# 2 1/2 month old biting



## norcaltroutkillr (Aug 12, 2009)

about ten days ago we got "miley" a two and a half month old german shepherd.....she gets very nippy in a playful manner....Ive been correcting her with a tap to get her attention and a firm "no" ..........how long will it take for her to learn that this behavior isnt acceptable...?


----------



## sunfluer (May 12, 2009)

<span style='font-size: 11pt'>It sounds like your pup is teething. Puppies lose their baby teeth just like human babies. When my pup was mouthy on my hand/arm/leg, etc., I gave a firm "no" and put a bone or appropriate chew toy inside his mouth and tell him "good "boy" When my pup licks my hand, etc., I say "kisses" and "good boy". Now, if my pup begins to mouth my hand, I say "kisses" and he licks instead of biting.

I've never hit/tap/push my pup for biting or mouthing, rather my approach is positive reinforcement with the thing that's appropriate for biting such as a nice marrow bone or chew toy for powerful chewers. When he goes for your hand, put the bone inside of his mouth and lots of praise.

You can freeze the bone and give it to him which is very soothing for your teething pup.

Hope this helps.</span>


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i think you should cut out the tapping. where are you tapping her? do you really think you should be tapping or hitting a 10 week old puppy??? some GSD's are more nippy than others. mine was 4 months old and he was still nippy. redirect her nipping. hang in there. she'll out grow it. 



> Originally Posted By: norcaltroutkillrabout ten days ago we got "miley" a two and a half month old german shepherd.....she gets very nippy in a playful manner....Ive been correcting her with a tap to get her attention and a firm "no" ..........how long will it take for her to learn that this behavior isnt acceptable...?


----------



## sunfluer (May 12, 2009)

I forgot to add... the behavior improves once the permanent teeth come in provided you're doing the correcting right now with lots of positiive reinforcement and praise. Consistency and lots of repetition is the key to your pups success.


----------



## norcaltroutkillr (Aug 12, 2009)

whoa their chief....who said anything about hitting..?..im talking a gentle tap just to get her attention followed by a firm no....dont know where the [heck] you got hitting from...mabey you should read the post again.....

how long will it take for her to lose all the puppy teeth and stop teething?


----------



## norcaltroutkillr (Aug 12, 2009)

thanks 3dogs...appreciate the info!


----------



## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

They don't stop teething until about 6 months. 

German Shepherds are not exactly known for their soft mouths like retriever puppies. You can expect it to be a process to teach her not to bite. 

I keep toys next to my puppies crates. As soon as they come out I put a toy in their mouth. If they start to mouth on me, I give them a toy and praise them for using it. If they continue I walk away and won't play, or put them in their crate. I pet under the chin and not over the head...seems to invite less biting. It takes times and eventually your baby puppy will bite your tapping finger...that kind of stuff never worked for me...in the end it usually just made them more reactive to my touch. 

You can also teach them gentle. Hold treats in your closed fist and let them gnaw away...as soon as your puppy stops say Ok! and open your hand. Soon they will stop trying to gnaw your hand off to get what they want and wait patiently.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

when my dog was teething i use to massage his gums/mouth.
i also gave him ice cubes.


----------



## sunfluer (May 12, 2009)

<span style='font-size: 11pt'>Hey, no problem! I think you're getting some excellent advice here. Using "gentle" as mentioned, is excellent if you don't like "kisses". And offering treats in the closed fist as mentioned is excellent as well. Just as it was stated, you reward your pup when the nippy stops. Or, as the pups mouth starts to open, put the bone in gently and add your praise.

I think we got to repeat 100 plus times to our pups before it sinks in. I thought my pup wouldn't stop the nipping - he's 6 months old now and doing so much better. And, it definitely got better once the big teeth starting coming in.

Remember - dogs really want to please. It's up to us to show them how.









You've come to the right place on this message board. There are lots of knowledgeable people here and they're more than willing to share their experience.

</span>


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i think it's a thin line between a gentle tap and a gentle hit. i don't think you should give her a gentle tap. your voice and redirection will work. i don't know when they lose all of their puppy teeth.

when my dog was teething i use to massage his gums and rub his mouth. i also gave him ice cubes.


----------



## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

A mouthy dog can stay a mouthy dog even after all the adult teeth are in if the dog is not taught that mouthing is not an acceptable behavior. I adopted a 16mo old dog who was so mouthy, I had to buy my dad welder's gloves b/c he skin is so think that Phoenix would unintentionally inflict wounds on my dad's arms.

The best advice...have something appropriate to chew/mouth around at all times. Praise when miley uses that to chew/nip/mouth vs. your various body parts. Sometimes this requires you to tote around toys in various pockets so you always have one available. While miley is chewing, nice cold toys/chews will help. When Dakota was a pup, I used frozen wash rags and frozen tug ropes (wet then freeze). A nice frozen bone will work...that's a good idea.


----------



## MassiChewSits (Mar 10, 2009)

My 11.5 week old is very nippy. 

Twice,I regretfully have grabbed him by the scruff to pull him off after he has surpised me with a hard bite(minor laceration on my wrist,leg). I reacted out of surprise/pain, but still not a constructive way to deal with it. Of course he reacted with initial surprise, and then things escalate into more nipping. This is a mistake I'm not proud of.

From the start we have always tried to redirect him with toys, but after a week with us that became less effective. Even when offer a toy with a game of fetch or tug he is often more interested in nipping hands and feet. He's just active,curious puppy who plays rough (but not in his eyes).

What has worked recently are five minute "time outs" in his crate. We calmly put him in the crate and allow him to calm down. Our breeder/trainer suggested this saying that the crate used in this manner is not being used as a "place of punishment" but as their regular place of rest where the can bring their energy level down to where more constructive dog-human interaction can take place.

If we have treats readily available, a short training session(sit,down,stand,stay,etc.) also gets him off the nipping. The treat bag gets his attention right away and I feel this really is the best way to deal with it-you exercise his brain, and you avoid pain (that should be my mantra).

Also, we use the frozen bully stick as he loves those as long it has been a few hours since he last saw one.


----------



## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

Benny was constantly nipping in play, grabbing my pants legs, biting my arms and I was bleeding!. I tried distracting him, substituitn a toy, leaving the room with some success but last week the trainer suggest a give him a little squirt with bitter apple when he starts nipping me or the cat. Within two days of associating nipping with that bitter taste he has basically stopped nipping completely. He is 4 months tomorrow and still has all baby teeth. I just carry a squrt bottle of the stuff wehn we are out walking or have it hanmdy in the house but after the first two days I have barely had to use it and of course when he gives kisses he get lots of rewards.

One bad thing is once when I went to squirt him when he was nipping the cat I missed and got the cat! The cat was not pleased


----------

