# Help! 7 week old land shark and house training!



## kristinloveschief (Sep 12, 2013)

People on here warned me about land snarking. I had no idea what it meant until last night when I looked it up because our 7 week old shepherd that we got last Friday starting getting very nippy and hyper starting yesterday! I just want to make sure we're doing this right because it's our first puppy! When he bites we're trying our best to distract him with toys instead but he's pretty relentless. He also has a puppy teething bone that will distract him for a few minutes. I don't want to crate him for bad behavior because we want his crate to be something positive for him (has gone the last two whole nights without crying at all!!!!). Is this the best way to handle biting puppies, distraction? And on house training... I know we've only had him for 5 whole days and I think he's semi catching on to outside is where the bathroom is. But when we catch him in the act we pick him up and take him out to finish if its not too late right away and reward him with a treat when he goes outside. Any other potty training tips? He's just soooo ADD and won't even take treats sometimes! We also started tonight of running him in the yard to try to drain that energy!


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

I've posted this in the past for potty training GSD's. This has worked for me with all of them but none better than with Lisl who is smarter than all of my other past GSD's.

This isn't the only method that will work, but it is what works for me and mine:

You have to take her out every 20 minutes when she is a very young pup. Stand with her or walk her around on a lead and tell her to "go potty!" Take her to the same place every time. You cannot go in once you've gone out to go potty until she goes. She must be made to understand what she is out there for. And you can't go out just when it is convenient for you. You must stick to a routine or she will never learn. No playing either. I never used treats, but you can try that too after she has gone potty.

Don't give into her using paper to eliminate on when the weather is bad, or cold, or windy. Suck it up and take her out. She won't mind the rain and they make umbrella's for humans.

Always lavish a lot of praise after she has taken care of business, and go right back inside afterward.

You must also take her out after:

Playing
Eating
Drinking (any amount, it takes seconds for them to go after a drink)
A nap


Pull her food no later than 1900 and water no later than 2000 depending upon your feeding schedule and how fast she eliminates. You will likely have to adjust this to work around your sleep/work schedule.

Crate her at night or have her sleep with you. You will have to get up several times so you may as well get used to it now until she can hold it through the night.

Take her out before bedtime, again at 0100, 0400, and whatever time you get up. The objective here is to make sure she is empty as possible before bedtime to eliminate the nocturnal trips as soon as possible after her little bladder can hold the remaining contents overnight.

German Shepherd Dogs are among the easiest of all breeds to successfully potty train. But you have to teach her. She can't figure out what you want unless you show her.

One other objective of this training is that they must be made to understand not only that outside is where we go potty, but that it is NEVER ever ever ever (except for an illness accident that you or she can't help) acceptable to go inside.


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## kristinloveschief (Sep 12, 2013)

Thank you!


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

I would like to add, take her out IN THE MIDDLE of play. When they are running around, full of puppy crazies, their systems get moving. They need to go and don't realize it till its too late. 

As for the mouthing, welcome to GSD puppyhood!!! Pick a method and stick with it. Nothing works immediately. What worked for me was a high pitched squeak, followed by moving a toy around the floor and having him chase it. Over and over and over and over and over again, daily. For a few months. It does get better. 

Also, remember that pups are a bit like kids, if they get over tired they get really really bratty. I used the crate during those tunes to force a time out and make him take a nap. It's not punishment. If he is being a demon, and you have fed, watered, exercised him, and he is still a demon. Pick him up, put him in his crate, with a chewey and let him nap. Don't make a big deal of it. No yelling. Just out him in it. 


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

Make sure you are talking her on nice long walks...they have a ton of energy and it's better to have them use it up vs. have it pent up and chase you around while nipping you 

Too young to run though, so just walks


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## ODINsFREKI (Jul 30, 2013)

It gets worse and then much better. Good luck!


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