# Puppy Biting?



## Todahatch1 (Mar 3, 2017)

Yes, I know its another landshark dilemma question. I have read tons of material online about bite inhibition and the mouthiness of GSD's. I have tried pretty much all of the tips (Ex. yelp like a dog, push on their lips when they bite, time out, walk away, even at one point pin the dog to his side (regret doing this)). But my 11 week old puppy will literally start biting my limbs right out of the crate, at times get so amped up that he would charge at me and attempt to bite me (I know with a lot of force because when he misses, i can Hear the loud snap from his jaws). The only thing i can do is crate him when he won't stop but this option will lead him being crated all day. I take him on walks (Limiting exposure because he hasn't have all his shot which the vet told me to keep his exposure low). and training session when he isn't half way crazy. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

sigh....
It's a faze that will pass around the 6 month mark give or take. Just give him lots of toys to bite on to teach him what's appropriate and what's not. Also, that exposure thing because not having all his shots? It's mostly bs. Don't take him to a field littered with dog poop but I would take him to as much places as possible. Don't let him meet other dogs or people, but let him see them from a distance, the goal being to get him to treat them as furniture. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Soft surface exercise as much as possible is the key to raising a good puppy. They will bite, nothing you can really do about it except to show him what's appropriate and what's not. 11 weeks is very young, he doesn't know that biting hurts. I think my dog had that eureka moment when he bonded to me and then bit his own tail and yelped in pain, then he realized that biting me hurts too.


----------



## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Julian G said:


> sigh....
> It's a faze that will pass around the 6 month mark give or take. Just give him lots of toys to bite on to teach him what's appropriate and what's not. Also, that exposure thing because not having all his shots? It's mostly bs. Don't take him to a field littered with dog poop but I would take him to as much places as possible. Don't let him meet other dogs or people, but let him see them from a distance, the goal being to get him to treat them as furniture. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Soft surface exercise as much as possible is the key to raising a good puppy. They will bite, nothing you can really do about it except to show him what's appropriate and what's not. 11 weeks is very young, he doesn't know that biting hurts. I think my dog had that eureka moment when he bonded to me and then bit his own tail and yelped in pain, then he realized that biting me hurts too.


Parvo is no joke, OP, and anyone who dismisses it as a risk is an abject fool. That being said, it's a balancing act. I took my puppy on sidewalk walks and let her meet people, and she went to puppy class and got exposure to being around other dogs while on leash. Once she was through all her shots, I felt better about taking her for walks around lakes (I live in a city with walking trails around lakes) or through grassier areas. 

On the biting, talk to a trainer, but I suspect you'll need to address that with a NO BITE and some type of correction.


----------



## Todahatch1 (Mar 3, 2017)

So basically best thing to do is wait it out? Because I have pretty much done all the aforementioned techniques. When I make a verbal correction, it just seem to increase his intensity. I do still walk and excercise my puppy, just not frequent high traffic dog areas and limiting certain environments. Yes I am concern about parvo which the vet told me can be contracted by just eating infected grass, and I am pretty sure we all know gsd puppies love to eat random stuff they find including grass. And again, don't mean to upset anyone in asking a common question but just trying to see if there are an unconventional approach that I should take because the conventional ones haven't work thus far.
Here is a picture of him just because I know people love pictures


----------



## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

He is a good looking boy. What I done with my dogs is just embrace it. Keep plenty of ropes and soft chews around. When he starts to bite on ya just take the opportunity to play. If for some reason you're doing something where it isn't ideal to be getting bitten on. Push your thumb far back in his mouth and press on his tongue while your other fingers close around his lower muzzle. While saying no bite. He will gag a little but then remove your hand and give him a chew toy. Eventually he will learn that biting you means gag and he'll quit. But I mostly took a lot of time to play tug, wrestle, and bond with them.


----------



## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

WateryTart said:


> Parvo is no joke, OP, and anyone who dismisses it as a risk is an abject fool. That being said, it's a balancing act. I took my puppy on sidewalk walks and let her meet people, and she went to puppy class and got exposure to being around other dogs while on leash. Once she was through all her shots, I felt better about taking her for walks around lakes (I live in a city with walking trails around lakes) or through grassier areas.
> 
> *On the biting, talk to a trainer, but I suspect you'll need to address that with a NO BITE and some type of correction.*


Correcting an 11 week old puppy? You really have no clue what you're talking about. Perfect way to kill his drive.


----------



## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Julian G said:


> Correcting an 11 week old puppy? You really have no clue what you're talking about. Perfect way to kill his drive.


Do you have a source for this information?


----------



## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

I didn't have a biting issue. I walked off leash, played, tired out my puppy. I utilized a crate and also didn't allow my dog to get amped up and bite me, or any family members. Utilize toys. Utilize your yard.


----------



## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

Todahatch1 said:


> So basically best thing to do is wait it out? Because I have pretty much done all the aforementioned techniques. When I make a verbal correction, it just seem to increase his intensity. I do still walk and excercise my puppy, just not frequent high traffic dog areas and limiting certain environments. Yes I am concern about parvo which the vet told me can be contracted by just eating infected grass, and I am pretty sure we all know gsd puppies love to eat random stuff they find including grass. And again, don't mean to upset anyone in asking a common question but just trying to see if there are an unconventional approach that I should take because the conventional ones haven't work thus far.
> Here is a picture of him just because I know people love pictures


He looks like a working line, sables usually are. They have tons of drive and bite a lot. Don't kill his drive by correction. When I had pups I would carry a tug toy in my pocket, when he bit my hands or ankles I would say NO, then give him the toy and praise him for biting the toy. It will pass, it always does. I wouldn't take him where other dogs have been, I know it's hard to find an area like that but try. 8-12 weeks is crucial for socialization so take him to stores, home depot, fairs, markets, and just let him observe. I wouldn't let him meet other dogs. In a different thread I gave some advice that might suit you well. Wake up, take the pup to potty and take his food with you, when he behaves just click and treat, don't feed him from the bowl for a while, let him exercise his butt off and then do some light obedience using the rest of his breakfast. Don't feed him too much before exercise because it can cause bloat. Then back in the crate he goes, repeat. I usually free shape and wait for them to do something good and click and treat.


----------



## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

Julian G said:


> He looks like a working line, sables usually are. They have tons of drive and bite a lot. Don't kill his drive by correction. When I had pups I would carry a tug toy in my pocket, when he bit my hands or ankles I would say NO, then give him the toy and praise him for biting the toy. It will pass, it always does. I wouldn't take him where other dogs have been, I know it's hard to find an area like that but try. 8-12 weeks is crucial for socialization so take him to stores, home depot, fairs, markets, and just let him observe. I wouldn't let him meet other dogs. In a different thread I gave some advice that might suit you well. Wake up, take the pup to potty and take his food with you, when he behaves just click and treat, don't feed him from the bowl for a while, let him exercise his butt off and then do some light obedience using the rest of his breakfast. Don't feed him too much before exercise because it can cause bloat. Then back in the crate he goes, repeat. I usually free shape and wait for them to do something good and click and treat.


A verbal correction is still a correction. Just thought I'd point that out.


----------



## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Julian G said:


> Correcting an 11 week old puppy? You really have no clue what you're talking about. Perfect way to kill his drive.





Julian G said:


> He looks like a working line, sables usually are. They have tons of drive and bite a lot. Don't kill his drive by correction. When I had pups I would carry a tug toy in my pocket, when he bit my hands or ankles I would say NO, then give him the toy and praise him for biting the toy. It will pass, it always does. I wouldn't take him where other dogs have been, I know it's hard to find an area like that but try. 8-12 weeks is crucial for socialization so take him to stores, home depot, fairs, markets, and just let him observe. I wouldn't let him meet other dogs. In a different thread I gave some advice that might suit you well. Wake up, take the pup to potty and take his food with you, when he behaves just click and treat, don't feed him from the bowl for a while, let him exercise his butt off and then do some light obedience using the rest of his breakfast. Don't feed him too much before exercise because it can cause bloat. Then back in the crate he goes, repeat. I usually free shape and wait for them to do something good and click and treat.


Well, my puppy won't die of parvo so there's that.

Also, a verbal correction is still a correction.


----------



## EmilieMaria (Feb 22, 2017)

I'm in the same boat as you. My puppy is 9 weeks old and is an his own landshark world. The best thing that works for me is ALWAYS have a toy ready that you can just put in his mouth when he goes to bite at you. I haven't gotten bit nearly as much as iv heard other people, but then again I am more than prepared for when he does . Isn't puppyhood great.... lol it's going to be bitter SWEET when it's over.


----------



## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Julian G said:


> He looks like a working line, sables usually are. They have tons of drive and bite a lot. Don't kill his drive by correction. When I had pups I would carry a tug toy in my pocket, when he bit my hands or ankles I would say NO, then give him the toy and praise him for biting the toy. It will pass, it always does. I wouldn't take him where other dogs have been, I know it's hard to find an area like that but try. 8-12 weeks is crucial for socialization so take him to stores, home depot, fairs, markets, and just let him observe. I wouldn't let him meet other dogs. In a different thread I gave some advice that might suit you well. Wake up, take the pup to potty and take his food with you, when he behaves just click and treat, don't feed him from the bowl for a while, let him exercise his butt off and then do some light obedience using the rest of his breakfast. Don't feed him too much before exercise because it can cause bloat. Then back in the crate he goes, repeat. I usually free shape and wait for them to do something good and click and treat.


Not all working lines have tons of drive. Not everyone wants to do sport or work their dog. 
A lot of top professionals don't allow puppy biting..


----------



## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

A properly bred dog cannot have it's drive so easily squandered by corrections, and corrections are essential to proper training IMO. Corrections do not mean yelling and hitting to me, though.

Positive trainers will suggest yelping, but you'll find that with high drive puppies they don't really care, they are in fight/play mode and the yelp is giving them the attention they want.

With my dog (then puppy) I would tell him no and put him in another room or go into another room and close the door, over and over as many times as it took for him to understand that if he isn't going to play properly with me then I will not participate. That is only when he was super hyped up though, usually his mouthing was easily redirected to a toy.


----------



## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

Dracovich said:


> A properly bred dog cannot have it's drive so easily squandered by corrections, and corrections are essential to proper training IMO. Corrections do not mean yelling and hitting to me, though.
> 
> Positive trainers will suggest yelping, but you'll find that with high drive puppies they don't really care, they are in fight/play mode and the yelp is giving them the attention they want.
> 
> With my dog (then puppy) I would tell him no and put him in another room or go into another room and close the door, over and over as many times as it took for him to understand that if he isn't going to play properly with me then I will not participate. That is only when he was super hyped up though, usually his mouthing was easily redirected to a toy.


I was under the impression that someone was recommending a leash pop or some form of compulsion on an 11 wk old puppy. In my experience biting can easily be converted into something positive for the overall development of the dog, e.g. agility, bite development, obedience, tracking. exercise. As a kid I used to use the isolation method, then realized all the time I was wasting locking the pup up. Over the years I sort of learned to "eat it" and keep on trucking. I know the pup doesn't know any better at such an early age. That's just my theory.


----------



## SadTales (Jul 20, 2016)

Ahh... Puppies will be puppies.. The memories.. The horrible little puppy scars from the sharp.. Mini shark.

What I recommend is, pull out a toy, ball.. Rope, and pulling it along, puppy will go for the toy instantly. If uninterested in the toy .. The distraction, I also recommend doing a correction and saying "NO BITE" like others have mentioned, if that doesn't work, get up and walk away.

Most puppies though... Will still bite, and bite and bite, yet, they always grow out of the biting phase, but what I would truly recommend is, putting on some thick socks, and some shoes, and just pulling out a toy asap, the toy is your savior remember that.

Absolutely stunner pup you got there as well.  X


----------



## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

Julian G said:


> I was under the impression that someone was recommending a leash pop or some form of compulsion on an 11 wk old puppy. In my experience biting can easily be converted into something positive for the overall development of the dog, e.g. agility, bite development, obedience, tracking. exercise. As a kid I used to use the isolation method, then realized all the time I was wasting locking the pup up. Over the years I sort of learned to "eat it" and keep on trucking. I know the pup doesn't know any better at such an early age. That's just my theory.


I'm not talking about locking a puppy up to go watch TV. There are things we have to do aside from care for our pups, utilize separation! I'm also not talking about anything over 5-10 minutes.My preferred method is to make the puppy concentrate on a toy, not only to teach that you're not a chew toy but it helps them understand what IS appropriate to chew on!


----------



## Todahatch1 (Mar 3, 2017)

thanks for all the the suggestions guys. Will give the free shaping thing a try. He is from a working line DDR lineage. The toy redirection does work at times but for only about 5 mins at most but i will stay consistent. Hopefully he gets it.


----------

