# Sticky  Teaching Bite Inhibition



## JeanKBBMMMAAN

I see a lot of posts about puppies nipping, which is what puppies do. I think the goal is not so much to stop them from biting, but to teach them good bite inhibition/having a soft mouth. You can do the stopping biting quickly using negative reinforcement, or teach it slowly and as positively as possible where the dog actually LEARNS bite inhibition. And a result of this will be less and eventually no biting. 

That is a huge thing for a dog to learn. I have a pack o' dogs, I get foster puppies and I never have to teach it because they do it for me. Mario will in fact lick my arm in apology if he makes a mistake and mouths me. 

Since most people don't have that luck there are some articles on teaching it-that is the goal, really, bite inhibition, not stopping nipping. So yeah, can you scruff or smack a puppy and get them to stop? Yes, but can you create other problems in the process? Yes. And you want them to learn to do this as they grow. 

http://www.crickethollowfarm.com/biteinhib.htm The first part is the best. 

http://www.phsspca.org/training/puppy_biting.htm 

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/spt/SPT_Puppies.htm 
The other thing to remember is that you are replacing the playmates and mom that he knows and unless they had people spending a lot of time with the puppies at the breeder, they really don't know much about interacting with people. I think you'll all be fine! And as soon as shots are done, sign up for a positive based obedience class for fun! 

I figured after people checked those articles out, they could post other things, or reinforce things read, that they did to help their dogs learn that bite inhibition.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

Have seen a lot of new puppy biting posts-bumping!


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## SuzyE

Thank you for the articles. I am going to call a client and see if Cesar can start playdates with his female Lab pup THIS weekend. Cesar has four adult dogs to play with daily but I need to find him a puppymate.


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## tracyc

This topic has been made "sticky" so it will continue to be at the top of the threads in the puppy behavior forum. Thanks Jean for these great links. 

New posters: please continue to add additional links, resources, bite inhibition ideas and techniques, etc. to this thread.


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## borzoimom

How I teach bite inhibition is "game over". If you do not want the puppy to bite in play or mouth- as soon as they do- get up- or stand up- and leave the room... You do not see the dog following you or react. Remember- they only continue to do something if they realize a reaction.. 
" game Over..". Say nothing - walk out.. And its hard because you have to be consistant- that includes resting on the couch watching a movie you waited all week to see..


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## RussUK

im with borzoimon, when were playing, she can bite me, she does it soft, but as they game goes on, she can get a little rogher, usualy "no" calms it down but if not, i say "ow no" and walk away.


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## aaron.whitney

I am also currently going through the little pains of teaching bite inhibition. The methodology of teaching this has been covered very well in this forum. 
Odin's progress seems to be going good at times and then he gets me with a good one. I have noticed a direct relation between unacceptable bites and his need for a bathroom break. Anyone else experienced this? The little guy seems to have a way of bringing out the kid in me and making me loose track of time. My wife just informed me "It was the same with our last GSD puppy."


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## KTM450SX

I'm trying to teach my new pup this stuff too.

a loud NO! from me usually gets him to stop whatever he is doing, exept biting. NO! seems to have no effect...I cant get him to stop biting me. he got ahold of my hand today and bit hard started growling and then tried to tug my hand off I said NO NO a bunch tried yelping...he would not stop I finally had to grab him with my other hand and pin him on the floor, then I walked out of the room and left him there for a few minutes.


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## maxismom

Well this is timely...Max has become a terrorist lol. We are all having to keep our feet off the floor so he can't bite them! I will try these suggestions and hope it works. Either that or we are all soon to become pin cushions!


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## xwildman138x

Thanks everybody I was starting to get so frustrated with Baron because of the endless biting. It generally seems to happen right after I bring him back in the house from going potty. His bite is so strong that I couldnt get him off my hand today and tried to get my fingers in his mouth to get him to loosen up a little so I could get my hand back while yelling in pain. I use no in the hopes that someday it will sink in cause right now it just amps him up. Mostly I subsititute what I don't want chewed aka hands feet back of your calf, with his chew bone and rope. That works about 70 percent of the time. I'm dissapointed in myself because he is just a baby and I find myself getting mad at what he's doing. I've started using the walk out of the room technique and that seems to work. Hopefully it works totally for him but its definitely working for me so I get a minute to get my head on straight so I don't yell too loud or start having a yelling conversation with him. I catch myself saying outloud "you idiot he doesn't understand english why are you yelling at him in sentences." He's the best though cause when I'm doing that he just sits there looking at me like "whats this crazy guy doing?"


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## Jennifer McClellan

I have tried the loud no which stops him from clamping but he still bites. I have tried the walking away and usually trip over him as he is weaving between my legs. Now I am trying a yelp like a sibling which I took from advice on this site. It seems to work although it scares my husband each time I do it. He said I sound exactly like a puppy (does that mean I am really a b**** at heart LOL). Which is better than the sound he makes which sounds like a seal and CJ just looks at him with a tilted head. I guess it is just trying different things until you find something that works for you and your puppy. And works for this puppy may not work for another one.


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## doggiedad

i taught my puppy not to nip by giving him my hand or fingers. when he nipped i would hold by the scruff of the neck and say "no biting". i would give him my hand or fingers again if he licked me i would praise him and give a good rubbies. it either worked or he grew out of the nipping stage. i was sitting on the edge of the bed a few weeks ago and my now 14 month old boy walked over to me and put his open mouth around my knee. he didn't apply any pressure he just put my knee is mouth.


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## GSDOwner2008

We do what borzoimom does. Game over. If they bite, I get up and walk away. Now that Apollo is older, with all of his adult teeth present, he still chews on toys, but if I'm chillin' on the sofa, or the floor, Apollo will come up, lick my face, and plop down by my side. Zeus hardly bites at all either. It could be the method, or it could be that he saves it for his brother when they play... lol.


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## Keegan62

what great info

am doing this right now saying owwwww it does work he turns his head from side to side and stops lol

thanks for the info


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## rucker105

I got Zeke last Tuesday!! He is almost 9wks old and has been great.....

But his bite is becoming increasingly painful! If you are in a ten foot radius of him, your feet are in danger! And my hand was nearly punctured this morning! This thread has been very helpful, especially as a reminder that I am not alone! I wish "ow" would work with him, because I'm not faking it when I say it anymore. He just looks at me for a second then bites me harder. And carrying him is asking for it! He loves to nip the face when I take him downstairs at 6am, half asleep. 

Shall I just stay consistent with redirecting and the "gentle"/"no"/ignore combo and pray that he will shape-up? I don't want to be too forceful with the little guy but I have grabbed his muzzle and pinned him a few times when he gets wild and starts growling/barking. That seems to make him bite even more like its a game. 

He just doesnt take me seriously does he?! I'm about to resort to bitter apple spray on my hands (in addition to the already doused house). Could he be showing signs of "alpha" tendancies at this young age? My last dog was a lab, and as a puppy he was so gentle with his nipping. He seemed to listen and became rather submissive when he was older. I know these things can be unrelated, but Zeke has a lot of attitude!!


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## MaggieRoseLee

MLou, the biggest help for me was to really tire my pup out in ways not including my body parts. Car rides, hikes in woods, meeting friends with GOOD and healthy dogs for puppy play dates (make sure you trust the dogs to be friendly and up to date on shots).

A tired puppy listens better, learns better, behaves better and BITES less!


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## canucme278

I add this article to all my puppy packets
"No bite!"
Angel days and devil days: teaching bite inhibition to puppies

Q: My Dalmatian puppy is almost nine weeks old. I got him when he was five weeks. He's playful and fun but I can't get him to stop biting me. That seems to be the only way he likes to play anymore — rough! I've been telling him No!, holding his mouth shut while saying “No bite!” and even shoving my hand back in his mouth like a trainer told me to do. Nothing seems to work. In fact, he thinks I'm playing a game with him and gets more excited the more I try to stop him. Sometimes he walks right up and attacks me! What can I do? Is he vicious?
A: No, he's not vicious, he's just being a normal, rambunctious, and sometimes obnoxious puppy. To get control of your pup's biting, it helps to understand why puppies bite in the first place.
Biting and mouthing are normal behaviors for puppies. Dogs don't have hands so they investigate objects and their environment with their mouths. To a curious puppy, everything about this big world is brand new and exciting. He learns as he goes along. You can almost hear his thought processes as he discovers something he's never seen before: "Hmmm...what's this? [chomping on it] Something to eat? No? [tossing it around] Can I play with it? Maybe. Can I make it squeak?"
Playing is also a normal learning behavior for puppies, especially play-fighting. Play-fighting with littermates and other animals develops reflexes, coordination and physical skill. It also helps them develop social skills and teaches them how to interact positively within their canine society, their "pack." And it's great fun for them. Sometimes their fighting and "attacks" on us appear frighteningly fierce but to them, it's just a game. Much like a group of kids playing make-believe games and pretending to be grown-ups, puppies have their own games and pretend to be "grown-ups," too!
A dog's ability to control the force of his biting is called "bite inhibition." It's a critically important skill that every puppy needs to learn, the earlier the better. At first, they don't know their own strength nor how sharp their little teeth really are. Puppies learn to control the force of their biting from the reactions of their mothers and littermates during play and especially play-fighting.
We can teach puppies about bite inhibition, too, but some of the methods most often recommended aren't effective. Mother dogs' methods, however, are very effective, often more so than ours. I believe this is because they're speaking to their pups in the language they understand best -- dog language! A baby puppy is much too busy learning how to be a dog to take time to understand our human words and ways. That takes time and maturity. Puppies respond to dog language in a very powerful, instinctive way. We can take advantage of that by copying a mother dog's actions and using them for ourselves.
The idea of using mother dog's natural training techniques isn't new. Respected trainers like Carol Lea Benjamin have been using them for years. To understand these methods, let's take a look at a typical mother dog disciplining her brood. We'll use my Heather (Chow) and her four rowdy puppies as an example.
When a playful puppy bites Heather hard enough to hurt, she squeals in shocked indignation. The puppy, surprised at her reaction, usually hesitates a moment, unsure of himself, then tries to bite again. Heather yelps even louder this time and whirls on the puppy, growling, showing her teeth and scowling at him fiercely. Then she turns her back on him and storms away, completely ignoring him and any further attempts to get her to play. A smart puppy picks up her clear message quickly: "if you can't play nice, I won't play with you at all!"
If the puppy persists or doesn't take the hint, Heather doesn't fool around. With a menacing growl and using her teeth, she grabs him by the scruff of his neck and gives him a shake. If he sasses back, she gives him another little shake, tougher this time. She doesn't let go of the pup till he's acknowledged her authority (in dog language) by relaxing his body, laying his ears back and keeping still for a moment. Heather disciplines especially obnoxious puppies by knocking them over with her paw and pinning them to the ground, growling angrily and pinching them with her teeth. The puppies shriek but they're not really hurt. She doesn't let them up again untill they relax and lie still. After the correction, the puppy shakes his fur back into place and goes off in search of a playmate with a better sense of humor.
We don't have to growl at our puppies or shake them with our teeth, but we can modify Heather's technique for ourselves. The next time your puppy bites you, scream "OW!" in a high-pitched voice. Exaggerate a little. Then refuse to play with him or pay attention to him for a few minutes. If he doesn't get the message, give him a little scruff shake and scold him in a low-toned, threatening voice. You can exaggerate a little on that, too! Sound meaner than you really are. For puppies that just won't quit or seem to get wilder with every correction, flip them over on their backs, scold them in that same low, scary voice (growling) and gently but firmly, hold them in that position until they stop struggling.
We sometimes give puppies the wrong message about biting by some of the games we play with them. Wrestling and tug of war can encourage a puppy to bite and make it hard for him to distinguish when it's okay to use his teeth and when it's not. To make it easier for your puppy to learn good manners, it's a good idea to avoid these games.
Puppies seem to learn a great deal about bite inhibition and authority between five and eight weeks of age through play with their mothers and littermates. This is an especially good reason not to buy very young puppies. Puppies that were acquired earlier need to be taught these important things by their owners. They might require a little more intense use of Heather's methods than puppies that stayed with their litters longer. Puppies that receive little or no training in bite inhibition, either from their mothers or their people, may grow up to develop behavior problems.
I noticed that Heather picked out certain puppies for a little "extra" correction two or three times a day. She'd roll them over, pin them down for no apparent reason, growling at them if they didn't lie quietly. I noticed, too, that the puppies she chose were the most outgoing and dominant in the litter. She gave them regular reminders of her authority and the behavior she expected from them. I've found that using her technique myself works very well on puppies that've become too big for their britches!
Even with their mothers, puppies act a lot like kids -- they're always testing and pushing their limits. They have angel days and devil days. With patience, persistence and a few hints from your puppy's mother, you'll be able to tip the balance toward the angel's side!
More on kids and dogs is available in the article: Kids And Dogs: Safety first and Vicki DeGruy's award-winning column: Kids and Dogs: A common sense approach.
Vicki DeGruy


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## rucker105

Thanks MaggieRoseLee and cancucme, I took Zeke to the park and played for two hours last night! We met a couple of really nice labs, and he was chasing them and playing in no time! He was actually more gentle with the dogs than he is with me...go figure!

After the park he was very hungry (FINALLY!), and then was so tired he didnt even mind laying down in his kennel while I watched tv. 

I have been playing tug with him in the house as a way to get out a bit of his energy. Plus it is one of his favorite games. I have been making sure to touch him while he's tugging, and if he nips my hand or body I say "ow" and end the game. Is this confusing him and potentially making it harder for him to understand what is and isnt' ok?


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## Lauri & The Gang

> Quote:For puppies that just won't quit or seem to get wilder with every correction, flip them over on their backs, scold them in that same low, scary voice (growling) and gently but firmly, hold them in that position until they stop struggling.


This can *cause* more problems than it fixes.

Have you ever heard a dog make the sound "ow"? It just isn't a normal dog verbalization.

What I use is IPE - that's the word 'ripe' without the R. And you need to make it a strong/loud/high enough sound that it will startle the dog and cause them to stop biting for a moment. Then give calm praise and continue the game.

If they do keep up the biting even after the IPE, get up and leave the dog. If they won't play nice then they don't get to play at all.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

To go along with what Lauri is saying-I think we go waaaaaaaaaaaaaay overboard when we think we are correcting dogs/puppies like other dogs do. 

Unless a dog is old, cranky, not feeling well they are really tolerant and take a long time to build up to a physical correction. At least that is what I have seen in a non-related dog pack, particularly with a puppy under 4 months. 

Funny-that example is a Chow. I have a bunch of females, some with some Chow and a male with Chow in the mix and maybe for a group of puppies still in a litter, to maintain order they would do that roll or pin? But never have my dogs flipped or pinned a biting puppy of any age. I mean, a scruffing is a MAJOR correction-and flipping or pinning is life threatening. 

They ipe. They give them something else to bite. They get up and ignore them. It takes forever to get them to do anything else (a little tiny neck nip-not a shake and the nip is using teeth tips only)-and by that point the puppy is generally getting the message. If the puppy is overtired (which would be my fault for not removing them) they have a harder time understanding and may end up with the tiny, QUICK nip. Again, my fault for not reading the puppy as too tired to understand that they need a little time out and a chew on something like some ice. 

I just don't see these big bad punitive actions with my group, and they, in the past, have raised a number of puppies with me. And Kramer-a true alpha-just needs to give a look.









MLou-cute that the puppy is easier on the other dogs-I think that it's because they speak the same language, with no confusion. We have a harder time because we "bastardize" their language with our intepretations.


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## rucker105

Thanks guys! I have been making a high pitch "ow" sound, but I'll also try "ipe"! I know he is just being a puppy and testing out that mouth of his. 

Do you guys use a "gentle" command, or just a "no bite"?


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## doggiedad

when my puppy went through the nipping stage iwould hold him by the scruff of the neck and say "no biting". then i would put my hand on his mouth or rub his lips. if he didn't nip i would pet him and treat him and let him lick my hand/fingers. if he nipped (which he always did) i would repeat said action. personally i think he grew out of that stage more so than me teaching him not to nip. i think nipping is a part of their developement. i think they have to nip. i don't know why they have to do it but i truly think it's an important part of being a puppy. not to long ago i was sitting on the side of the bed putting on my shoes. my now 15 month old boy just walked over and put my knee in his mouth. there was no pressure applied. then sometime before that i was sitting at the computer with my hand hanging over the chair and he walked by and put my hold hand in his mouth. again, no pressure applied. he just did it and kept walking. when he put my hand in his mouth he had plenty of room to pass by without making contact. he actually had to move over towards me to get to my hand. when we return home and he meets us at the door he's all excited. you know, tail wagging, walking circles around us, going in and out of our legs. sometimes when i reach down to pet him while saying hello he'll often lick our hands and put them in his mouth. i think that's adult nipping but he's learned not to apply any pressure. he puts my or my GF's hand in his mouth but his mouth is open. so, do they really stop doing it or do they do it in a manner where we don't complain about it or correct it?


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## doggiedad

when Loki jumps on the sofa with me he gets really excited. he licks and he'll put whatever part of your body neareset him in his mouth. it's not really a nip because he doesn't apply any pressure. sometimes his mouth is open and my hand or fingers are just in his mouth. sometimes i reach in his mouth and tickle the roof of his mouth. he makes this great face when i do that. most of the time when my dog puts my hand in his mouth i don't correct him because it's so slight. that nipping is something in their developement, i think. i wonder if Shep's nip more than other dogs???


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## GSDOwner2008

I think they do it because they are teething and it hurts. I have braces, and when they get tightened, there's a lot of pressure on my teeth, but they gave me this plastic piece to bite down on and it feels so good because it relieves the pressure. Sounds weird, but just a thought.


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## nitetrane98

That's where I am with Mack right now. His way of showing/returning affection is to put some part of my body in his mouth. Never any pressure any more and I really seem to be the only one he wants to do it to. When I say, "No biting," he's quick to stop but usually has to get a lick or two in, "Hey, you said no biting, nothing about licking." It seems to be a really strong urge for him. He can't seem to receive any affection without returning it with a big slobbery mouthing. Even a pat on the head. I really can't complain about it too much because I have allowed it, especially when he developed such a soft mouth. I had always let him chew on me but the yelping and ignoring when he bit too hard seemed to work very well on him. He was absolutely crushed if he thought he had hurt me. 
But sometimes it becomes such a slobbery PITA. I'm hoping he'll outgrow it before I have to resort to correction for mouthing altogether.


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## doggiedad

What does slobbery PITA mean???


> Originally Posted By: Chris08That's where I am with Mack right now. His way of showing/returning affection is to put some part of my body in his mouth. Never any pressure any more and I really seem to be the only one he wants to do it to. When I say, "No biting," he's quick to stop but usually has to get a lick or two in, "Hey, you said no biting, nothing about licking." It seems to be a really strong urge for him. He can't seem to receive any affection without returning it with a big slobbery mouthing. Even a pat on the head. I really can't complain about it too much because I have allowed it, especially when he developed such a soft mouth. I had always let him chew on me but the yelping and ignoring when he bit too hard seemed to work very well on him. He was absolutely crushed if he thought he had hurt me.
> But sometimes it becomes such a slobbery PITA. I'm hoping he'll outgrow it before I have to resort to correction for mouthing altogether.


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## GSDOwner2008

Pain in the ---


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## Bitework

MY GSD puppy is a biter and as I'm going to someday train him in Schutzhund I wondered what would be the best way to get him to stop biting everyone in sight. I joined the Ivan Balabanov Yahoo group and asked Ivan the question about biting, here's what he responded. It seems to work and my puppy is biting less and less.

"it is very common that puppies will do this, the funny things is that they do it simply because of what most puppies of any breed do, it doesn't mean much about how the puppy will develop as it grows.
I would definately correct the "random attacks" so to speak. The way I 
would correct it though might bedifferent depending on the level of 
them etc. Some of the ways to correct, make sure you do not reward te 
puppy by screaming or pulling away, wear boots around the house for 
couple fo days if you have to, bite your tounge and accept few "real" 
bites form the puppy, .... it will not get what he wanted from the 
bites and will give it up. Make sure it has some cool toys for the 
puppy needles to have fun with, rubber toy with some peanut biutter, 
some small hand towel soaked with water and then refrigerated will be 
also fun to play with as well as cooling of all the pain from theeting. 
channeling all the energy towards a toy instead fo your body parts, 
using a string attached to the toy, if you have to use a barrier 
between you and the puppy in the begining so it can only interact with 
the toy, finally stopping everything and grabbing the puppy and make it 
behave is also a must if goes way out of control ( will NOT ruin it as 
a SchH prospect I guarantee you) Controlling the house environment, kids 
runing screaming, other dogs playing crazy etc will also add to the 
lack of control/respect etc in a puppy, begining some puppy obedience 
will also build the common language, ... what else well it will all get 
better in couple of months 
have fun while it lasts
Ivan


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## MattinAustin

This thread has been a life saver. After reading a few of the articles posted I am seeing a change in one day.

I couldn't figure out how to get Louie to stop biting legs when walking or biting arms and whatever else when playing.

Simply holding him by his collar when he tries to bite pant legs and not looking at him drives him crazy and after a few times today he isn't doing it anymore. And simply standing up when he bites when playing is starting to catch on. Hopefully we can nip this in the bud in the next couple of weeks.


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## KohleePiper

> Originally Posted By: Count Brunowhat great info
> 
> am doing this right now saying owwwww it does work he turns his head from side to side and stops lol
> 
> thanks for the info


exactly what I'm doing and it works.... then I try not to laugh at his little head moving side to side!


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## kafreeman

The little guy still trys to knaw my foot off, and then goes after my hands. It seems like he gets more persistent the more I tell him no. I tried ignoring him... but that hurts. Shoving a toy in his face works, but I dont know if I am reinforcing his biting. I cant get high pitched enough for him to react. 

Any other suggestions... or is going to be a wait it out kind of deal...


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## GSDOwner2008

Have you tried yelping when he bites in a really high pitched tone? How about getting up and walking away?

If redirecting him to a toy works, go for it! Sticking a toy in his mouth is teaching him that he can't bite you, but he can certainly bite his toy.


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## MaggieRoseLee

Just found two more excellent sites about how this painful biting is normal, and the best way to teach (not PUNISH) our puppies a new less painful way to play!

Bite Inhibition One 

Bite Inhibition Two


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## kafreeman

> Originally Posted By: GSDOwner2008Have you tried yelping when he bites in a really high pitched tone? How about getting up and walking away?
> 
> If redirecting him to a toy works, go for it! Sticking a toy in his mouth is teaching him that he can't bite you, but he can certainly bite his toy.


You have no idea. This little guy has nerves of steel.

I have yelped as high as I can get, my wife emits ear piercing screams that only bother me, and he's still knawing away.

The can with pennies trick worked for a day. He doesnt care about that anymore. I'll have to check out the two above links. 

So far the toy trick seems to be best... but even that doesnt work often. He'll chew the toy for a couple of minutes and think the foot was way more enjoyable. He also likes to run between your legs attacking your feet.


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## kafreeman

After reviewing the above links, I'm going to have to find a few more chew toys for him, and when he gets really bad I'll have to pick him up and put him in his crate.

This is the only thing he is bad about. Neither of our other two pups were this bad with biting. His potty training has been exceptional, he runs to the door when he is ready to go out, and his crate training has been stellar as well.


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## allieg

I guess I'm lucky here too Athena did this for a month or 2 after we got her home but has stopped.All I did was a firm NO and a soft tap on her muzzle.She's 6 months now.She ripped a few pairs of PJs from our AM pee breaks. It was mostly an excited thing in the mornings or if we had been away.
Allie


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## lac

hmmm...someone was thinking of me today.
I a was ready to post on this exact topic!!
My 15wkr is making me nuts with the biting. My son has bruises on him from it!! oy!
thanks a mil...


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## Smith3

I may have stumbled on to something that might help others last night.

Koch was gnawing on my arm in her playful way, but it is painful, and "yelping" doesn't seem to do much. So last night i switched it up, at first i would yelp and if she persisted i would start whinning like a dog that was hurt and that *FREAKED *her out like she had done something really bad and she stopped instantly and in a few cases would walk away, lay down, and look at me like she had done something wrong. Hopefully this helps her bite inhibition and soft mouth!


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## aubie

The "yelping" worked on Anna for about a day, then she was sooooo over it. We use treats now to reward "no bite" which is also great for when she bites other things, like the couch or a shoe or us when we're walking and she wants to "herd". 

I began by working it into her training time and it's gotten so much better!


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## Blacryan

So I am curious guys. My pup seems to like to bite at shoe laces, shoes, slippers and stuff on the ground. Such as cords and stuff. He doesnt chew on them he just nips on them. he has plenty of toys for chewing on and everything else.

Today I started carrying a small water bottle on it and just squirting it anytime he nips at peoples hands or fingers when they are petting him, or when he nips at shoe laces or shoes. It seems to be working AMAZINGLY well. Is there anything wrong with this? I have tried redirecting him to a bully stick or something and it works but only temporarly doesnt seem to keep him from niping at things, hands/wrist being the worst thing so far. 

Is there anything wrong w/ doing this?


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## bethandglen

Thanks for this topic! We had a lot of trouble teaching Lexi this, we tried all the "yelping" stuff that people recommend and for a long time it seemed it wasn't working, but it just took her a long time to learn it! Now she seems to understand and very rarely does she bite down too hard. She even knows how to bite the cat "softly" LOL, my husband was concerned that she was mauling the cat but he put his hand on her mouth to check and said she was barely closing it on her, just like with us! So I think sometimes it just takes them a while to learn this, especially as puppies.

Beth


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## meisha98

Lainey is six months now and I was hoping this biting thing was almost over LOL! She nips at me when she has to go out and I haven't seen/heard her go to the door (I tried a bell on the door but she ripped it off). Outside lately when playing, she jumps and grabs my arms. I keep her moving in a circle (like how they exercise horses) with the leash over her head. This poops her out and if I time it right, she needs to focus on moving and trying to grab the leash- she can't focus on me at the same time. She tires and will sit after a few minutes. This is new so I'm assuming it's a phase I need to get through. I substitute toys/treats when inside as yelping doesn't work for her. Her biting inside the house is getting less often. She has plenty of bully sticks, bones and toys,


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## onyx'girl

Do you play fetch or frisbee with her? If you are putting her leash over her head, it will encourage her to go after it, in prey drive. A ball on a string will teach her to focus on something other than you!
I would re-direct her energy. Maybe lay a track with smelly treats for her to find. 
Start with a small area and work your way to a long trail. If you aren't in a club doing organized tracking this will be fun. If you are in a club, go with their instructions so you don't mess up her foundation for tracking the right way.
Onyx loves frisbee and is getting better at catching it when she anticipates the direction it will be going.
After the adult teeth come in, then tugging will be fun and she can get her bite on. I think the pressure of teething is just too much sometimes.


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## Alicia

Thank you, Jean! I am marking this topic for when we get our new puppy this fall. We have a toddler so bite inhibition is especially important.


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## sunfluer

I've been teaching my pup "kisses" and rewarding with treats when he licks my hand. However, he nips at the bottom of pants leg when ready to go out the door. I tell him firmly "no bite" but he'll still keep trying to nip at my pants.

I know he nips my Labs hind legs when they're playing but I don't want him doing that to me.

Help - anyone.


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## sunfluer

How do handle the nipping at the ankle, pants leg? My pup will do this as we're going out the door and sometimes as we walk along.


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## Jessica H

I always say this is a phase they go through and you can't stop it untilt hey outgrow it. Just be consistant, tell him "no" or "no bite" and the "kisses" like you are doing. Ignore him and stop playing with him.

Dozer used to nip at me so bad I would get bruises or rip my clothes or scrape my skin. He jumped up and bit me right on one of my girl lumps (if you know what I mean) and it was bleeding. It hurt so bad. He know mouths me and is very gentle, I do not remember him stopping, I just started noticing he stopped. If he is biting your pants maybe keep a collar on him so youc an correct him and pull him away from your legs.


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## alaman

> Originally Posted By: 3dogsHow do handle the nipping at the ankle, pants leg? My pup will do this as we're going out the door and sometimes as we walk along.


I told mine "fooey" when they did it and lightly popped them on the nose. In less than three days they stopped. Same for nipping on arm or hand. At 15 weeks, neither bite the ankle, pants leg, arm, etc. yet follow me everywhere I go


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## jodnfletcher

> Originally Posted By: kafreeman
> 
> You have no idea. This little guy has nerves of steel.
> 
> I have yelped as high as I can get, my wife emits ear piercing screams that only bother me, and he's still knawing away.
> 
> The can with pennies trick worked for a day. He doesnt care about that anymore. I'll have to check out the two above links.
> 
> So far the toy trick seems to be best... but even that doesnt work often. He'll chew the toy for a couple of minutes and think the foot was way more enjoyable. He also likes to run between your legs attacking your feet.


Sounds exactly like my 4 month old 'bundle of joy' little girl. She just doesn't seem to respond to anything we do - biting is way more fun. We tried yelping, ignoring, shaking a can of stones, water spray, gentle tap on the nose, holding her mouth shut, walking away and taking her to time out. Time out is the only thing that seems to be working and even then it takes at least 3 time outs each night (and another 3 or 4 during the day - I work from home) before she comes back into the room with her bone in her mouth from her crate and settles down. (When she brings her bone out we know she's not going to bite any more - no idea why but it always works like that!)

The worst is when she grabs your ankles and bites at your trouser legs (shes already ripped one pair of my jeans apart!) - shes so quick and its really hard to grab her collar to drag her out to time out (and removing myself isnt an option as she'd rip my office apart in 2 seconds if I was out of the room!). She thinks its a game and runs off and runs back and jumps up to grab my hand/arm/thigh again! Monkey!

Does it get easier? ) Or is she just a stubborn, testing little madam? I know she's probably started teething now and she's still only really young, but we've had her nearly 3 months now and her biting seems to be getting worse not better. It's so frustrating because shes pretty good with most other things like toilet training, going into her crate, sleeping thru the night, coming back when called at the park etc.

(Note: she's only biting when she's playing or wants to play - she doesn't seem to be biting out of aggression or nastiness)

Anyway, sorry if it's a bit of a rant - it's great to know I'm not alone and this seems like a great place for some info on raising well behaved GS puppies!


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## MaggieRoseLee

> Quote:So far the toy trick seems to be best... but even that doesnt work often. *He'll chew the toy for a couple of minutes *and think the foot was way more enjoyable. He also likes to run between your legs attacking your feet.


Not sure how to make it clearer the reason a toy works (or not) isn't because we just hand the pup the toy and then they go off and play BY THEMSELVES with it for the rest of the day. Cause that's not going to happen for most of us with most of our pups.

'The toy' is not supposed to be a chew toy the pup plays with BY THEMSELVES. No way. The reason that all the past play has involved our body parts is because (brace yourself) THEY WANT TO PLAY WITH US!!!!!!!!

Interact, hear our voices, tug with us, get praise, chase us, BOND with us!!!!! 

So the reason 'the toy' works is because we WANT all that. We WANT our dogs to WANT to play and bond with us (which is why all the


> Quote: We tried yelping, ignoring, shaking a can of stones, water spray, gentle tap on the nose, holding her mouth shut, walking away and taking her to time out.


 is generally not recommended except as a stop gap while we step it up and start to do what we SHOULD be doing.

Because what we should be doing is TEACHING our pup a new way to play. Not punishing them for the only way they know how to play.

We WANT THEM TO PLAY! With us. 

But we do NOT want our body parts to be involved. So when we get out the toys, it's an interactive game that involves us for the entire time. Running thru the house. Tugging thru the house. Playing hide and seek. Throwing the ball. You can even start mixing in some teeny bouts of 'obedience' with 'the toy' as the instant reward for the behavior.

So instead of punishing our pups into good behavior. Most of us have discovered that the teaching and learning process works best in the long run. To develope a bond with our pups that will last a lifetime.


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## jodnfletcher

OK I totally understand the playing with them idea, and we DO play with her with her toys (her playtime can last for hours until she tires, even after long walks/runs in the park!). But - how do we get her to learn that biting us just isn't right? When she bites while she's playing we stop the play and walk away, but she comes right back at us and bites again so we have to put her in time out until she calms down because surely if we start playing again she's learning that if she bites she gets to play?

Also how do you end playtime? ) As much as we would love to spend every waking hour playing with her, there are times when we can only play for 10/15 mins or so and then have to get back to work or whatever we're doing. She is still in the same room as us and then starts getting aggro, barking at us and biting our legs/ankles...


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## MaggieRoseLee

> Originally Posted By: jodnfletcherOK I totally understand the playing with them idea, and we DO play with her with her toys (her playtime can last for hours until she tires, even after long walks/runs in the park!). But - how do we get her to learn that biting us just isn't right? When she bites while she's playing we stop the play and walk away, but she comes right back at us and bites again so we have to put her in time out until she calms down because surely if we start playing again she's learning that if she bites she gets to play?
> 
> Also how do you end playtime? ) As much as we would love to spend every waking hour playing with her, there are times when we can only play for 10/15 mins or so and then have to get back to work or whatever we're doing. She is still in the same room as us and then starts getting aggro, barking at us and biting our legs/ankles...


I have to say, that it really would appear that if you can find another/better way to really wear your pup out exercising, you'll be better able to get a handle on this. 

Though I really believe you are taking your pup out and exercising it, probably more than enough for many puppies, the truth is that SOME of our GSD pups need more. Really. Alot more. Finding out what that is can be OUR challenge. 

For me, I have to get the puppy in the car, drive (as long as I have to) to somewhere we can REALLY have the pup off leash, in the woods, creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers and have the go go go go go. Better still if I make this a playdate included other friendly dogs and people. Better if its a NEW place. Better if we keep moving moving moving. 

If I can do this about every other day, I take home a different puppy. An obedient puppy. A puppy who crates herself and puts herself to naptime. Who only wants to play for about 10 minutes cause she's worn out.

Sometimes it's going to friends homes with huge yards and dogs that will play with them for an hour or so. Sometimes it taking the puppy on a shopping trip and either before or after the shopping I walk the puppy around town for meet and greets. Or sit in front of the stores for meet and greets. 

Puppy classes/kindergarden are FANTASTIC with the new sights, smells, learning, people, places, car rides, mental and physical stimulation to wear that puppy out.

I know for me, if I can't tire my puppies out and get off that 'edge' life is a misery for me in the home and my puppy is pretty much a 'bad dog' all day. Causing me anger and frustration. She won't listen. She is constantly under my feet. And if she's not being 'bad' at my feet then she's off in another room destroying something she KNOWS she's not supposed to be into!

But when I find out the proper mix that DOES tire her out, oh, then what a practically perfect puppy I have. With that edge off her, then she will listen, focus and learn to be that puppy I know she can be. All the training techniques and suggestions people make suddenly start to work! 

Not saying there aren't times I have to just quietly pick her up and put her in the crate for a time out. But it's not from me being frustrated and angry. More just for me to take a breath, her to take a breath, and when I let her out for us to start again from a calmer place or LEARNING not cause she's been a 'bad dog'.

You see what I have to do with my puppy? This is a video of her at 11 weeks and she can't hardly get over some of the trees on the walk (sorry it's blurry). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7Y-oVClnI

And this is her at 4 months (see I still have to do this!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc3pNhDOuwU


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## MaggieRoseLee

> Quote:I would love it for Fletchie to be able to walk calmly like that with us but whenever we take her out she's flying around at literally a million miles an hour! hehe! She would be bugging all the other dogs to play all the time -


jodnfletcher, if I had my pup in a confined area (huge yard or playground) and the other dogs couldn't get away, then Glory wouldn't be looking so good and calm.

There as SO many reason to hike in a NEW place. Because a distracting as other dogs are, and as much as Glory wants to play with them, there are also OTHER distractions pulling at her. That running squirrel. The smells, oh the smells, of the turkeys, deer, foxes, other dogs, dead things............... And the fact we humans are moving moving moving can not be underestimated. When I stand still and all the dogs start hovering and mingling around is when there CAN be problems. But when we are all walking (humans are as vital to the walking as the dogs) it's much more motivating to keep moving.

Likewise, the older dogs can run and escape the puppies until they are about 6 months old. So the annoying distraction the puppies CAN be is moderated by the fact all the older dogs just run off which causes the puppy to just stop or run back to the humans for a pat and a moving on again. 

So this isn't just about being outdoors for a few hours with the dogs. It's actually about actively covering some distance (I can really just be walking though) while the dogs go miles and miles further with the constant running back and forth and forays into the woods and back and forth and swimming and back and forth.....


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## Megan

This thread is absolutely wonderful. 

I have a 12 week old GS and we haven't been able to stop the nipping at the pants yet. It's so reassuring to know I'm not the only one going through this.
And now I have some different tactics to try out I'm sure that one of them is bound to work for us









Thanks everyone.


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## Panda

Can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong? My puppy is now 4 months old and we have been trying to teach him bite inhibition by walking away or turning away when he bites and encouraging him to bite his toys but it doesnt seem to be working. He bites all the time and VERY hard. I have scars all over my arms and he has broken the skin many times. 

He also jumps up at me and I turn away and cross my arms but as soon as I turn back he jumps up again. 

Also, If I bend over to pick something up off the floor I have to be supr quick or he will lunge at my face (not in an aggressive way just playing I guess). 

When I do training and he does the right thing and I click and give him a treat he snaps my whole hand up with it (my thumb is currently bleeding from this)

What am I doing wrong? When my fiance plays with him he says "NO" in a gruff voice and Storm stops biting him but when I try this it seems to encourage him to bite me harder and more often.

Please help.. Will he grow out of this or is it something I have to get to the bottom of asap. He goes to puppy preschool but the instructor just tells us to redirect the biting to toy but this doesnt work as he seems to prefer biting skin to toys.

Any tips would be great thanks  (sorry about the long post)


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## MaggieRoseLee

We wonder why puppies bite? Cause THIS is how they know how to play!!





 
Look how ever the MOM DOG is smart enough to grab a toy to try to get those puppy teeth off of her (so why can't we learn from mom dog??)


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## Kinmartin0789

Caesar just follows us while hes biting, we try the ow and he stps but then he cries and licks us and once we stop that hes like okay its time to play agian then bites us. its pretty hard and sometimes it can draw blood. so now we are trying the leae the room trick but he follows and attacks the feet. should we close him in a room?


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## gsd_lover

In reply to Panda, our 4 month old girl has a tendency to be domineering and bite as well if you let her, occasionally very hard. I am now making a point of behaving as a leader at all times, I do not play as much with her on the floor at her level. I either stand or play while sitting on a chair (so she is below me most of the time). She's getting the message that I'm not another playmate. If she does bite hard, the game is over immediately. If she tries to play with me again or try to get my attention, I ignore her till she stops seeking my attention. After that I initiate the play and decide when it's over. She has to follow a command first (simple things like sit, lie down, come when called) before I give her pettings, play with her or really any focussed attention. She's not biting as much now (maybe she's starting to grow out of it too?), but I think it helps to give her the consistent message that I'm the leader, and biting is not acceptable behaviour.


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## NguyenMDX

I have a 7.5 week old girl name C.C. and she's really into biting the hand. I tried the "ouch" thing and walk away from her but she would just follow me every where, even upstairs where she is scared to go.


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## Shneeg11

When you all use your "OW" or "IPE", does it every scare your puppy/dog so he/she runs away? When I started, he didn't really respond to it, so I started doing it higher and louder. Now when I do it, he runs away and lays down under my dining room table. Am I scaring/negatively affecting him?


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## Shneeg11

For the time being, I've stopped using a verbal cue for nipping. Now, I'm just ending the game and taking all of my limbs out of his range for a minute or two and he has started coming up to me and laying at my feet waiting to lick me. I guess that's a good response.


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## xArsAmatoria

My pup is turning out to be quite the alligator. He is a freak over my pant legs. He clamps down on them and shakes his head side to side, so that I can't get him off. His jaw clamps down so tight that it's hard for me to even gently pull it open. I have to grab him and hold him on his back, and slowly pull his jaw open and my pants out of his mouth. But then as I try to walk out of the room, he runs and clamps back down on my pants. :| It's extremely frustrating. He ignores no, OUCH, and leave it. I've been trying to teach him "leave it" since the day I brought him home, but he doesn't seem to be getting it. (Yet, he got "potty" in two days and "sit" in fifteen minutes) It's only been a couple days that I've had him, but it seems like his biting is getting worse. Any advice for this?


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## MaggieRoseLee

xArsAmatoria said:


> My pup is turning out to be quite the alligator. He is a freak over my pant legs. He clamps down on them and shakes his head side to side, so that I can't get him off. His jaw clamps down so tight that it's hard for me to even gently pull it open. I have to grab him and hold him on his back, and slowly pull his jaw open and my pants out of his mouth. But then as I try to walk out of the room, he runs and clamps back down on my pants. :| It's extremely frustrating. He ignores no, OUCH, and leave it. I've been trying to teach him "leave it" since the day I brought him home, but he doesn't seem to be getting it. (Yet, he got "potty" in two days and "sit" in fifteen minutes) It's only been a couple days that I've had him, but it seems like his biting is getting worse. Any advice for this?


He's not getting enough exercise. Really. He may be getting some, but it's not enough. Miles of off leash activities 3 to 4 times of week is what I do with my girls. PLUS fun activities of chuckit and tugging with long tug toys. 

The more fun fun fun we do that wears them out, the better my life is. When I have to just rely on obedience and corrections, it doesn't work and just ads to the frustration for myself and my puppies. Not kidding, this is what I have to do with my puppies:





 




 
Mixing in positive clicker based treat trained tricks also is key:





 

Also, go way back to page one of this thread to read what everyone has had to post... http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/training-our-puppy-basic/134407-teaching-bite-inhibition.html


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## xArsAmatoria

MaggieRoseLee said:


> He's not getting enough exercise. Really. He may be getting some, but it's not enough. Miles of off leash activities 3 to 4 times of week is what I do with my girls. PLUS fun activities of chuckit and tugging with long tug toys.
> 
> The more fun fun fun we do that wears them out, the better my life is. When I have to just rely on obedience and corrections, it doesn't work and just ads to the frustration for myself and my puppies. Not kidding, this is what I have to do with my puppies:
> 
> YouTube - Glory B (11 wks) and Bretta Lee (5 yrs) Hiking in the Woods
> 
> YouTube - Hiking the Poconos w/Friends and their dogs
> 
> Mixing in positive clicker based treat trained tricks also is key:
> 
> YouTube - crazy tricks of crazy puppy - Le, 3 months
> 
> 
> Also, go way back to page one of this thread to read what everyone has had to post... http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/training-our-puppy-basic/134407-teaching-bite-inhibition.html


He's just 9 weeks old, though. I romp around with him in the yard about 4 or 5 times a day for 20 minutes, let him play with the other dogs, and we play with toys plenty inside the house. In my opinion, he is not near old enough for hiking or running for miles. He's not even very stable on his feet yet.

I know he's a puppy so he's going to bite and chew on things. I've applied everything in the first page and the bite inhibition links. He understands it; if I tell him ouch/leave it, he does quit what he's chewing on (ouch for me, leave it for anything else)... Unless it comes to my pant legs. Then he just goes at it.

I have decided I want to start using the clicker to train him. So we'll see how that goes. So far, he knows come, leave it (when applied to things that are not my pant legs), and sit. He is starting puppy classes on Saturday so I am hoping that will help out, too.


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## Cyrak6

I have a question that I have not seen posted yet in this thread.

How do you teach bite inhibition to a pup you intend to do Schutzhund with?

Obviously, you don't want him biting your hands/face/ankles, and especially not doing these things with kids or elderly people. But while you do want them to have a soft mouth with "fragile" people, you are also eventually going to be encouraging them to basically "play rough" and have a hard bite with the helper, and expect them to know the appropriate times for each behavior.

I agree 100% with what MaggieRoseLee posted about tiring them out - I believe this is the biggest part of the problem. Do you just basically focus on this, and use redirection to toys, and otherwise just hope they grow out of the nipping? I know that there are many excellent Schutzhund dogs out there that can make this distinction - how did they learn this?


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## bruiser

*I love the picture on this video*

Bruiser is now 3 months old and when he tired I have no problem getting him to mind and not bite. I decided to re-read this this sticky to see if I missed anything or can scrape up some new advice. The picture on the video made me laugh as that is exactly how he looked this morning after sleeping all night, up and ready to go and teach me some lessons. I put him outside and tried to play for awhile before trying to coax him back in his crate for a 5 minute time-out. When let out he went for me again, yes back in for another 5 minutes and then a short reprieve. I think he was drinking the devil juice this morning...JUST NEEDED TO SOUND OFF...thanks!!!:wild:


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## dracowing14

not sure if this method was mentioned but it has worked wonders for both my huskies and our new shepherd, i don't use my dogs for nay kind of competitions or anything else beside good old fashion family dog, and the last thing i want is for them to bite so i employ the same technique that the pups will do with there siblings, when the pup bites me i bite them back. at the mometn any part of the tooth hits any skin i will firmly hold the mouth shut and will bite the top of the muzzle until i here the first sound of a whimper and then instantly release. it took me 2 times with each husky and only once with the shepherd for them to get the pic, i have never had a problem since. the reason i am harsh as some may call this method is these are big dogs and if for an reason there teeth touch someone, they could be taken away and possibly put down. so i will not risk this behavior at all. it really seems to have worked on my shepherd, you can be playing tug of war and the second his tooth touches any par to the skin he will instantly release and step back, without any command.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> I see a lot of posts about puppies nipping, which is what puppies do. I think the goal is not so much to stop them from biting, but to teach them good bite inhibition/having a soft mouth. You can do the stopping biting quickly using negative reinforcement, or teach it slowly and as positively as possible where the dog actually LEARNS bite inhibition. And a result of this will be less and eventually no biting.
> 
> That is a huge thing for a dog to learn. I have a pack o' dogs, I get foster puppies and I never have to teach it because they do it for me. Mario will in fact lick my arm in apology if he makes a mistake and mouths me.
> 
> Since most people don't have that luck there are some articles on teaching it-that is the goal, really, bite inhibition, not stopping nipping. So yeah, can you scruff or smack a puppy and get them to stop? Yes, but can you create other problems in the process? Yes. And you want them to learn to do this as they grow.
> 
> Bite Inhibition Article The first part is the best.
> 
> http://www.phsspca.org/training/puppy_biting.htm
> 
> ClickerSolutions Training Articles --
> The other thing to remember is that you are replacing the playmates and mom that he knows and unless they had people spending a lot of time with the puppies at the breeder, they really don't know much about interacting with people. I think you'll all be fine! And as soon as shots are done, sign up for a positive based obedience class for fun!
> 
> I figured after people checked those articles out, they could post other things, or reinforce things read, that they did to help their dogs learn that bite inhibition. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/13_puppy.gif


Inhibition refresher. It's not about stopping the dog from biting because of you, it's about them stopping the biting, and learning how to use their mouth, because of them.


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## MaggieRoseLee

exacto said:


> This always works, but a lot of the time we are outside playing and then he just gets viscous and starts nipping me(sometimes drawing blood) and his crate is far away from the outside play area. A lot of the times we cant pick him up because hes to crazy running around and thinks were still playing. Once we can pick him up hes still biting our hands and arms. Even until we put him in his crate he tries to bite us....does he get the message that this is why we are giving him a time out? Also what do we do in that situation??? If we turn our backs he bites the back of our legs/body, if we try to just walk away, he will follow and bite us, its really starting to hurt especially when he draws blood.
> 
> please help, i just want this to be over with.


Exacto, you read thru all the recommendations on the previous pages? What you are doing won't work, naturally things are getting worse. GSD's are hard puppies and yours is normal and why this thread even exists. 

You need to TEACH a new way to play (using tug toys). You need to EXERCISE your puppy, real exercise so he's exhausted and crates himself. Puppy/dog classes are ideal to add to mentally and physically wear him out!


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## exacto

MaggieRoseLee said:


> Exacto, you read thru all the recommendations on the previous pages? What you are doing won't work, naturally things are getting worse. GSD's are hard puppies and yours is normal and why this thread even exists.
> 
> You need to TEACH a new way to play (using tug toys). You need to EXERCISE your puppy, real exercise so he's exhausted and crates himself. Puppy/dog classes are ideal to add to mentally and physically wear him out!


i did read all the posts and the beginning references as well. The problem is he doesnt get it all the time... I have toys and redirect him to those , but he will sometimes come back for me in a couple minuets. I cannot say "game over" because hes way to hyper still. I cannot just get up and walk away because he will bite me even if i do cross my arms or yell no and stop playing. I cannot yell "IPE" as he thinks im just playing even more. The only thing to do is to put him in time out. I read that time out was ok to do as well? Am i wrong?

also exercise does drastically help, but i dont have time to go on a long run and drain him of his energy every hour of the day.

This biting is really starting to hurt


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## MaggieRoseLee

> I cannot say "game over" because hes way to hyper still.


Of course he is! My pups too. I can't train when they are over the top like that.

So, instead, I EXERCISE them earlier in the day. Plan my week on the calendar knowing I will pack them up for at least 2 hours every other day, and that will be 'Puppy and Me' time. Adding puppy classes is a huge help. But otherwise visiting friends, going on long walks, any and all OFF leash activites. And I really really really really spend aton of time on the floor TEACHING them how to play! 

You doing this yet? http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...ime-owner/162230-engagement-key-training.html It's exhausting and takes alot of time during the week, but worth it.


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## Tulip

I haven't gotten my GSD yet, but I did have to help teach bit inhibition to my sisters Chihuahua puppy a couple weeks ago! Whenever she bit too hard I just dropped everything and walked away/put her on the floor and ignored her until she stopped paying attention to me.


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## volcano

Its safe to say a gsd and a chihuahua have little in common when it comes to bite inhibition. Usually witha gsd you want to preserve drive for training or possibly protection. Witha chihuahua you would want to nip it in the bud and stop that all together. with my girl I put her in her fave spot, her cage, but she can tell im not happy when she just bit me. I was on a long walk in the snow and she decided my pants were a nice target, then my ankles and saying no wasnt working. There was no cage, i put her on her side with a claw move, and then she got up and did it again. So I really yelled NO! and that worked, she behaved for another hour of walking. Id ramp up the volume before getting physical, thankfully my girl seems to handle correcttions no prob- other than ignoring my amatuer efforts at correcting her.


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## MadameRed

Our ten week old puppy doesn't think that bite inhibition is a good idea, and has taken every method outlined in the first post's links and shown me that he doesn't think they're any good. Sternly saying "no" only makes his lip curl, he barks, and bites more. He thinks it's a game. Yelping does nothing. He follows when I walk away and as I walk away, he bites my legs.. If I move out of his reach (pull my legs up on the sofa), he chews the furniture while looking at me. I can't pen him in the kitchen because he screams murder and climbs over the gates.

I try playing with him lots to tire him out, but I can't play because he bites. He's got his DAPP shots - should I be safe taking him to the dog park in our neighbourhood?

Has anyone else had an extraordinarily stubborn pup? I can't get anything to work.

We're taking him to his first puppy class tomorrow night, and I'm going to talk to the trainer and address the plethora of negative habits he's got right now.


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## Cassidy's Mom

MadameRed said:


> Our ten week old puppy....





> Has anyone else had an extraordinarily stubborn pup? I can't get anything to work.


You can't get anything to work because he's only 10 weeks old! Bite inhibition is a process that can take some time, it's not something that's going to be fixed overnight. Sometimes one single method won't work all by itself and you need a multi-pronged approach. Some methods will work great with one puppy but not at all with another. It can be a trial and error process to find what works, but you do need to be patient.

He's way too young to take to a dog park. He very likely does not have full immunity, so there's the health risk aspect, but also, you want his experiences around other dogs to be positive and you can't always control what happens at dog parks. 

Have you tried redirecting him to a toy? And don't just give him a toy and expect that to work, make the toy MOVE, so it's fun - play with him with the toy. Have toys everywhere, so there's always one within reach. With Dena, when I got home from work the first thing I did was grab a toy so I'd have something to stuff in her mouth besides my arms and legs when I went to get her. 

If he's so wound up that nothing seems to work (think of a toddler having a temper tantrum), put him away in his crate for a brief timeout. He may be overtired and needs a nap.


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## MadameRed

Cassidy's Mom said:


> You can't get anything to work because he's only 10 weeks old! Bite inhibition is a process that can take some time, it's not something that's going to be fixed overnight. Sometimes one single method won't work all by itself and you need a multi-pronged approach. Some methods will work great with one puppy but not at all with another. It can be a trial and error process to find what works, but you do need to be patient.
> 
> He's way too young to take to a dog park. He very likely does not have full immunity, so there's the health risk aspect, but also, you want his experiences around other dogs to be positive and you can't always control what happens at dog parks.
> 
> Have you tried redirecting him to a toy? And don't just give him a toy and expect that to work, make the toy MOVE, so it's fun - play with him with the toy. Have toys everywhere, so there's always one within reach. With Dena, when I got home from work the first thing I did was grab a toy so I'd have something to stuff in her mouth besides my arms and legs when I went to get her.
> 
> If he's so wound up that nothing seems to work (think of a toddler having a temper tantrum), put him away in his crate for a brief timeout. He may be overtired and needs a nap.


Redirecting him doesn't work. That's all we do and he actually pushes the toy away and goes right for us again, no matter how much we squeak the toy and make it dance. 

He gets wound up very easily, so instead of constantly marching him all the way upstairs, we will sometimes tether him up behind the loveseat (we have a desk-area behind there, so it's not as if he's smooshed into a tiny area). Once he's calmed down, I will go back over and pet him. Occasionally he'll crawl into my lap and doze back off, but 99% of the time he just starts chomping at my hand again. 

I think, though, that he's finally starting to see me as "the boss" - he's starting to understand no. However, he still thinks it's a game, and will then start to run around the house, barking at me and nipping at my pants and feet. Then he gets tethered or put in his crate. 

He'll be twelve weeks old tomorrow, and we're also going to our second puppy class at PetSmart. She gave us one method to try, but he basically laughed at us and kept biting.


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## MadameRed

Our puppy is now twelve weeks old and the biting hasn't gotten any better. He still pushes toys out of our hands and chews on us. The trainer has told is to do a few things, like saturate our hands in bitter apple and swipe the inside of his mouth with our fingers, but that didn't work. 

One thing I've noticed is that he doesn't look like he's got a full set of puppy teeth. He has gaps between them. He hasn't yet lost any puppy teeth, but could he still be getting them in? 

I don't know what else to try. Redirecting still doesnt do an ounce of good, no matter how often we put a toy into his mouth. If I move out f his reach, he barks at me. I can't ignore him because he bites the furniture, which I have to correct him for. I hope his puppy teeth start falling out soon, if they're the cause of all the biting. 

He has another vet appointment on the first, so I'll ask the vet then. I'm willing to try anything at this point.


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## mspiker03

I would get a second crate (maybe a bigger one he can grow into) and put him in there for his timeout - that way you can effectively ignore him and he won't be able to bite the furniture. We have one crate in the bedroom (downstairs) and one in the living room (upstairs for us). I had a similar discussion with a friend today regarding my pup (although a different issue we were having) - Basically, the pup gets bitey, you tie him up, he barks/eats furniture, but then you give him attention by correcting him. So, the barking and eating furniture gets him attention. Using a crate will eliminate that - you can just ignore him! 

GSD's are notoriously mouthy! How much exercise is he getting? How much mental stimulation? We recently got a treat ball which has been a blessing when we want to take a short mental break, and our pup loves it! Also, when he starts teething, you might try freezing a wash cloth for him to chew on (my pup loves this - she just started losing her top two teeth, she will be 16 weeks tomorrow). And yes, she is still mouthy at 16 weeks!


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## Arglebargle

Great info.


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## stellahypes

My girl Stella is six months old, she is the first German Sheppard baby i have ever raised. Needless to say its been crazy lol, she fits in with this family of adhd individuals. She still wants to chew everything, and we do not crate train her. The way she was when I first brought her home, well it was not for her. I do lots of toys and playing catch, she only chews up my stuff in the middle of the night that's where I am still having problems.


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## gravedanger

I have a 9 week old puppy that goes after my ankles like crazy. I've tried the yelping thing but it doesn't seem to work on her. I randomly tried whimpering/whining like a dog and she stops cold in her tracks. She looks at me intently and then whines back and tries to lick me.

This obviously stops her biting but I want to make sure that I am not sending the wrong message. I want her to know how to use her teeth appropriately and not completely freak her out by whimpering at her. Thoughts?


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## chicago

gravedanger said:


> I have a 9 week old puppy that goes after my ankles like crazy. I've tried the yelping thing but it doesn't seem to work on her. I randomly tried whimpering/whining like a dog and she stops cold in her tracks. She looks at me intently and then whines back and tries to lick me.
> 
> This obviously stops her biting but I want to make sure that I am not sending the wrong message. I want her to know how to use her teeth appropriately and not completely freak her out by whimpering at her. Thoughts?


I think what you're doing is right, she is stopping and looking at you because she realises it's no longer play time and you are not happy


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## MeAko

This thread and the links in the first page are incredibly helpful. I have had my 6 month old for 2 weeks and teaching bit inhibition has been golden. Considering that I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old and two tweeners. Bite inhibition is of utmost importance.

I noticed that Rocky becomes incredibly mouthy when he is lying on his back, so I warned the kids against approaching him when he's at his most playful position. Instead I have used my own arms as teaching tools. "Ipe" works, but sometimes, he gets a bit stressed and I need to withdraw--this works.

Just a week of doing this has remarkably lessened his bite force as well as his bite frequency. Gone also are the biting of chair legs and pants. Of course it helps that I have given him tons of toys and recreational bones to chew on. 










Plus crate training, feeding raw, hair shedding management, socializatin...wow, what have I gotten myself into?!


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## TheDakotaShow

What other techniques do you use if the "ouch" "yelp" then leave doesn't reply work. She's a huge nipper,mouther, growler. Today she got ahole of my wrist and felt more pressure than usual. I had to pin her down and yell at her. Anything else ?

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## Bebe

stellahypes said:


> My girl Stella is six months old, she is the first German Sheppard baby i have ever raised. Needless to say its been crazy lol, she fits in with this family of adhd individuals. She still wants to chew everything, and we do not crate train her. The way she was when I first brought her home, well it was not for her. I do lots of toys and playing catch, she only chews up my stuff in the middle of the night that's where I am still having problems.


Have you tried to use an exercise pen (ex-pen) to contain her at night. It is much larger and she has room to walk around and chew her toys but also keeps her confined and controlled.


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## stobias712

This thread has just given us so much hope! Our 4 month old loves to play bite (and bark during play). I think tonight I'm going to start incorporating the treat in the hand idea and give it to him when he licks.

Currently, say NO BITE and remove our hands or body parts from the situation... but I think we return too soon. He does follow when we walk away, but I have been ignoring him until he is sitting or just being calm. It's working with me better than my husband because all he wants to do it play play play! Which is good, don't get me wrong. But there isn't really any correction taking place. It's usually just lots of loud "no bites" with muzzle holding which i think Gunner thinks is just more play!

Signing up for puppt training soon. I think he's at the intermediate level so hopefully we will have some well behaved other dogs for him to look up to 

Any tips/advice would be great! Always looking to learn!


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## jdkerner

I'm currently at a loss of what to do with Hyperion. When he wants to show affection to me, he starts nipping or nawing on my hands or sleeves. It makes petting or scratching him very difficult. The only time he just lies down and wants me to scratch him is when he is let out of his crate when I get home from work or from bed in the morning, but after about 5 min of petting and scratching he goes straight to the nip/bite/play attitude.

He is 7 months old. We have tried the yelp, 'no bite', etc to no avail.


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## stobias712

jdkerner said:


> I'm currently at a loss of what to do with Hyperion. When he wants to show affection to me, he starts nipping or nawing on my hands or sleeves. It makes petting or scratching him very difficult. The only time he just lies down and wants me to scratch him is when he is let out of his crate when I get home from work or from bed in the morning, but after about 5 min of petting and scratching he goes straight to the nip/bite/play attitude.
> 
> He is 7 months old. We have tried the yelp, 'no bite', etc to no avail.


@jdkerner Have you tried just walking away from him for a few minutes? He may follow but ignore him until he is sitting quiet or lying down looking at you. I just tried this with my 4 month old last night and we actually had a good night. Also maybe try putting him in his crate immediately after the first nip/bite. I did this with ours barking and it worked well. If he isn't going to play nice, then he doesnt get to play. Be stern and don't cave


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## jdkerner

stobias712 said:


> @jdkerner Have you tried just walking away from him for a few minutes? He may follow but ignore him until he is sitting quiet or lying down looking at you. I just tried this with my 4 month old last night and we actually had a good night. Also maybe try putting him in his crate immediately after the first nip/bite. I did this with ours barking and it worked well. If he isn't going to play nice, then he doesnt get to play. Be stern and don't cave



Yes, I've tried both of those methods. Sometimes they work, but other times it doesn't. It worked more or less for the barking, but I will try again for the nip/biting.


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## TheWhinnie

My 4 month old Whinnie has been biting like crazy! She gets very excited when we take her out of her kennel in the morning and will latch on to clothing. She has ripped shirt, broke necklaces ect.. We've tried to say "No Bite", walking away but it doesn't help. If anyone knows of any other tricks to try I'd love to give them a whirl.....


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## XindisMom

I just want to say thank you for this thread on bite inhibition! I used the suggestions in it, as well as the comments, and my girl has come such a long way! She doesn't bite me hard anymore and hasn't in a while (excluding 1 incident last week?) 

She mouths but does not puncture skin. 

Now that she's 5 1/2 months old, she's a big jumper, which can result in claw marks. 

She also still bites my 10 yr old. But not hard enough to break skin. I'm working on that, still. 

But this thread was extremely beneficial to be teaching her not to eat us! 

Thank you!!


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## Ellie&Indy

*Don't use Positve Training Only*



TheWhinnie said:


> My 4 month old Whinnie has been biting like crazy! She gets very excited when we take her out of her kennel in the morning and will latch on to clothing. She has ripped shirt, broke necklaces ect.. We've tried to say "No Bite", walking away but it doesn't help. If anyone knows of any other tricks to try I'd love to give them a whirl.....



Generally if you pinch their jaw and or nose, or stick a finger down their throat if they try go after the hands, they then associate unpleasant experiences with them trying to bite you. When trying to bite at ankles a sharp growl like "NO!" if they don't listen to that a sharp, not hard, but quick slap to the nose will train them not to. People say "Oh but that will hurt them." It won't their mothers are just as rough with them. Roll your puppies, they think of you as play things which is not something to tolerate, their mothers roll them to help them understand the social hierarchy in the house. Your puppy is at the very bottom of the totem pole. He or she does not get to decide the rules of the house. Positive training only, results in some of the most unmanageable and dangerous dogs in the practice. If they don't learn that they are below humans, they will become unruly and dangerous.


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## FearlessFreya

When we brought our pup home, all she did was bite - our hands, feet, hair, clothing, shoes, etc... Yelping only seemed to fuel the biting, as did holding her down, yelling, and trying to redirect her to a chew toy.

The only thing that worked was me getting up, ignoring her, and locking myself up in the bathroom. I'd stay there for a minute or 2, come back out, and resume play. The second she bit again, I'd repeat the process. I did this consistently over a period of a couple of weeks. She no longer bites or nips me - only kisses now 

The key here is that everyone in the house has to do the same thing - no exceptions...


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## Sabis mom

Ellie&Indy said:


> Generally if you pinch their jaw and or nose, or stick a finger down their throat if they try go after the hands, they then associate unpleasant experiences with them trying to bite you. When trying to bite at ankles a sharp growl like "NO!" if they don't listen to that a sharp, not hard, but quick slap to the nose will train them not to. People say "Oh but that will hurt them." It won't their mothers are just as rough with them. Roll your puppies, they think of you as play things which is not something to tolerate, their mothers roll them to help them understand the social hierarchy in the house. Your puppy is at the very bottom of the totem pole. He or she does not get to decide the rules of the house. Positive training only, results in some of the most unmanageable and dangerous dogs in the practice. *If they don't learn that they are below humans, they will become unruly and dangerous*.


 I disagree with about everything in this post, and especially the bolded statement. My dogs are not 'beneath me', and Sabi was probably the most stable, good natured dog I have ever owned. I have worked with and owned predominately rescue and rehab cases, poorly bred, from less then stellar conditions and I can count on one hand the number of them that I have ever had to pull the 'don't mess with Mom' attitude on. 
The only dangerous dog I ever owned was simply wired wrong and no amount or type of training can fix that.
And I would not slap a puppy in the face, ever.


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## avoids

great article,thnx u.


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## Wags

This is some really great information. My husband and I lost our GSD who we had adopted as an older puppy (10 months) and he already had a really soft mouth and was potty trained. We have decided to get another GSD but to get him as a puppy so we can train him easier in some other things we wanted (our other dog HATED his crate, had terrible separation anxiety) and so it is very useful for us to get to learn these types of tips for when our puppy arrives!


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## Axel16

Axel is 8 weeks old, and I know he's just a puppy but the biting is driving me crazy. I have tried walking away from him, telling him no, and substituting my arm or hand for one of his toys. I love him to death ( he's my baby). I just want him to stop using me as a chew toy. Any suggestions would help. I don't remember my other dogs biting this much.


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## GSD316

Have a 3 month old female that does not bite so how do we teach bite inhibition? My concern as she gets older and gets adult teeth will be harder to manage.


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## Castlemaid

If she doesn't bite, you don't have to teach bite-inhibition - she already has it.


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## GSD316

Castlemaid said:


> If she doesn't bite, you don't have to teach bite-inhibition - she already has it.


Thanks


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## Ruger1106

*Biting*

Has anyone ever heard of grabbing their nape (like their mother would) and saying in a low stern tone "no bite"? Our breeder told us to do that with our 12 week old puppy. It helps but not always. We're always searching for new ways to deter biting, because he is constantly grabbing our hands and scratching them up.


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## lrodptl

Ruger1106 said:


> Has anyone ever heard of grabbing their nape (like their mother would) and saying in a low stern tone "no bite"? Our breeder told us to do that with our 12 week old puppy. It helps but not always. We're always searching for new ways to deter biting, because he is constantly grabbing our hands and scratching them up.



A stern "no" or my finger pressing on the back of his tongue always worked. Takes time to fade away but it will. My dogs have perfect respect for my hands and body with their mouths,you can see them being careful with balls,toys etc. when my hands are involved.


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## Ruger1106

Will definitely try that technique too!


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## pawpower

Thanks for sharing this info. Shadow is 10 wks old and though his biting is becoming a little less, he goes after my hair when I take him outside to potty. I will try the "ipe!" approach.


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## BOSKY

One of the most frustrating components of bite inhibition is that so many of the recommendations fail to work. I wonder if these owners truly have a GSD, because "Ouch" is the most ineffective training method I've ever practiced. I found this out within a few days of using it, saying "ouch" seems an anecdotal measure for GSD's as opposed to a universal method. If it works for your puppy, you're lucky. 

What has worked has only worked temporarily. From 8 weeks to 12 weeks, Orion stops biting me when I leave the room, place him in his crate, or give him something else to chew on, such as a toy. But 15 mins later, we're repeating the techniques again. And again. And again. 4 weeks later, I see little progress. 

I refuse to strike my dog in any fashion. "Bopping" them on the nose is not an option. We have mountains of data that suggest this creates anxiety and anger issues as often as it temporarily solves nipping. If you want to do it with your dog, be my guest, it's your dog. But I won't. 

It seems the most logical conclusion to this is that GSD's bite when they're young and until they get older, rarely learn to stop doing it. Once they reach a certain age, these techniques "click" in their head. Maybe then, the "ouch" will actually work. Right now, it just pushed Orion into a further frenzy as he associated my reaction with play time. The only thing that works is to physically remove him from my area by leaving or placing him in his crate for a 10 min TO. 

I wish all GSD owners the best of luck. Even though Orion bites, he's amazing and has quickly taken over our hearts. I can't imagine life without him now. In a few weeks, he'll be out of shot quarentine and hopefully when he interacts with other dogs and new play areas will help prevent biting by engaging his mind more often during the day.


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## SuperG

BOSKY said:


> "Bopping" them on the nose is not an option.
> 
> .


So biting them back probably doesn't rate as an option as well?


SuperG


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## LuvShepherds

I didn't read this whole thread, it's too long but the articles in the first post are good. There are two things a puppy needs to learn. One is not to put teeth on a person and the other is if they do touch a person with their teeth, it's gentle. I have a working line landshark and not much worked, so I taught him to lick a treat out of my hand rather than to bite me. I also either put him into the crate or put him on a short leash out of reach, or walked away and left him alone where I could see him but not reach him.


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## Steve Strom

SuperG said:


> So biting them back probably doesn't rate as an option as well?
> 
> 
> SuperG


It'll just get you a time out.


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## DMS92

Didn't get a chance to read all the responses but in my experience with my female absolutely nothing would work when she was a baby I tried every piece of advice I got, she just stopped on her own around 5 months I believe. Man she used to dig those needle teeth in everything and everyone I couldn't even hold her it would drive me nuts!

I remember when it was a habit to tuck my feet underneath me while watching tv because she loved to try and eat them...

Great Times! Miss those days looking back now. Now as an adult she is very mouthy when we wrestle but gentle and knows were just playing. She will stop if I say to.


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## BOSKY

SuperG said:


> So biting them back probably doesn't rate as an option as well?
> 
> 
> SuperG



My wife growled at him and tried to be dominant. She got nipped on the nose pretty good. I don't think biting him back will work. While I don't mind others using the "bopping" technique, I fail to see its value when every other "dominating" techniques we've used from growling to showing our teeth, to sitting on top of him to calm him down has failed. I don't believe hitting him on the nose will be any more effective. 


This appears to be something we're going to have to wait out while we train him on everything else. The only temporary fix that is working is introducing a chewing option, such as a toy or bone. Timeouts work too, as he exits his crate calm and under control. 


Oh, and he loves Bitter Apple and doesn't seem to mind Bitter Yuck! either.


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## SuperG

BOSKY said:


> My wife growled at him and tried to be dominant. She got nipped on the nose pretty good. I don't think biting him back will work.


We all go about our ways of teaching our dogs what is acceptable in different ways.....at times it seems ....what works for one person doesn't work for another person and their dog.....lots of variables exist with both the dog and human. I guess my biting the four pups back when they were being jackasses conveyed an adequate message to all of them....none have ever bitten me or any other person. Chances are I could have accomplished the same ....using other, more conventional methods but what the heck....those are the "variables" I possess. 

FWIW....." My wife growled at him and tried to be dominant." is not a very good comparison to what I did.....significant difference is I didn't "try"...I did. And not necessarily to be "dominant" but just to send the proper message.....as in .." your needle-like puppy teeth on my skin is not allowed"

SuperG


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## BOSKY

How did you bite them? How hard and where?


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## Steve Strom

BOSKY said:


> How did you bite them? How hard and where?


Don't tell him I said this, but he was kidding.


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## Jax08

While G may have been kidding, some people really do bite the dogs back....

Years ago, my husband and I were split and his mother was living with him. He had our Boxers at the time. My son and I were standing in line for a Pittsburgh Penguins game when he randomly said to me:

Bandit bit Grama.

Bandit? BANDIT bit your grandmother?

Yes. She was painting his toenails and he bit her. So she bit him back.

Not sure there is a moral to that story. Other then myself and the guy behind us couldn't stop laughing. At which time my son, about 8 years old at the time, stopped his feet and exclaimed "That's not funny!" and then added "Grama's so lazy she doesn't even sit up to eat"

The guy hit the ground laughing.


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## Julian G

BOSKY said:


> One of the most frustrating components of bite inhibition is that so many of the recommendations fail to work. I wonder if these owners truly have a GSD, because "Ouch" is the most ineffective training method I've ever practiced. I found this out within a few days of using it, saying "ouch" seems an anecdotal measure for GSD's as opposed to a universal method. If it works for your puppy, you're lucky.
> 
> What has worked has only worked temporarily. From 8 weeks to 12 weeks, Orion stops biting me when I leave the room, place him in his crate, or give him something else to chew on, such as a toy. But 15 mins later, we're repeating the techniques again. And again. And again. 4 weeks later, I see little progress.
> 
> I refuse to strike my dog in any fashion. "Bopping" them on the nose is not an option. We have mountains of data that suggest this creates anxiety and anger issues as often as it temporarily solves nipping. If you want to do it with your dog, be my guest, it's your dog. But I won't.
> 
> It seems the most logical conclusion to this is that GSD's bite when they're young and until they get older, rarely learn to stop doing it. Once they reach a certain age, these techniques "click" in their head. Maybe then, the "ouch" will actually work. Right now, it just pushed Orion into a further frenzy as he associated my reaction with play time. The only thing that works is to physically remove him from my area by leaving or placing him in his crate for a 10 min TO.
> 
> I wish all GSD owners the best of luck. Even though Orion bites, he's amazing and has quickly taken over our hearts. I can't imagine life without him now. In a few weeks, he'll be out of shot quarentine and hopefully when he interacts with other dogs and new play areas will help prevent biting by engaging his mind more often during the day.


The biting always gets better, from all my dogs Ive owned and fostered. I have been at my wits end, and just when I was ready to give up, it got better, always. 12 weeks old is nothing, its like asking a 2 year old boy algebra problems. Think about that for a second, when kids are babies, they are pure happiness, they dont know whats right and wrong. The same thing with a puppy. There's a new puppy biting thread being made on every dog forum every day since the beginning of the internet. It gets better, GSDs bite more than other breeds. What always worked for me is redirection, carry a small rag in your pocket at all times, when they bite give a firm NO and wave the rag in front of him, when he bites the rag give a happy loud pitched YES!. There are 3 voice tones dogs undestand, the happy high pitches praise voice, the low pitched NO (used for punishment) and the normal tone used for commands. An exercise pen does wonders, or just a seperate empty room. Get in there and play with him, when he bites you give a firm NO and leave him there by himself. He will learn that biting takes the fun away (you). But you must do this every single time, do if for a few days and I promise it will get better.


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## SuperG

BOSKY said:


> How did you bite them? How hard and where?


I'm not saying nothing......no way am I not ....ran out of double negatives.....
Sounds like a dog forum sting operation.


SuperG


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## SuperG

Oh...I did want to add....I tried the "time out" thingy with my current dog....I think my pup was in her kennel just chuckling at me .....when I liberated her from the "time out" she had a renewed sense of spirited engagement and just latched on with more fervor......scratched that method and moved on.

SuperG


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## BOSKY

Oh you guys. I almost bit my dog! lol. 


I'm just going to ride it out. He's a good boy outside of this, so we can manage. But it hurts, it gets bloody, and he never seems to learn. 


Oh boy, I can't believe I was thinking about biting him. lol.


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## SuperG

BOSKY said:


> Oh boy, I can't believe I was thinking about biting him. lol.


Some food for thought....there are members in here who choose not to go through the process of teaching bite inhibition to their pups as they want their dog to develop a solid "bite". Since I am in the same boat as you...I assume...basically a companion dog owner....we spend our time teaching the pup not to bite....at least us anyway and others. But, it might be interesting to learn from those with LE dogs, protection dogs and maybe competition dogs as to their process they use when the rest of us our doing our best to teach bite inhibition.

SuperG


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## Jax08

G - a solid bite is genetic  That hard, full, grip is either in the dog or not. And then you can shape it, or ruin it, from there.

Yes, we teach bite inhibition. We don't like holes in our hands.  IPO dogs are taught to target a sleeve and only that. they get to bite rags then pillows then the sleeve but it's always an object on the person that is their target.

I think the advice of REDIRECT, REDIRECT, REDIRECT is what you'll see us do. Pet dogs may get punished for biting. I think there is where you'll find the difference.


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## Cassidy's Mom

BOSKY said:


> One of the most frustrating components of bite inhibition is that so many of the recommendations fail to work. I wonder if these owners truly have a GSD, because "Ouch" is the most ineffective training method I've ever practiced. I found this out within a few days of using it, saying "ouch" seems an anecdotal measure for GSD's as opposed to a universal method. If it works for your puppy, you're lucky.


It worked for Keefer, but not with Dena. One thing about it is that you don't just say "ouch". It needs to be a shriek - LOUD and SHARP enough that it startles the puppy. It's the startle that stops the biting, even if just for a second, which you can then praise. Biting stops the fun, puppy stops biting, fun continues. Definitely doesn't work with all puppies, but it does for some. 



BOSKY said:


> My wife growled at him and tried to be dominant. She got nipped on the nose pretty good.


It would be best to just discard the whole idea of dominance. Most of what puppies do has nothing to do with dominance, and attempting to be dominant over your puppy isn't likely to be effective. As your wife found out, it's a good way to get bit, though. 



SuperG said:


> Oh...I did want to add....I tried the "time out" thingy with my current dog....I think my pup was in her kennel just chuckling at me .....when I liberated her from the "time out" she had a renewed sense of spirited engagement and just latched on with more fervor......scratched that method and moved on.
> 
> SuperG


That is another method that will work with some pups but not others. If you have an independent puppy who doesn't care that much about being with you all the time it's not going to have much, if any, effect on behavior. With Cassidy, isolation - either actual or social (ignoring her to the point of pretending she didn't exist), was the worst possible punishment, so it was extremely effective. 

She was already 20 weeks old when we got her, around 40 or so pounds, with no manners or training. She was big enough to get into and onto stuff, and trying to make her stop wasn't working very well since she thought we were playing. So what I'd do instead of trying to grab her to get her off the bed and to stop biting at the clothes I was trying to put on while getting ready for work, was to immediately turn and walk out of the room, closing the door behind me. She was a horrific chewer so I couldn't leave her alone for more than 30 seconds at a time or she would have shredded something, but when I did this she'd jump off the bed and run to the door to try and follow me. I'd let her stew for a few second then I'd open the door and come back in the room and we'd try again. It didn't take that long for her to make the association between her actions and the consequences. 

We did the same thing with timeouts in the crate. If she got bitey, into the crate she'd go. If she came out bitey, she went right back in, as many times as necessary until she got it - biting made us go away and she'd be alone. She hated that! Even if the timeout is just a few minutes where puppy gets a break and *I* get a break from puppy, it can often be helpful. Puppies can get like an overtired toddler that gets fussy because it doesn't want to go to sleep. At that point it's frustration on both sides because nothing is working, so a brief timeout in the crate can help settle the puppy down.


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## SuperG

Cassidy's Mom said:


> That is another method that will work with some pups but not others. If you have an independent puppy who doesn't care that much about being with you all the time it's not going to have much, if any, effect on behavior.



Maybe I had an independent puppy???? But she sure turned out otherwise however....probably because I was with her pretty much 24/7 from day one...

What ended up working for me was the typical introduction of appropriate chew items at times when she would get carried away gnawing on me.....if she was really intent on using my limbs as chew toys....I would press her flews against her upper canines as the consequence ....problem was solved in fairly short order for her biting when it was not appropriate for the particular interaction. Since I routinely rough housed and wrassled with the pup...allowing her to latch onto me...this is where I took the most bites and a bit of blood and bruises but it was to be expected and part of the process I used with my previous GSDs. When she would get a bit overzealous...during these sessions.... all she ever got for a correction was my verbal displeasure for undue bite pressure...if she did it a second time during the same session.....rough housing was over and it was obvious to me...she liked this interaction as much as I do...once again..she figured it out in short order. I'm sure like many in here who rough house with their dogs....they have found how smart these dogs are when using their teeth and jaws during these play sessions. After a fairly short time period if the dog ever used excessive bite pressure...either intentionally or mostly by accident....the dog knew it instantly and would stop in its tracks awaiting my reaction...as if hoping we could continue playing rather than terminating the session or having to hear me complain.

SuperG


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## dogma13

What has been effective for puppies that go for my hands and arms is to make a fist and push into their mouth gently but firmly until they get uncomfortable and pull away.You wanna bite?Bite this!Then we would continue with a toy or tug.
Samson was a foot and ankle biter.He'd latch on and I would walk quickly and carefully dragging him until he fell off and went tumbling.

I'm sure some puppies would find both of my clever methods great fun!Thank goodness it worked fairly quickly for us.


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## katdog5911

I've got "nibble" marks all over my arms at the moment from my 12 1/2 week old landshark. My poor 5 yr old female must have the patience of a saint with the little monster....he has absolutely no bite inhibition with her and does not back down at all. Sometimes they seem to really get into it...just how far do I let it go? I would like for her to teach him some boundaries but he is not getting the message! I do step in and call a time out when I think things are getting a bit much. 
The little monster (cute little monster) will be starting puppy socialization classes 9/20. I am worried that so much time is passing without him being exposed to other dogs....


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## coloradoshep18

Thanks for this!


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## Adirondackman

Personally, I'd rather not use the crate for timeouts ( which I'm not fond of either). Her crate is her place to sleep and rest and up until now, she has no trouble entering it. Start using it as a jail and I'm not sure how well she'll care for it afterwards.For me quick reaction to biting helps, for us closing her snout while telling her no with her name using eye contact. GSD's are bright, they know they can't bite the family!


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## Cassidy's Mom

Adirondackman said:


> Personally, I'd rather not use the crate for timeouts ( which I'm not fond of either). Her crate is her place to sleep and rest and up until now, she has no trouble entering it. Start using it as a jail and I'm not sure how well she'll care for it afterwards.


We've been doing it for years, with four different dogs, and it's never been an issue. It's not a punishment, it's just a little break in a place that should already have good associations. 

Our 8 year old and almost 12 year old dog still sleep in their crates at night. They go in on their own and wait for me to close the door. When they were puppies and got all wound up and couldn't settle, we'd put them in their crate for a little nap. Or if they got too wild playing with each other and wouldn't stop when I told them to knock it off, I'd say "that's it, timeout!" and they'd run to their crates.

In fact with Cassidy, who I talk about in my above post, we wanted to eventually eliminate the crate so she would sleep loose in the house when she got older. But she loved her crate so much that we didn't want to take it away from her, so we just took the door off and she still slept in there at night and would go in for occasional naps as well.


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## Sugarpeas

My boyfriend and I got a puppy recently. She is 8 week old. We have been trying to teach bite inhibition these last few days, but I think it's making her biting more painful. I am following the instructions on the first link in this whole thread - but instead of saying "Ouch," I yelp. I try to walk away but I don't think it's effective either, she's very independent.

Some specific issues, she latches onto feet, and if I try to walk away she thinks it's a game. I just wear shoes around her after she caused bites bad enough that my feet bled. She can't grip anything with my shoes on but she still goes for them. 

My hands, she bites hard, but if I yelp and walk away - but she doesn't seem to care. The yelping doesn't really translate anything to her. If I walk away she latches onto something else like a table leg. She just needs to get her mouth on something. She gets into these "alligator" moods.

I know this is an issue she will grow out of, but I want to teach her to bite softly. I know it's an important life skill for her to learn. How can I do this more effectively? My hands look like I got mauled by an angry cat!


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## Casey Johnson

I have been doing extensive research on dog training/behavior, and one thing that I found people are advocating is not actual bite inhibition, but showing them what is appropriate to chew on. The reasoning for this is that if a pup/dog is at a high threshold/highly stressed or reactive to the point that they are gonna bite, it does not matter how much bite inhibition they learned. When a dog is reactive its like all the training goes out the window. When I raised my very first pup, I carried a toy around everywhere and when she started to bite/chew, I just removed that item which usually was my hand and gave her the toy. The end result was the same, I suppose there is never a one size fits all when it comes to dog training and behaviors.


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## bassun

(I'm not a pro trainer or working high end dogs for comp or show but...) I'm 100% on board for puppy biting! I mean that literally. I personally think there is no better way for a pup to learn bite force, than to bite! Especially if you are a one dog household. 

I've always played and rough housed with our dogs, starting as pups. If you act like a pup, they will act like a pup. Rough house and play, I even grumble and growl - and put my hands in harms way intentionally. When they nip a little too hard, I cry out like its the end of the world. If they get too into it, and really get to biting hard - then play time is over pretty quickly. It's always been in fairly short order they understand limits and do little more than mouth or grab you. I believe it is a great way to teach bite force, limits, and no-go zones. Our bloodhound was a master. He learned exactly how hard to grab my arm before it was too much, and when he would snag me, it was like a victory for him, lol. He would get a good grip, and look at me like, "HA! Gotcha again." Then he'd let go and start over trying to get me again. As he got older, I had an old orange hoodie I would put on and he knew that meant it was time to fight. (I put it on as he was bad for whacking me with those clubs attached to his legs, as we spun and rolled around. It kept the accidental scratches down.) 

Now I do, however, disallow biting of anything other then hands and lower arms. That can be tough as I dip my head down and "fight", and I've taken a few bumps and bruises along the way, lol. But, I have only been bitten one time by any of my dogs. That was a hard, penetrating bite in the hand. I was getting in bed, and he was asleep and dreaming. I apparently woke him up, and scared him or he thought it was part of the dream, idk. But he nailed my hand hard. He released and nearly beat me to death apologizing, but I definitely got the worse of that one. 

Again, that may not be the best for working dogs, etc., I don't know as I have no experience in that regard. But for "pets", I wholeheartedly feel that biting is a good thing. You cannot learn to control yourself, until you have the opportunity to. Plus, there is not much that is more fun than play fighting with pups. :grin2:


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## HaPpY AnImAl LoVeR

What about this article? https://www.collared-scholar.com/exercise-frustration-never-teach-bite-inhibition-puppies/


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## wm97

HaPpY AnImAl LoVeR said:


> What about this article? https://www.collared-scholar.com/exercise-frustration-never-teach-bite-inhibition-puppies/


They say they never teach bite inhibition. Don't tell your insurance agent that. You may have to find a new insurance company. Insurance companies are already refusing to insure GSDs because of the fear of lawsuits from bites. Even a friendly, playful bite can have huge consequences. I once worked on a case where a kid went to see a dog that everyone agreed was great friends with the kid, so it was not an attack, but the dog leaped up to the kid to do a playful ordinary bite. Nothing special, and everyone agreed it was just a happy dog greeting a friend.

In this case, the dog's tooth snagged the kid's lip and ripped his face completely open. The plastic surgery to repair it was huge. 

Everyone agreed that it was nobody's fault. The dog did not intend to bite the kid like that. But the cost was huge. 

I like to wrestle with dogs and have had my arms in dog's mouths lots and lots of times. But I will teach my dogs not to put their teeth on humans. It isn't hard, and most dogs pick up on the limits of good play pretty quickly.


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## CEMC

My 9 week old German Shepherd puppy is also a serious play biter. We bought a good sized pen that fits in our living room & found him a variety of toys to play with to see if he develops a "taste" for something other than our hands & feet but nothing interests him as much as being with us & grabbing our hands & sometimes our clothes along with a little bit of skin & it hurts like the dickens. Our arms & hands are are all scratched & many times his bites break skin. 

Ive tried to interest him in tugging, retrieving a ball or a kong toy to see if I can tire him out with toys but he's not very interested in doing any of that. We feel bad because he wants to be close to us but its impossible to have him near without him grabbing you. So far its only horseplay, he's never bitten out of anger or fear & if you look at his face you can tell he's having a blast. 

I know that positive reinforcement is the best way to teach a puppy but lately I've resorted to carrying a dish towel & popping it at him whenever he starts going for my feet or shoe laces. For now that seems to distract him & he quits for a while but he goes right back at it later on. The water pistol idea posted by Blacryan seems to be a good one. I know cats are often trained that way and unless someone here has a good reason for not doing this I think I'll try it. . Hopefully one way or another he'll get the idea & quit soon. 

This is not our first puppy and neither of us recall ever having as much trouble as we're having with this little monster.


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## Sunsilver

Those of you who are struggling with land sharks need to follow Monique Anstee's blog on the Naughty Dogge: The Naughty Dogge Blog | Naughty Dogge - Monique Anstee She's just adopted a malinois puppy she's planning to train for Schutzhund, and he's the reason people often call these pups 'Malingators'!

Monique has competed in the past as a member of the Canadian international team, and is very experienced in schutzhund. She also trains dogs (and their people) for a living, frequently taking in dogs others have given up on.

A really telling quote from her blog:



> My little Hyena did a lightning fast bite to my throat, then just as he did with his brothers and sisters once disciplined, stood over top of me frozen and snarling.
> 
> The speed and instinct were from National Geographic. I rarely talk about the dark side of dogs, but I believe we must start discussing it. This puppy is bred perfectly [for what she wants, which is bite sports]. However, if he was in a home that didn’t know how to handle this, we know what the end result would look like. Shockingly, I’ve been seeing this type of extreme dog in puppy class.
> 
> I don’t actually remember what I did. I know I knocked him off and I think I made him do Superman through the sky, with me holding him like he’s flying. The game just continued. It won’t forever, but f*irst he must learn that humans and dogs play differently than 2 dogs. *


She confesses that this little monster would have been too much dog for her earlier in her career. Certainly, your average pet trainer would not know how to handle the little monster, and as she hints in her blog, a pet home would not end well for this puppy!


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## CEMC

My GSD was impossible to hold or pet when he first arrived at 7 weeks. His teeth were needles and our arms and hands were cut & poked for weeks. He's now (as of yesterday) a year old and still likes to use his mouth to "hold" you or "herd" you more often than we like but it's not nearly as bad as it was in his earlier days. He now listens when you say "Leave it" or "No" so at least when he starts we can immediately end it. It has never been a malicious thing on his behalf but regardless it is very annoying and frustrating. What is even more surprising is that he has never destroyed any furniture, shoes or anything of value. His entire mouthing issues were directed at us. 

We have raised Rottweilers, Dobermans and even an Akita/Chow mix and to our recollection none have been anywhere near as mouthy as this guy. This may be a trait of the working line GSD's (he is that) and Malinois but the point is that we tried every method imaginable to stop him from biting us including the shrieking and the dominance thing and nothing seemed to work. Finally what gradually slowed this behavior significantly was a little maturity and a lot of daily obedience training. 

He's coming along very well these days but we had to put up with a lot of grief to reach this point.


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## Britchea

rucker105 said:


> I got Zeke last Tuesday!! He is almost 9wks old and has been great.....
> 
> But his bite is becoming increasingly painful! If you are in a ten foot radius of him, your feet are in danger! And my hand was nearly punctured this morning! This thread has been very helpful, especially as a reminder that I am not alone! I wish "ow" would work with him, because I'm not faking it when I say it anymore. He just looks at me for a second then bites me harder. And carrying him is asking for it! He loves to nip the face when I take him downstairs at 6am, half asleep.
> 
> Shall I just stay consistent with redirecting and the "gentle"/"no"/ignore combo and pray that he will shape-up? I don't want to be too forceful with the little guy but I have grabbed his muzzle and pinned him a few times when he gets wild and starts growling/barking. That seems to make him bite even more like its a game.
> 
> He just doesnt take me seriously does he?! I'm about to resort to bitter apple spray on my hands (in addition to the already doused house). Could he be showing signs of "alpha" tendancies at this young age? My last dog was a lab, and as a puppy he was so gentle with his nipping. He seemed to listen and became rather submissive when he was older. I know these things can be unrelated, but Zeke has a lot of attitude!!


Do not put that stuff on your hands, I repeat, DO NOT PUT THAT ON YOUR HANDS! It is the most god awful smelling/tasting stuff and you’ll be surprised how much YOU get your fingers in your mouth. It will NOT wash off, will leave your lips/ tongue tasting of it for 15-20 minutes. It’s the worst!


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## Davycc

Britchea said:


> Do not put that stuff on your hands, I repeat, DO NOT PUT THAT ON YOUR HANDS! It is the most god awful smelling/tasting stuff and you’ll be surprised how much YOU get your fingers in your mouth. It will NOT wash off, will leave your lips/ tongue tasting of it for 15-20 minutes. It’s the worst!


Oh I don't know it's not as bad as her indoors cooking.....................................


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