I need help with my almost 4 month old puppy

[sweetzybitz]

I just got this Black German Shepherd puppy and the guy I got him from told me he was trying to train him in order to protect his garden or something.

Anyway that basically means no socializing and most likely beating.

So the first 3 days my puppy was very scared, tail between his legs and whatnot which I understood though within the first day he became best friend with my labradoodle ( F 5 years old, she was also fixed and is very energetic and playful) 4 days in I took them both to the vet, him to get the last vaccine he needed and her for a checkup ( everything is fine) the day after taking them to the vet, the puppy started having random bursts of aggression, he ,out of nowhere, starts snapping, biting, barking and growling at me and my family though a lot more at me, he barks at my father and growls and snaps though he leaves him alone after a few seconds. Me? He barks jumps and bites me, sometimes my labradoodle jumps in and stops him.

I ( also wanted to mention that I’m a female if that matters) am currently trying to train him since most times he seems alright and actually lets me pet him though he never wants to play, I bought him a few toys which he has 0 interest for.

I do spend more time with the doggies than my family, not sure if that makes a difference.

Also, I keep them both in the garden of my house, they’re not in-house dogs.

What should I do? I’m thinking about finding a trainer for my puppy though I really wanted to train him myself.

And I highly doubt that the puppy is having an adverse reaction to the vaccine.

Any suggestions would help.

 

[dr650adv]

@sweetzybitz Have you had a GSD before? They’re often pretty “mouthy” and vocal as puppies and adolescents. I just ask in case you’re comforting aggression with overstimulated play behaviors.

 

[sweetzybitz]

@dr650adv I did have a GSD before, she was a girl but I had her since she was like 1 month old old so she grew up with me and she never was this aggressive

 

[sus_y]

@sweetzybitz Why would you assume hes had no socialising and been beaten?

Youve only just got your dog hes gone from a dif environment aswell as to a vet which again is a dif environment with dif people as i assume its not the same vet?not to mention after injections they may not be themselves and may be sore. My vet advised me of that when my puppy Buddy had his injections so i assume that warning is standard for all dogs. With all that going on it seems reasonable to expect your poochie to be unsettled and scared. That aside Is he tired when hes bitey? When my Buddy is tired which is around an hour after waking up from his last nap he gets way bitey so i put him into his crate before we get to that stage and he falls asleep straight away and naps anywhere from an hour to 2hours.

My Buddy is a german shepherd x belgian malinois and he would be heart broke being outside. Theyre people dogs. They like being with their people who they trust.

As for the jumping thats on you to teach him not to. When i 1st got my Buddy hed constantly jump up at me with excitement for his 'din dins' which is fucking adorable as a 13week old puppy. Not so adorable as a full grown adult dog. So i taught him to 'sit' for his 'din dins' and now he cirlces me once or twice with excitement which im ok with and then sits or just sits full stop and waits. He also doesnt jump up when wanting to go into the kitchen for eg. he now sits while i open the door as thats what i taught him when i realised every time he jumps to get through the kitchen door my newly painted white wall gets covered in muddy paws from him being outside.x

 

[sweetzybitz]

@sus_y It’s not an assumption, the guy I got him from told me about the no socializing part and the beating part is because he’s pulling back and tucking his tails between his paws, also he is very aggressive towards my hand which also made me think he was beaten. Thank you for the feedback though.

I’m mostly concerned about the fact that he’s very aggressive towards me and me only

 

[sweetzybitz]

And yes he does yawn a lot when he’s about to be bitey so I did think about the sleepy part as well

 

[monk58]

@sweetzybitz Yawning can also and is more likely in a dog a stress and arousal signal

They use it to shake off emotion

Does he lick his lips as well?

I think the other poster is spot on though

Really calm environment and low stimulation. Total routine of naps and calm down time. Small burst of calm play with lots of gentle sniffing. Work on impulse control with small sits and waits for everything... treat heavily for this.. food toys meals... just sitting looking at you

It can be for seconds at first and gradually build up. Really young hand between them and food bowl and work up

I would make sure he has lots of chew toys and indeed supply of kongs with food frozen in them to make his crate/ bed or area seem a calm chill place

Exercise includes play at this age and as routine it is 5 minutes of exercise per month of age (so 20 minutes) twice a day

Most people way over stimulate and tire puppies. It does not take a lot! It does vary a little by breed but less is more and quality is a good rule of thumb

I would check out kiko pup.

She is fabulous on pup rearing in general and all sorts of trouble shooting

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-qnqaajTk6bfs3UZuue6IQ

I wouldn't keep a young dog or indeed any dog outside though. They really need to be integrated into the family

 

[aaronfrisien]

@sweetzybitz sounds like the pup has been through a lot of upheaval in his short life.

New house from a house he was abused at.

New family with a new big dog in the yard.

Does he have a timeout space away from the adult dog so he isn't constantly being stimulated? What does that look like?

How much alone one on one time are you spending with him each day?

What do you do when he bites you? Are you sure it's aggression and not just rambunctious play? Remember he hasn't been taught to play nice. Why did it take him 5 days to get his mojo on? Well he most likely felt scared as seen with his body language and now he is feeling more confident. You will have to do regular consistent training with him, with plenty of positive reinforcement and some tough love,(not physical pain) a scolding voice and a firm hand. You being female means nothing to the dog, you should be his leader and guide.

How well does the big dog do on the obedience front? Let the pup see you rewarding it for being good and responsive.

How does he never want to play? When you hangout together does he not interact with you? Anyway start with basic obedience and distract the dog away from biting.

jumping up on you, there multiple ways to stop it. Pulling him down with the lead that is under your foot with a "no!" sends the message.

Good luck but your boy has emotional baggage and will require extra work than your previous puppies but it will be worth it. Group obedience classes highly recommended.