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german shepherd training problems!

2K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  ClaireandDaisy 
#1 ·
Hi , we have a seven month old german shepherd who is struggling with her training. we have tried really hard with her but it just seems to be going round in circles with her. she is trained to do her poos and wee outside but yet shes been pooing in her crate and in the house and then eating it before we have chance to sort it. doesnt matter if we tell her off or ignore her and just clean it it doesnt make a difference. shes always hyper no matter how much we walk her or let her run in the field. she pulls like a nightmare on the lead. anyone else have this issue? or can help? thanks:mad:
 
#2 ·
You say she's trained to toilet outside but she doesn't always go outside...that means either she has a physical illness or she's not trained. Firstly you should consult a vet to check for any health problems, then you should train more. There's no point shouting if she's not trained, she doesn't know what the problem is. You need to start taking her out and praising and treating her for going outside, treat her like a small pup all over again. Make sure her crate is properly cleaned with an enzymic cleaner, not just a normal every day cleaning agent as this will not take the smell away enough, dogs can smell more than we can.

As for being hyper what is she fed on? If it's a cheap supermarket brought brand this could well be the problems, foods like Bakers are full of E numbers, think about how hyper toddlers are when you give them fizzy pop and sweets and you can see the reason why dogs are the same with crappy food. If this is the case you need to switch to a better brand (see the nutrition section here, there is a sticky on food ratings). At 7 months old she is still very much a puppy, you can't expect the world and you can't expect her training to be too great. Just walking a dog is not enough with a breed like German Shepherd's, they need mental exercise. Buy kong treats and stuff them with food so she gets a mental work out, do training sessions for 10-20 minutes per day, if not that then enroll in an obedience class. Mental stimulation wears a dog out much more than just walking around does.
 
#3 ·
Also (just because I've just had a session of this) one good thing to do with German Shepherd's is to train to their strengths to wear them out. Does she know any words for certain items or toys? If not try and get her to associate a certain toy with the word 'toy', then when you're in the same room try getting her to bring you her 'toy' and give a treat. Work up to playing hide and seek with the toy so you can go out the room with it in your hand, call her to you, get her in a sit and stay then hide it in an obvious place to begin with, say 'find your toy, wheres your toy?' all excited, then when she touches it or brings it to you give her some treats. You can work up on how hard the hides are and she'll be using her brain and nose and wearing herself out. The whole family can join in taking it in turns hiding things and encouraging her to 'find it find it'. Whenever Kes is too bored and it's not walking time I'll do this for 5-10 minutes and we both enjoy it, it's great fun to watch them working it all out and it's also great training for having her sit, stay, fetch etc. :)
 
#4 ·
she was trained she would tell us when she wanted to go out etc but lately its like she wants the bad attention. we have enrolled in a training course and have spent hours with her it doesnt make a difference. shes on wagg at the minuete but weve changed her to pedigree because of less e numbers. everything you have said we have tried and it just doesnt make a difference. we are so frustrated with her :mad:
 
#5 ·
Try not to get frustrated or angry with her, she is not deliberately doing this. Has she been checked by a vet to rule out a medical condition? Has there been any change or stress recently that may have caused this? Is there anything that could have caused her to fear going outside?

If you can rule all these out then you need to go right back to basics again. Start again with lots of praise & rewards for going outside.
 
#7 ·
nope nothing has changed , shes just had a complete personality change. her vet said some dogs do it with no explanation but its hard work taking her out waiting for her to do something and then when shes backk inside she just sits and does it and eats it. its so unhygienic. i just dont know what to do x
 
#9 ·
she was trained she would tell us when she wanted to go out etc but lately its like she wants the bad attention. we have enrolled in a training course and have spent hours with her it doesnt make a difference. shes on wagg at the minuete but weve changed her to pedigree because of less e numbers. everything you have said we have tried and it just doesnt make a difference. we are so frustrated with her :mad:
Sounds like maybe she's hit the teenage years a bit early perhaps? Mine has this week had a complete personality change (now 9 months old). Prior to this week she was very well trained, now her recall has gone completely, she doesn't want to listen at all etc. I'm having to go back to basics. :rolleyes: Also pedigree is not a good food either, might be worth checking out the thread in the nutrition section, I'm sure the prices of good food will seem very high but with a better quality food you don't need to feed so much weight wise so it cancels out a bit. :)
 
#10 ·
she was trained she would tell us when she wanted to go out etc but lately its like she wants the bad attention. we have enrolled in a training course and have spent hours with her it doesnt make a difference. shes on wagg at the minuete but weve changed her to pedigree because of less e numbers. everything you have said we have tried and it just doesnt make a difference. we are so frustrated with her :mad:
Take a look at the Dry Food Index thread - (Sorry not sure how to link to it. Its a sticky in the Health Section).

My girl wa son Waggs when we wer egiven her at 10 months because her previous owners couldnt coape. She was bouncing off the walls :eek:

Tp be honest Pedigree is a very poor quality food for the price - As a easy to remember rule quite often those brand s of dog food sold on supermarket shelves are off poor quality - low meat content and high in grains which will not be helping your case.

It depend son what your budget it but also remember with a better quality food you feed much less (And get les sout the other end ;))

I dont want to say 'You shoudl feed this' but with 10 minutes reading of the Dry Food Index thread you can easily find something of better quality and most likely better value for money ;)
 
#11 ·
German Shepherds are not the easiest dog to train IMO. They thrive on human interaction and alot of them will also stick their finger up at you when you tell them to do something, they are very good at sensing anxiousness and under confidence.

7 months is still very young, it can take dogs weeks, months to years to fully settle in to a family and the environment. You need to keep doing the basics, taking out after eating, drinking, sleeping and playing, this will reinforce the behaviour you are asking her to do. She may well be toileting in the crate because of stress, then eating it can be a coping mechanism. How long is she crated for and when? Have you properly introduced the crate? Look for signs when in the house such as sniffing, ,scratching, circling etc, these can be indications she needs the toilet. I know you have said you have done everything but if she is performing this behaviour then you havent unfortunately, it just takes more training and time with some. If she toilets, dont have eye contact with her, ignore her, remove her from the room and clean up, then let back in and again ignore. Do not tell off for the behaviour.

Quite alot of dogs do eat their faeces, i wouldnt worry too much, keep her on lead when your taking to toilet and after she has toileted reward and walk her away, if she turns to the toilet then just say a firm no and walk away. Just make sure you are not accidently rewarding her for doing it, some people do and dont realise. Talking in the wrong tone of voice and facial expressions can sometimes come across as rewarding for the dog.

With regards to the hyperactivity, she is still a puppy IMO, she is going to be hyper, most GSD'S are. As others have said, the food can make a huge difference, wagg and pedigree and not the best and will cause hyperactivity. Mine are currently on dodson and horrell, its not that expensive and is a very good food. Try and look at some other brands, it will help her alot. How much exercise does she actually get ? do you play games in the garden and when out such as ball games, frisbees, training like sit, paw, down spin etc ? She needs to do some brain work activities, it will make her focus and is actually very good exercise and stimulation. With the pulling on lead, i would get a gencon, mine have gencons and it means i can have full control and they can not pull. They can now walk on slip leads most of the time as they will not pull. Also you i would look for a trainer as you can then do some work on loose lead training. Dont go out if she is hyper and pulling, make sure she is calm and listening before the lead goes on, otherwise she doesnt go untill calm.Also you can try scatter feeding, it gets their minds working and provides exercise, either in the house or garden.

You need to get her listening to you, if you let her get away with somethng then she will not listen anymore. Get a whistle aswell, i feel it helps reinforce bonds, blow the whistle, treat and keep repeating just in house, then as soon as you blow the whistle she will be there waiting for treat and next instruction.
 
#12 ·
nope nothing has changed , shes just had a complete personality change. her vet said some dogs do it with no explanation but its hard work taking her out waiting for her to do something and then when shes backk inside she just sits and does it and eats it. its so unhygienic. i just dont know what to do x
She's a puppy and that's what puppies do. They seem to 'get' something and then go backwards.

You need to be very vigilant and the minute she looks as if she's about to go rush her outside and say something like "go toilet" and praise like mad when she performs.

I've had many, many puppies over a lot of years. Some have been easy to housetrain and others have been awful; one of which was 18 months old before she was reliable.

I'm pleased to see you have enrolled on a training class so that you can learn how to teach your puppy some basic manners.
 
#13 ·
i think your all right with the food issue, i need one thats not too expensive but will give her what she needs without sending her off the walls, my hubby takes her out all the time, plays games with her , long 5mile walks everything, but she just doesnt tire out. and then when he trys putting her on the lead to stand in garden with her while she goes to the toilet she just pulls so much its almost impossible, just at witts endx:mad:
 
#17 ·
i think thats what we need to do, just not sure what foods best that dodson and horrell looks good.
Mine have the working lite version, the working dog foods seem to be alot better quality, but i would choose the lite version depending on how much exercise she is getting or she will put on weight.

If you feeel she gets alot of exercise you could just get the normal working one and feed her sightly less.
 
#18 ·
I'm just copying and pasting from another teenage GSD thread i wrote on last night :)

An easy way to give mental stimulation(apart from training) is to buy a boredom busting food dispensing toy like a kong/kong wobbler/buster cube/nina ottensen toy etc etc and use it to feed the dog, kongs are good as they can be frozen too so the dog has to work harder to get the food. I have a kong and a kong wobbler and my boys love playing with both of them.

If you don't want a toy then another way to make her work is simply scatter her meals around the garden...she then has to work to find it.

Chews are a good way to calm a dog as chewing releases endorphins(happy hormones) and lowers stress levels. For a GSD you'll need tougher chews like stagbars. Filled bones are also good as a pigs ears but neither would last very long in a GSDs mouth As i've said training sessions are great for tiring a dog mentally, just 2 or 3 5-10 minute sessions a day would make a difference I believe.

The problem with GSD's is that they were a herding breed....the issue with most herders is that no matter how much they run they don't really tire...mental stimulation is the key here. Training sessions are great for wearing down a dog so maybe find an obediance class near you for extra tiring fun :)
 
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