# 13wk old puppy who is biting kids



## khuesgen (May 31, 2009)

We have a 13wk old gsp and she has a major problem with biting my hands when I put a leash on her. I am an adult and can deal with it but the problem is getting out of hand with the kids. We have 4 kids in the house under 4(I babysit). She has not drawn blood but it is getting out of hand. I hate to keep her in her crate unless it gets really bad. My 13yr old and 11yr old daughter are getting the most of the bad bites. What I am not sure of is whether this is normal puppy biting or something else.

I put her in the submissive position 4times a day. I will hold her mouth closed and tell her no forcefully but not threatening. I refuse to hit her so can someone give me some suggestions. Oh and sometimes when I tell her no she barks back at me.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

This is actually not aggression but is part of going through puppyhood and is pretty common in GSDs. Try searching here but also in the puppy behavior and training areas for lots of info - it comes up a lot so you are NOT alone with your little land shark!


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## doggonefool (Apr 15, 2004)

I agree with PupresQ; it is part of puppyhood and she is trying to play. I have heard that if you squeal like a littermate would, that may slow it down. She is _REALLY _young. You may want to look into Puppy Training classes; check with your vet on good ones in your area. I don't know that holding her mouth closed or putting her in a submissive position is suggested anymore... 








Good Luck


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think you are frustrating your pup by putting her into a "submissive position". What is this accomplishing, other than her fighting you? Holding the mouth closed is not helping either, I assume. Your pup needs to get her energy out and this can be done with playing fetch, tug with a rag on a string or a tug toy and just interaction, engaging her to focus on you thru small training sessions. Buy a fresh marrow bone from the grocery and give it to her in her crate for downtime. Of course, obedience classes are a must!
pupresq is right, many threads on this as there are a bunch of pups right now your babies age. My pup is the same age, and he doesn't bite us at all, many toys are around to redirect his mouthiness. A soaked frozen towel will help shortly, too when your pup starts teething. BTW~Welcome and we love pics(specially puppies!)


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

First off this is NOT AGGRESSION. It is normal puppy behavior. This seems to be a common misconception. A 13 week old puppy "biting" is no more aggressive than a human infant/baby who flails its arms and cracks you a good one with a bottle or toy should be charged with assault!

I agree that:



> Quote: "I put her in the submissive position 4times a day. I will hold her mouth closed and tell her no forcefully but not threatening"


is WAY too much for most any dog much less a puppy! I will also admit I can not understand how you can tell her NO forcefully but not threatening. 

Puppies are like babies they need to LEARN what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. Have you tried teaching her that the leash is a GOOD thing? If you give her a small treat her mouth will be busy for the split second that it takes to clip on the leash AND she learns that leash = GOOD stuff.

Nipping the hands is also typical puppy behavior. Keeping a LOT of toys around that you can redirect too is a much better way to mold a young puppy than shoving it into submission and holding her mouth shut. 

She also need physical AND mental stimulation. You need to tire her head and her body. POSITIVE based obedience games work well for the mental aspect as does playing tug. Playing OB games for 5 to 10 minutes several times a day will help with the above issues and hope repair a possible damaged relationship with the overly harsh way that she has apparently been handled already.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

I forgot to add that while you are working with the puppy she should not be allowed free reign around the kids that you babysit. When the kids are playing/being rambunctious it would be best to leave the pup crated. When the kids are calm I would tether the pup to myself and let her be around them until they or her become too rambunctious. 

Especially if the kids are not yours- you could face liability issue if they should get hurt, even unintentionally, in your care. Watching four kids that young AND having a 13 week old pup it would be near impossible for one person to watch over all 5 effectively.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

puppy is playing, holding the puppy down and mouth shut will only ramp him up. Ignore him when he bites, turn away from him, saying eh! No bites! is ok. 

puppy is teething, he needs lots of appropriate things to work his teeth on. 

I suppose you need to get the leash on to take him outside to potty. I think that this can be accomplished with treats. First teach him to take treats Gently. I use the word "Gentle" and hold the palm of my hand open with the treat in it. The pup will generally take a treat gently this way. Immediately say "Good Gentle, Good Boy." Moderate the praise if it ramps the dog up, but be sure to praise. 

The idea is to set the dog up to succeed, and then praise and treat. 

When he is taking it from the palm of your hand Gently, and is hesitating or being careful when you say gentle, make it tougher. close half the treat in your fist, say gentle and only let the dog have it if he is taking it gently, praise. 

When he is doing this good hold the treat in two fingers and offer with a reminder to be gentle. 

By this point the dog should be getting the idea to be careful with his teeth when you say "Gentle." Now this can be applied to other things, The leash. Have a treat in your hand and the leash in your hand. Say Gentle and take the collar, attach the lead, and treat the dog if it is gentle. If not, keep working at it. 

Hitting the dog will only cause you pain. I would definitely get the dog to training classes.


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## amber fletcher05 (Mar 31, 2009)

Mine did the same thing. From Day 1 to about 4 months old she was always biting on me, My arms would be red and looked like i had cat scratches all over me. so i just learned to keep a toy or two on me 24/7. Holding her down in the "submissive" didnt accomplish anything for me except make her want to bite me more. I would yelp really high pitched to make her stop and then completely ignore her for 2-5 minutes. After that she would be much nicer...


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## Annichka (May 14, 2009)

Take heart. Mine is now almost 16 weeks and she hardly bites at all anymore, but there were times she was so mouthy I'd cry from frustration. NOTHING seemed to work - redirecting, "no!", holding her mouth shut, crating her... At this point, I think that the combination of those things consistently and also her increased maturity have decreased her biting. She still will do it from time to time but she gets it that I don't want her to, and it's becoming increasingly rare.


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