# New GSD owners. Behavior Problems?



## travis.plume86 (Mar 5, 2016)

My girlfriend and I got an 8 week old GSD from a breeder. She's a Veterinary Medical Technician student and has always wanted a GSD, and has every single book on training, etc. However we're encountering issues that we cannot find answers to, which in turn is causing her a lot of frustration and anxiety. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

He's now 9.5 weeks and had his first shots at 8 weeks of which the breeder got for him and his siblings. 

Our success:
He's fully crate trained. 
Knows how to sit. 
Sleeps on car rides, no problems. 

Our problems:
He cries in his crate whether we're in the room or not. Unless at night when he whimpers but shortly thereafter falls asleep. 
He tries to lead when entering a room and cries when we have him go back and wait for us to call him in. 
He chews on the wood furniture and crate bars. On the leash, he trips us and refuses to walk outside of our footpath. 
When bathing or brushing he screams bloody murder and cries.(We've taken him to get professionally bathed) 
He loves to bite everyone and everything. 

Things we've tried:
Snapping our fingers and saying "shh" when he's whimpering in the crate or we just ignore it until he calms down. 
Repeating the "go back and sit/wait" process when he tries to lead the way. 
We've tried the bitter spray on the furniture, etc. 
While walking on the leash we've tried to use one leg to bow out or push him lightly outward hoping he'd get the hint of where to walk. 
Bathing and brushing, only repetitive. We haven't heard or discovered anything to stop his screaming bloody murder. 
When he bites we've tried redirecting with a toy, saying "ow", tapping him on his snout, holding his mouth shut, and putting our finger under his tongue and below his jaw and holding lightly so he cannot bite down. 

Thank you for taking your time in reading this. 
Any training or advice you have would be great. We're willing to try whatever it takes to raise a better GSD. We don't want these issues turning into a bigger problem. 

Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

First- congrats on the new puppy!!! They are so much fun but so exhausting!!!

Second- please don't take thus the wrongvwat,but chill out. This is an itty bitty baby. He is a empty vessel right now. A sponge. So treat him as that. He has no idea what is expected or wanted and gets scared. The world is a very big place and you guys are all he knows. He us a baby, he gets scared when he us alone or separated. Its normal. 

Third- how about teaching him what you WANT instead of disciplining him for what you DONT. 

Fourth- teach him to learn. Praise him for offering behaviors you like, ignore those you don't. Even if it takes him a while, and you get lots of things you don't want, praise big when he has a success. 

Fifth- again, praise him when he happens to walk where you want him to. If he is not correct, just stop forward motion, the second he gets back where you want him, praise and move forward.


----------



## travis.plume86 (Mar 5, 2016)

gsdsar said:


> First- congrats on the new puppy!!! They are so much fun but so exhausting!!!
> 
> Second- please don't take thus the wrongvwat,but chill out. This is an itty bitty baby. He is a empty vessel right now. A sponge. So treat him as that. He has no idea what is expected or wanted and gets scared. The world is a very big place and you guys are all he knows. He us a baby, he gets scared when he us alone or separated. Its normal.
> 
> ...


I read what you said to the girlfriend and she said that everything she's ever learned is the complete opposite. When they're puppies, that's the perfect time to train and do everything. They're sponges, so it'd be easier to learn everything they need to learn. If you teach them now, it prevents problems from happening in the future. 

I'm just relaying what she says. I honestly have no idea and have only read things about GSD online. Personally, I agree with you but I'd like her to see things differently as well. Because what she's doing hasn't worked yet at all. 

Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Encourage your girlfriend to do some research on this forum.There are trainers here with decades of experience with Gsds.Gsdsar is right on


----------



## Rosy831 (Feb 27, 2016)

Yes puppies learn fast, yes it's important to train. But look at your expectations. I have a hard time believing that you have had the puppy only a week and a half and are disappointed in its progress.

Your expectations are way too high here! Slow down! Puppies have very short attention spans, gotta work in short sessions but make it fun fun fun! You can't expect to have a high level of obedience in a 9week old puppy.

Everything Gsdsar said is spot on! Enjoy your puppy because they don't stay little long!


----------



## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

travis.plume86 said:


> I read what you said to the girlfriend and she said that everything she's ever learned is the complete opposite. When they're puppies, that's the perfect time to train and do everything. They're sponges, so it'd be easier to learn everything they need to learn. If you teach them now, it prevents problems from happening in the future.
> 
> I'm just relaying what she says. I honestly have no idea and have only read things about GSD online. Personally, I agree with you but I'd like her to see things differently as well. Because what she's doing hasn't worked yet at all.
> 
> Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using Tapatalk


I had well-meaning people say the things your girlfriend is mentioning and it was good information for the other breeds of dogs I've owned. I have never owned a dog that has taken so long to mature. Training a GSD is not a quick cup of coffee. It is a long afternoon of tea. These guys are incredibly sensitive and want to bond deeply with you. Think of human baby--they take a long time to mature and a three-month old baby shouldn't be disciplined like a four year old. 

Make everything positive and fun. Treats are great for luring into a sit, come, etc.. Your baby wants to please you, but will be a puppy with very little (read that "no") attention span for a long time. My GSD is 25-months old. About where my other breeds of dogs were at 9 months. I see glimpse of an adult now--it's well worth the time and effort you put into the baby.

I kept my shirts and jackets with all the rips in them. Miss those baby days occasionally. A GSD needs to be shown what you want and understand that before you discipline. Biting on you? It will pass and be replaced with toys, balls, and tugs, eventually.

Good luck and enjoy the baby


----------



## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Tell your girlfriend that I am a certified veterinary technician that has trained multiple GSD and other breeds as Search and rescue dogs. 

I think the confusion is to what "training" is. You think it's simple. But it's not. Before you train you have to teach the puppy how to learn. Do you think a 4 yo human would understand maths if every problem he is given(but never taught) gets him a smack on his hand for answering wrong? 

Teacher- "junior what 8 divided by 2?"

Junior- "what's divided by mean?"

Teacher- "no wrong!!" Smacks hand "it's 2, I have told this 10 TIMES!!!!!"

TEACH the puppy, praise him for trying and getting it right. Focus on getting him to trust you and look to you for guidance, not discipline. 

A 10 week old puppy is a baby. You have to teach them what is RIGHT before telling them they are WRONG. 

Have your girlfriend look up training articles by Dr Sophia Yin. Or Michael Ellis. 

She is getting bad information.


----------



## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I agree. Slow down. Use this time to build a bond and trust. You can work in some basic obedience. Sit, down, shake, you can even work on loose leash walking, I would make bonding and potty training my number one priority if it was my pup. I used to take rosko out on a leash to go potty at that age, we would sometimes spend 30-40 minutes just walking around the yard with no other purpose than waiting on him to go potty before bed. It did get him used to walking on a loose leash which then seemed to make walking on heel that much easier.


----------



## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Agree - too young for expectations. Even at 12-14 weeks - their attention spans limit training. It's a huge world and the early days should be spent bonding , playing and exploring. New situations but nothing that will scare the puppy - rewards, "good dog" and lots of love. Build trust first - then training will be easier.


----------



## Rosy831 (Feb 27, 2016)

gsdsar said:


> I think the confusion is to what "training" is. You think it's simple. But it's not. Before you train you have to teach the puppy how to learn.
> 
> 
> 
> No it's not simple, or quick. In a couple of years when you think you are done, you aren't. It's a lifetime of reinforcement once behaviors are learned.


----------



## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

This might be more of a "people" thing and not a "puppy" thing?? Don't know what she's read but as they say a "picture" is worth a thousand words. You can find those pictures in a current similar thread here:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/7701226-post13.html

Welcome aboard.


----------



## brucebourdon (Jun 2, 2010)

TravisPlume86,

I just want to reinforce the responses to your post, I agree 100% with them.

Tell your girlfriend to imagine if her parents were told human children were sponges and became very disappointed with her as a baby, when she would only crawl across the floor no matter how they tried to instruct her on dance moves.

GSDs are far beyond most other breeds (in my opinion, far beyond all other breeds), but as others have expressed, it takes time and a ton of patience to help them to realize their potential. Much like it does a human child.

Worse, during the next few months their behavior earns them titles like "land sharks" and "little terrorists" - it's going to take a lot of maturity on your part and your girlfriends. But you can get there, and if you do your parts, you'll have a fantastic companion that'll risk it's life to protect you, and you its. A very special bond awaits, I wish you the best!

And welcome!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

"He's now 9.5 weeks and had his first shots at 8 weeks of which the breeder got for him and his siblings. 

Our success:
He's fully crate trained. This is good! This is success!
Knows how to sit. Ditto
Sleeps on car rides, no problems. What a champ! 

Our problems:
He cries in his crate whether we're in the room or not. Unless at night when he whimpers but shortly thereafter falls asleep. Some are screamers. My youngest is a screamer. It does improve (as in decreases over time)
He tries to lead when entering a room and cries when we have him go back and wait for us to call him in. Sure. He wants to be with you. Why not let him go in the room first? 
He chews on the wood furniture and crate bars. Yup. I tried "bitter apple" on a nice wicker rocker on my back porch when BTE2 was a youngster. She thought it was yummy. Only thing to do, especially as they are teething or just have puppy teeth is to keep them away from furniture.
On the leash, he trips us and refuses to walk outside of our footpath. Calm persistence here will help. He's just a very young pup!
When bathing or brushing he screams bloody murder and cries.(We've taken him to get professionally bathed) See above reference on screamers.
He loves to bite everyone and everything. This is good. He has drive. He is a GSD. Channel it and use it.

Things we've tried:
Snapping our fingers and saying "shh" when he's whimpering in the crate or we just ignore it until he calms down. Just ignor it.
Repeating the "go back and sit/wait" process when he tries to lead the way. Time is your friend. (It is OK for him to lead a lot of the time BTW.) Maybe ask for a sit before you walk out of the room, then call him to you & praise like the second coming has just been announced.
We've tried the bitter spray on the furniture, etc. See above reference about wicker furniture.
While walking on the leash we've tried to use one leg to bow out or push him lightly outward hoping he'd get the hint of where to walk. There's a chance this will just fire him up or confuse him. Try carrying treats and lure him into position to walk to the side. (I trust you are not working on heel at this young age.)
Bathing and brushing, only repetitive. We haven't heard or discovered anything to stop his screaming bloody murder. 
When he bites we've tried redirecting with a toy, saying "ow", tapping him on his snout, holding his mouth shut, and putting our finger under his tongue and below his jaw and holding lightly so he cannot bite down. " Stop this! No tapping, no holding the mouth shut, no hands in mouth. Redirect him to a chew - show him what you want. Play with the chew or toy with him. 

Congratulations on your new puppy! He is going to teach you two a lot. Just kinda forget what the GF thinks she knows. He will teach you a lot.


----------



## SiegersMom (Apr 19, 2011)

Expectations are way too high for such a young pup. Yes training young is great...that does not mean they master all things in the first week. Waiting to walk through a door is a learned behavior. Teach sit... stay... wait... this is a process. My GSD learned wait in class...it was the intermediate session where we learned that. My adult gsd at home had never learned that specific command in his training but picked it up quickly. Fast forward to our Border Collie pup. In beginner OB class with same trainer she announced he was the youngest dog to ever successfully master wait at the door. The trainer did not even start that until Intermediate...we were still in beginner...but he was learning it at home with the two more advanced dogs. He was 12 or 13 weeks completing this step in class because he was imitating the others. I would find a trainer. Teaching things in the right progressive order helps. Small steps build up to the bigger things you are working for. Crate training is easy for some, tough for others. With patience and diligence I'm sure your pup will learn to love the crate...all three of mine did. Good luck. They can be little terrors at times but when they come through that stage they are the best dogs you will ever have!!!!


----------



## travis.plume86 (Mar 5, 2016)

I made her angry reading a few of these responses. Her response was "of course they'll say that, they're dog show, obedience, breeder people". She's a huge Cesar Millan fan. Has all his books, DVDs, etc. However I hardly agree with any of the methods used. Can anyone tell me how to get him to stop biting me and everyone else he comes into contact with? And now that he can reach the coffee table, he'll eat everything. Including my new iPad. 

Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

If you do a search of this forum for "puppy biting" or "landshark" you will find hundreds of anecdotes and different methods to help navigate through the puppy biting stage. Read through a bunch of them, see the trends. This forum has a diverse cross section of breeders, competitive sport enthusiasts, working trainers, and simple "I love my pet" owners. 

Like so many of the posters above, I would encourage you (and your girlfriend) to be patient and learn as much as you can about THIS breed of dog. German Shepherds have hard wired innate behaviors. The biting, the circling/orbiting your feet (herding behavior), intense desire to want to be with YOU, you won't find these genetic drives in all breeds. 

If you want to be a sushi chef, don't read books about how to use crock pots, you're wasting your time. No offense intended, but it's the truth.


----------



## meli_ssa4 (Aug 19, 2014)

I am by no means an "expert" of any kind. My first experience with a GSD was when we got Rylee 3 1/2 yrs ago and then we got Darwin as a pup. They are both from working lines, however we don't do competitive sports, work them, etc, they are simply our pets in our home with us all the time.

When I got Darwin as a pup he was insane. high drive, easily excitable, etc. I had watched and read Cesar's methods and tried to implement them, they did not work at all. I started reading this forum and implementing what people recommended. this included:

keeping him on a leash when in the house to ensure I could keep an eye on him all the time when he wasn't in his crate
teaching him to sit/lay down before he got anything this included around the coffee table when things were accessible to him. Especially when food was present. He would jam his head in a chip bowl, steal food, etc. he had to lay or sit when we were on the couch and he was around the coffee table, if he did this I gave him a treat over time he learned that that when we were eating anything he was to sit/lay there
chewing, he would be redirected with a chew toy he was allowed to have, over time he stopped trying to eat things that weren't his, but rather he would look for his toy he could play with, or if I knew he was going to start chewing onto something, I would get excited and ask him where his "x" toy was, giving each toy a name and then we would go look for it.

I definitely learned patience, patience, patience with him and it did take time for him to learn what my expectations were of him. He is still a work in progress at 2yrs, but he has learned how to behave in the house because I taught him what I wanted, I didn't just expected it of him.

If there is one thing I learned from reading the boards is that you need to have patience and show them what you want and what they are allowed to do. I found doing this rather than immediately correcting him worked wonders and things started to change rather quickly. 

be prepared though, once he hit about 6 to 9months he was like he didn't know anything, even though I worked with him everyday.


----------



## Jake and Elwood (Feb 1, 2014)

You are in a tough spot because your GF considers herself to be an expert. Consistency is critical when raising a GSD so you need to figure out a way to get GF on the same page. Try tackling one issue at a time. Start with landsharking issue…..your pup will bite everything in site for a while…teething is a tough stage for puppy and owners. Redirection is the key. Try giving him an alternative when he bites you….an ice cube works well. We also had good luck with putting diluted chicken stock in ice trays and giving our pups frozen broth…they loved it and it kept them from biting/chewing (for a few minutes). It is a constant, full-time challenge for the next several months. If you can't keep a constant eye on him, crate him….don't let him run free in the house because he will destroy everything. In time, as he matures, he can possibly earn his 'house privileges' but not now. You have to teach him everything, including what he can and cannot chew! It takes time and consistency. Your best hope is to find successful alternatives and convince your GF by demonstrating your successes. GSD's are freakishly smart and sensitive. They have a sense of fairness and if you are punishing them unfairly, they know it. 
Set your pup up for success and don't punish him. Good luck and enjoy the ride!


----------



## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Wonder if your girlfriend would be open to going to clicker classes - there she will learn how dogs learn, and the dog will learn how to learn. A puppy does not need behavioural rehabilitation (which is what CM does - which is NOT training), but needs to be shown what to do, and be rewarded for doing what they are supposed to do. Rewarding good behavior has a much higher probability of good behaviour being repeated than punishing bad behaviour. 

I don't use a clicker per se in my training - but I did go to clicker classes, and I learned sooooo much!!! Learned how to train, learned how a dog's brain works, learned how the desire to please in a dog develops, learned how to set up my dog for success - knowledge, experience and training skills that are part of my everyday interactions with my dog.


----------



## Rosy831 (Feb 27, 2016)

I'm not an expert by any means. I don't even take my dogs to classes, none close enough to be feasible. I am one of those that falls into the category of I love my pets. 

That being said, this will probably really piss your gf off but hear goes. I'm going to make the assumption that the 2 of you are fairly young, if I'm wrong, I apologize. What you have been doing isn't working or you would never have come here to post. You don't have to follow any of the advice that has been offered, but it has been some really good advice that has gotten results for sooooo many owners who visit this site.

Do a forum search on any of it and you will find countless threads of people who have asked the same questions you have, gotten the same responses, tried it, and it worked. What will it hurt to try if what you are doing isn't working?

This is what I would do for a couple of your issues. Biting....redirection to a toy. I have done this for years on several pups, it works, be consistent, don't get mad or frustrated, just distract with a toy. I'm not talking about just handing her a toy, I mean make it come to life, make it exciting, more exciting than your hands or pant legs.

Stealing from the coffee table? Puppy proof the house. Don't leave anything in her reach. Set her up to succeed!!! With this, teach her leave it. So many threads, videos on you tube, etc, for this command. A Must Behavior in my opinion. Practice practice practice, everyday til it is automatic. Can be used as she gets older to include cats or squirrels on walks, people if you want, really anything. I can leave the room with a plate of food within their reach and know it will be waiting for me, my boys are 3 and 18 months, self trained. (with the help of this forum at times lol)

Walking on leash, stop expecting her to perform a focused heal at her age. Take her to the park and just let her meander around on the leash. Let her wander off, then call her to ya, work on recall at the same time. The intent of this is just to let her know being with you is fun and wonderful. I didn't start "walking" any of my dogs till around 5 months old probably. I practiced leash work and manners in the yard and at the park and slowly worked up to it.

But, you are gonna do what you wanna do. There is no requirement to take any advice offered to you but I just wanna point out one more time that what you are doing isn't working for you.


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

OK as a follow up I'm going to suggest seizing all the CM junk. Then send the GF to deprogramming.  I am not a CM fan, obviously. I've had something like 10 dogs. I've gone through the Monk's phase and moved on from that. They were an improvement over some of the earlier training methods but there's lots more, lots newer more insightful stuff out there. 
My favorite book is Sheila Booth's Pure Positive Training, Companion to Competition. Unrelated to training but very much on dogs is "Inside of a Dog" which is another favorite.
Sneak these in to the GFs bookshelf in place of the CM stuff while she's being deprogrammed....


----------



## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Thought I would chime in here too...gotta get off the cesar millan crap. She is all upset the puppy walks through a doorway before her because CM says it means the dog is "dominant"

Cesar has ZERO legitimate education in dog behavior or operant conditioning!! 

The puppy is an infant. He trips you because all he can see when walking is your feet and he doesn't want to loose you so he clings to your feet. Teach him not to but understand what babyish stuff is behind all of this. 

Get to a group class like someone else said. Learn about clicker training. I don't believe in pure positive with you don't need anything else while it is a baby


----------



## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Cowboy's girl is right - I find CM to be a fascinating personality - his confidence is amazingly calming, he exudes quiet, solid authority. I could watch him all day, BUT! he gets a lot of dog behaviours wrong. I see a dog that is throwing calming signals left and right, and CM refers to the behaviours as dominance (no, it's the opossite, dog is desperately giving out submission signals - they come in many shape and sizes, but CM seems unawares of them). What he calls 'quiet submission', anyone who has trained a dog to higher levels of work knows that the dogs are showing stress - sometimes extreme stress that he, CM, has created in the dog - not calmness. 

CM won't go near a trained k9, he knows they are out of his league. Many people who have commented on here have equivalent GSD working-dog training experience, raising them from puppies to high-levels of performance, or have listened to the advice of trainers (real trainers, not TV personalities) and have had solid success with raising a sane, happy, obedient, familly dog.


----------



## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Castlemaid, without turning this into another Cesar Millan thread...I agree with you that there definitely is something about the guy, just way too bad he has no education/foundation. I think he has some magic picking up on certain energy from people and sometimes dogs, and sometimes some magic putting out that energy.

He is right on the money sometimes about people treating dogs like little furry people, and right that they need way more exercise than most of them get.

If he were to go get an education on dog behavior....find out everything else that is out there other than "dominance", master operant conditioning, shaping, marker training and motivation through reward, he could be one of the greatest trainers in the world.

But since he is lacking ALL of that....I think he is the bottom of the heap. I can't tell you how many hundreds of people I have seen ppssshht-ing their dogs (which are ignoring them), and reinacting other nonsense they got from him. 

For all those years calling himself a "behaviorist", a true behaviorist has post graduate study in animal behavior. He just got lucky with some nasty dogs in a grooming parlor in hollywood.


----------



## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

To OP I am definitely not a drinker of the pure positive cool aid....you don't have to be either when your puppy is older. But babies just need safety, security, knowing their little needs will be met, making it impossibly easy for them to succeed and huge praise and reward when they get the tiniest thing right, even if it is by accident. You can slowly introduce all the discipline and boundaries you want as your pup grows up, just like you would a human child 

Go look up Michael Ellis on Youtube and see how he treats a puppy.


----------



## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

> I made her angry reading a few of these responses. Her response was "of course they'll say that, they're dog show, obedience, breeder people". She's a huge Cesar Millan fan. Has all his books, DVDs, etc. However I hardly agree with any of the methods used


This is hilarious. She is referring to people who SHOW german shepherds, who train a high level of OBEDIENCE into german shepherds, people who BREED german shepherds. 

There are people on this board right here right now, people who have answered your post, who have more experience with german shepherds then Ceaser Milan would have in 10 lifetimes. 

They know shepherds is what I am saying. 

Sorry for the 2 X 4 but your gf needs to check her ego. She is going to ruin a good pup unless she learns to swallow her pride and works with the pup in front of her. 

Good on you for questioning the Ceaser Millan methods. His methods are not science based and are outdated by several DECADES. Seriously it's like using an apple 1 vs an ipad. Look up articles and books by Dr. Sophia Yin, Dr Brian Hare, Dr Stanley Coren, and Dr. Ian Dunbar (Notice hard earned Dr titles - something Ceaser Milan lacks) especially ones about dog pack dynamics and dominance training. Science based dog training for the win.

I also second the recommendation for Michael Ellis. A great balanced trainer who knows shepherds. 

You guys have a perfectly normal and driven shepherd baby! A baby to be proud of! How awesome he got sit and crate training down so quick! Smart boy! 

And he is a BABY. Puppies get underfoot. They grow out of it. Puppies chew. They grow out of it. (In the meantime redirect to appropriate things. Puppies cry. They grow out of it. Puppies -especially GSDs- bite. They grow out of it. 

A GSD yoda told me this when I was frustrated about my boy's biting. "Be happy he is biting you! That is him choosing to engage with you. The start of a good bond. Smile and redirect to a tug" it made sense to me as herding and guard dogs they have a ton of genetic drive to use their teeth. I'd be worried if you had a GSD pup that WASN'T biting. 

It seems to me you guys are asking for pretty complex behavior that you pup is not mature enough for yet or has not had the proper foundation for. - walking nicely on the leash and waiting at the door specifically. Hard to teach wait at the door before they know stay. (Or can hold a stay for a decent enough amount of time). The letting them through the door only after you to assert your dominace is utter nonsense that does not have any equivalent canine behavior. Let the pup ahead of you until and work on the fundamentals then you can teach wait to make sure he isn't bolting out the front door and whatnot.

Puppy proof. Don't allow out unsupervised and carry a tug to redirect with. Repeat for the next 4 months 

Oh... and pictures of this little hooligan must be posted


----------



## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

I get your GF facination with CM. he is a big personality. 

But she is forgetting that he generally deals with adult dogs with major issues. Not puppies being puppies. 

While I "push posh" his whole dominance theory rhetoric, I do find some of his stuff useful. 

Calm, clear, leadership. Excersise, discipline, affection. No talk, no touch, no eye contact. All of these things are useful when dealing with some dogs. 

A good dog trainer/handler learns, they open up to other people. I have been to many many seminars, and I take a few tidbits home with each one and integrate it into my house. I don't follow any one theory. I use a hodgepodge of ideas. 

If you GF is in school to be a vet tech, she needs to learn to open up a bit. Everyone has given good advice. Puppies are not "one size fits all". Each are individuals. And we need to have lots of tools in our box to deal with them. She needs to recognize that not everything fits every dog. CM has given me some good ideas, that have worked. Especially when dealing with high anxiety, reactive dogs. 

But your puppy is not that. Your puppy is a baby. Setting "rules, boundaries, and limitations" is good but it needs to be done on the level of a baby.


----------



## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

remember, neither children or pups can be 'trained by a book.' 

love your pup, bond with this baby.

A pup that looks to you for food and for loving will bond and want to please.


----------



## cgripp256 (Feb 7, 2016)

1. Michael Ellis / Leerburg website videos specifically the your puppy. 8 weeks to 8 months and the marker training one. Also, YouTube has a lot of good snippets from this series

2. Play with him. Play with him. Play with him. Wear his little but out playing. You'll find him sleeping and growing a lot more than whining.

3. Use an xpen and a leash. He is either in his crate, xpen or on leash with you. This will keep him out of trouble...mostly. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------

