German She-dog Puppy

I have lived with German Shepherds (GSD) my whole life, I own two of them and I am a dog behaviorist.

There are several issues here. She is WAY too youg to be separated from her litter mates and a little too young to be weaned. Puppies are weaned at 6 weeks by their mother and need to stay with the litter until they are 8 weeks old at least. She may have started eating solids when offered so the breeder may have felt she was old enough to send home to another family. However I really question the breeder qualifications if they didn't know they should keep the puppy with the mother until it's 6 weeks and with the litter until it's 8 weeks.

She is NOT teething right now. Puppies go through a teething stage at around 4-5 months of age. True teething lasts about a month when they are losing their puppy teeth and getting their adult teeth in. During that time they have a NEED to relieve the pain in their mouths to chew on things very similar to human children. Any chewing that happens after that is for boredom, association, or to relieve stress. Any chewing that happens before that is usually a puppy learning about life as most dogs learn by "touching" with their mouths not with their paws (hands), or boredom.

GSD's are a very "mouthy" breed. So what that means is they like to keep things in their mouths. This is a breed that is well known for walking up to their owner and greeting them by gently putting the owners' hand in their mouths. As puppies it is a VERY common behavioral problem to want to nip and mouth on any exposed flesh. There are several things I could recommend that you do, but with the other issue's that you've listed I think it's best that you consult as dog behaviorist as soon as possible to have someone show you how to get a handle on this behavior.

Puppies at that age should NEVER NEVER NEVER show aggression. Is she really growling or is she playing with you? GSD's can be a very vocal breed expressing play with some growl like noises, barking, "talking", wimpering, whining, etc. If she is truely showing aggression, you need to take her back to the breeder and either get your money back (I would recommend this cause is sounds to me like poor breeding) or get a new puppy that is a better fit for your home.

What kind of food are you feeding her? You don't really need to get puppy formula, however you should consult your veterinarian as to what kind of nutrition she needs at this point. Most likely she needs her food softened by soaking it in a little chicken broth before feeding her.

Is this your first dog? Your first GSD? This is a breed that can be very challenging to own and if you do NOT have experience with them I STRONGLY encourage you to seek out a trainer or behaviorist to help you learn more about the breed, and how to prevent unwanted behaviors. Most trainers that offer group classes will NOT be able to accept you until she is 4 months old and been fully vaccinated, so I think you should look for a private behaviorist that can get started with you as soon as possible. I do NOT recommend waiting until she is 4 months old to get her into a group class.

Please feel free to email me if you have more questions.

A.

At only 5 weeks, I strongly suspect she's trying to nurse on your toes and fingers and the nibbling is trying harder when there's no milk coming out. Most puppies don't wean for a couple more weeks. You might talk with your vet about bottle feeding her for awhile.

That's what baby dogs do! They nibble at everything, including you. She is NOT teething yet. She is nibbling and growling at you because she wants to play with you as if you were a puppy! She's not being mean; she doesn't know any better.

But there's another problem here.

A five-week-old puppy is too young to be away from her mama! Usually it is six to eight weeks when they leave home. If this girl can't go back to her mama for another two weeks, would you PLEASE take her to your veterinarian for a checkup and ask how you can take care of her best? You need professional help so she won't have physical or emotional problems later on.

For the nibbling, you need to give her a lot of things she is able to chew on instead of you. Pet stores have puppy toys that are soft enough for puppy mouths.

If you have young children, you must supervise strictly. Puppy play can hurt children, and children can hurt puppies, too. Keep a good eye on her all the time. This is like having a brand new baby (a preemie!) at your house, and she'll need lots of TLC.

Why is she not with her mother still? She's not even 5 weeks old!

She is very , very young. Puppies shouldn't leave their littermates until they are at least 6 weeks, usually 8 weeks old. She probably hasn't been weaned even, like Riley suggested, get her a bottle and some doggie formula, it is sold at Petsmart.
Since she is a shepherd it is imperative that you get her into dog obedience classes. Take her to the dog parks and let her socialize with as many people and as many other dogs as you can.
Shepherds are very protective, they are great dogs but need to be socialized early.

I love Amber's advice! She is way too young to be living with you! This could cause all sorts of problems in the future. I would question what kind of breeder would give her to you at such a young age. She isn't teething yet, she needs her mommy. No matter what you do, when you have a dog like a german shepherd, you HAVE to have her in training classes, or you are in for a lifetime of problems. I think she is way too young for classes though, but you should message Amber and ask questions. She sounds like she could help you.

Get some books on dog training from the library. THis is not something you should let her do. Have you had her in any dog training classes yet. If not I would enroll in one. Petsmart here offers them and they are reasonable. Good luck with this. Arent dogs great?