Help!! My german shepherd mix needs trained badly?

Question

My 11 month old german shepherd mix tries to bite,but he doesn't growl. Is this just play? Also I need help teaching him to walk nicely on leash and to do what I tell him to. He is becoming a nuisance. And he faces being taken to a shelter.Please help!! Thank you!

I love him so much. I can't stand the thought of losing him.

When he bites he is REALLY hyper and jumping (literally) 5 feet in the air. Now the rest of my family is afraid of him.Except my dad.

Answer 1

Dont be intolerant please be patient with that sweet fellow. He is just a puppy he wants to play. Treat him kind he will respect you and obey, German Shepherd Dogs are very emotional and are hurt by harsh rude loud commands. He will sense when you are angry with him, and that will make him very sad. Please love him. He is a very faithful dog. More faithful than humans. I have three shepherd dogs. Love them so much. please be patient, he will learn. He just wants to play now. Get a dog trainer to give him some lessons twice a week.

Answer 2

OK, the first thing you need to understand is that the dog is this way because you've let it become this way, it isn't the dogs fault, you can get the dog back on the right track though.

There are a couple of ways to deal with the biting, try the more gentle methods and then work up to the more harsher ones if the gentle ones don't work over a couple of days, but at least give it a couple of days to work.

1) Put the dog outside (away from the humans and other dogs) for 2 minutes - it's called a time out.
2) Put on your best growly voice and growl at the dog, if the dog is extremely playful it can take this as an invitation to play.
3) Get everyone in the house some water pistols and squirt the dog each time it bites or goes to bite, you'll have to tuck the water pistol in your pants so you always have it on you.
4) Give a medium strength smack, for very playful dogs, this can be an invitation to play.
5) This is the last method I would use, now I must stress that this method should not be abused, if you do it right you cause minimal pain to the animal and less stress and the message gets across faster....use a leader lead and have it tucked into your pants so you alway have it with you, when the dog goes to bite you or bites you, you whack the dog on the rump with the lead, give it a reasonable whack, it typically sounds worse that what it feels but yes it will hurt the dog however for some dogs that just won't back down they need to be put in their place, I must stress this is not about beating & abusing the dog, it's one quick firm what everytime the dog bites, you may only have to do it once or you may need to do it 5 times. I know it sounds awlful, but with some dogs it's the last resort when all other methods have failed, you're simply putting the dog back in its' place like another dog would.

To answer your question, YES it is just play and a bit of the dog being bossy and pushing boundaries, it has learned that you give it attention when it bites. Some dogs do get over-excited as well.

In regards to teaching your dog to walk on the lead, head out and buy yourself a prong collar, now these collars should only be used in a gentle manner. Fit the collar snuggly behind the dogs ears. The prong collar has 2 rings, one round one and one D ring, when you put the leash through both of these, this makes the collar DEAD (it will not give corrections), walk your dog around the yard with the collar DEAD, this gets the dog used to the feel of the collar, after about 5 minutes of walking around, just attach the leash to the D ring and walk around then do the following:

Walk in a line, then say HEEL, as you're turning give the leash a soft-medium strength correction, if the dog is by yourside it won't get this correction. Continune this exercise until the dog has learned what is required, it usually takes 15 minutes. Remember you mjust say Heel and then half turn before giving the correction.

Because a prong collar is a link collar, it can come apart if you don't link it correctly, therefore it is reccomended that you have a loose martingale collar in the dog and attached the martingale ring to the prong collar ring so that if the prong comes apart you have the martingale as a back up collar.

This is a great website, please visit it, it has training articles that will be beneficial to you and your dog:
http://www.k9force.net

All the best!

Answer 3

It'd be a great idea to join a dog training class, ask your vet about good ones in your area, the one I go to is only £5 per week so won't break the bank! It'll not only teach you to teach and understand your dog but you'll get support from other dog owners who are experiencing similar problems!
You need to teach bite inhibition if you have not already done so, if he bites you make a loud, high-pitched ow! sound and leave the room for a few minutes, he'll learn that his biting hurts you, if he is biting very gently (mouthing) it is play, get him some toys, nylabone chew toys are good, and a ball or tug toy which he is allowed to bite and redirect him to these if he is in a biting mood.
Walking nicely on a leash can be trained in several ways, one way is if he pulls, stop immediately and wait until the leash becomes slack, from him moving back or sitting down before you continue to walk, this will send him the message that pulling won't get him anywhere! Give him praise and a treat when he is walking nicely on a slack leash by your side, a clicker can really help here as it pinpoints exactly what you are rewarding him for (get more info on cickertrainingusa.com) it'll take you twice as long to get anywhere at first but is a worthwhile investment. Take him to a variety of places, not the same walk everyday, this will make him pay more attention to you as he won't know where you're going. Two other techniques are to turn around and walk the other way when he pulls, apparentley very effective but not suitable for me as I'm usually trying to get somewhere, or to walk back to the house and start again and keep doing this until he walks nicely to the destination, extremely effective but it can take a while for them to get the idea so you may not get anywhere for some time! My boyfriend did this with our puppy on the approach to our flat as she would really pull at this stage, now she walks beautifully every time, we're still working on her not pulling the rest of the time but we see improvements everyday so persevere!
I wish you the very best of luck, your investment will see you reaping the rewards of a wonderful companion, enjoy your training classes!

Answer 4

First of all, get enrolled in a canine education class ASAP. As for the biting, yeah sounds like a play thing, but I can not tell you for sure without knowing more, for example, are you playing with him when he starts, or is it something he does when you try to do something to him like pet him or take food from him. As for walking on a leash, try getting a halti, gentle leader or if worst comes to worst, a pinch collar. These items, along with getting enrolled in an education class will help to solve many of these issues better than anyone here can. Like I said, without more information, we can't give you the best solution. Good Luck

Answer 5

hi i have had the same problem in the past with my gsd dog yes what you are discibling is play bitting and it must be stopped now but do not use cruel methods as he will remember it just tell him firmly no when he does it also get hold of his scuff and shake him its what his mother would have done. you say you need help to get him to walk nicely on lead try a halti they work also join a training club. is there anything you are giving him to make him highper food or treat wise we found out our dog is allergic to chocolate. you could also try getting some silent 4 which is available on the net.
it is herbal treatment and calms dogs down it really works.

tracey

Answer 6

lol...he's just playing, sweetheart. That's exactly what my female Pug, Mad Madilyn does. (hence the name)
She gets all excited and insists on nipping our fingures.
Best thing you can do is let out a sharp, "No!"
I always point at Madilyn and eyeball her when I do this.
It seems to work.
We had Shepherds when I was younger.
How I got them to walk nicely with me was when they'd start to pull me... I'd simply stop and say, "No"
I'd stand there for a few seconds then try again.
I continued doing this til they figured out they weren't going anywhere til they calmed down and stayed by my side.
I eventually got my female Shepherd, Tara, to where she could literally be walked without a leash. When I would take several steps forward, she would. When I stopped...she stopped.
It does take patience though.

Answer 7

Seriously Watch a few episodes of the Dog Whisperer. It teaches you how to handle your pets. don't take him to a shelter. YOu have to tell him that it is not ok to bite. when he bites. tug on his collar or taps him with your fingers and say hey. when he walks on the collar don't make him excited. and make sure he does not bolt out the door when you put the leash on him. if he tries to bolt stop him and bring him back to the door he should not step out the door before you if he does start over. he will get it. when he does something he is not supposed to tug on his collar or tap hiim with your finger in a claw as if you where another dog biting and say hey. somthing to catch his attention. be patient. Good Luck and God Bless!

Answer 8

When he starts biting on or at you just get up if your sitting and walk away. That will teach him that you don't like this behavior. For leash training put the leash on him and let him drag it behind him when he walks. He will learn that the leash will not hurt him and he will learn to walk with it. Good luck.

Answer 9

check your areas local obedience classes. They are usually one evening a week for 6-8 weeks

Answer 10

Invest in some obedience classes with an EXPERIENCED trainer who will help you learn how to train your dog.