My German Sheperd 14 week puppy is showing a mean streak and attacking/biting me and others.?

I have had my female GSD since she was 6 wks old. She has been the normal puppy biting but has recently turned into having a mean streak. Out of nowhere, she will come to you and start biting and showing her teeth and crunching up nose and in some cases breaking skin. When I say no really stern, she will talk back and get worse. I am taking her to Petsmart training, but fear that she will not change this behavior. I bought her at a house that had about 14 GSD in a small backyard, I have a feeling that this aggresion/mean streak is from her parents. I have had GSD when I was a child and my parents think this is a sign of an aggressive dog. I am planning to have children and do not want to have an issue with her. I have also recently noticed that she will bark aggressively at some neighbors while walking and has not done this yet. I have tried not to socialize w/ dogs the first few weeks since I didn't want her to get any diseases. Is there any hope of getting this out of her system?

My German Sheperd 14 week puppy is showing a mean streak and attacking/biting me and others.?
A mean streak? 14wks old and it has a mean streak? It hasn't been socialised properly, it hasn't been taught bite inhibition, and it's the dog's fault? Sorry, but having bred and owned GSD's for many years....even if off bad stock, it can be trained properly. (I once bought a dog that had been taught to attack other dogs. She was 2 years old. Turned out to be a super obedience dog.) TRAIN her. Play train, play train, play train. Buy yourself a crate, and put the pup in there, and whenever you cannot keep an eye on *everything* she is doing, have her in the crate. She will settle in with a piece of your clothing, and some toys, and a marrow bone. Do not give her the chance to come at you "out of nowhere". Every time she comes out of the crate (after going outside to clean herself) you sit yourself down and PLAY TRAIN. Arm yourself with a tuggy and treats. Ask for a sit by luring her into the sit, and reward. Same with the down, then the Stand. Then Stay, Come, Heel, whatever. Make her use her little brain, because she's a clever little sod. Whenever you play train, you reward with a treat, then you play with the tuggy. Let her bite and growl with the tuggy. IF she bites you, YOU have allowed it...........you are armed with treats and a toy......they are far more interesting than your hand or your arm.....if they're not, you're not playing tuggy hard enough. When she's growling hard with the tuggy.....*really* growling, offer her a treat (it has to be something really tempting) and when she lets go of the tuggy %26lt;and therefore stops growling%26gt; praise her and put a word to it. Repeat, play tuggy hard, pup is growling furiously, offer her a treat with other hand %26lt;put on floor if you're worried about being bitten%26gt; and when she lets go of the tuggy, say something like "Enough" or "Don't"....be consistent with your word. You will soon have a pup that will leave the tuggy when you say "Enough" %26lt;or whatever word you use%26gt; and will also stop growling when you use that word. You can extend the use of that word to any barking she does......you mentioned barking at neighbours. REWARD as soon as she stops barking, growling, whatever.





REWARD good behaviour. Don't allow bad behaviour by having her in the crate whenever you cannot keep an eye on her. ALL of your time %26lt;or most of it%26gt; should be dedicated totally to play-training. You have a very clever little dog there. DON'T write her off. She will turn out to be a joy.
Reply:take her to obedience training and FAST because she will only get worse as she gets older and stronger
Reply:Puppy School! You and your pup need to go to dog school NOW! Petsmart is good with the basics, but you and your dog need intensive intervention training. Here in the Seattle area there is a kennel/dog school with doggy boot camp for dogs with issues like the ones your pup is showing.


After I adopted my pup (at six months old) we went to to doggy school. One of the other students was this MONSTER that looked like a tall and leggy pit bull terrier. That dog was a terror. It's behavior was so bad, he spent the entire class in "detention". The next week the dog and his family were gone.





I found out later the dog was sent to "boot camp" which was a boarding school with intensive training. The human family would participate several evenings a week for the two week period. The trainer told me the dog finally got it through his thick skin what good behavior was all about.





This training is the "last ditch" training. The dogs that go through the "boot camp" are on the verge of being put down and their owners invest between $600 and $800 to save their dogs.





Get your pup spayed. Spaying will also help calm down a dog. Good luck with your pup.





Invest in some high quality, intense puppy training from a qualified trainer.





A house with FOURTEEN dogs in a small backyard? Doesn't sound like a very reputable breeder to me. Some breeders are utterly clueless and sounds like your pup may have all sorts of issue related to the incompetence of the breeder! There is a variation on the puppy mill called the backyard breeder. Both are bad news and the dogs suffer from all sorts of tragic problems.
Reply:Puppies bite, shes not trying to be mean.
Reply:No matter what the popular thinking seems to be these days saying that there's no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners, that's just not true. There are dogs with genetically bad temperaments.





I think you should try taking this puppy to obedience or to a behaviourist to find out what's going on. Just, please, don't go to Petsmart - you need a qualified trainer.
Reply:bring your dog to a vet! she might be angry because she might be in pain, like a sore tooth or a thorn stuck in her paw. animals get aggressive and very stand-offish when they are injured or sick, so that might be the problem. Or maybe she just needs some training and time to adjust to her surroundings. Either way, im sure that she will get over her meanness once the problem is solved. good luck!!
Reply:Next time she misbehaves grab her by the scruff of the neck and push her down to the ground (hard so that she's literally on the ground), shouting 'NO' in a stern voice whilst doing it. Dogs are pack animals, and this is how the other dogs deal with a youngster who is out of line, by shoving them down on the ground and growling. It won't hurt her, but she'll certainly remember it. We did it with our german shepherd when she was a puppy, and she stopped misbehaving and biting.
Reply:you should look at the mother and father whenever poss when buying a dog,there are mean bad dogs, same as people, especially when their parents have been trained guard dogs, a mean streak can run in families, and you cant change a dogs nature.Ask the police if they would take him on? he could work well for them.
Reply:PetsMart is not the place for you. You need a highly qualified trainer with your pup. Try to find someone who is very familiar


with the breed.
Reply:Your baby is still young enough to break of this habit. You must show dominance over her. Our dogs also did that when they were pups and sometimes still do. We bite there ears, sounds gross, but it works. We also have a belt that we swat them with on the rearend of course. She is showing her pack leader attempts, your the leader not her. Yes, our male pit talks back and yes i understand every word he says. it will be hard to break her, but keep on her, and don't give in or up. Also try and understand what she's telling you, or say SHOW ME, that's what i do with our cockerspainel/sheepdog, it works and we are both happy. Just some suggestions, hope they help.
Reply:Unfortunately, you got her a bit too early. She should have stayed with her siblings a bit longer like to 8 weeks. Between 6 and 8 weeks pups learn what is called bite inhibition. They learn from nipping and chewing on each other what is too hard. They yelp and get away from each other when it gets out of hand.


That is what you should have done day one when any teeth touch your skin. Yelp and remove yourself.


If you did what most people do: think she is going to grow out of it, push your hand in her mouth harder to 'teach her a lesson', pop her nose or grab her snout, then you made it worse by buying into her aggression.


Now you have an out of control puppy. You need to get to training class asap! She needs the socialization and you both need the bonding. You also need to remove yourself from her the moment her teeth touch your skin. Say ouch and go into another room and close the door. Wait about 30 seconds and reenter the room as if nothing happen. Aslo, don't play on the floor with her, or rough house with her. She is having issues keeping her emotions in check. Don't aggrivate the issue.


good luck
Reply:She should have had training since the day she got home with you. You made two cruical mistakes with this dog. Don't sweat it, alot of people make these mistakes. First you bought a "pure bred" puppy from what sounds like a not so reputable breeder. Big Mistake. Secondly, NOT socializing a GSD is a huge problem. She needs to be socialized. By not doing this you are raising her to be a fearful dog and the behaviors she is exhibiting are those of a "shy sharp" or fear biting dog. She has NO confidence.





A few tips. You need better training then what petsmart can offer. Maybe a few "one on one" sessions with someone who specializes in GSD training.





Go to the pedigreedatabase site (GSD folks) and post about your problem. There are alot of trainers and breeders who are reputable and ethical on there.





Good luck ...and get some better obedience training on her right away!





PS...hopefully this was a pedigreed pup with papers and AKC/USA registration. If not, then you may have your hands full if you used a "puppy mill" breeder. Don't give up...get some help from someone who can "temperment test" your GSD properly. It MUST be someone familiar with GSD's!
Reply:I have a dog that was doing this exact thing when he was a puppy - 9 weeks old! We took him to the vet and this is what she told us to do: Cradle her in your arms on his back, don't let her up when she struggles, talk calmly to her and gently rub her belly. When she calms down, then you let her up. This establishes that you are dominant over her, do this often while she is a puppy. Also, if you play any dominance games with her, like tug of war, or get her all riled up by play fighting, stop these games. Take her for walks, and when her immunizations are up to date, definitely socialize with a lot of people and animals. She has to learn that you are the boss, and you start and end playtime, not her.





I don't think this is caused by being around other animals. When a dog is left with his mom and siblings, they learn that play fighting hurts, because the other animals have teeth and bite back. Since you don't bite back, she just thinks that it's fun. Don't stop taking her to obedience classes, that should help a lot.
Reply:Many pups will bite, chew-on and chase family members just like they did with their littermates. That’s why pups bite hands, socks, ankles and kids. They are playing just like they did with littermates.


This was how it has lived and play with littermates so why would it live differently with humans that it likes.


This misunderstanding is where trouble starts with new pet owners. The pup is playing and the humans think the puppy is being aggressive. The fact is the pup is simply displaying prey drive.


Prey drive is the genetic instinct to chase. Some dogs have a higher level of prey than others. These are the ones that seem obsessed with chasing and chewing.


When littermates get bitten too hard they scream. This screaming is their way to communicate that the play biting is too rough. Often times a human screaming is enough to teach the pup that what they are doing is wrong.





If the pup lets go then you can praise it with a soft pat and “good boy.” Just don’t over do the praise as this will often put the pup back into prey drive and the biting will start all over again.


A better idea is to have a toy with you and redirect the pup onto this toy. Either toss it a foot or two or wave it around in front of the pup in a manner that builds interest. You learn this through observation and experience with that specific dog. This is called reading your dog.


When you can get a pup to redirect onto a toy you are on the road towards teaching that puppy that there are other more interesting prey items out there than your hands and legs.
Reply:Hi my sympathies to you! She sounds like either a dominant female, and that's a problem. or she has inherited her aggression from the parents! Having had dogs, that have been trusted with the children, my gut feeling would be to find her another home, the police may be interested, as they can channel her aggression, but in a family home, I don't think I would risk it. Hope things work out well.
Reply:there's nothing you can do really.
Reply:Hi,





I think you should forget training and vet...take her back to the breeder...get a refund. This pup is going to be toooo much trouble. You don't want a dominant aggressive adult dog...and it's clear it's already as a puppy showing these signs. You want a submissive calm adult dog. This puppy will most likely get worse than better, and will need special handling.





Find another breeder, get a different puppy, or go to a rescue organization and adopt an older GSD without a history of aggression.
Reply:Don't worry, all puppys do that. They are still young, and need to learn. Instead of taking her to a trainer, buy a bitter apple spray, and whenever she does that, spray her and then give her a toy.
Reply:I agree with others that said find a qualified trainer/behaviourist, contact a vet college from recommendations , if you are lucky it is more due to lack of socialization but as others said could very well be due the genetics, but I would not count on it by the way he is acting with you





Your other option is to contact the breeder and see if he will take her back before going any further , you will likely lose out on the money you spent/paid for her, but it will end up being far less than the training, spaying and possibly euthanizing if their is a serious temperament issue and emotionally it takes a real toll.





Years ago I did get a male GSD pup, and I spent a fortune of vet visits, trainers, behaviourist(who was also police dog trainer, and helped the police in select dogs to enter their training programs), was told the put him down, that he was mentally unstable but I a still held up hope until he came extremely close to injuring a young child and I finally accepted he could not be fixed so at 10 months old finally had him put down,





If I was in your shoes today the breeder would be getting the pup back even if they refused to give me my money back, I would rather they have the responsibilty for the dog they created than have to risk repeating all I went thru before, and it is a dog you cannot just can give morally to someone else to deal with either and the police do not want dogs that are mentally unstable Just letting you know of a potential other option
Reply:Be the PACK LEADER!! Dogs are pack animals and every pack has it's pecking order. If you are not dominant over her of course she will not listen to you, she will put her mouth on you as well as several other little things she'll do that most people wouldn't think would be a dominant aggressive signal. When she starts behaving in a way you don't approve of you have to calmly and assertively correct her. Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer, has many great and very effective ways of dealing with problematic dogs and he specializes in aggressive dogs as well. Go to his website and start reading his story and his method of dealing with dogs with problems. He also has a great show on the national geographic channel. I recommend him because I have rescued several dogs with aggression issues and used his advice and methods on the dogs and the dogs all responded like little angels:)
Reply:She does this, because you probably let her. Telling them "no", usually does'nt work. I have a female nine week old pup, she's a mutt, but she looks like she i mixed with german shepherd. Every single time she bites you, or even growls at you, grab her by the loose skin on her neck, and shake it from side to side real fast and roughly. I know this sounds cruel and mean, but its really not. This is how the mother shows that playing rough, or trying to dominate is wrong. You have to teach the puppy, you are the alpha, and you run everything, even her. She will surely growl at you when you do this, and try to snap at you, but don't let her. Just hold the loose skin tightly from the back, so when she trys turn her head, your hands are not there waiting for her to bite. Pin her down on her side, and then tell her "no", look at her straight in the eye and make a very stern face. When she relaxes let her go, and when I say relax I mean when she basically lays there and gives up, which will take a long time. She will struggle with you, but don't give up. Like after 2 min. of this, just put her outside and close the door. She is a german shepherd, and she would never run away. She will probably sit at the door and cry, leave her all by herself with no toys, just pure cement under her. I recommend you put her on cement, because if you put her on grass, she will just sit there and have fun playing with the grass, and ruining it. On cement she can't do anything but sit there and feel bad. After like 4 min. of her being outside, let her in and start this over again, when she growls or bites. You will probably have to do this a lot in a short period of time, but don't feel bad, she will soon learn. My pup does'nt even growl anymore. Your pup will learn that as soon as she growls or bites the fun stops, germans are smart, she will catch on fast. If you don't want to try the method above, the Petco training will definetly help.





Good Luck!



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