I have an 11 week old GSD. His dad was a K-9 for the police department I work for. Hes been with us now for about a month. He will not stop biting me and the rest of my family. I love him to death. Hes a great dog otherwise, I mean he does normal puppy stuff but this is the only issue I have. I grew up around GSD's and never had this problem. Any advice would be great cause he has drew blood on my fiance and want this type of behavior to stop. I do not want to get rid of him and also don't want to see myself in court over this.
Cant get my GSD to stop biting!
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before i gave my gsd pup back to breeder he was biting too
only 3 more weeeks left for afghan to come back yay
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There is a lot you can do before giving the puppy back...lots of puppies bite, it's because their...puppies! Puppies use their mouths to play, because their teething, and for lots of reasons.
You can try the ouch method, say ouch every time he bites.
You can say ouch, fold your arms, and ignore him, stopping all play.
You can also leave the room if they won't stop.
The best punishment for puppies is isolation for a bit!
You can try the ouch method, say ouch every time he bites.
You can say ouch, fold your arms, and ignore him, stopping all play.
You can also leave the room if they won't stop.
The best punishment for puppies is isolation for a bit!
Thanks for the replies I will give that a shot. My fear was even though this is not my first GSD, this is the first one that bit to this extent. I thought maybe it was his drive affecting this. The hard part is making sure the Fiance and my 4 year old do the same thing. I will give it a try thanks again!
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I don't think it's got anything to do with his heritage; these things vary from dog to dog. Read these tips, they will help.
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_BiteInhibition.php
Consistency is VERY important, so definitely get your fiance on board. Until this is slightly more under control I wouldn't let your 4 y/o (or anyone, really... but the kid especially) wrestle or play rough with the pup.
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_BiteInhibition.php
Consistency is VERY important, so definitely get your fiance on board. Until this is slightly more under control I wouldn't let your 4 y/o (or anyone, really... but the kid especially) wrestle or play rough with the pup.
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GSD's are typically mouthy but some more than others.
Definitely read the info given and links about puppy biting and bite inhibition. Please be sure not to use force to stop it..because it can make it worse. Start training the pup to target and make sure he is getting appropriate "brain" work by basic obedience using lots of rewards. Be calm and try not to pet him on the face, head a lot...the GSD's I know get VERY excited with praise and petting and become land sharks!
You did not specify the exact circumstances of the bite on your fiancee, so it's hard to say whether this is even truly a bite...is it a surface injury or a true puncture? Nipping and drawing a bit of blood is not good, for sure, but is not really considered a bite at least not from an 11 week old pup. It's unfortunate you got him so early from the breeder as they learn a lot about bite inhibition from their littermates and I often don't recommend taking a pup home before 9-10 weeks for this reason.
Puppies/dogs and young children do not belong together unsupervised, ever. Too many variables of behaviour on both sides there. Please be sure they are supervised and that when you cannot be supervising that the puppy is crated.
Definitely read the info given and links about puppy biting and bite inhibition. Please be sure not to use force to stop it..because it can make it worse. Start training the pup to target and make sure he is getting appropriate "brain" work by basic obedience using lots of rewards. Be calm and try not to pet him on the face, head a lot...the GSD's I know get VERY excited with praise and petting and become land sharks!
You did not specify the exact circumstances of the bite on your fiancee, so it's hard to say whether this is even truly a bite...is it a surface injury or a true puncture? Nipping and drawing a bit of blood is not good, for sure, but is not really considered a bite at least not from an 11 week old pup. It's unfortunate you got him so early from the breeder as they learn a lot about bite inhibition from their littermates and I often don't recommend taking a pup home before 9-10 weeks for this reason.
Puppies/dogs and young children do not belong together unsupervised, ever. Too many variables of behaviour on both sides there. Please be sure they are supervised and that when you cannot be supervising that the puppy is crated.
good advice you have received..
but it nothing works, you can send him to me.
At 11 weeks he thinks he is playing but he is playing too rough. Yelp like another dog when he bites you and then abandon him. Leave. Or put him in a room and shut the door. Game Over.
I would also get him a tug toy.. a rope toy or some other toy made for pulling. Tie this to a length of rope (5 - 6 feet). When he goes to play, redirect him to this toy. Do not let him have the toy EXCEPT when he is playing with you or you are working with him. Use it as a reward (quick game of tug) while training him. When you want him to let go of the toy, swap a bit of food for the toy (bit of hot dog.. and by bit I mean 1/2 dime size bit). Offer it on the flat of your hand. IF he "accidentally" grabs or touches you with his teeth, yelp and put the toy away and walk away. Ignore him. Game Over.
Keep the 4 YO and the dog separated. A 4YO is too young to understand and will be afraid of a dog that bites (even in play). I have no advice retraining the Fiance. Never had much luck training humans. I mostly just rehomed them.
but it nothing works, you can send him to me.
At 11 weeks he thinks he is playing but he is playing too rough. Yelp like another dog when he bites you and then abandon him. Leave. Or put him in a room and shut the door. Game Over.
I would also get him a tug toy.. a rope toy or some other toy made for pulling. Tie this to a length of rope (5 - 6 feet). When he goes to play, redirect him to this toy. Do not let him have the toy EXCEPT when he is playing with you or you are working with him. Use it as a reward (quick game of tug) while training him. When you want him to let go of the toy, swap a bit of food for the toy (bit of hot dog.. and by bit I mean 1/2 dime size bit). Offer it on the flat of your hand. IF he "accidentally" grabs or touches you with his teeth, yelp and put the toy away and walk away. Ignore him. Game Over.
Keep the 4 YO and the dog separated. A 4YO is too young to understand and will be afraid of a dog that bites (even in play). I have no advice retraining the Fiance. Never had much luck training humans. I mostly just rehomed them.
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Another reason why I think getting a pup at seven weeks of age is too young. Much has to be taught by mother and siblings such as bite inhibition.
As has been mentioned many dogs are mouthy and GSDs fall into that category. This can be brought under control and will eventually go away. Ignoring, turning your back on the dog, puppy time out (when it gets to excessive) and verbal correction can help. Mine learned from verbals and the famous in house "No teeth"....lol.
You are the mommy and have to teach him bite inhibition.
As has been mentioned many dogs are mouthy and GSDs fall into that category. This can be brought under control and will eventually go away. Ignoring, turning your back on the dog, puppy time out (when it gets to excessive) and verbal correction can help. Mine learned from verbals and the famous in house "No teeth"....lol.
You are the mommy and have to teach him bite inhibition.
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well....11 weeks old is a bit young to give up on the pup, isn't it? i mean, you've had the pup for 3, maybe (but hopefully not) 5 weeks? don't give up, it is most definitely something you can stop.
here is what worked for my wife and i, which is right in line with what others have already suggested. the only reason i'm replying is because maybe it will help with your frustration knowing many other people have had the same issue - my wife and i have a dutch shepherd, also from strong working lines.
whenever teeth touch skin or clothes, on purpose or on accident, yelp and ignore. we did not isolate him in a different room (i'm not implying that isolating the pup is a bad idea, i'm saying we did not do that), we allowed him to try to get our attention, and each and every time he ended up in front of either of us, we would simply fold our arms and turn our backs - no eye contact with the pup while ignoring. when we did that, our dog got the point that mom and dad were really unhappy with him for some reason, and quickly put 2 and 2 together and figured out the reason why we were unhappy. it won't be an over night fix either, so don't expect that or get frustrated when you think you've made progress one day but all that progress seems to go out the window the next day. it'll get better for a while, then worse again, then better again etc as the pup matures and goes through phases where he pushes his boundaries or simply "forgets" things that you think have already been learned.
tug - definitely play tug. give that mouth something to do, something acceptible. tug is also a great way to remove some energy from the pup. 3 simple rules we used for tug were:
1 - you start the game (just because the tug toy comes out does not mean the pup is allowed to latch on to it immediately. pick a command to use to let him know he is allowed to start playing)
2 - you end the game (pick a command to use to have the pup release the tug, we used the method Elana55 suggested to teach this command)
3 - if teeth touch skin or clothes, on accident or on purpose -> game over...immediately, game over, toy put away, and ignore.
keep the toy you use to play tug put away, only take it out to play tug, and put it away when the game is over. keep this toy very high value and when you start to train obedience (or whatever) you have a great reward. our dog will do just about anything you ask him to do for a little bit of tug or a ball.
the more consistant you and your family can be with the reaction to the biting/mouthing, the better. this worked out very well for my wife and i because we are both very active with the training of the dog. whenever he mouthed either of us, we would both ignore him - do not allow other family members to comfort him or play with him while you ignore him for biting/mouthing you. you will have to work this out with the fiance and 4YO. definitely keep the 4YO and the puppy separate when you are not 100% attentive on the interactions between them.
being a GSD, your strongest leverage will probably be his desire to make/keep you happy - that was the case with our dutchie. he does not like it when mom and dad are upset with him. use that, it's a very strong tool. start thinking of a job for your GSD, as it sounds like he will most definitely need one.
here is what worked for my wife and i, which is right in line with what others have already suggested. the only reason i'm replying is because maybe it will help with your frustration knowing many other people have had the same issue - my wife and i have a dutch shepherd, also from strong working lines.
whenever teeth touch skin or clothes, on purpose or on accident, yelp and ignore. we did not isolate him in a different room (i'm not implying that isolating the pup is a bad idea, i'm saying we did not do that), we allowed him to try to get our attention, and each and every time he ended up in front of either of us, we would simply fold our arms and turn our backs - no eye contact with the pup while ignoring. when we did that, our dog got the point that mom and dad were really unhappy with him for some reason, and quickly put 2 and 2 together and figured out the reason why we were unhappy. it won't be an over night fix either, so don't expect that or get frustrated when you think you've made progress one day but all that progress seems to go out the window the next day. it'll get better for a while, then worse again, then better again etc as the pup matures and goes through phases where he pushes his boundaries or simply "forgets" things that you think have already been learned.
tug - definitely play tug. give that mouth something to do, something acceptible. tug is also a great way to remove some energy from the pup. 3 simple rules we used for tug were:
1 - you start the game (just because the tug toy comes out does not mean the pup is allowed to latch on to it immediately. pick a command to use to let him know he is allowed to start playing)
2 - you end the game (pick a command to use to have the pup release the tug, we used the method Elana55 suggested to teach this command)
3 - if teeth touch skin or clothes, on accident or on purpose -> game over...immediately, game over, toy put away, and ignore.
keep the toy you use to play tug put away, only take it out to play tug, and put it away when the game is over. keep this toy very high value and when you start to train obedience (or whatever) you have a great reward. our dog will do just about anything you ask him to do for a little bit of tug or a ball.
the more consistant you and your family can be with the reaction to the biting/mouthing, the better. this worked out very well for my wife and i because we are both very active with the training of the dog. whenever he mouthed either of us, we would both ignore him - do not allow other family members to comfort him or play with him while you ignore him for biting/mouthing you. you will have to work this out with the fiance and 4YO. definitely keep the 4YO and the puppy separate when you are not 100% attentive on the interactions between them.
being a GSD, your strongest leverage will probably be his desire to make/keep you happy - that was the case with our dutchie. he does not like it when mom and dad are upset with him. use that, it's a very strong tool. start thinking of a job for your GSD, as it sounds like he will most definitely need one.
Climber's description is the same as mine but more complete. Do that.
As soon as you can, get puppy and yourself in a puppy class and then go to basic obedience. Obedience training can be your dog's job. The only thing is you have to keep at it. The side reward is a dog that will do what you ask when you ask and look for more.
Nothing nicer than a well trained dog. Can take them with you places and they are a joy to have.
As soon as you can, get puppy and yourself in a puppy class and then go to basic obedience. Obedience training can be your dog's job. The only thing is you have to keep at it. The side reward is a dog that will do what you ask when you ask and look for more.
Nothing nicer than a well trained dog. Can take them with you places and they are a joy to have.
Again thanks for the replies. I think the tug of war is going to be a great reward for him as he loves playing it. He also loves the dog park. And I guess the more I read on here "biting" might have been the wrong word. He is very very mouthy and unfortunately this is the first litter for this breeder and I was ignorant to the fact he needed to be with momma for a little while longer. To the breeder's understanding, he thought as soon as they were weened they could go to their new homes. I think through this litter we have both learned that this isn't the case. About giving the dog up. That would never be my decision, as this dog is a part of my family. Its like saying I would give my kid up if she was bad. That was just my fiances words to me. Shes new to dogs and this pup is the first big dog she has been around. The drawing of blood on her: As I look closer to my Fiances arm its a scrape. So the more I read the more I understand that my dog is more than likely trying to get our attention, however getting it in the wrong way. Like I said he is an excellent dog in all other ways. Hes house broken, crate trained (we still have the i don't want to go in there attitude sometimes but its getting better), and very smart. As soon as I can figure this out I will post some pictures of him and post for all to see. Thanks for the post as they have been an eye opener and a relief. I am also thinking about training him with our K-9 unit to learn to track and then work him as a volunteer with a search and rescue group.
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I have a young German shepherd puppy from working lines - he just turned 4 months old (17 weeks, actually), and he still nips. Don't give up yet, because I sure am not planning to! It gets better as long as you are consistent and follow the instructions you have been given by the members here. Sometimes it gets frustrating and painful, but hey, it's all in the experience of a puppy.
Well, when I heard this puppy had a K9 background I was hoping for a rehome (but in my heart I knew better.. LOL).
It sounds like you have a plan for real work for the dog and you understand the situation. Keep us posted.
And, if you can, get to an obedience or puppy class. It can be a great way to learn and meet other people who have similar interests.
It sounds like you have a plan for real work for the dog and you understand the situation. Keep us posted.
And, if you can, get to an obedience or puppy class. It can be a great way to learn and meet other people who have similar interests.
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