Dog Troubles

A

Amos

New member
I am entirely new to dog training and I have a 11 1/2 week old GSP male pup that I've been tryin to work with. Every time I pet him he'll want to bite my hand which to him he is probably just playing. I've been telling him "no" and slappin his snout, but then he'll just get even more aggressive and will snap at me. I don't like being that physical with him, but I don't know of a better way of negative reinforcement to stop him from doing so. So I'm wondering if there is something I should be doing instead? I've also wondered if it is just the "puppy" in him and in time he'll stop on his own. I just want him to stop now, assuming if I let him continue doing it that he'll still do it when he's older, and then it won't be fun.

My other problem is when I put him on just a regular leash, he'll bite the leash constantly. I've been trying to work on him heeling and he when he's going nuts with the leash it is impossible. Then the times that he stops doing such things, he'll pull hard trying to go his own ways and I tug on the leash but he still won't walk by me with the leash loose. Is there a better piece of equipment I should be using or any advice?

I've watched most of the youtube videos by Willow Creek Kennels and he makes it seem so easy with his dogs no matter what the exercise is. Do I just need more patience and hope that his maturity level rises and my training pays off? Maybe I just expect too much too soon.

Any advice is appreciated.
 
does he growl when you try to pet him? ive never seen an agressive GSP before.

there are ways to use collars to teach the dog whos in control when on a leash. id def would wanna get the dog checked out, he may be uncomfortable on a health issue or hes just been plain abused and doesnt wanna take it anymore. not saying you are abusing him but maybe someone in your family or friend is abusing him and making him act this way.

GSP are family dogs, i rarely hear a dog snap and wanna bite people's hands. at 11 months old, he sould be a social dog with any people espeically with you. ive seen GSP bite leashes bc they wanna run free, but you need a training choke collar or muzzle where when the dog walks to far from leash length, it will pull his muzzle down and back and makes him slow down... ive used a harness on my GSP at 7 months old and once he pulled, i would pull gently with a firm tug and make him stop, wait for me to catch up and then walk again. after 2 weeks, he never walks in front of me again.


but as being agressive, something is terribly bothering him.. abuse or health issues. not profiling you or anything, just never seen GSP be agressive unless someone trains him to be agressive.
 
GSP pup

I have had several pups of various breeds, that were biters and chewers. This pup is very young yet, I would avoid slapping him on the nose, as he is very physical now, and he assumes that your slap is an escalation of the "fun". Try instead to calm him with strokes and hold his muzzle closed and say no firmly, also try the lip bite technique, curl his lip under a tooth, when he bites, he bites himself, and it hurts! as you no doubt recognize. Provide plenty of chew toys, and playtime, my guess is this phase will play itself out, I wouldn't even be upset by playtime growling. I suspect the pup lacks for a playmate, and considers you a litter mate with benefits, rather than a master type relationship, which has traditional boundries. Good luck.
 
He does not growl and rarely ever barks. When I'm petting him and he turns his head and tries to bite, it's a soft bite. He doesn't appear aggressive until I negatively reinforce him not to. Most of the time he'll just snap at the air at that point when he's not happy but usually doesn't get my fingers. I have tried holding his muzzle closed and telling him no as well, but he doesn't like that either. I'll try putting curling his lip in, I've tried it with his paw but he knows what's going on then.

Maybe I'm just taking things too seriously, and I should respect his playfulness. It's just that sometimes those bites can hurt and especially with kids around a lot I don't need any bad things happening.

He hasn't been mistreated by anyone here. I'm the only one who takes him out and walks and trains him. I'm kinda hopin this will be a thing in the past as he gets older and it's just him being a puppy.

I'll have to look into a choke collar or muzzle like you mentioned. Pulling on the leash does absolutely nothing. The next time I stop at the store I'll look what they have to offer.

I really appreciate the advice given. Those two posts have helped me tremendously already.
 
Your dog is very young and I wouldn't be worried about the nipping. When he does it give a loud OUCH to let him know your discomfort followed by a stern NO. Stop your interaction til he calmer down and try again, so he will learn this is not accepted.
Now for the leash, try a halti collar. It's just like a halter for a horse, it puts pressure on the muzzle of the dog and they quickly learn how to turn the pressure off. If he is walking properly no pressure, he can pant and do normal dog things. If he tugs or bites the collar put slight pressure on it and he will get the idea.
Hope this helps, good luck.
 
He's very young. Don't rush him. Keep it fun, mix it up and don't be too harsh with him. Be stern and consistent tho. You have tried changing directions on him often? The halter idea was a good one. As much as I hate the look of pinch collars I needed one with mine. I thought he was going to hurt himself as he would bolt off on a dead run from a dead stop.

Once we started working with birds a switch went on in his head and he was all business. He heels better off leash now than on.

good luck
 
I must agree with Oldie and also with Quail I have a 8 month old GSP and he sometimes play nips he is still a puppy so expect some puppy behavior. What my wife and I have done and seems to work well is hold his mouth closed and tell him "no" we immediately stop playing with him and ignore him, he soon gets the picture sometimes he will revert back to his young puppy ways but he is much better. With the leash practice makes perfect I have been working with mine on heel for a few weeks he has the basic idea but it started out with him wanting to lead the walk just be patient GSP's are very smart and if trained right (a lot of love) they seem to learn pretty quickly. I would also recommend just some fun leash time prior to trying to teach heel he sounds like he is unsure of the leash so he bites/fights it. Just my opinion I too am a rookie at this :)
 
When my labs were 11 weeks old my main concern was them destroying everything they found/saw/could get at. I think it is the pup in him. I am sure FSC will have some good advice for you.
 
Never use your hands or boot for that matter as a negative reinforcement "tool", you want your touch (hands) to always be a positive reinforcement!

If he is snipping at you when you go to pet him just walk away, don't react; when he is "acting" properly return to him and stroke him gently, try to get him to act calm and stand still, if he starts to "figget' just walk away and repeat the process for how ever long it takes - could be a week or two before he figures it out.

Dogs know exactly where there teeth are at all times, doesn't matter if their 11 1/2 months or 11 1/2 years old, there is no such thing as an "accidental" bite, they know exactly what they are doing with their mouths and you need to let them know that you are the alpha and that behavior is unacceptable.

You need to reinforce the positive more and for now at 11 1/2 weeks just ignore the negative.

Let him bite on the lead, ignore his bad behavior, walk a different direction with a light tug on the lead, very light. He is learning what it is like to be lead and to follow. When he pulls in one direction, go the other with a quick correction on the lead and praise him when he does something good - don't give him the "boot" for doing it wrong. He is learning point of contact at the neck and once he learns he can't get his way you'll start to notice he'll relax and follow you as the leader.

He'll constantly test you over the next couple of years so be consistent, be kind, don't let your frustrations get the best of you.

Try not to use the word "No" when correcting behavior, it sounds too much like "Whoa" and may lead to problems with that command down the road.

A puppy can be a puppy for as long as a year or two, be calm, be patient and and be consistent!

Good Luck!
 
ive never seen any GSP at that age bite and act the way he describes.... sorry but thats not normal if you ask me. all GSP at 1 year or younger are friendly dogs. only way for those dogs to bite are if they are treated bad. i got my GSP at age 4 months an sure he wants to chew on my hand but not bc i want to pet him and he doesnt snaps at me or try to bite my hand bc im touching him. sounds more like my cat who doesnt like his tail touch at all.. if you touch his tail, he turns around bites or claws you and growls.


again, not normal for gsp as they are family dogs and are not this way unless theres something wrong or bothering him health wise.
 
Birdman, he says the dog is 11 WEEKS old not months. You never seen a pup that still nips at that age?
 
I do find the whole situation weird, but I also believe he's just being a puppy. He seems to be a real happy and healthy dog. My practice at walking him with a leash has been useless, let alone teaching him to heel. I'm going to look into choke collars or halters to be able to correct his actions rather than just pulling him around. But wow, you've all given great advice as it has helped tremendously. I'll keep you updated in the future as he progresses. His first challenge isn't far from now with dove season opening Sept. 1st. I'll be curious to see how well he'll work with me for them and if they'll give him a chance to point. I'm sure I'll be looking for more training help in the near future.
 
I have not read any other posts to see if you got a reply like this, but just don't worry it is very common for any pup and any breed. Slapping him around entices this behavior. Just roll his two upper lips under his K9 teeth and apply pressure until he whimpers with your thumb and index fingerer. Be abrupt and quick every time he does it and it will stop after a few times. You don't have to make him scream in pain, just get the point across and quit, telling him no biting. And no slapping.
 
Amos said:
His first challenge isn't far from now with dove season opening Sept. 1st. I'll be curious to see how well he'll work with me for them and if they'll give him a chance to point.
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Amos,
In my humble opinion, if you take your pup to the dove field and that pup has not be taught to come (return to you), whoa (stay), previously introduced to birds and gun conditioned you will f$%^up that dog, possibly for the rest of its life.
Your pup is only 11 1/2 weeks old, wait until all the groundwork is done before you take it to the field - I know from experience, I messed up my very first GSP by going too fast
 
Amos said:
His first challenge isn't far from now with dove season opening Sept. 1st. I'll be curious to see how well he'll work with me for them and if they'll give him a chance to point. I'm sure I'll be looking for more training help in the near future.
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He is only going to be about 4-5 months when dove season starts. Teach him basic obedience first. Come, Whoa, Sit, Stay, etc. You can also work on retrieving. But make sure you have properly introduced him to gunfire before you take him dove hunting. At 4-5 months he is basically along for the experience, don't expect much and don't demand much.

Where did you come up with the idea he would have a chance to point? Normally hunting doves does not involve pointing as most dove hunting is basically done while sitting in one spot and shooting the doves as they pass by. It can be good practice to having him sit by you and hopefully retrieve a few of the harvested doves. Good luck.
 
doves

I've got agree with the rest of the posters on opening day of dove season. Lots of shooting, heat, confusion. Absolutely a fabulous place to wreck a young dog. Add the fact that some dogs will refuse to pick-up doves at all. I have had various breeds find dead doves, but refuse to pick them up, seems to be an individual trait or preference, not breed specific. Interestingly enough, the best dove retriever I ever owned was an eglish pointer, who revelled in hunting down and finding, retrieving every bird. Really spoils you, can take all shots as they come, over standing corn, beans, tall grass, etc. I have seen may more completely dis-oriented by the chaos of a dove opener. I would put in some work on pigeons and simulated conditions beforehand. Otherwise risk a long rehab, or maybe permanent damage. A whole lot easier to proceed building on success, than trying to fix something that shouldn't have been broken in the first place. By the way, I have seen just as many train wrecks on opening day of pheasant season, with unprepared dogs, lots of hunters, other dogs, indescriminant shooting, ( from the dogs perspective), yelling, new smells, all overwhelming. Some react by returning to the truck, some by becoming overly wild and excited to the point of out of control, which is probably the better outcome of the two, but re-enforces the theory, that running wild from cover to cover, group to group, in a crazed effort to be in the center of the action is the goal. I'm sure everyone who is following this thread can relate at least one experience like this. Now you know your dog better than any of us, and in general anytime you can spend more time with your dog afield, is good, just be sure to control the outside stimulation, make sure he see's the first dove you shoot, for instance. Try to avoid dove fields surrounded by armies of nimrods carrying cases of shells into the field at dawn. As for control of the dog, you need some basics, at least. I have found that using live hunting as a tool, some dogs, actually become more responsive to basic commands because they associate "good things", in this case birds, with doing the right thing. I would suggest that in these hunts, you need to be willing to focus more on the dogs enjoyment and benefit than getting a limit, or taking every possible shot.
 
At the present state of the pup he is not perfect at anything. He does show understanding of many things so far, but just does not always hold true. I haven't shot a shotgun around him yet, but he heard his fair share of fireworks already with Fourth of July recently over, and he does seem fine with a .22. I probably will hold off on taking him hunting early, but at least then I figure he'll be able to witness what it is like. If nothing else I'll be able to use the dead doves for training. I haven't gotten my hands on any game birds yet, other than the occassional young pigeon that I can catch by the barn, so it'll be nice to have the real thing. We'll see how far I get with him when the time comes, and I suspect I will need to hold off.

Dakotazeb said:
Where did you come up with the idea he would have a chance to point? Normally hunting doves does not involve pointing as most dove hunting is basically done while sitting in one spot and shooting the doves as they pass by.
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I mainly just hunt them on our property and the majority of the hunting last year came from flushing them out of the standing corn fields. It was similar to pheasant hunting in that respect. This year I'll be flushing them out of sunflowers, too. Either way I'll take whatever shot I can get at em.
 
How old was he when he was taken from his litter if it was before ten weeks your in from serious socialization skills in the future. good luck. Socialize him as much as possible.
 
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