Raising your GSD puppy: Nipping, Jumping & Good Manners
Raising a german shepherd puppy is exciting, but remember manners start from the very first day you bring your puppy home. Puppyhood can come with a few behaviors that can try our patience. The most common behaviors are: jumping up and nipping. First, these are very common and normal behaviors for a young puppy to display. Your puppy is not being “bad” they are instead learning how to navigate the world and are looking to you to see your reactions to these different behaviors. How you respond can determine their future behaviors. New puppy owners must be patient, consistent, and level headed when teaching and guiding your young puppy. The habits you establish now can determine and shape the adult dog your puppy will into.
GSD puppies are smart, kind, and athletic. They require regular training, exercise, and mental stimulation to be well rounded, content pups. Training young puppies is essential. Training can be few minutes every few hours each day to teach manners, foundations to sit, etc. Exercise should be regular short sessions throughout the day after potty breaks. For an 8 week old puppy exercise is in short, intentional bursts. About 10 minutes two or three times a day is more than adequate for a young puppy. Typically it is recommended that with each month of age, add 5 minutes to each play/exploration session. Mental stimulation for puppies can be as giving them a slow feeder filled with frozen water, peanut butter, and pieces of their kibble. The pups take time to lick the treat and it makes them tired and mentally satiated. This creates a calm, amiable, well behaved puppy. Of course, there is more to raising a puppy then just giving them a frozen treat and hoping they grow into a well-balanced adult. The “trick” to it is simple. Discipline, Consistency, and Patience. Let’s dive into the two most common puppy behaviors that new puppy owners struggle with.
NIPPING. Why do puppies nip?
Puppies explore the world through their mouths. When playing with their littermates, puppies use their teeth to play and in addition teething makes puppies want to chew and mouth things even more. Per the AKC article about mouthing/nipping, play biting are normal developmental habits and we don’t want to simply punish puppies for using their mouths. Instead we want to teach them what they are allowed to bite and how they should interact with people.
“What do I do if my puppy nips me?”
If your puppy nips you, keep a level head and immediately stop playing, vocalize a solid, firm, and calm “no, “ then redirect the puppy instead to a toy. DO NOT jerk your hand away, run away, jump up on something higher up or do any other behaviors like this because it turns the nipping behavior into a fun, playtime for the puppy. When you redirect your puppy to a toy, give plenty of praise and let them resume their play. This helps them to associate praise with them directing their attention to a toy instead of nipping your hand.
“How do I prevent nipping before it happens?”
Avoid playing with your puppy in front of their mouths, wrestling with them, or running and having them chase you. Instead pet your puppy on their back, chest, etc instead of in front of their mouths so they are not tempted to nip or mouth your hand. Further, wrestling with them teaches the puppy that you are a playmate like their littermates and they will then play with you like they do their littermates: rough and mouthy. Lastly, running away from a puppy and creating a game of “chase” pulls out a puppy’s play drive and directs it on you instead of toys, bones, etc and will teach the puppy to chase you and nip/mouth when they reach you. Instead always stay stationary and call your puppy to you, give appropriate pets, and provide toys for the puppy to chew on . Consistency is everything and the whole family must stay on the same routine. If not everyone is consistent, your puppy will have mixed signals and will not be able to develop appropriate good habits.
“Why is my puppy nipping me? Is she just grumpy and tired?”
Oftentimes, yes. Your puppy is tired and overstimulated which causes them to act wild, overly nippy and mouthy. This is the same as a toddler and the solution is this: rest. I know it’s tempting to engage with your new puppy every second of the day, but remember their age. They are so young and need plenty of downtime to be able to grow and function. Be sure your puppy is able to have time in their crate to sleep and rest without constant interaction from kids, family members, friends, etc. A puppy sleeps about 18-20 hours a day. If your puppy suddenly becomes wild and restless, jumping on people, and biting ankles after plenty of play, they are likely very tired and should rest.
JUMPING. How to prevent/stop jumping?
Start immediately when you get your puppy. Jumping is a very normal puppy behavior and immediately gets them the gratification they want: to be closer to you. If a puppy jumps straighten up and do not give any pets. Wait until your puppy has all 4 paws on the floor, reward them with either pets, treats, or both. If your puppy starts jumping again, be patient and repeat until the puppy understands they do not get attention or rewards until they are calm and all paws are grounded. Do not push a puppy away when they are jumping up on you. This becomes a game. Instead, teach your puppy that they get no attention when they jump and are rewarded when they do not. Again consistency is a key part of successfully teaching this behavior. If almost everyone in the house does not allow jumping, but one person does, then the pup is receiving mixed signals and is not learning appropriate behaviors. You can read the AKC article about preventing jumping in puppies here.
It’s important to remember that your puppy is learning and puppyhood is a learning process. German Shepherd puppies thrive with structure. Put a plan into place, ensure everyone follows that plan, and you will be thrilled to watch your puppy turn into a beautiful, well tempered adult.
