 miles, about an hour. She was doing with it for the past 5 days or so. This morning though, when we crossed the street to do the "additional" 1 1/2 miles, she started body slamming into me! No running, just she didn't want to go that way, not even a little. She wasn't pulling before hand, but I have trained her not to pull, no barking, but she really doesn't bark much (unless someone knocks on the door when we are at home), she simply moved to in front of me, then jumped up, turned side ways, and slammed her body into me. It was like she was trying to push me back to go the other way. She did this like 6 or 7 times. Her paws never touched me, she was not playing! I am with this dog 24 hours a day, I know she wasn't playing. She was telling me "I don't want to do this way" and she meant it! She was so adamant, that I did turn around and just do the old route, which once I did that, she was perfectly fine again. I don't know what to make of it. Should I correct this if she ever does it again, or was she trying to warn me about something? Like I said, she never pulled, barked, growled, anything like that. She made a point not to hit me with her paws, so she wasn't simply "jumping up". Any thoughts?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Way too much formal walking for a 6 month old, especially if on concrete.

But I would correct the body slamming. That is rude on her part.


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## a_dugas6 (Aug 27, 2013)

For most of the walk she is on grass, while I'm on concrete. The early evening walk is much more like touring the neighborhood, but the morning walks are very rigid regarding the rules. How much walking would you recommend?


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## erfunhouse (Jun 8, 2013)

If you watch Shepherds play they DO body slam each other...perhaps it was just play?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Jax body slams me. She knows she isn't supposed to jump on me so when she's excited she slams into me.


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## a_dugas6 (Aug 27, 2013)

Thank you! It was probably exactly what you said Jax08 and erfunhouse. Like Jax, Anya knows she isn't supposed to jump, so this was her "alternative." LOL I love how smart she is! "ok, Mommy says I can't jump on her, but she has not told me not to do this" I swear she uses more logic than my sons ever did. I will work with her on this behavior. Do you two agree with Sunflowers that I may be walking her too much. I used to have a Huskey, which the 3 miles in the morning barely made dent even at 4 months. My vet said that I should wait until Anya is 6 months for this (3 mi) walk to give her hips more time to develop healthy. Which is what I did, but should I wait longer? Maybe 1 year? She is not a behavior issue, great with kids, other dogs, adults, everyone, great at dog parks, the marina, outdoor restaurants, perfect. So it's not like I need to tire her out at all, she really is an awesome dog. I only increased the morning walk time because I thought it was better for her. Thank you again for all your help!!!!


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Walking can be a great way to bond with a pup but it is piss poor exercise unless you walk forever. If you really want to get more bang for your buck teach the dog to fetch or tug. Tug takes a ton more energy out of them than walking. It's possible shes just trying to get you to move faster or in a different direction. That is usually what that kind of behavior means with a puppy doing it to an owner. It means something different if it was done to a stranger.

Definitely correct it a firm no and a gentle but firm thumb into the space between the ribs is usually enough to get the point across.


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## erfunhouse (Jun 8, 2013)

We do 1 1/2 miles to 2 miles on hikes where it's dirt. If walk her on grass or dirt---but sometimes you just don't have that option so you do what you can. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Gwenhilde (May 5, 2013)

Our puppy (Anya as well) has her moments of slamming as well. 

As she and one of our other dogs love doing that too each other, their hours of play consists of 99% body slamming each other and see who goes down first. She does it in a playful way but still will get corrected for it. But it is for her related to her energy levels, if she has too much excess energy and we are not walking much right now due to the heat outside the slamming increases. 

So we do some sessions of tug and fetch to burn of some energy and as long as she has a way to get rid of that excess energy she won't do it at all. Though her newest thing is pretending she is on a trampoline when leashed  So that is our new training thing at the moment.


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## a_dugas6 (Aug 27, 2013)

So now I have to ask where you got the name Anya from? For me, it was a character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv show.


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## Gwenhilde (May 5, 2013)

lol Mine isn't that original  She came with that name when we adopted her from a rescue at 4 months but it was given to her by her breeder. 

By then she already responded to it and we liked it so we kept it also liked the meaning of the name as well. But I never even thought about the character from Buffy lol But that makes it another +1 for her name!


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