Do GSDs EVER settle down? Behaviour

Hi,

Feeling a bit down at the moment, really struggling with Diesel.

He's just over 16 months now and to be honest, things are not good - it's not his fault bless him, he's just so much for me. I have tried and tried with him and I just feel that I can't give him what he needs. It seems to be either me and him OR me and my family and Ruby. We cant all have a nice walk together because if I'm not constantly entertaining him with a tennis ball, he's trying to take Rubys ears off if she runs past him, like she isn't allowed to move without him jumping all over her regardless of the fact she does NOT want to play with him, Ive had him on long lines but we've nearly took out several other dogs with it and a few people.

And dont get me started on his lead behaviour (as some of you will know, it's not been the most successful part of his training)

In the house, he wont chill out, at all, unless he's in his crate - it's the only time anyone gets a break from him. I have a gate between the living room and dining room (it's all open plan) and the dogs stay on the other side of the gate. It was NEVER like this and Ruby always stayed in the living room but Diesel will not chill out no matter how much exercise he's had nd if Rubys in the living room and hes on the other side of the gate he whines like crazy so she gets put in the dining room too and it's not fair.

Ive started to get more firm with him lately to try and get him to settle, and he pees on the carpet if he gets told off. I get that its a nervous thing but Ive never laid a hand on him, for instance, the other day I was getting his bone out of the toy box and he jumped up and tried to snatch it out of my hand, I shouted 'NO!' at him and he started weeing on the carpet :?

I'm pretty much at my wits end with it all. He is 16 months old and if I knew he would chill out and calm down by the time he was say, two years old, I would persevere but things just dont seem to be getting better.

He also opens the gate whenever I leave the room, this would be okay if he just padded round the house following me, but he crashes about and when I tell him to settle, he'll wee on the carpet. This is depsite having physical and mental exercise. The mental exercise does seem to chill him out better than the physical but I cannot give him constant mental exercise as I have another dog and two kids to give attention to aswell.

I dont know what to do and I dont know how anyone can help me, I just need to get this stuff off my chest :-(

I'm sorry you're having a bad time with him. I know how it is to feel like you just can't deal with it any more. Diesel is still very young and it does get better. I don't really have any constructive advice but try to think of his good traits (they've all got some!) and remember that you're all he's got. Maybe utilise the crate a bit more, to give you a bit of temporary respite, and teach him to chill when it's down time.
My GSD x is a bit of a loon but he is noticably calming down, very gradually. He will be two in May.

Hello,

I could have pretty much written that post about my crazy Bo (not a GSD but a Slovak) -- well, apart from the weeing on the carpet bit and the fact she is nearly 3 years old!

It doesn't sound like Diesels behaviour is anything abnormal for his age. A lot of young dogs are total hooligans for what seems like forever but EVENTUALLY they usually slow down a bit. Even if that takes...years.

It probably doesn't help in your case that your other dog (and your previous one I'm assuming -- you had a Bernese, right?) is much more chilled and less demanding. It seems to make the contrast between the chilled one and the super high energy one even greater.

Its also not abnormal for demanding dogs to wear you down and make you wonder why you are bothering. The feeling will pass though -- honest. Sometimes you need to take a step back and look at the GOOD points about the dog rather than the bad ones. It is all too easy to get bogged down with negativity when they are really winding you up.

Separate walks, use of appropriate training tools (head collars, front-clip harnesses, etc.) to help with the pulling and working on self control exercises should all help. I'm going to bed now so hopefully others will offer you some helpful tips.

Thanks. He does have some good traits, at the moment it just seems like the bad is hugely outweighing the good
I feel bad putting him in his crate just because he's being a pain in the backside as I just wish he would calm the hell down...

x

I know the feeling. Had a couple of bad walks with my boy recently and that always makes me feel down. But us humans tend to fixate more on the bad than the good.
Re: the crate, don't feel bad if you need to use it just for a bit to stop him from driving you completely nuts. It's not like you'll be locking him in there for hours on end. Stick him in there if necessary after he's had a good walk, maybe with a chew or something. Ultimately it'll do you both good.

Thank you, yes my other dog is super chilled out, my Bernese however was not, he had a lot of problems but we had several upheavals, we moved house 3 times, I had another baby etc etc but.... I adored him and he adored me. I feel like me and Diesel havent really bonded properly despite spending a hell of a lot of one on one time with him which seems to be at the expense of my family and my other dog, I seem to spend all my time on him and it's wearing me down x

Thank you x

Have you considered consulting a trainer experienced with GSD or a behaviourist for some tips?

Sorry no GSD here but wanted to try and suggest a couple of things. Hocus is a bit younger than Diesel but was constantly bugging Teg if they were in the front room together, so he was being shut out more than I wanted. I've taught him that if I put a mat in the room then he has to stay on it and settle.
No mat means he can play and race round to his hearts content.
I started when he was tired from a walk, piece of vet bed from his cage so smelt of him and just kept putting him back on it until he went to sleep.
I also bring Tegs bed in and he has to settle too, they can have a chew toy on their bed/mat but have to stay put.
I can take a mat to other peoples houses and he will settle there too, so really useful.

I felt I wasn't bonding to Hocus when I got him because I was really stressed (not had a puppy before, convinced I was doing it all wrong and lack of sleep). He was really bonding to Teg which made it worse.
So I separated them. Had 1-2-1 time with both let them see each other during the day but not play. I made them sleep in separate rooms. When I felt I had a bond with Hocus I started letting them be together more. If I felt Hocus was totally disregarding me over Teg then I reduced it again slightly. They are now together a lot of the time unless I am doing 1-2-1 training or I am out when Hocus is crated. I now have a good bond with both.
Would some separation until you feel more confident be possible?

I have a Kazeti girl. She had a huge amount of energy as a puppy. I have to admit I struggled to bond with her at first as she was so difficult compared to my last shepherd.

Now she is four years old and we are the best of friends.

I have found the most important thing is to develop that bond. If it means putting Diesel in his crate more often then I would do that. Think of it as his den where he can chill out. It's important to get a break so you can find the energy to carry on.

I felt like you that I wasn't giving Tala what she needed when she was younger but it wasn't true. I even thought of rehoming her :-( Thank goodness I didn't. It does get better so hang on in there.

Prince is exactly the same. He doesn`t possess an off switch and I can`t walk anywhere in the house without him walking backwards in front of me. He likes to help when I`m cooking, cleaning or working. He quivers with horror when I don`t actually want to amuse him right now thankyou. And he is convinced that what is mine is his and I should battle him for it.
So - no your dog is not odd. He`s just young and a bit highly strung. They get better and we get greyer.

Perhaps have a chat with Diesel's breeders? Do you feel at the end of your tether - ie that you think it would be better if he were rehomed?

It is too difficult to really give any constructive and helpful advice without seeing Diesel and his daily routines in person.

It does sound as though you need some help - as SB has said, preferably with a GSD experienced trainer and/or behaviourist.

If you are considering rehoming him, the it would be better sooner rather than later. I know Kazeti take back any of their dogs, but I also wonder whether he might be suitable for police work as he sounds to have a high ball drive and limitless energy?

I would personally look for some experienced help and speak to Kazeti.

I quite agree, it does sound like he is the wrong dog in the wrong home.

I've always had working bred GSDs & BCs & always trained them & taught them to have an on off switch. So many people ask me how I coped/cope with working bred dogs that must be on the go 24/7. They aren't they need structure in their lives from day one & I start training my dogs from the moment I have them(& yes that includes any puppies I have bred)including the Beardies, Cavaliers & crossbreeds.

Have you looked at his diet? Even on a good quality food, I've heard that some dogs can just be intolerant of certain ingredients and that cause hyperactivity/behavioural problems. Not sure how much truth there is in it but someone on another forum with a really hyper dog was told about it.
I missed this age with Casper but I definately noticed a different at around the 3.5ish-4 year old mark when the pair of mine chilled out a bit. That's quite a long way off for you though so I'd definately take the other posts on this thread into consideration

In the hope it may help you feel a bit better:

When I adopted Dex he was 14 months and honestly, the first three months were hellish. Walking him was virtually impossible, and I spent much of the time in tears (probably wasn't much fun for Dex either).

I really feared that I had taken on too much, but very very gradually, things DID improve when I put a few new things in place:

1 - a headcollar for walking. If you're not using one - try one! I cannot stress HOW much this simple step improved things in terms for my relationship with Dexter. Once I knew I could control him, I relaxed, so HE relaxed, and our walks became pleasurable. It also meant we walked more and for longer - thus Dex got more tired so slept more at home.

Try either a padded Halti or a Dogmatic.


2 - an experienced trainer. This too made a huge difference. I was fortunate in that someone kindly put me in touch with an ex Police dog handler who did not charge the earth and who, crucially, really understood dogs.

She helped me understand Dexter and this of course improved our relationship immensely.

Your dog is still at the adolescent stage - or as our trainer described Dex 'a yobbo' . It WILL get easier but it takes time - and yes I know just how exhausting it can be!


As others have suggested, you might want to contact the breeder - they are the best people to advise and may be able to recommend a trainer to you in your area. I would urge you to call them asap

Does he have a structured routine? Not something I would normally encourage as they can become too reliant on it but it sounds as though it may help him.

Also, what sort of mental exercise are you doing with him? Perhaps step this up a gear.

I agree that a crate can definitely be a den for the dog but if you rely on it too much then he will never learn to settle when out of it, so I really would try to persevere with having him free in the house after he has been mentally and physically exercised and perhaps after feeding (all mine sleep after dinner).

With regards to him bullying your other dog on walks- my gsd and my collies have all done this at some point and I'm currently trying to stop the behaviour in my pup, I've found the best way is a long line, every time they tried to bully the other dog it was a firm no and I reeled them back into me and put them in a sit. Could you possibly do this a few times a week on a quiet walk?

have you had him since a pup?
it sounds like firm boundries were not enforced as a youngster - they should settle when told, problem with a lot of first time GSD owners they dont enforce good behaviour as pups - give one an inch they will take a yard, then they have untrained adolescents - not sure if this is your 1st GSD or not
I would go back to basics, 1-1 training, seek advice from a GSD trainer if needed, make the dg earn everything and establishh firm rules

Have you considered getting a dog-walker perhaps once or twice a week to give you a break?

I often wonder when a dog is behaving in a certain way what its tryig to tell me. Is your guy telling you he's excited and wants to play / work? Is he wanting attention from his Mum? Is he anxious and wants to settle? Is he telling you he wants Leadership?

I like a lot the advice above particularly

- getting a good behaviourist, will be the best money you've ever spent if you get a good one

- using the crate, although I would NOT use it as punishment, but when you decide you need time out crate him with a stuffed kong or something

The only thing I would add is advice I had when I picked up Max (advice from a man who helps at the rescue centre where max was - he is very very experienced). He told me about how the French and Dutch police forces work their dogs. One of them (can't remember which way round) only allows their dogs to work if they are first calm, the other has dogs who are screaming in the vans to get out. The point is that it could well be an idea to only allow games and play with your dog when he settles; at first this may be a 1/2 second sit and then you react with a big play, but in time he'll start to learn that being quiet and settled gets rewarded, being noisy and bositerous gets nothing. You can then work at it so long and longer periods of time settled result in play.

Hope that helps and please keep us posted with updates.

Excellent advice here.