How long will it take my German Shepherd dog to calm down? - Adopted a new dog, and having trouble getting my dog to get along - hzgn.com

Adopted a new dog, and having trouble getting my dog to get along ::
I recently introduced my German Shepherd Lab to his new brother just a month ago ! seperate them (make sure they're away from you) let them calm down,
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He is a VERY rambunctious 7 month old. My wife has had made several . . . well, NUMEROUS negative comments about Colonel after he had dug up many, many, flowers, etc., that she has planted, + digging holes in the yard, mainly being just a big old pest (to her, not to me!).

She even once said "It's me or that dog!"

I don't know where she is going to live if it comes down to that, BUT, being the nice guy that I am, I have decided to (finally!) try to get some expert advice from somone out there in Yahoo Answer land.

I don't plan on having him made into an "it", but would really appreciate it if someone could give me advice on how long it will take him to calm down. He adores children, and is not agressive at all. He weighs 80 pounds, and if you were to put wings and feathers on him, he could be called "chicken" instead of "Colonel".

I don't know what I'm going to do if my wife decides to leave.

Please be careful here, lots have advised more exercise but you must be careful not to overdo it or he will have health problems with joints etc later in life, moderation is the key, training is essential, gsd's are working dogs they need mental exercise just as much if not more than physical, so training classes will be good for him, as for when he will grow up sorry to say be about 4 or 5 gsd's are very slow to mature, but a well trained healthy gsd is the best dog you can ever own.

Understand, that a German shepherd is a working dog. They were originaly bred to herd sheep, then for protection etc...

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Mar 20, 2004 He was the most wonderful German Shepherd Dog and most wonderful dog in .. Nor hate me when I come to take my Shepherd back again.
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German Shepherd Rescue ~ San Francisco Bay Area German Shepherd ::
German Shepherd Rescue has not seen or evaluated the dogs listed below and therefore cannot make any representation or take responsibility for any dog's
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They need to be stimulated mentally and physically. If you enroll him in a obedience or agility class, I'm sure everyone in the house would be alot happier with Colonel and the bad habits would disapear.

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Hi- My dog (a border collie mix) had her right front leg amputated yesterday. How long will it take before she will be able to stand up and take a few steps
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Also German Shepherds are a bit slow to mature, so try and be patient through his puppy antics:)

Good luck!

Ahh - I remember thinking that about our shepherd.... it took him four years to calm down. He still brings mum her flowers though - as if he thinks she has forgotten and left them in the garden... hehehe.

we got a behaviourist in because we were concerned that he pulled a bit much on the lead... all we needed to do was remind him of his place in the pack occasionally, otherwise he was a beautifully natured dog.

I remember the mad german shepherd dashes as he ran about the house full of beans looking for something naughty to do. It was infuriating and wonderful at the same time.

Your wife needs to chill out, enforce her dominance and enjoy the mad dog days - in a few years time you will have a wonderful, calm companion. Enjoy!

Well he's young, and he's an active breed, so he wont calm down for a while. Thus, instead of waiting for him to chill out, you need to work with him and tempering his energy by exercising him more. More walks, more fetch, more jogs/runs, put a backpack on him during walks. There many, many ways to get him more exercise. You need to wear him out. He's a working dog, and he feels under worked. Good luck.

Far be it for me to query your relationship with the wife here but ........

This is a puppy, a big healthy lad who obviously isn't getting enough outlet for his energy. He needs more exercise I think, perhaps a diet that is lower in protein - some are so high that they gee a dog up to the point of hysteria.

If you opt for castration, I'd not think about doing it until he's over a year. This will allow for a degree of maturity as I have had experience of dogs done too early staying silly puppies, and you don't want that! It's also a fact that you don't see the full effects of castration immediately. It takes time for the hormones to settle down. Also re castration, this is no substitute for training.

Westside German Shepherd Rescue of Los Angeles::
I am a very loving and gentle German Shepherd. My rescuer found me living needs someone willing to take him out on long walks and work on his training.
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But back to the wife - I think she's got you up against the wall with her 'me or the dog' comment. Does she really mean it? Only you can know the answer to that.

Whatever, I'd start with trying to get this puppy out for more exercise. And some sort of reorganisation of your garden might help - fencing so he can't get to 'her area' and dig it up? Might I suggest a crate (perhaps he's too big for this to be a realistic suggestion now), or some sort of penning area where he can't get up to his nonsense.

Good luck

First, get him neutered. It really calms them down! Plus you will be standing up against pet over population by preventing unwanted puppy pregnancy.

Second, EXCERSISE! GSD's are working dogs and herders. Meaning they were bred to never tire out during long periods at work. Try taking him to a dog park or start jogging in the mornings. A tired dog is a happy dog.

Third, I would recommend talking to your wife about her taking the dog to obedience classes. It would give them time for her to bond with the dog and GSD's are loyal and very very smart. Plus, it will be another out let for all of his puppy energy.

Goodluck!

ETA:
To prevent the digging, place chicken wire underneath the soil where the flowers are planted. This will deter the dog from digging there.

Sorry the best way is the neuter.

Other than that you will wait another year and a half for him to mature.

he is showing signs of being bored and too much energy he needs to be excerised more ...he will be too tired to bother trust me it works with all dogs also you need to be pack leader to your dog read ceaser millan brilliant and his tv show is sorry if its misspelt

If she's so concerned with her flowers she can be a responsible adult and stay outside with the dog to make sure he doesn't dig up her flowers instead of whining about it. I'm sure she'll find it more fun playing a game of fetch with the dog than playing pick up the dead flowers by herself later on. Also a 7 month old GSD pup weighing 80 pounds is either severely obese, or a backyard breeding campaigns attempt at assuring your unusually large GSD (who should weigh 80 pounds as an adult) will indeed without a doubt have Hip Dysplasia as an adult...People who breed unusually large GSDs spit in the face of real breeders and doom their dogs to joint issues...too bad so many people out there are so ignorant that they brag about their super sized dogs.

I have no doubts he's a sweet dog. I have nothing against him. But since you've had one other GSD you should know the breed standard. Males: 24-26 inches tall at the shoulder and 80-90 pounds. Any larger is bad breeding, which is bad, but the worst is the fact that oversized GSDs have a higher chance of developing HD which goes from bad breeding to unethical breeding. Make sure you keep this guy thin and on a wholesome diet (preferably a raw prey modeled diet which you can e-mail me for the details) because that's the only way you can help him not to develop hip issues.

Well I think its kinda unfair of your wife to put things in that situation, but if it comes down to that, you might have to choose your wife!! ;) no seiously, try some puppy classes, it may calm him down a bit!! they have some at pets mart, look in the yellow pages there are tons!!! she has got to remember he is a pup and he is going to act like one!!! :) i have a 7 week old pup, and there are days i wish he wasnt a puppy, lol!!! :) but thos are the dayswe deal with!!! :) just train his lil well (big) butt!!! good luck tou guys!!!!

Hes still a puppy. Make sure you walk him often and tire him out, and make sure he has plenty of toys to keep him entertained.

He will calm down once he has matured, so about a year and a half or if you have him castrated.

Castration is a solution as once he reaches maturity, he may try to prove he is dominant over you as that's what his Hormones are telling him to do,or become aggressive due to an excess of hormone, he also may roam looking for females to mate with and also, if he does mate with a ***** and she becomes pregnant, the owners of the ***** may ask you to contribute towards the costs of raising the puppies

I would recommend getting him castrated unless you are planning to breed him, and if you are, he will calm down at about 1 and a half to 2 years.

Sounds like he may be bored. When we had a GSD we had to keep him busy or he would get into trouble with chewing etc. They are working dogs after all. Daily walks helped. We also have a large fenced in yard and would go our 3-4 times a day and run him in the yard by throwing balls etc.