German Shepard

[Doug B.]

My wife grew up with GS's in the family. We had been married 28 years when she asked what I thought about getting one. I love the way a GS looks and have always thought they are one of the smartest dogs ever. So we get Zoey when she was 11 weeks old. She is now 11 months old. She is beautiful, mostly black with tan trim. She is also very smart. She potty trained in about 4 or 5 days! I work with her a lot! She catches on and does whatever I teach her and is pretty obedient. I try to teach her something different and she seems like she loves to learn. But, I turn my back and she chews on stuff that she knows not to chew on, or tries to lie to me about needing to go potty, or just something suddenly stupid. I mean, what?????????

 

[fishfryer]

Willful child!

 

[Doug B.]

Willful child!

Yeah! Some days (most days) I could pinch her head off!

 

[treemanjohn]

Ive had them my whole life and currently I have two and both would chew up till they were 2yo unless you worked them out. You need heavy exercise to keep them stimulated physically and most importantly mentally. They love to track and find things. Play fetch and lose the ball on purpose and get them to find it.

Mine fetch twice a day and probably run a mile each each day

 

[pjciii]

She is training you. Just to see what she can get away with and what her boundaries are. She isn't even a teenager yet

 

[Ray357]

My views and methods of dog training are no longer politically correct.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

She's still a pup. She's gonna chew, give her an approved chew toy. Barreled chested dogs are not mature until around 2 years old. Pups are like children, their gonna see what they can get away with. They need to be both mentally and physically stimulated. A ball thrower and a big hole of water will wear one out. You could have a Malinois named Monkey.

 

[GeorgiaBob]

My first dog, one that was really mine to raise and train, was a German Shepard I was given when I was nine years old. He was the runt of a litter of 9 and looked pretty tiny and sad around the other pups. Duke grew, and grew, and grew, until he topped out at 135 lbs of lean muscle. He was, like your puppy, very bright and eager to please. And he was, like yours, very into pranks and mischief.

Duke was over two years old, full grown and so well trained he would walk at my side like I had him short leashed without a leash or collar, before he finally gave up on pulling pranks on family members. He never outgrew his sense of joy and fun. Real German Shepards are the absolute best family dogs. When trained and loved, they are family members, alert guards for every family member, playmates for anyone's child, and partners in your adventures - no matter your age.

I have not owned a German Shepard since Duke passed. I couldn't replace the perfect dog. Give Zoey another year to mature and learn how to have fun with you and not destroy everything. I promise you that as long as Zoey is with you you will NOT regret the decision to bring her home.

 

[Dub]

Dedicated chew toys and another GSD pup to play with.


Two are always easier to keep than one.

 

[TurkeyH90]

That is the nature of a young dog for the most part 2 steps forward 1 back

 

[AceOfTheBase]

Just wait till she's a teenager !!!

 

[Joe Brandon]

My German Shepherd didnt really grow up until she was 3. I still have to set up firm parameters for her. Great guard dog, sneaky little girl who does what she wants until forced otherwise. Very routine and predicable. Very loving towards my wife and I, tolerates my 2 year old.

 

[basshappy]

Consider a Kong ring as a good chew toy. Everything the dog chews on anything else replace it with the Kong ring. Over and over.

If your pup has learned "off" or "leave it" commands those may be used when it starts to chew on anything but the approved chew toy.

As already mentioned it is a pup still teething likely and will take some time BUT also repeated and consistent training. So identify what is acceptable to chew on, what commands mean NO, and incorporate those as soon as you can.

Our Dutch Shepherd has a Kong Ring to chew and that is it. Has been replaced three times in 2 years. He is an aggressive chewer. When training him I only ever allowed him to chew that ring. Every time as a young pup he went to chew on anything else it was a swift and stern "Onix leave it!".

 

[WOODIE13]

Everything to a puppy is edible.

 

[king killer delete]

She is puppy and will be for another year. Guess what training is not done yet. Be glad she’s not a lab

 

[GeorgiaGlockMan]

My King Shepard would go through one of those kong balls in about 15 minutes. She was an aggressive chewer too.

She could catch a leather basketball in her mouth and pop it with one bite.

I sure miss that wolf.

My next dog will be another Shepard of some type. The bigger the better.

I love their teenager years. Never knew what they'd get into.

 

[Doug B.]

This is her on a rock column that I tell her to jump up on sometimes when we walk. She is now 15 months old and does a little better but not much. Thanks for all the replies and advice. I had forgot about this thread!

 

[GeorgiaGlockMan]

View attachment 1088113
This is her on a rock column that I tell her to jump up on sometimes when we walk. She is now 15 months old and does a little better but not much. Thanks for all the replies and advice. I had forgot about this thread!

What a beautiful dog!

 

[basshappy]

View attachment 1088113
This is her on a rock column that I tell her to jump up on sometimes when we walk. She is now 15 months old and does a little better but not much. Thanks for all the replies and advice. I had forgot about this thread!

It is a stage and if you keep consistent with her you will likely find she will learn what is acceptable to chew on. Here is our Dutch Shepherd. He is an aggressive chewer for sure, but he only chews a single chew target. Six 15 minute training sessions daily provided the consistency and structure he needed.

 

[4HAND]

This was our Christmas Card in 2012.

He is incredibly smart & protective.

This is him when we first got him.