So your puppy is now a teenager!

Oh Boy that dreaded time has now come, so your saying to your self what do I do, what do I expect from my dog? This is the time when most people are challenged by owning a German Shepherd dog.

Your once adorable puppy is now a total tyrannical brat. When he used to listen and follow you around the house, and was happy to do his obedience commands, He is now deaf and acting like sit? What is a sit? He is thinking for himself. This is when he is becoming an adult and trying to act like one. This is when most people give up their precious pups, to a shelter, re-homed or the scared owners will have them put down. This is the time when your pup who used to love your friends and neighbors and is now acting like the whole world is an enemy and aggression is now showing. Some dogs start as early as eight months and others a little later like around a year and a half and this generally continues until right round their second birthday.

So why the big change, what happened to your precious pup. The German Shepherd is one of many breeds that have a tendency to be aggressive, dominant and trying to take over leadership if there is none in the home or pack. The main problem with this breed is that they are so smart that for some owners this breed may be too intelligent for the owner to handle. And the German Shepherd being a big dog, and all these combinations make them a like a hand gun ready to go off in the wrong hands. So what to do and how to get and keep control in order to have a safe and sane dog.

Well in my opinion the main reason they change their behavior at this time is hormones for maturity, and natural instincts develop in order to challenge the higher ups for a higher ranking in the pack. They are simply growing up, I like to think of it as a teenager child who is testing his ego and the world around him. They have reached that level of mentality to achieve his or her own individually. With out growth there can be no raise in rank or development in a normal way. They are testing the waters so to speak. In a normal pack they will challenge the leaders to see if they can get away with it thus going up the ladder in the pack. Older dogs will falter in their position in the pack and the more healthy or dominant dogs in the pack will move up. This is what makes packs not die do to lack of young blood and strength. So when a young dog thinks he is up to the challenge he will do subtle body and eye movements to test the elders in the pack. The leader will either except the behavior or do a direct counter challenge to the upstart. The elder will stand taller, look at the young dog and not back down. He may growl or snap at the younger dog. If this is just a test for the young dog, he will back down in a lower body position, and avoid eye contact to let the older dog know he really did not mean it. And life goes on, if the youngster does not back down then there will be a scuffle to set matters right. Generally the younger dog will back down in this fight, while the Alpha will pay attention to the younger dog who is maturing . The young dog if he is smart will be on the look out for the older dog watching to see if what he is doing at the moment is ok and approved. In most cases there is no need for a fight further on. Once the challenged has been met the younger dog will think ok that was not a good idea. So nix on that idea. And this may work for years to come. The point I am trying to make here is this: The younger dog thought he could, the older dog said heck no or I’ll kick your butt to prove it. In the dog pack there are certain rules that are not to be broken, and they make sure they are not either. The leaders have some very strict rules that must be obeyed. While watching my own pack of eight dogs interface with each other I am amazed how much body language is actually done between them. For example if one of my Alpha dogs returns to the pack in the house they will walk through the group. Acting like nothing has happened. While the lesser dogs will get all excited and greet the returning boss. They do all the face licking, talking and body language that communicates to the elder dog that they are happy to see them and except them as the leader. While all this is going on the elder will ignore the other dogs. Turning away from their attention. This communicates to the rest of the pack that all is well and everything should go back to normal. The very fact that they are so confident is soothing to the rest of the pack.

On the security of the pack. For a long time I kept wondering why Athena my Alpha supreme bitch of the pack was behaving in such a manner, when she thought there was a threat. She will be out on the front lawn, and when she heard something she would swing around and charge the younger dogs. They in turn would run to the front deck from protection from her. Then she would go back out to the yard barking and raising heck. It took me awhile to figure out what she was doing, but she was telling the other dogs in the pack that it was her job to protect, and they were to stay on the deck for safety reasons. The only other dog allowed to go on to the lawn was the other Alpha male of the pack. This dog she would run up to and stop her charge of attack. His stance would be firm, tall, and no nonsense to her. They in turn would face the challenger or threat together. So she was telling the other dogs in the pack that it was not their job to protect but to stay safe. It was her job to protect and if they tried to check the situation she would attack the younger dogs to go back to the deck. So should you take this approach with your dogs. It is your job to protect, be the look out, and generally tell your dog that he is not needed in this aspect of your life. Sure he can be a sentry if you want, ( like you could stop a GSD from ever barking when he sensed danger or when strangers approach your home). But once that alert is given then its your job to take over the position of protector of the pack. This way your on top of the ranking and this tells your young dog all is well and your in charge and not them. If you have the presence of mind and stature that you’re the boss then the pup will believe it is so also. They will back down and let you protect them. Be in charge, put the dog in a sit or down position to communicate to them what you want from them. This action is excellent for controlling the situation.

really like to use my obedience commands to control or replace the behavior I do not want from my dogs. It replaces what they want to do, with what you want. The more they try to challenge me the more I will make them work for what I want. Example a dog is acting a little upstart lately I will then make that dog do more sits, downs and stays to prove a point of who is in charge. The more I make them do something the more they can do something. I will act taller, bigger and just have the frame of mind that I am in charge and not them. I will have in my mind what I want from them. Example if I have a rather pain in the butt teen, that is running thru the house terrorizing the other dogs. I will stop that behavior and make them sit, telling them NO or UGG, and behave or be nice. I will then place my hand on top of their head to transfer this calmness on to them. Then we will wait out the moment of naughtiness until the calmness comes into play. I then will release the dog and watch for any prior bad behavior to resurface. I will repeat this message to the dog, until I get the proper behavior I want. I will if I have to get gruffer with my voice or jerk them by their collar to get their attention but that is about it. Sometimes I will do a time out in a crate to get the point across of what I want. I believe I am in charge so too does the dog. If I have to I will grab them by the muzzle and look the dog right into his eyes. This communicates to them that I am the boss and not them and I mean what I say. Clear and precise leadership keeps challenges down and from happening. If you have a plan of action to a bad behavior you have a better chance of success. I will watch my dog and look for problems to happen. It is much easier to stop a behavior before it goes into action while they are thinking about it. Example your walking down the sidewalk or road, you see a stranger approach, you know your dog is going to react so take charge of his behavior before he does. Tell your dog NO or Ugg and reverse your direction and tell them to heel or put your dog in a sit. By repeating this process your taking control over your dog. It is so much easier to stop a dog in the mental phase of thought than when they are acting out in a full physical charge or action. I like to call this phase of training of being the drill instructor and instilling into my dog the actions I want. And because I assert a firm leadership they have no other choice but to follow because that is what pack animals do. They follow the leader, for that is their safety zone. It is like in a house hold where there is a lot of fights or a upcoming divorce is happening. The kids will act out in fear, lack of leadership and stress. So if your calm, strong and believe in yourself. This mental action transfers to the dog of your strong leadership and they will follow. Obedience classes are great to help instill mental challenges to the dog, to help keep them from being bored. Also it helps give you the tools to teach your dog how to behave with alternate behavior than what they are doing. If they have all ready been to a class while they were younger that is great, it may be time to go back and put some finesse on your dog.

But remember those that work through this time with a set plan will hit that two year mark and think MY Gosh I have a wonderful dog. And you can be proud because the TWO of you worked through this problem and became a team! Good journey together!