Hi

Fenris is 12 weeks today .

I have not changed his routine(although his play toys have changed and also the route of his walk ) but he has suddenly turned into a horror!

He seemed to be doing very well with his training etc , toilet training was going well .Then on Saturday the weather here was vile , heavy rain high winds .I kept up the routine of short walks and into the garden at regular intervals but he would not wee or poo .......then would comeinside and do it in the house !!!

Yesterday he was the same , although the weather was better, I am going to bo back to basics with the toilet training see if that helps.

Also he has suddenly become really naughty , nipping all the time and generally taking no notice at all ...............The whole sitting etc has gone out of the window ! He even bit my finger and drew blood yesterday when he was getting a treat ..........normally he is quite gentle .

I am at a loss

Any suggestions please ??

Hi , bless you , you are having a bit of a rough time! This to me and I am not an expert seems like normal puppy naughtiness !!! Is he just testing you and his boundaries....ignore him and all the bad behaviour ,i being ignored is one thing a dog does not like as everything they do good and bad is for attention...just do not give it to him . Is he becoming protective over his toys etc if so take them away from him . Tell him in a firm but not angry voice NO if he nips and turn away from him .again ignore him.No doubt you will have a few responses to this during today and probably from more experienced shep owners so I do wish you good luck and dont worry he is a still a baby ,...

I agree, put him on the naughty step like you would a child.

No treats, sits on the floor, no fuss, no cuddles, don't pick him up, no toys, firm "No" after "Firm No"

Maybe do to want his mam did, poke/nudge shoulder/ribs to go away " I am not playing"

Fingers crossed

piccis please?

Hi,
I tend agree with most of what has already been advised.
And what you have to remember is Biting is a natural behaviour among dogs. Dogs nip each other to play, to test their strength and to show each other who is the boss.
So when we bring them into our homes the puppy is still thinking the same. He will not automatically change to human thinking.
And never will so we have to think as they would.
And from day one a mother dog would correct behaviour.
But many humans let the pups get away with it because they look cute.
But that cute puppy grows and so does the behaviour.
Then it becomes ingrained and habit forming.

But if not nipped in the bud and controlled play biting in any dog can lead to aggressive biting.
Aggressive biting you will notice in a pup or dog they will lower there head while growling and staring back at you. Whether the pup is guarding a toy, a biscuit or any other item, he is trying to establish control and dominance over you.
But whether play or he means business it all comes down to teaching your pup his proper place in the family pack.
So your pup has to understand its boundaries by all the family and it has to be consistent.
If not the pup will get confused. So I would never allow the pup to wrap his teeth around anyone's hand, even if it's only during play. You can’t send mixed messages that biting is okay in some circumstances and not in others. Puppies simply aren't sophisticated enough to figure out the difference, so it's up to us to be consistent.
So it’s best to have a talk to every one in the family to how important this is.
There’s a few things that you can do and that is to tell your pup "NO”. This is the first step in teaching your puppy not to bite. When your pup tries to use his teeth on you, immediately wrap your hand around his muzzle and say "No" in a , firm voice. Your hand shouldn't be tight enough to cut off his air supply, but it needs to be snug enough to show you're in control. You will need to repeat this correction each and every time your puppy tries to use his teeth on you.
Mother dogs will do this on the pups muzzle.
Or. When the firm "NO" isn't enough by itself to settle your puppy down, you need to follow up with a time out. This means confining him to his crate or gating him in another room. This teaches him that you are in control, and that he will not be rewarded with more attention when he bites.
Because keep talking to them can mean attention to the pup.
Must make sure that if you have a mouthy dog to keep playtime in control by opting for games that don't involve power struggles.
Not until you have full control and mastered the leave command.
You can also use bitter apple spray on almost anything including your hands. But you must make sure it has dried on your hands.
The most important thing is never hit your pup or any dog. This will only feed into the pups /dogs aggression.
If you loose it walk away or remove the dog as suggested.
I have had to use a mixture of the above with my dogs. As mine are all rescue and some were not pups when I had them, and some of them came with a lot of baggage.
Due to previous owners not setting boundaries or given any form of training.
Setting boundaries lets the pup know what is expected of him. We all need them including our selves and children.
You do not have to use the No command I use Ah Ah.
Anything that you are comfortable with.
Also do not continue walking while the pup is biting you. This will turn into a game for the pup.
Stop what you are doing and remove the pup, calmly and quietly.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for all the advice folks .

The toilet training is back on track , as for the nipping when playing I have been doing the 'NO' thing , if he continues to take no notice I remove him and put him into his cage . Sometimes he 'gets it' other tiems he doesn,t .So I will persevere and see how he goes.

Hope all goes ok.

He is doing good with the toilet thing , but still working on the nipping thing .

Will I EVER get to the point where he will just let me stroke him without thinking it,s playtime ?? or just lie down in the lounge next to us without thinking it,s time to run amock?

yes but you must stick to the boundaries.

and at the moment i wouldn't play any rough games etc.
Its like having children you have to bring them up with manners. The same with a dog.

Awwww Its just puppy behaviour.......go back to basics and reward for good behaviour, and lots of cuddles when he is good.
Gelert was 16wks and fully house trained, And he would gently take food from my mouth...He also knew basic commands.
He was a little angel.
Until he got to 6mths and I left him and went out for 2 hrs, I came home to a missing shed door,a chewed up paddling pool, dog food all over the place, and there he was my little darling jumping round the garden with a 6ft wooden gate post in his mouth.
Of course he went on to chewing much better things.
Never shout or show that your cross, just turn you back, with my boy Ignoring him used to really upset him, and I would not look at him for hours.
Don't lose heart he will get there eventually.
Gelert hates the rain as well.....If its raining he won't go out, but he loves jumping in puddles and soaking me.
Good luck. Gelert is my first Shepherd, so I haven't had that much experience but he is a lovely well adjusted boy now.