My GSD won't leave our puppy alone. How can I get her to stop?

Puppies at this age can be very determined! I would encourage you to have some time when the older dog is separated from the puppy to give her a rest. I would also encourage you to keep the puppy on a leash (supervised) when around the other dog so you can recall and redirect his attention when needed. Also having a squirt bottle available to squirt his face when annoying the other dog Can be helpful. The More consistent you are on correction the more quickly he will learn not to annoy her. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

It is normal for puppies to be a nuisance to older dogs, as they try to mimic the rough-and-tumble play they had with their littermates. It is also normal for the older dog to say "enough is enough . . . leave me alone!" There shouldn't be a problem, and GSDs can certainly get along with small dogs. If you see any signs of true aggression, as opposed to the mock-fighting of play, then it is time to worry. Whether Kal seems aggressive or not, once he is three-four months old, enroll him in a good basic obedience class, so that you can learn to handle him (and he can learn to do as he's told) before he gets too big.

Make him "work" for everything (going out, eating, playing, etc.). This can be as simple as making him sit or wait before getting what he wants. As cute as he must be, do not allow him to initiate contact or play. Ignore him until you are ready, then make him sit/stay/wait before proceeding. Do not allow him on furniture or beds. He should have his own bed on the floor. Better yet, use a crate. When you reprimand him, be firm and be consistent.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Every puppy is different so it is difficult to give you an exact timeline of when this behavior will end. For eating poop, I recommend spraying the poop with bitter apple to deter ingestion of the poop. You can also use Forbid, but I am unsure if this is available in your country. You might find another product similar at a pet store or if you call and ask a vet office. To break the biting Behavior, I recommend sticking your thumb underneath the tongue inside the mouth and gripping the underside of the lower jaw with the remaining four fingers. Once you have done this apply light pressure between your thumb and your other four fingers and hold that grip for about 5 to 10 seconds until your puppy finds this annoying. I usually repeat this several times before the puppy decides it is not a fun game anymore. Most of the time, puppies will come back for more thinking it is a game and shortly after experiencing several episodes they stop and lick instead. I find this has been one of the most successful tricks that I use to stop biting. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text based consultation if needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is certainly possible and recommended but this usually requires in person training by a qualified dog trainer. I recommend you consider contacting a qualified dog trainer to work with you in person. Good luck and have a good day!

To help keep him occupied when you aren't able to actively play with him, I recommend getting him a Kong toy. My GSD loved his. Also, to save you hands, you need to work with him on learning what is and is not acceptable when mouthing and chewing. When you play with your puppy, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your puppy and cause him to stop mouthing you. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your puppy for stopping. Resume whatever you were doing before. If your puppy bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period. If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. When your puppy delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. After the short time-out, return to your puppy and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your puppy until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your puppy isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your puppy to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your puppy or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your puppy can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all. Also, the help keep that busy little mind occupied and teach him appropriate behavior, get him involved in obedience training. Many places have puppy kindergarten classes (if you have a PetsMart nearby, ask about their classes) that will teach you to teach them basic obedience. If he shows an aptitude for it, continue with his training as far as you would like to go. Teach him tricks, teach him tasks, play fetch, whatever you can and need to do to keep his body well-exercised and tired and his mind occupied. A tired dog is a happy dog.

All of this sounds like normal puppy GSD behavior. They can have A LOT of energy that just needs to be expelled. I would consider taking her to a doggy day care during the day to see if this helps with her energy at night. I would also enroll her in a puppy behavior classes or have a trainer come to your house to help. These types of dogs need work and also need major behavior training in order to make them good dogs. Also, give her some time. As she becomes older she will mature and should improve but she won't without the appropriate training and attention. I hope this helps!