How To Get Your German Shepherd To Stop Barking Howling And Whining At Night
There are a number of things that you can do to get your German Shepherd to be less noisy at night that I will mention below.
Make sure that you are feeding it correctly
Since diet might be the reason why it gets loud at night it would help to make sure that it is eating the right foods. You can look here to see what you should and shouldnt be giving it. Feeding it earlier in the evening would likely help as well.
Give it exercise
As mentioned above, German Shepherds are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise daily. If your German Shepherd does not currently get much exercise then it would help to make sure that it does. You might find that just walking it isnt enough in that case you could train it to play fetch to wear it out even more.
Make its sleeping environment comfortable
It would likely help to make sure that its sleeping environment will allow it to sleep as easily as possible. You can do this by reducing how much noise it lets in, turning the light off, keeping it cool and making it comfortable.
Try crate training
Crate training is where you teach your German Shepherd to learn to be comfortable inside of a crate designed for dogs.
If you crate train your German Shepherd in the right way it will give it a space where it can feel safe. This will give your German Shepherd a space where it will be able to feel secure at night without you being around.
Train it to be less anxious without you
You can see more on how to do this in the video below.
How To Fix Territorial & Aggressive Vocalization
You can prevent aggression and territorial behavior by practicing recall and doing lots of early socialization in puppyhood. Start at home by inviting close friends, family, and their dogs over so that your dog can learn the rules in a safe environment. You should also try to interact with as many friendly dogs and people as possible on walks, especially for the first few years of their lives.
Practice recall by calling your dog randomly throughout the day and rewarding them heavily for coming to you. This should increase their impulse to come when called and overtake the need to investigate other dogs or bark at passersby. In fact, any kind of obedience training is great for stomping out aggression, because it means your dog is more likely to listen to you should you need to get them away from another dog.
You can reduce dog aggression by reinforcing that socializing is good. If there are any family dogs that your German Shepherd gets along with, arrange supervised playdates in a safe, controlled environment and reward your Shep for their positive interactions.
When approaching an unknown dog on a walk, do not tense up. Your Shep will sense your anxiety and assume the dog is a threat, which could encourage their aggression. Instead, keep calm and keep moving. Take a toy to distract them if necessary, and then reward them with a treat every time they manage to walk past another dog without reacting aggressively.
German Shepherds Are Sensitive Working Dogs
The German Shepherd dog breed is a true working dog breed.
While today there are two distinct German Shepherd breeding lines the show line and the working line the original GSDs were working the dog through and through.
And in fact, as Wildhaus Kennels points out, there are actually three distinct breed lines today: the American show line, the German show line, and the European working line.
There are also several sub-sections of each of these three major umbrella breed lines. But if you trace your dogs lineage back far enough, you are likely to run into a pair of working dog ancestors, which means work ethic runs through your dogs veins.
And working dogs will develop personality and temperament traits that are very specific to the type of jobs they are bred to perform.
German Shepherds have always been bred to perform people-centric work. Here are just some of the many jobs German Shepherds are in high demand to perform:
- Guarding and protection.
- Search and rescue and nose work.
- Hunting and tracking.
- Canine athletics such as agility and dock diving.
In each one of these job descriptions, you can visualize two partners: a human partner paired with a canine partner.
Any working dog breed that has been developed and bred specifically to work closely with a human partner is going to be intelligent, perceptive, and extremely sensitive. German Shepherds fit this description perfectly.
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Your German Shepherd Is Feeding Off Your Nervous Energy
If you come home from work stressed out or if you suffer from occasional anxiety, your German Shepherd may have picked up on your behavior and emotional state. You dont even need to speak as your body language alone can show your dog that you are stressed.
German Shepherds are very skilled at reading your nervous energy. So, your dog can tell when youre stressed, anxious, angry, or upset. In fact, YOU might be giving your German Shepherd his own stress and anxiety, causing him to be more clingy!
Without even noticing youre doing it, you might be making your dog nervous and anxious, which is why he clings to your side like a lost puppy. He doesnt know whats going on or why youre nervous, but he knows he can go to you for love and support and he also likes to comfort you in his own little way.
Teaching Your German Shepherd Hand Targetting
Hand targetting is where you get your german shepherd to focus most of their attention on your hand. Rather than whining. Its most effective in german shepherds that cant control themselves and get excited or scared when they meet new people.
Heres how you should train your dog to hand target.
Step 1
First of all, hold your hand out in front of your german shepherd. Every time they touch their nose to your palm give them a treat.
However, when youre doing this dont say anything. Just keep your palm outstretched to them and let them touch it with their nose.
And make sure you dont bring your hand to them if they arent going for your hand. Instead, try moving it from side to side in front of them.
If they still dont move towards it, then rub a treat on it so they can smell it. That will definitely get them to bring their nose to it.
Give them a treat and congratulate them every time they do this successfully.
Step 2
Once your german shepherd realizes they get a treat every time they touch your hand with their nose, its time to kick it up a notch.
Start putting your hand to the left and right of your dog, or a few inches back. Every time they touch it with their nose, give them another treat.
Do this 20-30 times.
Step 3
Now things are getting interesting. Each time you hold your hand out say a command, like calmly or hello and then proceed to let them touch your hand.
Once again, every time they do this give them the treat to let it sink in.
Step 4
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Why Do German Shepherds Become Aggressive In The First Place
The potential for a German Shepherd to become aggressive begins at a young age. It actually begins when they are just several weeks old and under the care of their mother.
It is the mothers job to socialize and encourage her puppies to behave well and interact productively with one another.
This job is not an easy one. Consider a human mother being overwhelmed with a child the mother of a litter of puppies is in the same circumstance.
Just like people, first-time moms can have it rough. A GSD who is a first-time mom may just be overwhelmed. This stressful situation is also one which causes a lot of fear in the mother.
And when frightened, a German Shepherd mom might not act rationally she may even act aggressively towards her puppies.
If a mother acts aggressively towards her puppies, then the puppies will no doubt also become frightened.
It is at this point that her puppies, because of their fear, may also begin to become prone to aggression. This will also make them more difficult to train as they get older.
One lesson here is that you need to make sure that your breeder is using the proper dogs for having puppies.
It is vital that understand the mother of the litters temperament to make sure that you are not getting a dog that comes from a frightened and ill-tempered mother.
If you plan on getting a puppy, make sure that you discuss this point in-depth with your breeder.
How Does An Aggressive German Shepherd Behave
An aggressive GSD is coming from an entirely different place psychologically than a dominant one. While dominant behavior is exhibited by a dog to show everyone whos boss, the root of almost all aggression is fear.
So when a GSD displays aggressive behavior, it is not trying to show that hes the boss, although it may appear that way.
Instead, there is either a primal instinct or learned fear from a past experience that is traumatizing the dog and causing it to lash out with aggression.
Types of aggression
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They Often Snuggle Or Cuddle
Apart from following you around, German Shepherds like to feel physically close to you. Snuggling or cuddling is one of the best signs that your GSD is being affectionate because this is one way they treat you as part of their pack.
German Shepherds will lay close to you when you are lying down and sit next to you when you are sitting. Adorably, many GSDs dont realize their size or weight and would actually sit or lay on you like a small lapdog.
What Age Do They Start Barking
German Shepherd puppies usually start making little whiny sounds at around 2 weeks old. This can progress to barking at around 7-8 weeks of age. Although, some wont bark until a couple of months later and their voices will still sound like baby voices. Their bark will start to sound more grown-up when they enter puberty at around 5-6 months old.
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Why Is My Dog Panting And Shaking
- Fact Checked
Typically, panting and shaking are normal dog behaviors and their causes are generally pretty clear. When dogs get hot, panting helps cool them down. Shaking can do the same and may also be exhibited when they get excited. Older and obese dogs tend to show these behaviors more often. They may pant and shake more as a result of general weakness in the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.
While dog panting and shaking is a typical response in these scenarios, the combination of the two may still mean there is something wrong and could be a sign of a serious canine health condition. Allow this article to serve as a guide to help you better understand what it means if your dog is panting or shaking. Lets dive deeper into some of the causes of each.
Is It Too Late To Teach An Old German Shepherd New Tricks
It is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. As your dog begins to age, it will become essential to accommodate their needs. Many older German Shepherds will have hip problems.
German Shepherd whining is hardly ever the first trait that comes up when talking about German Shepherds but they are actually one of the most vocal dog breeds. Everyone talks about how intelligent, protective, and playful they can be but ask any GSD owner and theyre likely to have much to say about that high-pitched German Shepherd whining.
As a trainer, I see a lot of nervous German Shepherd Dogs that have a hard time focusing or relaxing in new places or around new people. The first step to helping your German Shepherd Dog is recognizing when he is feeling this way so you can help him.
Arthritis is prevalent in the elderly German Shepherd. Some are even reported to lose the use of their hind legs altogether. Secondly, if you arent already, you should begin taking care of your pets teeth. Dental disease is widespread in elderly dogs and can have a negative impact on their health.
It is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. As your dog begins to age, it will become essential to accommodate their needs. Many older German Shepherds will have hip problems.
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Whing Due To Low Self
This is usually shown by your German Shepherds actions such as an inability to hold eye contact, rolling over onto the back, and tucking the tail. These actions are all mostly due to your German Shepherd having self-confidence issues. There are lots of different ways that you can go about increasing their confidence, but a few that I would recommend are enrolling your German Shepherd in reward-based obedience classes or playing fun interactive games with them. Just remember, never physically or verbally punish your German Shepherd! That would just make things worse.
Why Are German Shepherds Vocal
Many Shepherd dog breeds are known to be vocal because of their working background, and German Shepherds are no exception. They were originally bred to guard and herd livestock, both of which can require vocalization. German Shepherds are also very intelligent dogs, and clever breeds often like to tell you how theyre feeling.
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Give Them More Exercise
This is one of the best methods as its kind of one size fits all. Unless theyre in pain or sick, giving your german shepherd a lot more exercise should decrease their whining.
Once theyre tired, theyre not going to want to whine as much. As well as this, its all going to help keep their mind entertained so theyre not going to get bored either.
If youre only walking your german shepherd for half an hour, increase it to an hour. Give them multiple walks a day, or if thats not possible, take some time out in the evening to play with them.
Give Them More Toys
If your german shepherd is whining because theyre bored, you should give them more toys. But make sure youre buying toys which are going to keep them entertained. My go-to toy has to be a Skyenet Store.
Fill it up with treats and let it entertain your dog for hours!
Why Does My German Shepherd Puppy Whine So Much
So, why does my German Shepherd whine a lot? Common reasons include illness or injury, boredom, stress, fear, excitement and inadvertently reinforcing the behavior. There are actually a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might whine a lot and there are a number of things that you can do about it.
Why is my German Shepherd whining? The German Shepherd whines because it has an overwhelming need to protect the pack member, but it cannot do so in their absence. Whining for a reward. Your German Shepherd whines when it associates the behavior with a reward. For many people, the only way to make your dog stop whining is by giving it what it wants.
Why does my Shepherd make a whining noise? This could be because of the sound of the engine or the smells coming out of the truck. It is also possible that your German Shepherd is vocalizing because he is bored. As mentioned, German Shepherds are active dogs so if you dont provide your dog enough exercise, he will make all sorts of sounds including groaning and sighing.
Why do dogs whine? Dogs whine to show you what they feel the most at the moment. These are some of the most common reasons why do dogs whines: To get attention. Feeling stress. Has low self-confidence. Feeling pain or sick. 1. Attention-Seeking Whining Being a social animal, dogs love to gain as much attention as they can from their dog owners.
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They Are Feeling Anxious
Have you moved to a new city? Have you introduced a new family member? Or have storms been tormenting your place all day? These things can cause stress and anxiety to your pooch, so he may start whining as a coping mechanism. German Shepherds are sensitive dogs and can react to a lot of stimuli. Thus, they tend to whine when something is making them uneasy and anxious.
Your Dog Is Saying Hello
In some cases, dogs whine when they see their owner. Compared to other whines, this type of whining tends to be quick and end with the dogs whole rear shaking.
German shepherds are naturally very friendly and welcoming but it is important to keep an eye on how your dog welcomes and greats other people.
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How To Teach Hand Targeting
If you have a German Shepherd that whines when greeting you, correct him by teaching him to touch an extended palm with his nose instead.
Stretch out your palm in your dogs face and expect him to touch it with his nose. If he doesnt, take your palm away and stretch it again. Call out your dogs name to get his attention.
If he still doesnt, then put some treats on your palm for him to sniff. As soon as his nose touches your palm, free him some of the treats and say Yes! If your dog has done that 9 of 10 times, change the position of your palm and wait till touches your palm with his nose. Say Yes! and feed some more treats.
Do this again by placing your palm above his head. If he reaches for your palm with your nose and touches it, say Yes! and feed him more treats. Let him know that this is how to say hello.
Let your dogs friends and your family know the new method and let them try out hand targeting in different places. Always reward your German Shepherd when he responds the right way
Also, you need to extend the training to people your German Shepherd doesnt know. Beforehand, tell a friend who is meeting your dog for the first time about the approach. Then invite the person over or fix a meeting while youre walking with your dog. If the friend presents his or her hand and your dog doesnt know what to do, give him a cue by telling him to touch your hand first a few times. Then ask your friend to try again.