17 week old german shepherd?

Question

Here is my first question.
Our puppy is now roaming free in the house. In the night he used to cry every few hours but since he hit his 15-16 week period he suddenly started sleeping through the night. We usually put him out to do his business at around 11 pm and then he sleeps by our bed until like 7-8 in the morning. Is this normal? I am just afraid that he might be releasing himself on the carpet somehwere while we are sleeping (although cant find any stains). During the day he always goes to the door when he needs to go potty.

My second question is that is it normal for him to sniff my bottoms? I feel a bit uncomfortable. As long as it is not something sexual I am ok with that. I am more like his mother figure and not his mate you know.

Answer 1

Yes at that age puppy should be able to do his nights easily so there should not be a problem.

As far as bottom sniffing, dogs have scent glands near their bums which is how they can tell themselves apart. He is just checking to see who you are and to say hello.

It is nothing sexual. It is a normal greeting.

Answer 2

Some dogs can get house trained very quickly it sounds like yours may be already. I would at least keep your bedroom door shut so he is not roaming the house. Think of him as a 2 yr old child. You would have a baby sleep in a crib for their safety for a while until they are old enough to have a big boy bed. So I recommend crate training. They learn to love their crate.

Dogs sniff rear ends because dogs get to know people and animals through smells. When a puppy is born it's eyes and ears are not working yet, he only has his nose to guide him through the world. So that is why dogs sniff everything (to get to know you). Not sexual in the least bit.

Answer 3

A four + month old German Shepherd does not have a set weight as the dog varies quite a bit in adult weight. While the breed standard for adults is 65 to 90 pounds, I see large males that are not fat weigh over 100 pounds. The adult weight for a Siberian Husky is 35 to 50 pounds for a female and 45 to 60 for males. Again the typical weight of a puppy can't be fixed. If there is concern over the puppies being too thin or fat, please consult a Veterinarian.

Answer 4

not unusual for a dog to be able to hold its bladder throughout the night once they hit 12 weeks - that's when you would usually start crate training to train a dog to hold it thoughout the night. All my dogs started out crate training first - they now sleep ong their doggie sofa beds in their own little room. I like the idea of crate training since young pups can still have accidents during the night. They will hold it if they are in a crate since they do not like to soil their bed Also if there's a need for me to transport my dog, i know they are crate trained already.
Also not unusual for dogs to sniff your bottom - that's what they do. They may sniff your front area too ...
I suggest crate training then, once he's older, you can let him sleep next to your bed. You can even keep the crate next to your bed if you want, just have him use to the crate.

Answer 5

This is normal, he probably is not roaming the house at night but might be. Remember that chewing does not happen until later with this breed. I always recommend a crate for the pup to sleep in at night. You can have a crate in your bedroom if you want.

Answer 6

Sounds like he is house-broke now--don't worry about it--I have 2 big dogs-and a Beagle who sleep in the house all night and hold it till morning--Celebrate! Big dogs can hold it along time-of course, mine are older than yours. Your pup is smelling your butt cuz that is what dogs do--your dog doesn't think of you as a human, he thinks you're a almost hairless, funny looking dog who talks funny, doesn't bark and walks on it's hind legs. Animals aren't "sexual" humans are so we have a tendancy to interpret everything as a sexual meaning--even when dogs "hump" each other-it's not sexual--it's dominance. Animals don't have sex for pleasure, we are the only creatures that do that so don't worry--your dog is not trying to be a pervert--he's just checking you out to see where you've been and what you've been up to! lol

Answer 7

Having a 17 week old GSD roaming the house unsupervised is about the worst idea ever. Once he starts teething and chewing everything to bits, you will likely want to invest some money in a crate. Every dog should be crate trained, even if you don't keep them in there that much (helps with boarding, traveling, safety, etc).

Answer 8

well i have a german shepard and when she hit a certain age she stopped crying all night and barking now shes 2 and she still sniffs peoples bums when they come to my house its quite embarrassing really. and if people come who have just been in the bath she starts licking their feet for some reason. maybe he will grow out of it when he turns 1 or something you just have to wait a while.

Good luck

Answer 9

i have a GSD and yes its compleatly normal. mine is 4 months old (less than 17 weeks) and thats what he does too. we let him out about 11 then thats it unitll morning.

and yes its also normal for him to sniff your bottom. dogs get your "identity" from smell and they do tend to divert to the bottom area. nothing sexual

good luck

EDIT: to the person below who obviously dosnt know anything.
as i sed above my pup is only 4 months and i have never had any problems with my GSD roaming around the house free. as long as you train him/her not to eat everything he see's he'll be fine.
i wouldnt advise crate training.

your doing a fine job. keep it up

Answer 10

ummm i have a puppy too and he sleeps in a cage still, but we let him out at like 9:30p.m., then i let him out at 6:30 in the morning. your puppy just has a very strong bladder!

all male dogs do this as puppies!!!