Puppy biting actually seems aggressive...

Your puppy is normal.

Part of it is play, part of it is actually exhibiting a mild herding instinct.

This breed is bred to maintain grips.

It is a herding dog yes, but it is also a protection dog, and we harp on grip.

When the puppy grabs you, stop moving, say "Ahah!" and give her something else to chew on. She's not intentionally being naughty or mean, just following her instincts (prey drive in this case) to grab onto the moving object and make it stop so it goes in the "right" direction.

If after redirecting she still insists on chomping you, matter of factly pick her up, take her to her kennel, and put her in for a minute or two. She'll learn quickly that playing too roughly costs her a playmate.

Got a schutzhund club near you? xD!

Xeph said:

Admittedly, schutzhund is not a "cheap" sport, but it can tell you ALL sorts of things about your dog!

And it is more than just protection. It is obedience and tracking too. In fact, overall, the idea of schutzhund is to show how OBEDIENT your dog is in all situations!

Also, even if you can't afford to do it all the time, there ARE obedience and tracking only titles (So you can get the OB1-3 and TR1-3 and not do any protection)

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I just did a quick google and the only club in my state is full at the moment and not accepting members. According to the FAQ, the annual membership is only around 150AUD which actually is not bad at all. However, I'm already attending basic obedience with the local GSD club and even that's a challenge! I can't even get her to sit yet. She just lacks focus. Absolutely anything is better than me dangling beef liver infront of her nose telling her to sit! (Yes even the concrete ground).

But every time I lose my patience, her puppy face just reminds me how cute she is. I'm really looking forward to her maturing a bit though and can muster up more than 0.01 seconds of concentration.

Mike778 said:

She has 0 interest in any toys.

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Try a tug toy.

Ahhh GSD puppies...LAND SHARK ALERT! LOL

I'm going to suggest a couple of things..don't know what all you have tried but all are worth a shot.

1/build yourself a flirt pole (a piece of small diameter pvc pipe about 4 feet long, a lightweight but tough piece of rope long enough to go all the way through the pipe and to have 6-10 feet off the other end depending onthe size of your yard and your own physical coordination, and a "dead animal" toy..like the unstuffed sort). Put the rope through the pipe and knot is so it will stay, attach the "dead animal" onto the other end. If she is not interested right away, you can make the toypart smelly by adding peanut butter or fish oil to it. Hold the pole part and flip, turn and throw the toy around the yard with it..used kind of like a longe line with a horse. This keeps the movement of the toy going and encourages her to chase it and bite it. This is a great way of venting her prey and herding drives and keeps the toy well away from YOU. My GSD and GSD mix clients have done very well with this inexpensive and interactive game.

2/Work your training in before her meals. A slightly hungry puppy is much more motivated to work for her food. Try many different kinds of treats and work out a "value hierarchy", some dogs will work for kibble, some need steak..a lot depends on the distraction levels and personal attention span of the puppy. I believe, IMO, that all dogs WILL work for food (eat or die..food is a primary reinforcer) if done right and choosing the right foods. Food is the easiest for basic training..the dog needs to learn how to learn before mixing in lifestyle rewards like toys, freedom, walks, play etc.

3/Don't manhandle her by pinning or forcing her mouth open (at least as much as is feasible..if she's got something dangerous in her mouth you do what you have to). Now, part of this is because as a positive trainer I don't recommend force at all, but it is also because any hands around face, forcey kind of stuff just makes a GSD an air snapping, finger grabbing maniac (at least in my experience)..the young guy I was working with recently grabbed his owners hands and sleeves and air bit repeatedly because PETTING his head, unless it was slow, methodical petting of neck, ears, made him worse. Once WE became calm, soothing voiced, slow moving masseurs he calmed down..a lot.

4/Teach her to tug (with rules...but you still have to find a treat she likes..lol)

5/Teach her to target your hand or a target stick (see sticky on targeting).

6/If you don't want her grabbing your stuff, make sure it is out of sight. If you don't want her grabbing your clothing, don't wear loose sleeves, drawstrings or anything stretchy or with laces that are long. This goes for any pup...

Good luck, she's adorable...
and you know that's why they make puppies and babies cute to start with right? So we won't want to kill em.

There are very few dogs in the world I won't play tug with. It's a great game, interactive and a good outlet for natural doggy behaviours. Tugging does not create aggression, but in some dogs can increase it..that's why the "rules"are so important.

You should start with teaching a "drop" command (using trading for goodies) before getting really into tugging.

The rules of Tug (the way I do it anyway..):
The tug toy must be long enough that YOU are not part of an accidental grab. A long, big tug toy is a must. Occasionally she may accidentally get you, when that happens, yelp and stop play for minute or stop the game completely. Be prepared for her to be frustrated by that if it happens. Impulse control is a toughy for high energy, mouthy breeds like GSD's.

The toy is only used for play between you and your dog. When the game is over the tug goes away. It helps keep the game 'special' and also prevents ingestion of the ropes.

The tugging starts and stops on your command:
Take it, starts the game.
Drop it, ends the game or the section of the game (reward by giving it back and playing some more!) or praise reward and then "all done."

To start play for the first time:

Offer the tug, let her pull a bit on it, being careful not to whip it back and forth roughly..not only does that really rev the pup up but is very hard on still developing teeth, jaws and neck.
When you decide to stop (or for her to calm down). Pull the hand(s) with the tug in close to your body, using your hips/thighs as an anchor and STOP MOVING. Wait. Possibly wait some more. Turn your head, wait some more. The toy (and you) will eventually become pretty boring...puppy will let go.

Immediately praise and "take it" again. Repeat(this is the training phase)...eventually she will drop as soon as you stop moving, this is when you add the "drop" or "give" cue. Practice some more using the cue combined with the "freeze"..and then see if she'll do it without the freeze. If not, go back a step and work on it some more. Always reward the release with praise, the return to the game or a treat.

Once you have the game "learned" you can even let her win occasionally! That makes for a HAPPY GSD.