# Losing patience with this bitey puppy!



## Clbwhittington (May 18, 2010)

We have a 3 month old GSD and while we LOVE him, his biting is so bad! He is starting to bare his teeth and growl when he bites and bites anytime anyone walks by him. He has drawn blood multiple times. I don't necessarily think he's trying to be mean but it's so frustrating and people aren't wanting to be around him. Our trainer has told us to yelp 'ouch' or ignore and walk away but we can't walk away without him following and biting. Any advice before I lose my mind?
Thanks!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Crate training and NILIF are great resources.
Play tug to get his oral energy out! Let him win and end it while he still wants more...


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

Hmm...growling and showing teeth sound like a bigger issue than just mouthing. I would work with a trainer on this one. My pup is 3 months old too, and he still will mouth things if they move by him really fast or he may try to snap up a treat out of my hand, but he never growls or bares his teeth.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Your trainer is RIGHT, this is just normal puppy behavior.

So normal we made a sticky out of it to help everyone, 
click this -> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/puppy-behavior/85888-teaching-bite-inhibition.html

WAY MORE EXERCISE is needed for your puppy. Truth is, I have to do the following activity with my puppy about every other day so they chill in the house:


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## Clbwhittington (May 18, 2010)

Thanks so much! I'm new to the forum and didn't look through enough to see this. I definitely feel better that others have experienced the same thing and will keep in good communication with our trainer.
Thanks!


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

You need a crate and when the little guy gets to be too much, you need to put him in a crate for a little bit. At 3 months a puppy does not really understand the word "no" and even if he does, he does not have the discipline to follow through. So your best bet at this point is just to manage him. Exercise him plenty. When he gets bitely, redirect with a toy. And if he does end up biting you, show him no reaction. Quickest way to eliminate a behavior is to show that the behavior does not affect you at all.

Don't look at it as aggression or meanness. It's just silly puppy crap. Have a sense of humor and you will get through it. If you want to see a bitey pup, check out Ike at his age ... he was a real menace lol


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

> It's just silly puppy crap.


That's pretty much it in a nutshell!!! Puppies and we love 'em!!!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I love that video of Ike.. too funny!

I still have scars from Stark's puppy days.. lol.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> I love that video of Ike.. too funny!
> 
> I still have scars from Stark's puppy days.. lol.


me too, used to be "this scar is from learning to ride my bike" "this one is from that basketball game" etc.. now its "all of these and this one is from Sage" :crazy:


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## Clbwhittington (May 18, 2010)

Ohhh that video of Ike is our Walter for sure! Too funny! Thanks again, this makes me feel better! Our first puppy and we just want to make sure it's all normal. As long as we know it gets better, we can handle it.
Thanks


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

I'm glad that video was posted and that you think that is exactly what your pup is doing. From that video that is completely a puppy being a puppy and as I like to say a butt head lol. Everyone sees the cute fuzzy adorable puppy with precious puppy breath not many like to think or accept the ornery side that comes with them lol.

Sometimes it's hard to explain your situation through words or for others to understand it sounded much worse from the way you described it. I was assuming he would just look at you and start growling and showing his teeth like dogs do with food aggression and stuff and figured if you got to close and ignored the warning he would snap and draw blood.

This growling biting mouthing and just being a pain is completely normal and those d*mn puppy teeth are sharp so sometimes they will draw some blood. So are little puppy nails I have plenty of battle wounds from those darn things as well lol.

Very happy you saw the video and can see it first hand and relate it to thats what you are going through also helps everyone else understand more of what you were saying.

PS thanks a ton for the video been a long time since I've had a pup and was looking at getting one here soon debating between breeder or older rescue... reminds me of the puppy years lmao amazing how you forget some things when you haven't had one in awhile.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Pups are so much fun 

With Ike, basically he gets a free pass until he is done teething. After teething, he gets a loud "no" from me when he puts his teeth on me (almost never). Of course it doesn't mean I didn't do anything with him between 8 weeks to 6 months as far as biting goes ... you try to gently discourage him from biting you, redirect him, sometimes you tell him to knock it off. But all that stuff should be done quietly, with as little emotion as possible. Look at it as imprinting. You are teaching him biting you is bad, is no fun, etc. - but just as like any command you teach to a 12 wks old pup, you can't expect perfection over night. Actually, with a 12 wks old pup, you can't expect compliance half of the time ... but gradually as he gets older, you will expect more and more of him - to control himself, to behave, etc. It just takes time.

This is Ike 4 months after the first video. You can see he is a very biddable boy, happy and enthusiastic. No mouthing or biting at all. Yet if you only look at his first video some people would think there is something seriously wrong with him because of the way he was biting, growling, and snapping at my face.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> That's pretty much it in a nutshell!!! Puppies and we love 'em!!!


On the other hand, if he were still with his mother; there is a definite limit as to what she would put up with regarding the puppy biting! Sooner or later she would correct the little fella.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

There is nothing wrong with discouraging a pup from biting. The problem starts when people think this is a behavioral problem ("he is aggressive", "he knows better", "he is acting up") and that there is a fix to this biting thing once and for all ... mommy dog corrects the pup to get him to stop but she does not expect him to stop completely. It's more along the line of "That's enough. Knock it off".


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