# Transforms Into A Monster At Night!!!!



## Landsharkie (Apr 26, 2012)

So I have a 14-week GSD that appears to be extremely bipolar. In the mornings, aside from his constant biting and jumping and clawing, I can get him to sit so I can groom him or feed him. However, towards the evening, he becomes this rabid monster. He gets so aggressive and bitey. At one point, we thought he had rabies from the way he changed so suddenly. If I attempt to get near him he bites HARD on any exposed part of body I have or my pants (which I have to wear anytime getting near him). He seems to want to devour any skin I have left. 

I have tried and have been trying all the usual suspects. Yelping, ignoring, chew toys, even rubbed hands with a bit of lemon, which he licks but then bites once he licks it all off. Nothing works. He is intent on biting, not nipping, but biting. He is worse with me than my spouse as my spouse has spanked him a few times. He will mouth my spouse gently but not bite. My spouse says it is because I do not spank him, but I have once, and he took iit as me telling him to bite more and harder. Anything I do makes him seem to just get more excited and bite more. There is no stopping this dog. 

I worry this is only going to get worse. What else can I do? Is this normal for him to have such a sudden change in behavior from morning to night? What other options are out there for biting as I have tried them for weeks and there has not even been a slight change. If anything, it has gotten worse. Even around a lot of people, he will mouth or jump a bit, but not badly, but as soon as he sees me he goes off his rocker. Is it me? Maybe I am too passive with him? I have always given him a stern voice, and he will actually roll onto his back so I can rub him, which I am told means he is letting me dominate him, but I do not believe it with his behavior towards me. Any ideas? 

Thank you!


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Sounds like a perfectly normal little land shark GSD puppy.

Do a search on land sharks - many many posts about this normal puppy behavior.


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## DukeTxDad (Mar 22, 2012)

Just a few thoughts Landshark.
I think it's safe to say that based on what you referrenced regarding your husband, and how your dog acts around him, YES...you are too passive.
You have to be the pack leader. Your dog has to know that you will keep him/ her safe, and provide for his/ her needs. If that feeling is not there, you will see continued behavior that you are experiencing.
Some on this forum may disagree with me, but I am not opposed to spanking...however at your dog's age, a soft "thump" on the nose with a VERY stern "NO" or "Ehh" will do the trick. If not, lather, rinse, repeat.
Dogs are creatures of habit, and if they knew a certain behavior worked before, they will repeat it. You now have the task of breaking the cycle.

Good luck, and feel free to PM me if I can help!


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

I am sorry your post made me chuckle, man memories,... its like child birth if we actually remembered the pain the world would have a lot less children. Our Stella was the same way when she was a baby, we simply dreaded the evenings, as soon as we would try to settle for a bit of TV Coffee, just down time Stella was like to devil, we would do all the mentioned tricks and some of our own and some neat arobatics to get out of her way, anyway to make a long story short her evening zoomies lasted a while, but as she grew they involved us less and less and she just tore around the room. The biting subsided between 5 & 6 months and we could then relax in the evening with exposed toes and other body parts. So this too shall pass, sometimes all of the skills we try to apply simply do not work, like redirect, exercise, socialize our sweet land shark was excercised, socialized and we were brutalized !!! Anyway it will end you will look back in fondness when you see a post like yours or look at pictures of you adorable puppy in a few years and wonder where the time has gone. ( PJ pants will last longer as well with out an animal hanging from them !!)


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you have to train, train, train and
socialize, socialize, socialize.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

When my dog had the nighttime zoomies we played tug and that wore him out enough to settle down


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

Play harder during the day, dont allow naps....havent you ever heard of "wildfire at midnight?" LOL


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## TimberGSD2 (Nov 8, 2011)

Play, play, play. And if it is absolutely bad enough I will put Milla in her crate for a "timeout" in which she usually falls asleep right away. They are not much different from kids!

ETA: A tired puppy is a happy puppy


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Congratulations on your normal GSD puppy

My boy was mouthy as a pup and it was a short lived phase but you have to set boundries and they need to learn to have a soft mouth.

I too, tried the whole "yelp" thing, may work for some dogs but it made him even more excited.

I would engage him in play, redirect him but also would give a short abrupt "eh" that got his attention and sometimes would just get up and play was over. They do need an outlet to release the energy they have, make sure he's getting outside to run around and explore and yes, start training so he's starts to use his smart GSD noggin!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Tug has helped me a lot. That being said, I just got fresh wounds on my arm from brushing him. Should have had the tug handy!


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## mokeanne (Apr 25, 2012)

we must have the same dog! mine is almost 4 mons old, and we think he's crazy too. lol. 

but now that my husband has been out of state for the past week... he's actually calmed down alot. i'm not sure what it is, i'm suspecting that i do things more consistently so he learns that biting is what makes me leave. also when he bites, i go outside.... which makes him cry because he wants to go too. he'll actually sit at the window and watch me. if i go into another room, it's less effective. he ends up looking for stuff to chew up while i'm gone. last night he did well, didn't bite half as much as he used to. there's more soft mouthing.

this will be interesting though, as my husband comes home tomorrow. i have to say that the husband does get more of the biting that i do. the breeder thinks it also has to do w/ the amount of time each of us spends training him. i hope things will get better. 

fyi, for us we did try the yelping, chew toys, and grabbing his muzzle. these all made it worse, like he wanted to play more. on a side note, we also make sure to walk him in the evenings. i also like to give him raw beef ribs to chew on, it helps to keep him distracted and gives him something other than me to chew on.


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## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

With some puppies, they overstimulate--like an overtired 4 year old--and they just are *bad*. My pup is now almost 8 months old, but for a few months there, about once a day she'd get so bad that I just wanted to put a straitjacket on her and toss her in a crate! But just about the time I'd be so fed up, I'd realize that she either had to go to the bathroom or needed a nap. I'd walk her outside and then put her in her crate for a couple of hours, and she'd come out a much nicer pup than when she went in.

So, when your pup is being really *bad* -- ask yourself if he has to go out or if he's really overstimulated and needs some downtime to reset. I suspect that a hungry puppy might also get like this, too, at some stages.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

TimberGSD2 said:


> Play, play, play. And if it is absolutely bad enough I will put Milla in her crate for a "timeout" in which she usually falls asleep right away. They are not much different from kids!
> 
> ETA: A tired puppy is a happy puppy


I agree with the people that are promoting this. I've found out that most of the time when my pups/dogs misbehave it's due to something I am doing wrong (and it's not about punishment and spanking).

Puppies are intelligent, but have short attention spans. They also can take WAY more exercise and play then most of us think they want. I know they want to play much more than I do! So I stop cause I'm bored and they may still be bouncing off the walls!

SO ........... I need to be pro-active and think of ways to manage them BEFORE they become the crazy frustrated nutjobs I know they can be!

HAve you had a chance to really read thru the puppy sections on this board yet? And the FAQ's? Tons of information resulting from us having been in the place you are!

Engagement training can change your relationship and bonding (for training) for the rest of your dogs life. Click this --> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...ime-owner/162230-engagement-key-training.html

Attending puppy classes will do the same! Teaching appropriately for your pups age at the proper rate. They also assure what I think tends to be the #1 issue for many older GSD's, the LACK of early socialization. We all wait until we think our dogs are trained and more polite (I won't be embarrassed) and don't realize that you have entirely missed all the early VITAL stages of socialization our pups need. 

Click this for ideas --> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...t-photos-videos-puppies-being-socialized.html

:wub: :wild: :wub:


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## Landsharkie (Apr 26, 2012)

*So much better but now....*

Well my nighttime monster seems to be getting a bit better. He does not bite as much, and the jumping is at a minimum. I did not do anything differently, it just happened overnight really. He still has his nighttime moments, but it is better.

However, I noticed lastnight he was very active and today he seems to be not so good. All day he wanted to sleep hidden behind the trashcan and has not eaten well at all. I even offered him up his favorite meat, and he turned away. He is very lethargic and does not want to run after his favorite toy either. When I gave him water, he kept running his muzzle over it but never drank. After much coaxing, he finally started drinking. His breathing is fine, and he physically looks fine, but he seems very very depressed and sad today. Usually when I open the door he goes wild to run in and out of the house over and over again, but he just laid there when I opened the door.

Can he be depressed? We played with him nonstop this past weekend, but now we are back to work and have not played with him as much. You think he is depressed? I noticed he is not really wanting to open his mouth. His bite on his tug toy was really soft and weak. Usually he will lick or nip at my hands, but he wouldn't even budge his mouth open so I could check out his teeth and gums and see if maybe they were bothering him or if he hurt himself. What could it be? Should I run him to a vet? Is it normal for a dog to have down days?

Thank you


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Landsharkie said:


> Well my nighttime monster seems to be getting a bit better. He does not bite as much, and the jumping is at a minimum. I did not do anything differently, it just happened overnight really. He still has his nighttime moments, but it is better.
> 
> However, I noticed lastnight he was very active and today he seems to be not so good. All day he wanted to sleep hidden behind the trashcan and has not eaten well at all. I even offered him up his favorite meat, and he turned away. He is very lethargic and does not want to run after his favorite toy either. When I gave him water, he kept running his muzzle over it but never drank. After much coaxing, he finally started drinking. His breathing is fine, and he physically looks fine, but he seems very very depressed and sad today. Usually when I open the door he goes wild to run in and out of the house over and over again, but he just laid there when I opened the door.
> 
> ...


Not mental - got to be physical! If he doesn't improve - I would call the vet right away!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Landsharkie said:


> Is it normal for a dog to have down days?
> 
> Thank you


No, it is not. I would get him to the vet ASAP.


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## diezel (May 1, 2012)

i've been working on diezel (my 8 week old) on having a soft mouth since he is extremely playful whenever he is awake. Keep treats on your, whenever he bites say no in a raised stern voice, as soon as he looks lets go and looks at you give him a treat. he'll understand what your trying to get him to do. it took us a few days but diezel is getting it and only softly mouths or kisses whenever we play. it's a lot easier than being terrorized in your own house. If he doesn't stop flick him on the nose, not too hard but enough that is catches him off guard. make sure you say no a few times before you take that route too. i've only had to smack diezel twice and it was for stuff that he was told he wasn't supposed to do for a few days. Good Luck with your puppy


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## Landsharkie (Apr 26, 2012)

Well, we had a rough night as I could not sleep wondering if I would wake up to a dog in the morning. We stayed with him most of the night, and he was just so sad and down. He vomited water 2 times and would not eat but no diarrhea. We just tried to play with him and lighten him up a bit, which he did a bit. 

Today, I made an appt for the vet as they were not taking walk-ins anymore. However, he seems to be getting a bit better. He did eat, although we noticed he would only eat his favorite meat cut into itty bitty chunks. He did take in some chicken broth, as I was worried he was not eating food and gave him chicken broth.

I know this is odd, but can he have a sore throat? I heard him swallowing hard last night and this morning. Oh, and he was not opening his mouth at all last night (barely) and would not do his usual tongue sticking out panting. Today, he is doing it. He was even running around for his toy a bit, and he is back to trying to bite on occasion. He has had more water and chicken broth and gatorade plus the bit of meat he would chew, as he refused kibble. He even played a bit with a piece of apple I gave him, but he would not eat it. He just kept licking over and over. He did that with the meat too until we cut it up really small.

I wonder if his teeth would cause him to have problem eating? Well, he seems to have a bit more life in him today. I know it may be Parvo, but his appetite is not gone. It is more like he wants to eat so bad, and he can't. He got so excited when he saw a bag of his favorite treats, but when I gave it to him he wouldn't eat it. So far meat has been the only thing he had a taste for. Odd, and he took it with a vengeance. He almost took our hands with it. Hopefully not rabies!!! He is the only dog in the fenced yard, but we do get stray cats coming in. I guess we shall see what the vet says.


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## mokeanne (Apr 25, 2012)

this reminded me of the puppy growning pains, although the vomitting doesn't really fit into it. please let us know what the vet says. 

Growing Pains in Dogs | Symptoms


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## Landsharkie (Apr 26, 2012)

Well unfortunately it is parvo. We brought him home with all his meds, but I am so scared he will not make it. He just does not want to take anything in at all. He will take in water every now and then but pukes it all back up. No poop yet. I feel so helpless for him. My heart is breaking. I do not know what to do for him, and he does not want me around. He runs the minute he feels the urge to vomit and wants to just hide in little nooks and crannies. 

I miss my little monster.


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## obxterra (Jul 25, 2009)

Do keep us informed on the puppy's progress, hope does well soon.


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