# Adult Dog Biting, Please Help



## GermanShepLover21 (Apr 29, 2017)

My German Shepherd has been biting, and there seems to be no way to end it. I decided to post on here, even though she is not aggressive but still play bites. The biting hurts badly, even though she does not mean to hurt. Any advice is welcomed, with the exception of euthanasia. She is very sweet, but she also pulls on the leash which makes it hard to exercise her. All the advice I can find pertains to a puppy, not a fully grown dog. Also, I would appreciate help on the leash pulling.
Thank you.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

For the very reason she is an adult, get a trainer involved. The trainer will also be able to help you with basic obedience as well. The trainer will be able to observe and make recommendations based on that observation of the relationship.

In the meantime, when you feel a tooth, stop all play and put her away for a few minutes. Do this in a very neutral, matter of fact way. Keep a lead on her so you are able to lead her to crate instead of reaching for her collar. Without knowing the dynamics, I am not going to advise anything more corrective.


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

Others will chime in with suggestions, but I just wondered how old your pup is? Despite the fact that they get big, they still are not considered adults until around two or so, I believe.


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## MayzieGSD (Aug 28, 2006)

My rescue male was awful with the mouthing (play biting) when I got him at 3 yrs old it was like no one ever taught him not to do it as a puppy and what made it worse was he was an 80 lb adult and it would HURT!. He would usually do it when he got excited or wound up and now it has pretty much gone away now.

The things I did that helped -
- put a bone or toy in his mouth when he got in a bitey mood
- if he still wouldn't quit, put him in a time out (shut him out of the room or put him in his crate)
- never play or give him any attention for it (turn my back and shut down any play sessions)
- don't do any type of wrestling play with him - that gets him wanting to mouth


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

I would work with a really good trainer and commit to spending the money and more importantly the time to teach the dog appropriate play and good structured fair and consistent rules. This is likely a problem with you, not the dog. Something is too inconsistent or unclear for the dog. A good train will help you come up with a plan and an approach.

Get a trainer to help you...YOU. Sorry. All of us have had to come to the point at some time realizing that we... the handler have to rise to the occasion. Good dogs don't just happen. They evolve and develop from investment.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Can you describe what training you have done with her, and how you have trained her. Also, describe what your daily schedule is with her. 

You seem to recognize that it isn't aggressive. That is good. But what do you do to prevent it? What have you tried? Have you told her, "No! Gentle with my fingers!" In a stern, no-nonsense voice, removing your hands from the line of fire, and stopping the game or play completely? 

Have you taught your dog to take treats and things gently, or nice and easy, using a term like Gentle or Easy. You can transfer that to other things, once she gets the concept. Gentle with the baby. Gentle with my fingers. 

When did you acquire your dog and from whom? Some puppies are removed early from their litter and do not learn important stuff from their littermates, and how hard to bite when playing with each other is one of them. Often bite-inhibition is something folks who get a young puppy have to train into them. And it can still be trained even though your dog is an adult. You will just have to go back and work the way you would work a puppy on these things. 

Not knowing how you have trained up to this point makes it very difficult to make suggestions. In fact, a real live trainer can measure you and what style is most effective for you, your body language, your bearing, your voice, and the dog you have. There are two sides to any training equation, and we don't generally train in front of a full length mirror so we can see ourselves, and what cues we are inadvertently giving to our dogs. So the good live trainer is just as important. Where you are located might help someone here to make a suggestion on a good trainer.

I don't think your dog is close to euthanasia because you do not feel there is aggression in what is going on. That makes me believe that this is very workable. And leash pulling is a good place to begin with a trainer.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

Saw the OP's other post re the 'adult dog'. This is a 2 year old big puppy.

OP, combining replies for other post with this one: Locate an experienced trainer. Not saying your pup is aggressive; but locate a trainer experienced with aggressive dogs preferably. Due to the lack of socialization, what appears to be a lack of respect for you and iffy obedience, try to set up private classes with the trainer to get YOU and the pup up to speed.

As for a second puppy - you DO NOT have time for a second puppy until you have the training for this one taken care of. This pup is going to take your time, dare I say money and energy for a period of time.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

If you can't teach bite inhibition with 'gentle' then a painful 'ouch' and a firm 'no' followed immediately by a time out may help. At this point, it sounds like you shouldn't let your dog put its teeth on you at all. A pinch collar with grab tab might help you correct the dog or an e collar. As mentioned I'd suggest the best gsd trainer in your area. Hopefully your dog is still under 1. It shouldn't bite you hard after that age if your pack structure is what it should be.

Oh the dog is 2? You can't let that happen anymore op. Do whatever it takes to stop that and get control of your dog.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

A 2 year old is NOT a puppy. It just sounds like down playing the problem by naming it a "puppy". It is an adult dog that bites too hard. OP, she "doesn't mean to hurt", shows that the dog has not learned boundaries. Maybe you are new to GSDs, I don't know, but to work with her, based on the forum recommendations, is not the safest thing to do. Everyone trains differently or interprets differently. The best way to handle her IMO is to hire a trainer asap who really knows GSDs and who actually sees what is going on between you and the dog. Thanks for asking. Please let us know how this goes.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

2 year olds are big puppies and young adults. They are old enough to know better and young enough that they still might let the puppy shine through. They are certainly young enough to train and get under control. 

But they are also big enough to do damage. I would NOT slap a prong collar or e-collar on this dog and correct it. Get a trainer, and if they suggest a prong or e-collar to manage the problem, do it under their direction. That's not how I would tackle it, but you need someone who can assess the dog and you and find the right formula for both of you. 

Good luck.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

Well there you go, varying opinions on how to handle a 2 year old dog. No way in **** I'd let a 2 year old dog bite me hard! I'd correct it hard like it would've been by a strong alpha a long time ago. I guess you could always go to counseling indefinitely if you can't be a leader to your dog.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

selzer said:


> 2 year olds are big puppies and young adults. They are old enough to know better and young enough that they still might let the puppy shine through. .


That idea won't fly among dogs themselves so why would we call them puppies? It is bullying to me. They lose their puppy license at about 12 - 13 weeks. I think dogs know best.


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

I don't really think that opinions are that diametrically opposed, as least the way I am reading them. No one is saying this is OK and the OP should just sit back and let the pup do anything he wants, just that because he is younger, maybe it can be more easily addressed than with a 5 year old dog, for example, who has been doing this kind of thing all his life.


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## le.tetrish (Aug 29, 2016)

Just some food for thought as private lessons are expensive this is what really worked for us with not pulling on leash. 

We already had good prongs but Bane was still pulling- It wasn't until one private lesson with trainer were we able to use it correctly and it was generally fixed that day. So if you cant afford a trainer maybe pay for a single lesson/consultation and try to work on it on your own base on what the trainer advises. There are also group classes that are cheaper where a lot of trainers are not against answer questions and you could bring up your problem areas. You won't get the great 1 on 1 knowledge that you need but at least the trainer will know your dog and also give you some advice that you can work on. Walking on leash politely is usually covered in many group classes. Mouthing is not acceptable in the good canine certification (what we are currently enrolled in) and the trainer should be able to give you some advice on that as it is part of the class and the class is alot cheaper than private lessons.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

wolfy dog said:


> That idea won't fly among dogs themselves so why would we call them puppies? It is bullying to me. They lose their puppy license at about 12 - 13 weeks. I think dogs know best.


This is actually incorrect. Puppies lose their puppy license between 4 and 5 months old. 

So you are saying a dog stops being a puppy when it is barely more than a whelp? At 3 months old? That is flat out nuts. There are many changes during the first 12 months for small dogs, and 24 months for larger dogs, and the larger dogs tend to take a bit longer to mature. Many bitches do not go into heat the first time until they are 10 - 14 months old. German Shepherd Dog pups can continue to grow upward to about 18 months, and they generally do not fill out completely until they are 3. The secondary sex characteristics usually take some time to develop as well. Most of that is looks though. Behavior, attention span, how they relate to foreign dogs and strange people, adult temperament -- a lot of that changes a lot during the course of the months prior to 2 years. 

As for letting the dogs determine when they are puppies, well, if a bitch goes in heat at 8 months, should she be bred? If it is up to the dogs, she would be bred.


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