Rocky's Getting Angry!

This is somewhat my fault . . .

Rocky's been getting very angry. Sometimes for no reason at all, he'll start barking at me. I'll just be standing there and he'll bark at me.

When I say this is my fault, it's because I've gotten VERY frustrated a few times and hit him. For example, I'll be lying on my bed, sleeping, and Rocky comes up and bites my hand (which is on the side of the bed). His nipping is getting to be very powerful and even sharper. I've got about 7 cuts on my right arm and about 8 on my left.

Anyway, I have hit him pretty hard out of frustration. I know, I know . . . not the way to go. But I've been trying very hard to control my anger and just kinda count to ten or something.

Now, Creature Teacher suggested that I start some obedience training. And I have, it's been going pretty well. I think he's just about mastered the "sit" command. And I'm working on "Lie down".

In fact, Creature Teacher, if you can, could you PM me some instructions on how to get him to lie down, roll over, or any other form of obedience training? Thanks very much.

Any help would be appreciated. Oh, and I've got a question. Teething, does it stop eventually or does it only get worse? Like, will he grow out of it eventually?

Dogs that get away with mouthing now will continue to do so into adulthood, it is something that is best curbed now. Right now Rocky is at the age where he is going to be testing his limits and trying to figure out what role he plays in the pack. Consistency is your greatest tool, just like little kids they need to KNOW for SURE that when I do this that is what happens. Untill their mind gets around that idea they will continue to test you. Over time though, being the intelligent, willing to please kind of animals they are they will learn what is expected of them.

I used clicker training with Gunnar who is also a GSD and is a little shy of four months now. He has already mastered sit, down, wait, touch, leave it, stay, and were working on heel. He is very food motivated so I just make sure that twice a day I take out three minutes to work on our commands with the click and treat method, then throughout the day I use the commands but no treats. He is already quite reliable with or without the treats.

Puppies are wild, they love to nip and run, they love to bark at you to get your attention and if there isn't another dog around to play with you are the designated play pal, it will just take Rocky awhile to figure how to play in a way you both can appreciate. Gunnar still nips on occasion, especially at my two-year-old but when it happens he gets a time out tied to a piece of furniture out of our sight for a minute or two. He is getting a lot better now.

As for the barking at you, he probably isn't angry just trying to engage you in some play and if you don't play he is probably voicing his opinion on that matter. Just remember in a few months you will have a beautiful well trained GSD that is the envy of the whole block...it can be tough to raise a puppy but if it is done right you have the best friend you could ever ask for, he just needs your understanding now.

Good luck!

Ah, DoggyDaddy - Rocky's not angry, he want to tell you something! German Shepherds are a vocal bunch. They will talk and talk to you and expect you to respond. So talk back to him! When he starts barking to engage you in conversation ask him what he wants, is he trying to tell you something, does he want to go out, hungry, want to play, where is your toy? That kind of thing - not all at once, of course though, lol. You can even engage him in conversation and watch him cock his head and listen to you, then talk back. The more you talk to him now the more he will learn to understand as he grows up.

The teething does stop. You've really got a worse row to hoe with the mouthing since you got him before his mama had a chance to teach him about not nipping and mouthing. Try not to lose your temper - it can be hard I know, those puppy teeth hurt like crazy! Imagine what it was like having a 35 pound 8 week old puppy! And then another one! I can honestly say I feel your pain.

PM Emma and let her help you get on track with more stuff. She'll be happy to help you out.

Wow, 35 pounds at 8 weeks old! I bet your Filas are huge.

Rocky's just over 18 pounds at nine weeks but he looks so much chubbier than that.

Yeah, I think I will PM Emma, anymore suggestions are welcomed and appreciated!

I'll PM you back soon, DoggyDaddy, but I wanted to make sure you were still doing resource control...?

Um, I think so. I read up on that website and followed instructions.

He's improved but he needs some more things to work on. He's mastered "sit".

I love Rocky...he is a corker. shepherd pups are a bundle of energy..I think I was spared alot of that 'puppy' craziness cause Hammie had my Addie to play with...then I got the tired baby that just wanted hugs. BUT...Hammie will still nip, it isn't aggressive...just annoying. He does it to my husband's ankles when Dave tries to walk him....you can just see Hammie laughing about it, he's very expressive. Ham doesn't do it to me, but he does nip my behind sometimes when he wants my attention to go out. I know all that barking is cause he wants you to play. And as Renee said...they do give so many vocal sounds. Can you have Rocky sleep somewhere else? He's still a baby and he probably used to play with littermates at all hours. He may cry a bit...but maybe his own bed in the laundryroom or something would help YOU get some sleep. I know every dog is different...but instead of hitting, if I get really upset with Ham, I just give a quick yank on his collar...just very quick, while saying 'stop'....looking directly into his eyes. It doesn't hurt him, but it does get his full attention. Honestly...he's gonna grow so fast, you'll be missing his silly puppy ways all too soon. Hang in there, DoggyDaddy.

Debi's so right about missing those puppy times! I found some of Bimmer's puppy photos and didn't know whether to laugh or tear up over the memories they brought back. He was such a darling, adorable, rotten little beggar - pulling the afghan off of the sofa to wrap himself up in, laying on the big stuffed tiger in the living room . . . nipping me on the butt . . .

German Shepherd's . . . such naughty little creatures .

And whenever I say, NO! He gets angry and does it more or barks at me! It's really getting me frustrated . . . how do I just get him to stop?

I've done everything . . . the water bottle doesn't screw on correctly, it's weird.

The little monster's probably bitten it a time or two, lol! They figure those things out rather quickly. I'm afraid the water bottle ploy may have become a game to him and now he's telling you "where's your toy?" every time you tell him "NO" and don't spray him. Try walking away and ignoring him AFTER you tell him no. You have to do it every single time; be consistent, but be judicious - use good judgement - about doing this. Only do it for certain behaviors but do it every time for them.

He's not angry when he barks like that. He really is trying hard to communicate with you. I'm pretty certain it's a case of you've said the magic word, "NO," and he's waiting for the next part of the game, the spray, and is wondering where it is. You're dealing with a pup from a breed that uses reasoning and is quite accomplished at figuring things out, so some things that have worked on other dogs (like the water spraying) can backfire on you sometimes and you have to change tactics.

Getting him interested in doing something else instead of whatever he's doing that he shouldn't is also a good tactic with a pup this young.

You've got your hands full with Rocky, but he is going to be a spectacular dog when he grows up! The ones that are this smart and make you this crazy can really be something special.

the water bottle would have never worked with Ham...he also would have just loved it. that Rocky is one smart puppy. you'll see such a difference in him when he turns 6 mos. He'll be a bit of a handful in other ways sometimes, but will be so much more settled down. how old is Rocky now?

Almost 10 weeks.

I forget you haven't had him long...maybe cause we talked about him so much before. another thing I wanted to tell you is that just when you think they'll NEVER get anything...it just seems to click. he is still such a little baby...he's sooooo sweet.

You're so right, Debi! Remember all those woebegone posts about Hammie when he was still an incorrigible adorable pup, lol! I remember how frustrated I got with Purdue when he was a baby too. These German Shepherd babies can really test you!

I'm still waiting for Creature Teacher to PM me about new ways of teaching Rocky somethin new.

But the ignore thing is sort of working, the main reason I didn't try it before is because along with ignoring I was supposed to walk out of the room which can't fly when I'm working on something important or sleeping.

But thanks to Renee's advice, it can still work. Thanks for everyones suggestions and if you've got any about positive reinforcement training, please let me know.

For some reason, Rocky won't nip at my dad. But lately, he's been nipping like crazy. He's been nipping at my feet which for some reason hurts more than anywhere else.

I try ignoring him and it works, kinda . . . I mean, it's crazy.

Is there a reason why he only nips at me? Does he not like me? Or does he feel like inflicting pain on me is enjoyable?

USUALLY when I say, NO, he backs off. But, still he does it any chance he can.

Help me, please . . .

Check your PMs DoggyDaddy.

Rocky's not nipping you because he wants to hurt you or doesn't like you; quite the opposite. He's nipping YOU because you're the one whose attention is the most important to him.

I'm not even having much trouble with housetraining anymore . . . this is the main problem . . . I'm actually kinda scared to touch him now cause he's always nipping and it's getting to hurt real bad.

It's so hard . . . I can't get him to stop!!!

Try keeping an old athletic sock with some knots tied in it stuck in your pocket or close by so you've always got something to play with, but don't play with him until he's done a sit and waited for you to reward him with some sock play.