Serious answers only: I need help with my seven month old german shepherd...She has been defying me lately and

Question

I am worried of having an out of control dog. Lately when I take her outside, she refuses to go back into the house. If I tug on her leash, she lays down on the ground and won't budge. She is treated very well and has plenty of play time outside. This is a new behavior. My boyfriend never has this problem with her. As soon as he comes out there, she runs into the house. I don't yell at her or hurt her. I have tried treats also, but she gets to a certain part on the sidewalk and won't go any further. What is going on with her? Is she testing me? How do I get her to look at me as a dominent also? Also, I have a nine-month old...should I consider this agressive behavior?

Answer 1

The key is your dogs age. You say she is seven months old. She is a teenager (consider a 15 year old teenager) and she is testing you. She knows that she can not get away with that behavior with your boyfriend but with you she knows at this time, you'll allow it. You must establish your leadership of the pack. She needs and wants to have a pack leader, however you have not shown this ability yet. Now, I never recommend hitting any dog, rather you need to communicate to her that she must listen and obey you. This is the most sever punishment that I can recommend. That is to ALPHA ROLL your dog. You do this by kneeing at the dog's side. You reach underneath the dog and grab and hold the front and rear leg of the dog. You then pull the legs underneath the dog causing her to fall down on her back (Please be gentle when you do this). She is now in a subordinate position, her throat is exposed to you, the PACK LEADER. In a very firm voice tell her why she is being punished and then let her up. Repeat your request to her and if she still will not obey, pick her up and take her into the house. Concerning the growling and commotion when she feels you are not paying attention to her, this is a common problem. I have a feeling you stop what you are doing and then pay attention to her when she does this. You are allowing her to dictate to you what she wants rather then you dictating to her what you want her to do. You are no longer demonstrating your PACK LEADERSHIP. You should never reward this type of behavior with attention to the dog. Rather you should ignore her totally. Turn your back on her, only when she settles down and is behaving, should you pay any attention to her. If she will not settle down, put her in a room and close the door. After 15 minutes or so, release her and you'll see that her behavior will be modified. This may take several weeks of you doing this to eliminate this behavior, but rest assured that you can change this behavior if you are consistant in your LEADERSHIP. You do have a dog that may, and I say only may cause harm to your children. Not out of mallise, but out of excitement trying to get your attention. You must always remember, you are the pack leader. For example when you go into the house, you should enter first and then the dog. You must reinforce that you are the pack leader in everything you do.

Answer 2

Try a halti headcollar, though it will instill negative connotations upon reentering the house. Make sure she has some sort of job to do, whether it be carting, herding, or carrying a bookbag on walks. Also, it is VERY important to take her through a series of training classes, don't just stop with basic, or at least go through a basic class more than once, if that's all you can find. I find it to be helpful to go through one every few years throughout a dog's life, and to also have both you and your boyfriend take her together and separately, so that she learns how to obey you both. Good luck!!

Answer 3

Lord only knows why you have 2 pooches of such similar ages.
However, you should have been in classes with her since 2 weeks after her 16 weeks booster.
GET YOURSELF BOOKED INTO A CLASS – an instructor has none of the hangups that a boyfriend might, so he/she will correct your voice tone, your body-language, your timing.

If your 7 months ****** is a genuine GSD you should have NO problem overpowering her or lifting her – are you sure you haven’t taken on one of the giant offshoots or cross-breeds? I’m old, but I can still haul 2 GSDs at once to where they don’t wish to go.
But if you can’t physically handle her (eg, you have poor coordination) then the boyfriend must put the initial training in then show you how to copy him, until such time as there is a gap in that training class.

Rule 1 of training: Never give an order that you can't enforce.

First step is to puzzle out WHY she won’t go into the house – your question doesn’t suggest that she refuses in other situations. If she gets beaten up by the older pooch, her behaviour is understandable. If she gets shoved into a crate once she’s inside, her behaviour is understandable. If you were the one who toilet-trained her one of the “hard” ways, it is understandable.
Remember - it is HER mind that decides whether what happens inside the house is a reward or a punishment. You need to have her consider that she is going to be rewarded once she is inside. But that reward must be something SHE regards as a reward. Mine are happy with a mere “Good girl/boy” and a light stroke along the spine, but they would PREFER a sliver of cheddar.

Try letting her briefly lie where she has chosen to do an unwanted Down-Stay, move to a side or behind her, then in a bright cheerful voice call her to go in a direction that is obviously NOT towards the door. If she then happily complies it is definitely the approach to the house that is the problem.
It probably won’t work, but if the layout of the grounds allows it you could try breaking up the routine, so that you approach the house from a different direction each time, always avoiding her “Down spot”, and using the back door as often as you use the front door.

If, however, she often disobeys you while on–lead, and it’s not just the approach to the house, then you really do need serious help at improving your technique.
You probably need to accept that a SMALL obedience is worth rewarding, so that she gets praise & a reward every foot along the path. You might need to tie her to a post outside then wait inside the house with her favourite reward, have the boyfriend bring her on-lead to the porch, then you call her in & reward her when she reaches you; you move to a different doorway and again call her then reward her when she arrives.
On your own, you can try tying a long-enough rope to her leash then leaving her where she is and going JUST inside, so she can see & hear you, and you enjoy yourself while keeping just enough tension on the rope so that she can walk towards you but cannot walk away from you – naturally she gets a welcome & a reward when she chooses to come to you.

Make it pleasant for her every time she does SOMETHING desirable. Make it UNpleasant for her every time she does something UNdesirable.
And always time the pleasantness (praise plus rub or other reward) to match when she does the desired thing; always match the unpleasantness (growl plus a snap of the slip-chain or other unpleasantness) when she does a forbidden thing that she KNOWS is forbidden (not YOU know – SHE knows, which takes several days longer).

She should NOT be challenging you at 7 months old. The age of first challenge from pooches that haven’t been socialised & trained is 10 months, followed by a serious taking over of the household as the pooch approaches 3 years old.

If started at the right age, training is easy. My youngest started sleeping in the house at about 8 weeks old; my bedroom is verboten and, although the door is always open, she very seldom tested the doorway (however, the roll of paper in the “room with a loo” was irresistible). None of my current 4 (ages 7 to 13) knows the command “Down” – I’ve never needed to teach it, because when inside they automatically find a spot and lie down when I sit, they having mimicked their elders while just weeks old.
My male, who I regard as somewhat retarded (it took him nearly 2 years to work out that if he sat while I was cutting myself some cheese he would receive a piece) needed some baths, the first at about 4 years old. He objected, and I had to muscle him into the tub. About 4 months later (bath#2) he merely needed an assist. About 4 months later (bath#3) he got in by himself, before I was ready – I didn’t have the shampoo with me - so he got out while I went to get that, then got back in when I returned, still with no command from me. Several months later he got into the empty bath, as if to tell me he WOULD like a bath today, pretty please. And no, this is far from the most intelligent strain I’ve had. But GSDs DO like to be praised & rewarded, so they will do whatever they think will bring them those things.

I guess you simply DIDN’T start at the right age, and so she’s been able to train herself into some bad habits.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
"In GSDs" as of 1967

Answer 4

I think your pup is manipulating you. She definitely sees your bf as the pack leader. I would put my self into the calm, assertive state of mind first. Do you hesitate at that particular part of the sidewalk ( anticipating her stopping ) ? Put her collar at the highest part of her neck, stand tall and put yourself in the frame of mind that 'we're going this way' The pack leader doesn't ask questions about where to go...they just go...I have also found that if you use treats your rewarding the behavior... No, I don't think its aggressive..she's just seeing who her leader is..good luck!

Answer 5

A dog will always test its owners to see who is the pack leader. Considering she never acts this way around your bf she must think he is the pack leader and therefor treats you with less respect. Maybe take her to training classes if you have the money. The main thing is to firmly but calmly say No to her when she does something bad. Or maybe copy how your bf acts around her.

Answer 6

At her age,she is akin to a human teenager and is testing you to see how much she can get away with.GSDs are very intelligent and know how to get their way. This is typical of dogs of her age and is not aggressive behaviour,but rather the beginnings of dominant behaviour.Now is the time to take her to obedience class to prevent any aggressive behaviour from developing. Good luck.

Answer 7

sure he must be waiting to mate bodily and his sperm must be possible.it is not stable to start breeding a male till he's bodily and quite often mentally mature, i might say atleast 18 months at min. and because you go with the hips checked that's 2 yrs previous for OFA. in case your lady merely got here in then she isn't in status warmth yet. status warmth is while they initiate flagging, protecting up their tail and shifting it over to coach the male they're waiting to mate. they often initiate that approximately 8 days while they arrive in. yet you ought to comprehend for beneficial the 1st day they got here in to be precise. Your male might initiate showing extra activity quickly. in case you do no longer choose her pr ego then you definitely ought to fully ISOLATE her from him. Crate her interior in one room. once you're taking her exterior use a different place for her to potty then the place your male is going. the reason in the back of that's that the smells she is leaving while she is going out the two by ability of the vag discharge or urine is going to make your male insane. he will initiate stressing out and in all probability will unfastened some wight because of the fact he gets obsessed on the female. this is probably not happening too lots now even though it gets lots worse in case you ever do breed them. as quickly as he's conscious for beneficial what it is all approximately, there is not any turning returned. The artwork in contact with whelping a muddle is a ways extra suitable than maximum persons think of. i comprehend because of the fact i improve into as quickly as certainly one of "maximum persons" lol. I even have breed some litters and that's time ingesting, and exertions extensive to declare the least. be beneficial that's what you go with to do in the past you breed and in case you do, get some stable books approximately whelping and breeding in the past the breeding occurs... in uncomplicated terms a dash tip

Answer 8

Shes going thru those teenaged years,just hang in there and keep working with her

Answer 9

if i were you i would take her to obiedience or agility classes.
german shepherds are working dogs and they always need somthing to do or they will get unruly. you need to take her out more and WEAR her out.
what kind of collar are you using?? you may want to use a harness, you have much moire conroll over the dog.

good luck

Answer 10

not aggressive behavior,,

CALL YOUR BREEDER for a visit,... they can show you how to properly train and handle your dog.

Now is the time for spaying,, and remember,, this is one of the worst ages for dogs *like teenagers