# Puppy ignores toys in favor of my hand!



## Annichka (May 14, 2009)

I try to substitute toys when Sigrid bites at my hands or feet, but lately she's been particularly insistent that my flesh is much better for biting/chewing than any toy. Tonight I was trying to distract her with a tug rope an she ignored the rope entirely and latched onto my hand - HARD! It's really starting to hurt, and sometimes she breaks the skin. I've got to be doing something wrong when I respond to this, or the biting wouldn't be getting worse, would it? She gets lots of exercise, she's on a raw diet, I spend lots of time with her in training. To discourage biting I've tried substituting, yelping/ignoring, even sitting her down abruptly with a stern "no." I do NOT know what to do.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

I used a squirt bottle when our fellow was young - and if plain water doesn't work you can add a LITTLE vinegar. When he started in he'd get a nice jet of water in the face and a stern "Leave it!!" (don't use the word "No", dogs hear it so much they learn to tune it out.) You have to have a bunch of these bottles around the house so you have access at all times....... Conor hated being spritzed so much that eventually all I had to do was pick the bottle up - he would stop whatever he wasn't supposed to be doing immediately. You don't say how old your puppy is - if she is teething, something cold to chew on is soothing. I used to take old wash cloths, get them really wet, then twist them into a rope and put them in the freezer. When they were frozen, I'd give one to Conor to chew on. It would keep him busy for a while......you can also buy a product at PetsMart or PetCo which works on the same principle.
Good luck with your drivey little girl!

_____________________________________________
Susan

Anja GSD
Conor GSD - adopted from this Board
Blue GSD - at the Bridge


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## Annichka (May 14, 2009)

Thanks! She'll be 11 weeks on Thursday. It may be related to teething, but if it was just that, then I'd expect one of her toys to do the trick (she has a variety of textures and sometimes gets a chilled apple as well). She goes at my hand (and often my feet and legs) with such gusto! Also, if I take her by the collar and sit her down with a firm "no!", she might settle for a minute but she'll snap at my hand as I let go of her collar. What is this? Am I doing something to reinforce the behavior? It seems to be getting worse!


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## ShatteringGlass (Jun 1, 2006)

Annichka,
I am in the same boat with my 10 week old Dalmatian pup! When he gets really fired up about biting hands/arms,, nothing seems to get him to stop, yelping like I'm hurt, ignoring, removing him by the scruff/collar and giving a firm verbal correction, redirecting with a toy...even after all these things, he will come back harder and more wild!

The water bottle sounds like a good idea, but I used to groom this Akita that was corrected using water squirted in her face, and she was HORRIBLE for her bath and even spraying cologne or conditioner on her! Im afraid this would happen to my pup!


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## GSDinOly (Apr 19, 2009)

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the water bottle, I want her to respect things, but not fear them...so I do something different. If she clamped on really hard, I'd raise my voice loud and say NO!!GENTLE!!(German though)Doesn't matter...body language adds to the effect as well, standing very tall and still as soon as a bite happens...and I would lower my hands kinda down over her face and arround her muzzle. Don't have to squeeze hard at all, but hold it so they cannot snap. SHE HATES THAT. THEN, we have a time out. (I give her the cold shoulder).I only had to do this about 3-4 times and she got it, and now can easily be redirected to toys or use leave it, and will go get her toys. If she wants your hand she'll paw for it, mouth it but not bite, and lick you. I know every pup can be different, but wanted to share because it worked really well for us without hurting her or frightening her







Dang it HURTS when they bite hard, tears well up! LOL


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## Annichka (May 14, 2009)

Right on, ok, will try that. I don't want to hurt or frighten her (though I swear, the dog is unfazeable - once or twice I've gotten really mad because it DOES hurt, and I rarely raise my voice but I certainly did then. It made her more enthusiastic!). But this biting...oy!


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

I've tried the yelping, the "NO BITE", for our 4 month old, it's hard because when she gets "riled up" she just wants to puppy play and nip and bite and it does hurt. My 5 year old daughter does okay with it and just does the "NO BITE" and stops playing with her like I do but her little friends don't fare so well and they scream and cry and now I have to make it clear to them that they have to stay outside or help me train her not to do it. It gets frustrating because the little ones act like they are really badly hurt even when there is no mark at all, I don't blame them, I know it does hurt to get a nip but I can't keep Lulu locked up in her crate when they are over either which is most the days! 

I know all pups do this, but when it's a BIG pup it's harder to deal with! She does know what "no bite" means and she does TRY to listen but I think it's the hardest thing to train a pup NOT to do as it is such an instinct. I just put a wet washrag in the freezer LOL

I know she'll grow out of it and am trying to train her to "leave it" and "no bite" constantly but it's still frustrating with all the neighborhood kids over all the time (my daughter does just fine with it). I may just make my house a NO PLAY zone until Lulu is over this stage


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## lisak (Jun 9, 2009)

wow- I am really glad this thread was recommended to me- we have the exact same problem with our 12 week old GSD pup. When she is fired up, I can't get her to stop biting and she could care less about any toy or what I am saying to her. She starts even if I am just walking in the yard and not engaging in any sort of play. I'm not sure I will be able to get my hands near her muzzle without her biting me first, but I will try what is described above- if anyone has any other ideas, please help! Other than this, she is a wonderful puppy!


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## GSDinOly (Apr 19, 2009)

LOL...yes they will try to bite you when you go for thier muzzle, but you'll get eventually. If you gotta grab faster, so be it







Another thing I can suggest is that when in the house, it is really OK to leash puppy ( as when children are playing). It will give you more control to separate her from the kids. I've heard it suggested also a firm pop under the chin with your hand, but I have not tried this. Starry, your pup is teething too, so it's going to be even worse right now until that's over with, but it will pass. I've still got to go through that stage with my pup, so hope what I've tought her will hold fast during that time!! I hope you guys keep me posted on how it goes!


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

Good thing I found this post! I'm not sure why I didn't see it before!








Denali has been mouthy as heck lately! (Sorry! I know I posted this elsewhere)
She has her toys everywhere but she loves my pant legs.
I've tried the muzzle thing, and the cold shoulder thing, but apparently it makes her a little prissy and she starts to growl and bark at me.
So... I was







! I didn't know what else to do, but calm down and alpha roll her. I simply held her down gently until she calmed down. 
Is this wrong?
I keep thinking every little thing I do is going to ruin her for life


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## Carol Boche (Jun 9, 2009)

With mouthy pups I use a stern "NAY" and lift up on the collar by pulling up and forward while saying the correction. Then I give another command that the pup knows "SIT" is the easiest one to teach....

Always have treats in your pocket and/or a toy....

HIGH praise for performing the command "sit or whatever the dog knows" and then treats or play. 

The more reaction you give a mouthy puppy (negative or struggling to get out of their grip) it is still reinforcement. Try to stay still and then just do the collar thing. 

Once the puppy learns that sitting or performing other commands gets them a good reaction the mouthiness should fade away. 

When first getting puppy out in the morning or after some crate time and they are excited to see you....always have them come out of the crate and have them "sit" to put the lead on and then reward with a treat or toy. 

Repetition and schedule works best....and it usually does not take too long for them to learn if you stick to the routine. 

Just what works here for me with mouthy, drivey pups.


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## Annichka (May 14, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: DenaliFofaliI keep thinking every little thing I do is going to ruin her for life


Me too! I've calmed down a bit, as we've now had her for over 4 weeks, but eesh. I have a fearful older dog and I don't know what might have made him that way - temperament, treatment before we got him (he was 18 months when I got him) or the kind of rough training that was popular at that time - dominance assertion, alpha rolling, etc. Prolly a combination.

I'm coming to the conclusion that what gets through to your pup, short of brutality, is what you have to do. Sigrid is much more confident and less sensitive than Augie. I only have to look at him sideways to make him straighten up. Her, I have to reach down and physically close her mouth (that DID work by the way - I just started doing it yesterday and she gets the picture!).


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