Puppy with no manners!

[HETA]

Our 10 week old German Shepherd / Lab mix has absolutely no manners when it comes to meeting other dogs. We adopted him from the Humane Society two 1/2 weeks ago. When we are on walks, he has gotten very good about ignoring barking dogs and keeping focused on the walk. However, when it comes time for him to have actualy one on one time with a dog, he jumps at the dog and barks excessively. We do have him registered for puppy school but have to wait until his last round of shots is complete. He will be about 14 weeks old when class starts so I'd like to be able to have him a little more calm/behaved by then. Yesterday we took him to the vet for his 2nd round of boosters and were so embarrassed by his behavior. He barked at every dog in the waiting room and got all of the other dogs barking as well. I especially felt sorry for the Bassett that came out of an exam room with an elizabethan collar, only to get barked at by my puppy. Poor guy was already humiliated enough. Any suggestions?

[betterdogs]

What I would suggest you is to get your dog trained. The best way to train your dog is to train it at your home. I know of one such trainer who trains your dog right at your home. They are Better Dogs. They specialize in Oakland County dog training and many such services.You can visit their website for more details.I am sure they will be of great help. Kudos!

[tootchie'smom]

Hi there! It seems your lab puppy is showing some signs of aggression or maybe, you might not notice it, he just wants to play. Puppies his age doesn't show that much aggression specially if he is not confident with his owner being mad at him when he behaves badly. It's the proper time to show him some manners too when he does behave bad like barking on the wrong place and the wrong spot. There's a good read about this topic on this page http://dogobedienceadvice.com/aggression-in-puppies.php.

Tootchie's Mom

[melody]

That's definitely a good read tootchie'smom I also refer to DOA for dog training advice or if I just want to read anything about dogs.

[uberglamorous]

Although it seems that you've put in some effort into enforcing discipline, your dog appears to need more obedience training. From what you've described, he has aggression issues.

First of all, you need to assert yourself more as the alpha dog. A stronger sense of respect for your authority will prevent him from acting inappropriately (barking at other dogs).

Ideally, he should know when to stop after you issue a verbal reprimand. being the dominant figure in his life begins at home. This means, making your dog wait behind you when walking through doors.

Also, never allow him to beg at the table nor feed him scraps of food off your plate. More importantly, never allow him to jump all over you or let him sit on the bed or couch.

Furthermore, you need to step up your efforts in socializing him with other dogs and people. He needs to have more frequent contact with the people in your neighborhood as well as their pets.

You can even set-up play days with fellow dog owners so your pets will be acquainted with one another. I'd also like to point out that puppy classes are a very good step in this direction, so please carry on with that.

Finally, you can seek resources on how to do proper obedience training. It will be much easier to discipline him once he gets used to following basic commands from you.

I hope this information gives you a general overview on what needs to be done to improve your dog's behavior. Remember, the key to progress is consistency. That's the only way a dog will develop the right habits.