# When did your GSD stop needing constant attention?



## Curiouscat44 (Sep 22, 2019)

Hi guys! I was wondering how old your GSD was before they stopped needing constant supervision and constant entertainment when they're not confined somehow. My female GSD is almost 6 months and she is very calm and well mannered for a puppy, always has been, and doesn't try to destroy stuff really. And I know she's still young, just trying to get an idea of what to expect. 

Right now when she's out she wants and needs constant attention or she will look for stuff to get into. She'll go bother the cats. She'll play with her toys intermittently but then get bored and look for trouble. And this is AFTER a day full of activity and play lol. 

When did your GSD get to a point where constant attention wasn't needed or asked for by the dog? Trust me, I love spending lots of time with my baby but I don't want to have to watch her every single second, you know?


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

When they get enough daily exercise, they are tired and not getting into trouble. She is bored. If she gets enough exercise, find different ways to stimulate her interest. Some dogs play by themselves with toys but she isn’t. She needs to learn how to use toys. My dogs can entertain themselves now, but it took a long time for them to learn what a toy can do.


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## crittersitter (Mar 31, 2011)

She is a GSD. Lots of exercise, lots of mental stimulation and lots of years. GSDs are not couch potatoes. 6 months old is a baby.


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## Curiouscat44 (Sep 22, 2019)

LuvShepherds said:


> When they get enough daily exercise, they are tired and not getting into trouble. She is bored. If she gets enough exercise, find different ways to stimulate her interest. Some dogs play by themselves with toys but she isn’t. She needs to learn how to use toys. My dogs can entertain themselves now, but it took a long time for them to learn what a toy can do.


Yep I know she is a baby and not to expect it for a long time! Just wanted to hear other experiences to get an idea.

She gets a LOT of exercise. This morning we were at the park for hours, we play lots of tennis ball fetching in the yard and play chase in the house. I can tell she's tired because she's dragging her feet and shuffling around and not acting all hyper but she always pushes herself to keep going when she's tired, a lot like a toddler. So she won't settle. She'll look for trouble lol


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Hans started slowing down when he turned 4.

Do you crate her? That’s where she needs to go when she is overtired and looking for things to get into.
When you are not interacting with her, she goes in the crate.

My little one also has an expen where I will put him so he can learn to relax in the house.

By the way, mine get attention when I want to give it, not when they ask for it.


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## Curiouscat44 (Sep 22, 2019)

Sunflowers said:


> Hans started slowing down when he turned 4.
> 
> Do you crate her? That’s where she needs to go when she is overtired and looking for things to get into.
> When you are not interacting with her, she goes in the crate.
> ...


Yep, she has a crate in our bedroom where she sleeps and a pen with no top in our main area where she goes when we can't watch her. She's in there a decent amount of time during the day and she's really good and calm in there 95% of the time. But some days she's in there more because we were gone or busy so I feel really bad putting her back in there after exercising and such so I try to keep her out. But I can't interact every second so then she gets herself into trouble even when she's tired. But I don't want to crate her more because she was already in there more than usual earlier in the day. Etc. Lol. 

Even when she hasn't been in the pen very much for the day I feel bad putting her in there just because I don't want to play a bunch right then. Because it's obvious she has energy and wants stimulation and just because I don't feel like it she has to be confined. She's almost always really calm about it too, but you can tell she'd much rather be out and playing and it makes me feel guilty. But then I start to get frustrated having to watch her every single second and not being able to relax.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

if you are tired and feeling frustrated, go ahead and put her into her crate or xpen. I understand wanting to make your pup happy when they look at you with such joy. They do need to understand life is not one long play time


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

First things first. She's a puppy and needs guidance from her human. Don't let your guilt prevent you from teaching her how to settle when she is tired or when you need your time. If she is getting the exercise you say then crate/pen time is good for her. If you want to have her out more you could tether her to you. That way she can be with you, supervised and you can still get chores done, etc. If you want down time to just relax and read or watch tv teach her the place command/long down stay. If she is tethered to you she will likely just lie down by your feet and nap happily. It doesn't nor should it be go go go all the time. Teaching to settle and be relaxed is an important part of training and good manners. 
There is the saying a tired puppy is a good puppy but even that comes with a caveat. An overtired puppy that doesn't know how to settle is a no different than an over tired toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Nap time it is. 
It will get better with time, maturity and good training.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Curiouscat44 said:


> Yep, she has a crate in our bedroom where she sleeps and a pen with no top in our main area where she goes when we can't watch her. She's in there a decent amount of time during the day and she's really good and calm in there 95% of the time. But some days she's in there more because we were gone or busy so I feel really bad putting her back in there after exercising and such so I try to keep her out. But I can't interact every second so then she gets herself into trouble even when she's tired. But I don't want to crate her more because she was already in there more than usual earlier in the day. Etc. Lol.
> 
> Even when she hasn't been in the pen very much for the day I feel bad putting her in there just because I don't want to play a bunch right then. Because it's obvious she has energy and wants stimulation and just because I don't feel like it she has to be confined. She's almost always really calm about it too, but you can tell she'd much rather be out and playing and it makes me feel guilty. But then I start to get frustrated having to watch her every single second and not being able to relax.


Don’t feel bad.
She is a dog.
She has it better than so many dogs out there.
She also needs to learn to relax and just be, so spend with her as much time as you can and want, and don’t feel guilty about the time you need for yourself.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

This may help you feel better, how much sleep do dogs need. Puppies need more than an adult dog. What human toddler, or dogs wants to go down for a nap?

https://www.sleep.org/articles/how-much-do-dogs-sleep/


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Watch these three videos. This link is to the first one. Listen to his explanation of why he is doing what he is. He is rewarding the dog for calm behavior and teaching it to settle. You could teach your dog the Place command, which puts them nearby, where you want them and also teaches them to settle (calm themselves)






Here are a few on Place


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

Constant attention as in wanting to be the sole focus of my attention? Never. 

Constant supervision because they get into trouble when left unsupervised, about 2-3. 

I could not even imagine leaving my 6 month old unattended in the house. I’d come home to a wreck of a house and a wreck of a dog. She is crated. I’ve never felt guilt over creating them, because they are engaged and interacting whenever they are not crated. I think of it in parent/toddler terms, a toddler will hit that wall where they are over tired, and need downtime, often when they think they need it less. But the parent knows better, and after the nap, both toddler and parent are better off for it. If mine get too over the top, they go down for a nap (aka, crate). They come out much more workable.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I wonder if giving a pup a ton of exercise and mental stimulation goes the other way. They get to be accustomed to both the physical exercise and mental stimulation, so that when you sleep in on Saturday, they are entertaining themselves with the toilet paper. 

What young German Shepherd dogs need is a predictable schedule and boundaries. Too much freedom is, I think, a mistake with a young intelligent dog. I mean going from being crated every moment that you are not paying 100% attention to having the run of the house and garden is setting your pup up for failure, and failure in this can be dangerous. 

I love the extra tall babygate, I think by carter. The slats are long and vertical, and it is metal, so the pup can't chew through or use horizontal slats to climb over. It works by pressure in doorways and has its own lever action gate, so that you don't have to "install" it so much, there may be cups that you have to screw into the doorway. And then you tighten it down into the doorway. I leave them up all the time.

You can put one in the doorway of a "Safe" room, where the dog is unlikely to get into any trouble -- totally puppy proofed, and where she can have some toys or a bone to keep her entertained. Or you can have one in the doorway of the room where you spend most of your down-time, like a living room or wherever your computer is. Then the pup is close in proximity to you, while you are not actually keeping both eyes on her at all times. 

I like one in the doorway to the bedroom, so that the damage she can do in the night is minimal and I might wake up if she starts sawing on anything. 

The baby gate is a beautiful thing because the critter on the other side is not "banished" as it would be if you put it in a room and slam the door. Also, a dog will chew and scratch the bottom of the door if it is closed. If they do need to come out of the baby gate -- there is less chewing and scratching because they are still in the main area of the house, but like if they have to potty, they might try chewing and scratching and rattling it. Well, it won't take the damage that a wood door will, and you will often hear her going at the gate. It really could be a potty necessity. And if so, I would take her out with no fan fare, take her to the potty spot, wait for her to potty, give appropriate praise for pottying outside and then back the safe place -- no games or playing outside, or being the smart critter she is, she may use the I-have-to-go-potty excuse to engage with you. 

Of course the dog does need to engage. Sticking to a good schedule will help your puppy get into a rhythm, a mental/physical rhythm that makes her accustomed to walks at certain times, and rest at certain times, and training/play, and bed.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I also believe the more attention you give them the more you exercise them the more they crave. I am convinced these dogs get tired - breaks yes but this can be a all day cycle if you allow for it. Good to set up a schedule suitable for you with boundaries and your pup will get accustomed to any fair schedule you set forth.


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

Jenny720 said:


> I also believe the more attention you give them the more you exercise them the more they crave. I am convinced these dogs get tired - breaks yes but this can be a all day cycle if you allow for it. Good to set up a schedule suitable for you with boundaries and your pup will get accustomed to any fair schedule you set forth.


I’m not sure this is the case. We aren’t training or exercising every second the are out of their crates. When I said engaged and interacting, it can be as simple as sitting on the couch near me watching a show. They get mental stimulation with me during the day, off and on, and also take a long 4 hourish nap when I nap during the day. DH and the girls handle the exercise after DH gets home from work around 4. I normally wake up around 3-4 in the morning, so they have plenty of time where interacting is just pack play time with random commands thrown in so they understand playtime has rules too. 

We do short exercise sessions with flirt poles, balls, and tugs because it too dang hot for both the humans and the dogs. 15-20 minutes here and there throughout the evening. We work on training while we are having dinner so the pups don’t beg. I’d rather train them to leave everyone alone and stay clear of the table than crate them, to me, that’s not telling them that begging isn’t okay, it’s just not okay if we aren’t around to see it (girls having lunch on the weekends). 

The only dog I have owned that has tested my boundaries of exercise, mental stimulation, and down time is Crios. He almost 2 1/2, and is FINALLY settling in to where he doesn’t have to be DOING something all the time. We tried down time, we tried decreasing exercise and training, he just got super destructive when he was out of his crate. Just wasn’t worth it to me. We did great as a training team, and now DH and I split the exercise and training, and it’s perfect. He’s still highly energetic, but has his relax time self imposed now.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Dogs are athletes. If they are in top shape and get a lot of exercise, their bodies need it. If they get less, they adjust to what becomes normal. My WL had terrible pano and needed to rest a lot until he was 18 months old. As a result, resting became the norm for him. I had to build up his exercise level and he never did get back to what he was before pano. He also matured, too, so it could be a little of both.


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## Frisco19 (Aug 12, 2019)

In terms of a timeline on behavior and needing or not needing constant attention, I think it varies on the dog, the owner's ability to train and spend time with the dog and finally what your idea of attention means. Frisco just hit 4 months and man is there a difference from 3 months. I think I know what you mean by attention which is when can I get some down time and not have to worry he is eating up my staircase or peeing on the floor. He's potty trained completely now and the landshark stage is almost over. He will chill on the living room floor at night. He also puts himself in his crate and has no problem going in and we have no problem putting him in if we need a break from him. Frisco is also and exceptional dog, incredibly obedient and can be trained in just about anything with some high value treats and an empty belly. Since three months he's been healing, walking on my right knee and looking up, sit of course but a sit with an implied stay (I never say stay, I told him to sit and he does until I release him). Same for leave it, sit and wait until I release you for your food, treat, toy etc. It's absolutely crazy. Too bad I have no desire for showing him in any fashion.

Anyway, sorry to gloat.


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## Kyrielle (Jun 28, 2016)

Curiouscat44 said:


> Yep I know she is a baby and not to expect it for a long time! Just wanted to hear other experiences to get an idea.
> 
> She gets a LOT of exercise. This morning we were at the park for hours, we play lots of tennis ball fetching in the yard and play chase in the house. I can tell she's tired because she's dragging her feet and shuffling around and not acting all hyper but she always pushes herself to keep going when she's tired, a lot like a toddler. So she won't settle. She'll look for trouble lol


Get a crate and put her in it when she's been exercised, given some attention, fed, and watered. Make her learn to settle. If she's in the crate, she can't get into anything and she'll have no choice but to learn how to settle and take a nap. At most I'd toss in something to chew on.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I never have encountered that issue actually. All my dogs had a balance of being with me and being away from me. Never had a OCD attention seeking dog. I guess it's the way we train them unknowingly to be on the go all the time. If you are a good leader, they will feel secure and that in itself can take care of the "problem". Seeking constant attention points to insecurity IMO.


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## T'Challa! (Dec 4, 2019)

Curiouscat44 said:


> Yep I know she is a baby and not to expect it for a long time! Just wanted to hear other experiences to get an idea.
> 
> She gets a LOT of exercise. This morning we were at the park for hours, we play lots of tennis ball fetching in the yard and play chase in the house. I can tell she's tired because she's dragging her feet and shuffling around and not acting all hyper but she always pushes herself to keep going when she's tired, a lot like a toddler. So she won't settle. She'll look for trouble lol


Puppies will be puppies, stay on it and she'll be well behaved!


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