When Will My German Shepherd Calm Down
While the biting phase will inevitably end, you may find yourself asking the infamous question when do German Shepherds calm down!?
I asked myself this question more than once! So dont feel bad if you find yourself wondering the same thing.
Unfortunately, theres no one-size-fits-all answer. It honestly just depends.
At one point, I was assured that Allie would calm down by age 5 well, that didnt happen. Sure, she had her calm moments , but she was still very hyper especially in more excitable moments.
But in the last year, Ive definitely noticed a calmer dog, which means it took 7 years for my German Shepherd to calm down!
Dont get me wrong shes still a firecracker. But she isnt the same level of hyper as she was in the past.
The type of German Shepherd dog is yet another variable that plays a role in its energy levels. Allie is a working line GSD, and they are typically a bit more rambunctious than a show line GSD.
So when do German Shepherds calm down? It really depends on your individual German Shepherd. But hey, after having a high-energy, fun-loving German Shepherd, you wouldnt want a calm dog, right? I know I wouldnt have it any other way!
Teach Him How To Greet People
Some dogs will nip at you and other people in efforts to say hello. Well, nipping, in this case, will most likely be accompanied by jumping. Therefore, you will need to get some time to train your pup how to greet people. When you get home, it is likely that your pup will be overexcited. As a result, he will jump at you to greet you as he would another puppy.
In the wild, dogs would greet each other by rubbing their noses. However, you are definitely at a higher level for him to reach. This does not mean that he is not going to try and reach your face. Therefore, the first thing you should be concerned to address is the jumping behavior.
You have to figure out a way to let him know that it is not acceptable. For instance, when you get home, do not open the door immediately for as long as he is jumping. I know you are also excited to see your dog as well. However, letting him jump at you means that it is okay for him to jump in efforts to greet other people as well.
When you get home and he can see you, you can delay your entrance until he calms down. Well, my advice is that you do not get a glass door where he can see you. In fact, open the door slowly and if he is still jumping, close it. Dogs engage in behaviors as a way to seek a desirable outcome.
The truth is, the moment you open that door, he will jump. Give him a few seconds to settle. Repeat this until he is calm and only then can you enter comfortably.
S To Stopping Your Dog From Inappropriate Herding
- Get your dog started by dropping a treat on the floor and letting him eat it. He will probably look up at you because he wants more . When he does, praise him and drop another treat. Continue doing this each time he looks at you.
- Gradually increase the required amount of time your dog must look at you before he will be rewarded with a treat. Be sure to only reward when he is calm, and looking at you . You will want to move the treat away from your face to ensure your dog learns that it is YOU that he needs to focus on, not the treat. You can also add a command, such as your dogs name and look, so that your dog understands that this command means to look at you.
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Does Training Help Stop Your Puppy From Biting
German Shepherd puppy biting and adult biting also occurs when your pet feels scared or threatened. To prevent adult GSDs from biting, obedience training is vital from a young age.
Any of the three methods above is effective as a part of home training your pet. Make time for regular play throughout the day.
When play becomes rough, issue your command together with the action of yelping, thumb under the tongue, or the scruff of the neck method.
Choose one method for the sake of consistency and stick with this until you see that your puppy is learning from you.
Only switch methods if you see that the one method is not working, or try an alternative method to find the one that works best for both of you.
Follow the routine of play, yelp, play, time-out until your puppy understands what is required of it.
Remember to treat your pet with yummy food and praise when they get it right but dont hit your pet if you lose your patience. Time out works both ways!
Use the same methods for nipping as you do for biting. If you feel that you are not winning at home training your German Shepherd dog, then take your puppy to professional training.
There, you will both be trained in how to stop biting, and your puppy will learn many other valuable lessons in obedience.
It is important to note that any biting degree is unacceptable around the home. Small children, other pets, and visitors are at risk if you dont train your puppy to control its bite force.
The Rev Up And Cool Down Game: Help Teach Calming Behaviors
If your dog gets too worked up and then bites, then teach them this Rev Up and Cool Down game.
The point of the Rev Up and Cool Down game is to teach them to settle and stay calm without nipping and biting you.
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How Long Does The German Shepherd Puppy Biting Phase Last
Now that youve learnt some of the most common causes of puppy biting, you may be able to easily recognise which ones apply to your puppy.
But, this isnt always that comforting. What you really want to know is, when will it stop?
The length of each German Shepherd puppys biting phase depends on two things:
- The particular cause of biting
- How you and other people react to it
For most puppies, the biting phase will only last a few months, if not less. In fact, many owners dont even realise that the biting period has stopped, as it can happen quite gradually.
However, you can minimize the period by making a few easy changes to your behavior when biting occurs. Lets take a closer look.
Herding Dogs A Sometimes Misunderstood Breed
My first experience with a herding breed was a Border Collie, a decade ago, when a friend who lived alone decided to get a dog for companionship. Upon my first meeting with Easy;, I was greeted with what appeared to be a jumping kangaroo. Easy was about as sweet as a dog could be, but was confined to the indoors most of the time as my friend, who I was about to find out knew nothing about dogs, was quite busy and had no clue that she had just chosen one of the highest energy breeds on the planet.
Easy would often use tactics to herd us right where she wanted us, and she was as smart as a whip. Easy, as it turns out, eventually escaped from the confines of her home one day, ran out in traffic, and was instantly killed. It pains me to this day that proper care was not taken to understand the needs of this wonderful, and smart little dog.
The point of this story is that many times herding breeds are misunderstood, and not given the opportunity to show their full potential. They are sometimes dismissed as being hyper and nothing but trouble, but the truth of the matter is they just need exercise, mental stimulation, and an outlet for what they were bred to do. If a herding dog is not provided an outlet to satisfy his instinctual herding, and high energy nature, many times problem behavior can develop.
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If You Have Children Do Train Them To Behave Properly Around Your Dog
Never allow your child to tease your German Shepherd puppy! Acts such as taking away a dogs snack, cornering the dog, pulling its tail, or simply hugging it too tightly can anger the dog and cause it to bite.
In fact, most dog bite cases in children occurred because of teasing!
Instead, teach your child to be gentle with your pet, as even unintentional rough play can result in unwanted events. Dogs get cranky too, especially when they get hurt or feel that their privacy is being invaded.
Never leave your child alone with your puppy unattended. Supervise their interactions at all times.
Studies show that parents trust their dog around their kids too much that they overlook the signs that the dog is in distress.
Dont Shout At Your Puppy
Once again your puppy doesnt know theyre doing anything wrong. By shouting at them youre just punishing them for absolutely no reason.
And in a lot of cases, when you shout, your puppys going to think youre just playing with them. Theyll start acting out even more because they think youre joining in.
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Do Encourage Other Forms Of Non
Avoid playing with your hands. The idea is to redirect your dogs attention from your hands and to stop her from seeing them as toys to chew on.
Tug-of-war and fetch can be amazing opportunities for play that dont involve direct physical contact.
For tug games, keep in mind, however, that your dog must be calm and not overstimulated before playing. Otherwise, your puppy may get too serious and hold on to the rope too much.
The AKC recommends that for breeds that are prone to aggression such as German Shepherds, tug-of-war can be safely carried out if the puppy knows you are in control and follows your commands.
Once this has been established, a game of tugging can be used both as an exercise and as a reward for your dog.
Heavy duty rope toys such as the Blue Island Dog Rope Toy for Aggressive Chewers should be safe for your GSD puppy yet durable enough to withstand her aggressive chewing.
When playing, always remember to be gentle with tugging as your puppy still has baby teeth!
They Have A Strong Prey Drive
For starters, many German shepherds have a very strong prey drive, so they are very attracted to movement. If you watch your puppy in the yard, you may notice how readily he captures the slightest movement of some critter in the grass.
His big ears will twitch to capture the faintest sounds, and his body will be ready to pounce into action in a split second.
Balls, small critters, and unfortunately, your arms, legs, ankles and pant-legs will soon become targets of his prey drive and turn into objects for a fun game.
And to make things worse, any movement you make to move your hand away when your pup comes to nip will further increase this drive and risks damaging your skin. That explains all those “teeth scratches” you have on your arms and legs!
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Teach Your German Shepherd To Accept Your Hands Near Their Mouth
This leads onto having to teach your German Shepherd puppy that its ok to have your hands near their mouth without biting at them. Its something they need to accept, and will also help with the points later in this guide.
Puppies will often eat things they should not do, so you will need to hook stuff out of their mouth. You will also need to check the health of their teeth and gums.
You wont be able to do this if your German Shepherd wont stop biting your hands anytime you attempt a check or intervention.
One of the best ways you can train a German Shepherd puppy to not bite your fingers in their mouth is to use a treat or snack. Let them see it, and then use your fingers to pop it into their mouth and out again.
Over time, they should get comfortable letting you put fingers in their mouth without biting back.
Be Consistent In What You Teach
If you are trying to train your dog to behave and stop biting and nipping, make sure you are doing it with consistency and repetition.
While training a GSD, you will need to repeat your technique several times until it starts to learn. Your GSD needs to know that biting and nipping is not acceptable and will upset you.
You will also need to become the leader of your dog, not a friend of the same level. When you are a leader, you control the dogs behavior. When the dog accepts you as a leader, it starts to follow the rules you set and the commands you give.
Do not let your puppy bite on your hands during the training process.
Doing so will create confusion in your dogs mind, and it will not be able to learn that biting is not good.
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Why German Shepherds Bite
Most German Shepherds will show some fear or aggression at some point in their lives. Most will let you know they are scared with a little bark, letting you know to keep away.
If you dont keep your distance, the barks can turn into a growl, with their little puppy teeth showing. If you continue to advance and upset them, the growl can then become a snap and possible bite.
Most German Shepherds will bite you with a little nip when scared, and hopefully wont cut you. But, with an older and more aggressive German Shepherd, that bite could be very painful, particularly to young children.
Do German Shepherds bite a lot?
When German Shepherd are puppies, they do tend to do a lot of biting. Most of the time its all about playing and teething, and most will grow out of the behavior.
Why German Shepherd puppies bite?
The teething phase is when you will notice your German Shepherd puppy biting the most. Ive written at length about the German Shepherd teething phase before, which explains how they explore their surroundings with little nips and chew on things to soothe their painful gums.
Some German Shepherds will also bite a bit too enthusiastically when they are playing with you. This is a hangover from their days with their siblings where mouth play would have been used.
An adult German Shepherd that bites is a problem
My German Shepherd Puppy Wont Stop Biting
If the biting persists even after his teething period, it important to know how to stop your German shepherd from biting. One good reason why a German shepherd bites a lot is: he most likely did not receive proper training as a youngster. Sometimes owners can be a bit too gentle and lenient towards their puppies, leaving unwanted behaviors such as biting ignored or encouraged. My German shepherd puppy wont stop biting is the solution for your dogs biting problem.
When a German shepherd is not properly trained, he might start to bite at strangers, visitors, and random household objects. This behavior should be corrected and controlled immediately or somebody might end up hurt. For German shepherd puppies, biting are game they love to play. They bite their brother and sisters and this is usually harmless. Sometimes puppies can hurt their playmates unintentionally and this will result in a sudden and loud puppy cries. This sound is a sign that you should intervene for a time out.
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German Shepherd Puppy Biting Phase
If you feel you have a German Shepherd puppy biting problem, it could be because they are teething and their mouth hurts.
Giving them both a soft chew toy and a hard toy that you can put in the freezer or refrigerator will provide soothing relief to your pets sore gums.
At other times, German Shepherd puppies bite simply because that is the way they experience their world.
Humans have hands to explore something on a tactile level. Dogs have their noses to smell and their teeth for everything else. Gently biting is normal. Therefore, you shouldnt be afraid that your puppy will end up being a vicious dog that you cant socialize with anyone else just because it bites when its a puppy.