Puppy attachment issues

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Uh yep, I've learned to do dishes with my legs spread far apart to accomodate the puppy at my feet.

You are worried about fostering unhealthy behavior. This example right here is why you should listen to your insticts about your puppy. I have GSD's have for most of my life. I am also an all breed trainer who has dealt with this kind of "bonding" a lot.

While it is quite typical for a GSD to become very bonded with family, it is an entirely other subject when your puppy is doing these kinds of behaviors: constantly under foot, won't allow you to walk or stand normally, has emotional outbursts (whining, pacing, drooling, panting, "hissy fits") when you leave the room or the dog cannot find you.

These behaviors are not normal no matter the breed. I am not saying its necessarily a temperament issue with your dog. But if its not your dog's temperament it is probably that you are accidently fostering this behavior in one way or another. Could just be that your not addressing it right away made the dog think the behavior is ok and wanted. Or it could be that the dog is getting much more attention in this manner than he other wise would have.

Whatever the cause, it should stop if you want to have a normal life with this large adult dog. An 85 pound dog camping out under your feet won't be really fun for long.

I would implement a leash drag in the house and give your pup some real lessons on where you expect him to be. He needs to learn to be more independant. You can accomplish this with a leash and some chew toys. Teach a long down stay and also teach a "move" command so that he knows not to be under your feet.

Allowing him to rest between your feet while you are doing anything is just fostering his behavior. Some good lessons on where you want him is the key. Be consistent with all expectations.​

 

[wombat]

All my GSDs have followed me from room to room until they got older and spent more time napping. Everyone I know who has GSDs jokes about them being velcro dogs.

We never had an issue with it, except when we had two yong ones at one time, and my wife could not get through doorways with two of them insisting at walking at close heal stuck to her knee side by side. They settled down a bit about that as they got older and learned when they didn't need to be so close.

Our present old guy is over ten years old now, and doesn't follow about the house much anymore. He's still at the back door and sitting, waiting for it to open as soon as I put my boots on, though. He'd have to be on his deathbed before he'd ever let anyone venture into the yard without him along side. They're just like that ... or the good one are, at least.

Of course, none of the above is the same as separation anxiety. If your dog goes nutz and/or tears the place up any time you leave him home, that's a problem.

Mine knows which day of the week is which, or he's very good at picking up other cues I'm not aware of. I wear jeans and boots to work on most Fridays, but he still knows Friday from Saturday, and never goes to the front door to beg to ride along anywhere unless it's the weekend.

So ... does your dog simply like to be around you, or does it have anxiety issues if it cannot? That would be the question.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Jax doesn't try to beat us out the door because he's been trained not to. When we or I am taking him out he's told to sit and then wait while I pass out the door. Once I'm out, he's told to come and he does.
He doesn't have anxiety issues when we're gone. He's crate trained, so if we have to go somewhere and can't take him with us, we tell him to "go to bed" (crate) which he does willingly. We give him a favorite toy that he only gets during crate time. Occasionally, if I just need to run out to the chicken coop real quick or whatever, I don't put him in the crate. When I come back in I find him waiting patiently for me at the door. He does get a tad bit upset if we are outside and I leave the fenced yard without him, but we're working on that.
Okay, since this morning I have been working on teaching him to sit/lay a feet few away while I work in the kitchen or do housework and he's getting the hang of it.
We been trying to teach him a new command or trick every few days, after first reviewing the ones he already knows. He's an extremely smart dog and I want him to reach his full potential.
Thanks Wombat. I feel reassured that Jax is just being a normal GSD puppy. His life's work will be to provide me with companionship and protection as well as (hopefully) assist me as my illness progresses and I feel like right now Jax is right on target.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Good GSDs are perfectly willing to live within the rules you set for them. They do not have anxiety issues. What they do have is a need to work: to watch over their family and keep tabs on "their" person within that family. They take pleasure in their job and are happier when allowed to do it. They are not a dog for someone who doesn't want to interact with their pet. These dogs want to share our lives. They are interested in what we do and even inquisitive about it. They are a tad psychic and can sense when we are happy, excited, in a hurry. They WANT to please us by following whatever rules/boundaries we set for them, as long as they are allowed to participate in our lives.

I talk to my dogs all the time and I swear they do seem to understand most of what I tell them. I took the time some 30 years ago to teach my first dog to patrol the house at night. He in turn taught the next dog and that one taught the one who followed next and so forth. Today, with 5 of them in the house at night, they take turns patrolling. This isn't anything I taught them. They picked it up on their own. They check every door and window about once an hour from the time it gets dark until daylight the next morning. I never bother to lock my doors. I figure anybody dumb enough to break in here deserves whatever the guys decide to do to him. I think it would be a tossup as to whether they'd chew...or lick him to death.

You sound like you've got a great pup there, gritsar. Enjoy him. The years fly SO fast.

Rusty

 

[duck walk]

I have four Dobermans and where ever I go, there they are and it is one of their most endearing qualities...I LIKE having them under my feet or close by...I know where they are...I know what they are doing...and if they are two acres away, how are they going to do their early warning system job, or their protection job? They are not pushy or unstable in temperament, they are mine and I am theirs...we are like a flock of ducks, we move together...most of the time...when I am out doing chores they are tracking and coursing around, playing with each other...but they have one eye on me...it is comforting to be watched over...I would not make too big a deal over the puppy at this point...he IS a puppy...

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I have been told by trainers and breeders of the high quality GSDs and I heard that this is a good quality. These dogs are bred and their instincts tell them to stick to you like glue. It is why they make some of the best protection animals.

We teach our dogs an "Out" command. We start teaching them in the kitchen, where the tile floor goes to carpet. We'll say out and physically move them from the room, once they are over the golden threshold we leave them be. It is amazing how fast they learn this. When we are working in the kitchen we'll say "Out!" and all three dogs will scramble just over the threshold and plop down to watch us in the kitchen. The best thing? All three know apply this command to other areas without actually training in other areas. We were in the living room and the dogs were "hovering" around us, we said "Out!" and they scrambled, not sure where to go, but the moved to a respectable distance until called.

-Kim

 

[duck walk]

there you go...mine will remove themselves from the kitchen when I am trying to cook or prepare their dishes...I use the "out" command there as well...they move from tile to carpet just over the thresh hold and wait patiently...but they are watching me...they also get "move" and many other words they need to respond to...they never wear collars and are very well behaved...I trust them completely...their recalls are supurb...and there was no magic to it, just training and consistency and positive reinforcement...some people get very up tight and over think the issues of dog training...if mine understand what I am asking of them, they are on it...it is all communication and common sense...and no silliness on my part like yelling, compulsion, too many commands too fast...I love it when I hear people yelling at their dogs, "no, no, no, come here stop it I am gonna kill you no no no!!!" and they are all up tight...confuses the dog and scares them...I rarely raise my voice beyond normal conversation levels...they get it...I can be outside and say, "mail call!" and they all run to the mail box..."let's go feed the birds." sends them to the storage building door...they love to watch me dip up the corn, oatmeal and chicken feed...they like to snag the oat meal and I let them get a bite and it makes them happy and what is the harm? We have a very good relationship with very little stress.

three of the four

 

[wombat]

We taught ours "no dogs in the kitchen" as a "command" and they'd go lay in the next room, with paws just across the line onto the tile ...

When the kids are in the family room playing video games, and the wife and I are in the office playing computer games, the dog has to lay in the one spot where he can see into both rooms and watch the back and front doors too.

Have fun with your GSD, Grit. If he's not showing any signs of anxiety, there's no problem.

 

[ChickenToes]

Quote:
You are worried about fostering unhealthy behavior. This example right here is why you should listen to your insticts about your puppy. I have GSD's have for most of my life. I am also an all breed trainer who has dealt with this kind of "bonding" a lot.

While it is quite typical for a GSD to become very bonded with family, it is an entirely other subject when your puppy is doing these kinds of behaviors: constantly under foot, won't allow you to walk or stand normally, has emotional outbursts (whining, pacing, drooling, panting, "hissy fits") when you leave the room or the dog cannot find you.

These behaviors are not normal no matter the breed. I am not saying its necessarily a temperament issue with your dog. But if its not your dog's temperament it is probably that you are accidently fostering this behavior in one way or another. Could just be that your not addressing it right away made the dog think the behavior is ok and wanted. Or it could be that the dog is getting much more attention in this manner than he other wise would have.

Whatever the cause, it should stop if you want to have a normal life with this large adult dog. An 85 pound dog camping out under your feet won't be really fun for long.

I would implement a leash drag in the house and give your pup some real lessons on where you expect him to be. He needs to learn to be more independant. You can accomplish this with a leash and some chew toys. Teach a long down stay and also teach a "move" command so that he knows not to be under your feet.

Allowing him to rest between your feet while you are doing anything is just fostering his behavior. Some good lessons on where you want him is the key. Be consistent with all expectations.

I agree with this advice. When my dog was about 6 months old she used to be under my feet constantly. She would lay between or near my feet when I would do dishes or cook. So, I started sliding her away from me. Now she knows not to be under my feet all the time. She knows that I am the alpha, and some spaces in the house are my spaces, not her spaces.

 

[siroiszoo]

I have three australian shepards and a rescued, mixed breed yellow lab.

I swear! My bathroom isn't big enough! They follow me everywhere; even to the bathroom. I can't even shut the door cause some make it in and the ones that don't give me that 'put out' look when I open the door again. And it's pure disaster if I'm on my way to one room, forget something, and spin around to go back the other way! There are 4 dogs screeching to a halt and trying to change directions which usually leaves me trying to keep my balance and keep from falling over them. LOL! I love it! most of the time!

The yellow lab won't even go out to potty for my husband. She'll talk to him and bug him, but I have to open the door to let her out.

I think it is because I am the main one that feeds, trains, plays, and take care of all their needs.

Anyway, unless the behavior causes problems or becomes aggressive - I wouldn't worry about it.