# Puppy Bit And Drew Blood



## spatart (Oct 31, 2009)

Hi, we're new to owning a German Sheppard. We have a male, who is now about 7 weeks old. We've had him for about a week now. He seems to like to nip, we just assumed it was a puppy thing and we'd be able to train him as he got older. 

Today, Katie and I were lying in bed after taking him for a walk. He was lying with us when he suddenly bit Katie's ear and would not let go. I physically had to put my hand in his mouth to pry it open, and off her ear. The bite actually split her right ear right open and drew a considerable amount of blood for the injury.

Is this something he will grow out of? Is there something we can start doing to encourage him this is bad behavior?

Some background we know of, is his father Max was aggressive. From what we heard, never an unprovoked attack, but he was a guard dog. His mother was incredibly sweet, basically the opposite of the father. Does lineage play a large factor?

Any suggestions and help is much appreciated. We did search some posts but didn't find anything specifically related to this so if we're rehashing an old post we apologize in advance.

Thanks,
Shawn + Katie

PS - Happy Halloween!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

The main problem is that you got him at six weeks. Puppies should stay with their mom and littermates until minimum 8 weeks, they learn a lot of social skills in that time, including bite-inhibition. Even then, puppies will bite a lot and it takes time and patience to teach them otherwise. So getting a GSD so young, your work and patience needs to quadruple to help him catch up on all the developmental disadvantages he started his new life with. 

Yes, lineage, and the parents' temperament and personality are inherited. He may be more like his mom, more like his dad, or a balanced mix of both. However, you should not think of puppy biting as aggression, nor should you deal with it as aggression. In puppies it is nothing but play and exploratory behaviour, and is needed for their normal development. 

There are a lot of threads about puppy biting and puppy "aggression" if you want to read a few more posts about how to deal with the bitey stage. They do apply to your situation too. Puppy just does not know that this kind of biting and holding on is painful, to pup this is normal play. You will have re-program him to play in more acceptable manner. Always have a TON of toys, tug toys lying around, and at hand. puppy wants to bite, play tug, shove toy in mouth and play!!! Over and over and over again. A zillion times a day. Reprograming a puppy brain takes time and work, especially on that was separated from mom too soon! 

Be ready to have arms, hands, clothes shredded. Normal. Biting stage is over around six months old - so like I said, LOTS of patience! Regardless of what you read on the internet about puppies being aggresive and trying to be dominant, it does not apply to your relationship with him. It may if left to figure out his place with his littermates, but he is not with littermates anymore, and he knows it! You are a benevolent magical giant that provides all good things in his life, and he will respect you for it. The biting (sorry about your wife's ear, I can just imagine how painful that was!) is play for him, NOT an attempt to overthrow the government!!! He would have learnt more self control had he been left with his littermates a bit longer, but too late for that now. He will still be okay, but you and your wife are in for a bit of a rough time!


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Ohhh, I wouldn't lay down with my puppy!! He would do that for sure!! 

I doubt this is aggression. There are lots of current and old threads about our loverly alligator puppies on this board.

I guess it is a shock to folks not expecting it. We just redirected to a toy, put in pen, played out side, put in crate... all sorts of creative things to busy or contain the "killa pup". You can harm your pup and damage your relationship if you take the wrong tactics and the wrong understanding of this normal behavior. 

Please don't put your head down around the alligator baby! I have seen all lines of GSD puppies bite more than your other breeds of pup. The drivier pups bite more.

When my new pup started ripping clothes, grabbing arms and legs, causing that feeling of warm blood to run into my shoe... I knew he was a good one. Don't be mistaken, this pup is very attached to us and I can tell he will grow into a great companion. This puppy biting is not about that at all. Now that teething is over, it doesn't happen very often.

You can begin to work with your little pup to learn behaviors. Small soft treats to lure sits and downs. Calling him to you for treats, etc. This will begin to establish the relationship of working with you. Once your pup is old enough to have learned "sit" well, then you begin to ask for that sit before the pup gets things like his food or toy etc. This starts to establish things for your puppy though "sit to say please". Of course, this takes time and gently working as the pup has a baby brain rignt now.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

German Shepherd puppies are very mouthy. This is not aggression at all at this age. It is how they play and explore the world. Usually their mothers teach them bite inhibition. When they bite their litter mates to rough in play of offended pup yelps and walks away so the rambunctious pup learns to tone it down a bit if he wants his litter mates to play. If he bites mama too hard she will growl and give him a scruff shake. If the pups leave their mothers before 8 weeks they may not have learned bite inhibition and we have to help help them. You can try substituting a chew toy, saying "ow" in a growly tone and then ignoring the pup for a second. Always show them with praise when they are gently mouthing. There is a lot of info on this site if you do a search on "mouthing" Do not mistake this for dominance or aggression. At 7 weeks it is sheer play for the pup, though not for you!

None of the suggestions worked perfectly for me but the mouthing stage passes. From 7 - 12 weeks Benny grabbed and sometimes tore pant legs, constantly latched onto my legs and those of family members who nicknamed him "Jaws". When we told him No or walked away he just thought we were playing and latched on harder, sometimes growling. After about 14 weeks the mouthing began to decrease and now at 6 months Benny plays very gently.


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i agree.....

also, want to add that it would be a very important step to take him to puppy class between as soon as he gets all his shots which is usually at 12-15 weeks. he will learn alot by interacting with the puppies alot about biting, etc.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Not all tactics work with all pups. That "no" or squeal "owww" thing really wound ours up. With a look of glee he reared back and came in harder. They think you really like this playing stuff!

This actually isn't bad behavior. It is not a bad sign. It is normal. My friend who rescued a GSd pup recently had no idea. The pup she got was rather mild mannered and still her arms looked a fright. She came to me wide eyed-----how do you shepherd people do this?!!


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I have yet to have a GSD puppy that hasn't drawn blood...so I'm inclined to say it's pretty normal. I usually get caught in the legs or the hands though. 

They have to learn that it's not acceptable to play that way with people. All I usually do is reinforce playing with toys and keeping toys in their mouth and ignoring/walking away/time-out if they get too rough with my person. Puppy are teeth are really sharp, usually by the time they get their adult teeth they have grown out of that stage and have also learned that I don't play that way.


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

Try to reassure your child the puppy is just a wee wee baby and doesn't know what it did. Try to educate your child to be aware of the nipping. And watch your noses when holding it! I got a nip in the nose once........ 

It is not uncommon for a puppy that age to be seen *hanging* by its teeth off of its mother's neck. Like the people above have mentioned, the mother corrects this.

The breeder should have kept the pups a bit longer. 

Try to never ever get down to the puppies level. They see you as a litter mate when you are down there.


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

The bright side is you are walking the puppy!!!!!!!!


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## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

> Quote: It is not uncommon for a puppy that age to be seen *hanging* by its teeth off of its mother's neck. Like the people above have mentioned, the mother corrects this.










check if there are any photos still around of Halo hanging off Keefer's neck - almost every pic that Cassidy's Mom took of Halo & Keefer together, showed Halo attached to some part of Keefer: many adult dogs are very tolerant of puppy antics.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

So many psycho puppy threads lately ...


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: CKThe bright side is you are walking the puppy!!!!!!!!


Except the puppy is 7 weeks and how many shots---I know, I can't stop myself---parvo...

Welcome to the board and enjoy your puppy! They grow up way too fast. Use positive methods (adult dogs do this as well) of ignoring and replacing the thing that they want to bite with something appropriate. If you know someone with REALLY good adult dogs who are used to puppies, and who are healthy, they are truly the best teachers and can teach in one hour what takes us weeks. But the goal is not to have a puppy who doesn't bite, but one who understands what biting is, what bite pressure is, and who gets that you don't do it even if you want to. 

(psycho puppy: http://www.bigpawsonly.com/dog-images/psycho-dog.jpg )


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

I'm getting my puppy next friday. Watch - it's will be just my luck I am going to get the one who doesn't bite. If that happens, the breeder got some explainin' to do GRRRRR


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

I know, I can't stop myself---parvo..

Maybe our climate protects us here in Canada or something, but I wouldn't let nuclear war stop me from walking my puppy! Mind you, I am picky about what and who my puppies sniff! You guys must have had bad luck with parvo.

Without malice or mace or being a smart butt. 

Worms worry me more. I have shared that problem with dogs! More than once. Always a rescue too! *sigh* Rescues , they were still worth it! 

The sooner on a leash the better. Not that I am trying to pick a fight. I just know when I have got rescues, PB 2 or 3 year old wild things, The leash was the enemy. I have one arm longer than the other to prove it! Where as an 8 week old puppy...... those are the best leash walkers!!! 

Again, personal choice.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: Alto
> 
> 
> > Quote: It is not uncommon for a puppy that age to be seen *hanging* by its teeth off of its mother's neck. Like the people above have mentioned, the mother corrects this.
> ...


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## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

Thank You


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

A pic is worth a thousand words! And puppy teeth hurt! Anyone every find a puppy tooth? That fall out? I swear they have a tooth fairy!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I agree with everyone that says this is normal puppy stuff. 

When mine start nipping or mouthing, I stand up, puppy on the floor and stop the game. If they latch on to my legging in an evil attempt to salvage the play, I will pick them up and put them on the other side of a baby gate or x-pen. The GAME has to stop. (I do not punish puppies by crating them.) Actually, I am not punishing, I am removing myself from the situation. 

I do use the words, "Gentle" or "Don't hurt the Susie." If they ease up I praise them, then I redirect their little chompers onto something they can chew on. 

Good luck, and do sign up for puppy classes.


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## spatart (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks for the help everyone, this was all very helpful. It is unfortunate that we got him early as mentioned. Partly our error for not doing a little research, we just went on the breeders word.

Happy to know this is normal. Other than this he's a smart little puppy. He's sitting on command now and starting to figure out how to play fetch. We have a cat who plays fetch and she's teaching him the ropes. He plays very nice with them and never bites. He seems good with other dogs on his walks as well. It was amusing, he peed himself when a poodle dog came over to say hi today. In his defense the owner had him dressed up for Halloween as a doll and was quite funny looking. 

Thanks again for all the comments, it's very helpful!


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Good puppy! Now we need pictures!


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## spatart (Oct 31, 2009)

Here are a couple pictures of baby Nootka on the day we first brought him home.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

That is a great looking puppy!


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I don't feel I can add anything that others haven alrady stated, but out of curiosity...why did you get a dog in which on parent is known "aggressive" and what do you mean by that?


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

Gorgeous pup...A real looker! 

I've gotta admit, I'm also curious as to why you'd take a pup where one parent is aggressive. Even if you wanted an aggressive dog, wouldn't you prefer that both parents were aggressive? I'm also curious as to exactly how was the father dog aggressive???


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

don't fret. my GSD pups were very bitey. My mutts never. I got three of my dogs at six weeks, it won't ruin them for life. he is not too young to start simple commands like sit. when he gets older enroll in puppy class and find a puppy friend. beautiful baby. I literally have scars on my face from Paige as a pup .


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

PS not all dogs have perfect breeding. he was born and he is here now and what you need is good training.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

She is adorable!


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## spatart (Oct 31, 2009)

well, he was good with his own family, he seemed really affectionate, but he was defiantly a guard dog by nature, he had to be chained up before we arrived otherwise he would attack us for being anywhere near the family...especially the little girls.

and then something funny happened yesterday, i was walking him along the river , and this old couple came up to say hello, and they started telling me about their old dog, max....the same name as the father, they told me that when they still had him, an rcmp officer came to their house and stepped over the threshold of the door, and max attacked....then they told me, that they had to give him away to a couple on a ranch just outside a town called sundre.( the same location that we got nootka from)...they also told me that their old doggy max had recently had a litter of puppies ...maybe this was just a coincidence , but it was strange none the less.
as for getting a dog from an aggressive father, i wasn't really using my head at the time, i do want a dog that will protect me, but i also want a good pet.....but i guess i'm getting what i wished for , because before i got nootka, i had my heart set on getting a pitbull. 
we are very up for the challenge of this dog tho, and we love him very much, we also have two kitty's who have been helping alot with the training prossess

kate


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Nootka is just adorable!!! What an awesome cutie!! You must already just love him head-over-heel. 

The father does not neccessarily sound aggressive - more like unsocialized, and needing a strong leader in the house. Issues that can be worked on. 

Funny about the story of the couple that had a "Max". Really gotta wonder if they were talking about the sire of Nootka or another dog. Small world!

I laughed at this pic: Looks like he is already checking out that yummy earlobe and trying to formulate a plan on how to best get at it:









But yeah, as Samba said, watch it when they get all riled up and excited that you don't have your face or other sensitive appendage withing nipping range! Just basic carpet-shark handling skills.


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

My sheppy;s parents, the Dad is always on a chain. Wery wery agressive, the mom is big chicken, always hiding. And you know what? Their pups are real normal stable dogs. They get their markings from the dad and mild personality from the mom. The breeder's dogs are highly sought after because of the pups easy going nature, she is always sold out in advance. 

The two we got from her were just the best! I have to admit, one of the two had a high ball drive. High high high ball drive. The dogs are so good with new people it blows me away. Yet, if some one ( IE meter guy ) climbs over our fence and pops in the yard when the kids are out...... it is not pretty. No biting. But it is not pretty. They will corner and hold strangers that just pop over the fence. Yet I just yell OFF , come heal, and they recall and sit right by me.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: CKMy sheppy;s parents, the Dad is always on a chain. Wery wery agressive, the mom is big chicken, always hiding. And you know what? Their pups are real normal stable dogs. They get their markings from the dad and mild personality from the mom. The breeder's dogs are highly sought after because of the pups easy going nature, she is always sold out in advance.
> 
> The two we got from her were just the best! I have to admit, one of the two had a high ball drive. High high high ball drive. The dogs are so good with new people it blows me away. Yet, if some one ( IE meter guy ) climbs over our fence and pops in the yard when the kids are out...... it is not pretty. No biting. But it is not pretty. They will corner and hold strangers that just pop over the fence. Yet I just yell OFF , come heal, and they recall and sit right by me.


You purchased a puppy from a "breeder" who chained his dogs up and were not only timid but also aggressive?!

Am I missing something here????


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Did you notice that so many of us have this same painful play biting with our puppies we made a permanent sticky for it? (click here)


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## GSDluver4lyfe (Nov 15, 2006)

When my dog was a pup, oh man was he a shark!!! And had to be pryed off, lol (apparently biting me was WAYYY better than a toy). It was brutal and I learned to wear thick gloves when training with food!! Once he was done teething he stopped biting and was much more content with toys vs me. 

He's soooo cute, BTW!!!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

one day my GF was exercising on the livingroom floor and i heard
her say to our puppy, "don't bite my feet", "hey don't bite my arm",
"don't bite my face." they grow out it.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

that's funny!!!



> Originally Posted By: Jason LinI'm getting my puppy next friday. Watch - it's will be just my luck I am going to get the one who doesn't bite. If that happens, the breeder got some explainin' to do GRRRRR


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

Oh my

The male has to be chained or kenneled he is of the GERMAN blood line that is bred and trained for military work in Germany. Imported. He only likes 10 people in the country and wishes to run the other 26 million out of the country himself! He is aggressive. So when people are coming over he is chained. The mother is shy, but they have great puppies that turn out to be great dogs. 

There is nothing wrong with a mellow shepherd. I know people with mellow shepherds that when the chips where down those mellow shepherds were ready to die for them! Once was with a bear in a camp. That mellow timid shepherd tore half the fur off a bear. 

It really is in how you raise them and what YOU want them to be.

*makes note to learn to keep my mouth shut in the future*

PS: My dogs are never chained, they do not even have collars. They behave better than my neighbors kids in public.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: CKThe male has to be chained or kenneled he is of the GERMAN blood line that is bred and trained for military work in Germany. Imported.


So are my pups GrandSires. Chains are not nearly as necessary as solid socialization and training. One grandfather saw my children playing on the couch in the breeders office, he jumped right up with them and made everyone laugh. 

To the OP - if the above techniques fail (Ouch, removing from the situation etc), try tickling the pup's tongue. Your hand is already in there becuase he wanted it to be, make it unpleasant for him.


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## GSDluver4lyfe (Nov 15, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: CKOh my
> 
> *The male has to be chained or kenneled he is of the GERMAN blood line that is bred and trained for military work in Germany. Imported.* He only likes 10 people in the country and wishes to run the other 26 million out of the country himself! He is aggressive. So when people are coming over he is chained. The mother is shy, but they have great puppies that turn out to be great dogs.


Please do not use the dog's bloodline as an excuse for a vicious dog. Makes the rest of us who have good examples of imported lines look bad.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I just brought home a 9 week old -- and am being reaquainted with how hard it is to always have something to redirect that needle-toothed mouth to. I don't want to inhibit her bite too much but it is hard not to yell "OWE! OWE!" really loud and emphatically when she is not satisfied with the pant leg and grabs the calf. And this is the first day we haven't been on an airplane...


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Middle, while you're re-acquainting yourself with exactly what carpet shark means don't forget to take baby pictures!


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## BJDimock (Sep 14, 2008)

Ck,
First off, that type of biting is normal. You simply need to learn how to time your reaction, and you need to learn to remove yourself. Game over~ Thank you Sue!!!







(Without getting mad!







Probably the hardest part!)
Your pup came to you way to young. These behaviors are inhibitited in the 5-10 week period by the mom and littermates.
HOWEVER!








Mr. Frodo ended up in my household a 2 weeks of age. He was growling at 3 weeks, (normal, mind you) but it didn't stop at 6 weeks. By 8 weeks, he was a holy terror when you touched him. (I do not know his breeding. He was very protective of his broken leg.)
I worked all the time with him. I would walk away if he was nasty, and I had a pocket full of cheese when he displayed a nice reaction. (Bad, Bad in the dryer if I forgot to clean my pockets out!







)
There are several people here who can vouch for Mr. Frodo and his behavior with people and other dogs. (I may have mothered him too much!







)
Don't get yourself caught up on the parents. This pup is here with you now. Work with him and you can adjust his behavior.


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

And when you re-direct to a toy of some kind - play with him with the toy, don't just give him a toy to play with. He'll probably drop it and still come to you. Because you're much more interesting than the thing that doesn't move. What worked best with Caleb was to use one of those soft tugs with no stuffing in it or a rope tug and have a game of tug with him. Even my grandson could play with him with that and it would get him away from trying to nip at the person.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Funny how some people worry about the biting. They do grow out of it but I measure a pup's performance prospect by how ferocious the biting is. No biting, no bleeding...I would be very worried about the appropriateness of my pup. 

I noticed if we said "OWeeee" or resisted, our little dude would get a devil gleam in his eye, rear back and dive in for a fuller grip on us. We learned to be very still and quiet.


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## MrLeadFoot (Jan 4, 2009)

1) I agree. Normal behavior, just do as some of the more helpful contributors have said by communicating to the dog that it is not good manners and use the suggested re-direction techniques to show the pup what is a more appropriate alternative behavior.

2) Ignore the people chastising you for getting a dog too young from a breeder with an "aggressive" male that had to be chained and a "timid" mother. Both those words need to be taken with a grain of salt by those of us reading this thread, who were not there to see the exact behavior of either dogs. For example, just because a dog demostrates protective behavior of his family and territory, doesn't necessarily mean he's aggressive. He's just protective, and rightly so, given certain circumstances.

3) Admittedly, the breeder should not have let you take the pup at such a young age. I believe the law in my area is 8 weeks. Maybe they were in financial straits - not excusable, but you don't really know. Of course, maybe they were indeed just crappy backyard breeder or puppy-mill types. Regardless, it's too late now, and at least now you know better for the future, right? 

4) Consider the chaining up of the father as being responsible. There is nothing wrong with chaining up a dog, especially if it's done as a precaution to prevent potential harm from coming to you, or even the dog himself. Maybe they did it just to get him out of the way because they knew it would be more convenient than having to control him while they were trying to accommodate you. Again, you never know.

Speaking of which, there is nothing wrong with chaining a dog, at all. In fact, I subject my own personal dogs to all kinds of situations. I tie them out once in awhile, just to get them used to it. You never know when you might need to tie a dog out for some reason, and I would rather have my dog used to it than to have it make a fuss and maybe hurt herself when it's necessary to tie her to something, for some reason.

I also use all kinds of collars on them. Thin, wide, tight, loose. Flats, chokes, prongs, even rope. I fit them into harnesses, backpacks, whatever.

I crate my dogs, pen them in small areas, teach them to stay in the car (weather permitting). I've even been known to have them Sit and Stay while other dogs are running around like headless chickens at a dog park.

As a professional trainer, I consider every moment of life as a potential training opportunity. The result is a stable dog that can be taken anywhere, off-leash, and into ANY environment, even into those with high distraction, and have the dog trust and obey me without question. The more a dog is exposed to, the better they, and you, are prepared for unforseen situations. I mean, what if YOU got hurt on an outing? Wouldn't it be nice if your rescuers could safely secure your dog without having to worry about it as they tend to you?

Open-mindedness is the key to success when your life involves canine companions, as even the most typical situation can become atypical once you bring a canine into it. Besides, each dog is different, as is every situation. In fact, a dog can take on a completely different personality when in the company of different people, so there is no single way to skin a cat when it comes to training, socializing and modifying behaviors.

Keep up the good work of doing research like you are by posting up, and remember to take EVERYTHING you read, including my post, with a grain of salt, because not everything works for everybody, every dog and every situation.

Welcome to the rewarding world of having a German Shepherd in your family!


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