I have been lurking on this site a while now.  Certainly appreciate all the experience that comes through in the postings.  Now for my question...

As context, my wife and I have 2 little girls (3yo and 5 months) and have wanted a dog for some time.  I introduced the idea of a GSP and for 4 weeks now we have had 12 week old Juneau living with us and becoming part of the family.  She is to be a family dog first but also hunting companion for me.

While so much of the puppies first 4 weeks have gone VERY well (quick housetraining, sleeping almost through the night, good basic obedience for me/wife as well as with our 3 yo daughter) there is a persisitent trait in the puppy that is very distasteful.  While she certainly exhibits all the normal puppy "mouthing" that is to be expected, and that we have frankly managed pretty well with chew toys and boundaries, she seems to go into aggressive moods around us and it is wearing my (stay at home) wife thin.

She will start biting at us, our clothing or the carpet very aggressively and growling.  This is not something we have ignored or encouraged in any way.  quite the opposite, we jump on it any time it happens with, first a scruff or collar hold/shake and gruff "NO BITE", and if she continues I will then hold her down, and if she resumes again, I will put her in her wire crate.  The problem is, except for putting her in her crate, these things seem to not phase her - in fact, if anything, it gets her more worked up.  This worries me for a few reasons: 1) she seems to have an aggressive/mean streak in her and 2) when in this mood, she seems very resistant to higher level correction, 3) my wife is feeling uncomfortable around her.  We could really use some thoughts and input from the group as this was not an aspect I was expecting in this well-liked breed...

Thanks!

Pixie is right.  The other thing I have noticed about GSP puppies is they start acting out when they are tired.  I have a 6 mos old male that needs a ton of exercise, but also needs rest periods during the day.  When he starts getting wild and my girls (GSPs too) have had enough, I put him into his crate for a long nap.  So his day is something like the following.

6 AM outside to potty with his sisters while I get their morning meal ready

6:15 AM eat morning meal and then back outside

7AM maybe sooner if it is cold out, they all come back inside and are ususally asleep within a few minutes.  They usually sleep until about 10AM

10AM back outside with all three dogs.  They usually play and run and chase squirrels until lunch time.  I usually throw the ball for them at lunch and then they come in for another nap.

3PM back outside for more play time and running.

4:30PM dinner is served

4:45 PM back outside

5:30PM walk, ball throwing or frisbee time

6:30 PM in the house until training time

7PM - 9PM dog training time at a training center near where I live

9:30PM outside time to go to the bathroom

10PM in for the night

Weekends are the same except I take them on long hikes, swimming at the lake, or hunt training on leases or reserves.

Thanks muchly for your thoughts TB and Pixie.  I guess this is something for us to look at.  It is just so at odds with her "normal" behavior.  For instance, my three year old with a squeaky little voice that couldn't scare a gnat can get Juneau to sit, lie down and not touch a cookie held up to her nose until she says "take it".  But then she'll have one of these episodes I describe and she might as well have no training...  It has been frustrating.

Sounds like what I have always called the "Crazy Halos" after my number 2 GSP female, Halo.  She is now 3 years old, but when she was a puppy and up until she was about 2 YO, she would have momemts were she would go berzerk bouncing off the walls and furniture and getting into everything. Also, couldn't hear a command to save her soul.  Thus I called it the "Crazy Halo."  In every instance of this it was that she was tired. The more tired she was the worse she got.  Now my 6 mos old male, Ringo, is doing the same thing.  The best thing to do if it is as I described is to put them in a crate for a time out.  I usually leave them in an hour or so.  If they are sleeping, just let them sleep.  Once they get restless then I get them out to go potty and play. This will save allot of frustration on everyones part. 

Just be sure you do not let her out of the crate for whining or misbehavior as that will create a different problem.

so, I changed Juneau's food from Blue Buffalo - puppy, to Royal Canine maxi-puppy and WHAT a difference!  First of all, she no longer picks at her food, but now devours it and licks the bowl clean.  Secondly in the last 2 days she hasn't had another aggressive episode.  I was wondering why she seemed so indifferent to the food (which by the label seemed to be very nuitritious stuff) and was so easily distracted from it.  That and noticing that while she is certainly growing quickly, there is NO extra meat on her at all.  I put that together with the group's feedback on puppy's trying to communicate certain basic needs (water, sleep, exercise, FOOD) through some out of character aggressive attempts at getting attention.  Anyway, hope I am not celebrating too early, but it looks like a breakthrough!

I hope it is the food too.  That would be so wonderful.  However, do not expect all the puppy antics and wildness to go away.