Stopping a 6 month old pup biting
Discussion
Our GSD pup is great in just about every respect, but he is still biting. And by that, I mean chomping down on any piece of human anatomy he fancies, with no warning. It's not ferocious, I'm 99.9% sure he's playing and doesn't realise, but he has all his adult teeth now and whilst it's like a play bite and he's not doing any actual damage, clearly he could do if he wanted to, and it has to stop. Particularly we obviously can't have him doing this to a non-family member. We thought it might be a teething thing and stop once he was past that, but he hasn't. Examples today - out walking across farmland, he's trotting about happily, then suddenly just got hold of my hand. A few minutes ago, I'm sitting on the sofa, and he just clamped onto my foot. We read at an early stage that the best approach is to yell at him like you're wounded, and remove any attention from him - we've done that religiously (although my yell is more crossness than wounded!) but he's still doing it. He is otherwise very attached to us and very affectionate. Any suggestions as to how to get him to stop?
They all do that, Sir - if you look on GSD forums, they talk about the "land shark phase" 
We have an 18 month old GSD, I can't remember if he was still bitey at 6 months, I've a feeling he probably was.
The thing we've found most effective for discouraging unwanted behaviour is one of these;
He still gets excitable sometimes - if he's having a mad half hour, just picking up the squirt gun and putting it on the sofa next to me immediately calms things down.
We have an 18 month old GSD, I can't remember if he was still bitey at 6 months, I've a feeling he probably was.
The thing we've found most effective for discouraging unwanted behaviour is one of these;
He still gets excitable sometimes - if he's having a mad half hour, just picking up the squirt gun and putting it on the sofa next to me immediately calms things down.
yes, we have a squirter here, and he does know EXACTLY what that is, and usually stops whatever he's doing if we pick it up! The trouble is that the biting is so random and unexpected, so I might need a water pistol and a holster! Thanks for the info though, if it is to some extent "normal" we'll persevere with the current things. I have considered a holster before now!
His behaviour did seem to change really quickly at various points in his life - not that we were doing anything different, he just seemed to suddenly "get" something and became better behaved almost overnight. He's curled up peacefully at my feet in the office now - there was a time when I seemed to spend half the day yelling "NO!", "OFF THERE!", "DROP THAT!", "THAT'S NOT YOURS YOU F***ING A**EHOLE". He's now at the point where, although he does follow me everywhere, I don't worry if I can't see what he's doing. The situation with the cats is improving as well, they're getting a bit more attitude with him and he's getting more willing to ignore them.
His behaviour did seem to change really quickly at various points in his life - not that we were doing anything different, he just seemed to suddenly "get" something and became better behaved almost overnight. He's curled up peacefully at my feet in the office now - there was a time when I seemed to spend half the day yelling "NO!", "OFF THERE!", "DROP THAT!", "THAT'S NOT YOURS YOU F***ING A**EHOLE". He's now at the point where, although he does follow me everywhere, I don't worry if I can't see what he's doing. The situation with the cats is improving as well, they're getting a bit more attitude with him and he's getting more willing to ignore them.
Martin4x4 said:
Don't yell, but an clearly audible 'ouch' might be enough to stop it.
We've done that ever since he started this but to no avail - hence considering steeping it up a notch or two!I googled the Land Shark thing - very interesting, and by all accounts he should stop soon!
all dogs bite as puppies to encourage other puppies to play, I growl back at mine in three stages escalating the ferocity it each time if they don't get the message to stop. I had to go to stage 4 once though and give my youngest GSP a little nip back, she's very thick skinned (no pun intended) but has never tried it on again since.
We're just having a bit of a resource guarding issue with our 5 month Golden Ret.
Doesn't guard his normal food or toys at all. But anything the little hooligan nicks he defends like hell. Firework was one thing, my lunchtime apple pie another.
Just going through the trading for something that's more fun and having lots of treats to work on the desensitisation process. Not looking forward to when he's a teenager with raging hormones. So far he hasn't drawn blood but matter of time.
At what point do you call it a day? The problem is that some things that he nicks aren't worth the fight over. Others you would like to get them off him but can take your time and play the "this treat or game is more fun than that" gambit. But there's some stuff you just need to get off him and now e.g. the firework that some inconsiderate t
t had discarded in the verge long grass.
Fortunately it proved to be partially expended and what he ate wasn't very much of it so it ended up OK. But so much litter discarded and blowing around the fields.
Doesn't guard his normal food or toys at all. But anything the little hooligan nicks he defends like hell. Firework was one thing, my lunchtime apple pie another.
Just going through the trading for something that's more fun and having lots of treats to work on the desensitisation process. Not looking forward to when he's a teenager with raging hormones. So far he hasn't drawn blood but matter of time.
At what point do you call it a day? The problem is that some things that he nicks aren't worth the fight over. Others you would like to get them off him but can take your time and play the "this treat or game is more fun than that" gambit. But there's some stuff you just need to get off him and now e.g. the firework that some inconsiderate t
t had discarded in the verge long grass.Fortunately it proved to be partially expended and what he ate wasn't very much of it so it ended up OK. But so much litter discarded and blowing around the fields.
We seemed to spend most of the first six months removing things from his gob, so we've never had any problems taking things off him. We recently spent a weekend with family who have a nine month old GSD, though, and we discovered that the main resource he guards is me - did not like the other dog getting any attention from me.
Always found a very loud YELP (scream it in their ear if necessary) when ever they lay teeth on you worked with my dogs, it distracts them from what they are doing, they soon learn not to touch you with their teeth.
Sweeping generalisation time..
Most dogs will mouth, never let it happen, a dog must learn from a very young age that teeth hurt. You should be able to tiggle their tounge and almost their tonsils with your hand and they will not close their mouth on you.
Most people understandably play fight puppies and then have issues when the big teeth come out.....it's not too late to correct. It is so important they learn that for the sake of the dog as it get older that teeth and humans are off limits.....
Sweeping generalisation time..
Most dogs will mouth, never let it happen, a dog must learn from a very young age that teeth hurt. You should be able to tiggle their tounge and almost their tonsils with your hand and they will not close their mouth on you.
Most people understandably play fight puppies and then have issues when the big teeth come out.....it's not too late to correct. It is so important they learn that for the sake of the dog as it get older that teeth and humans are off limits.....
Years ago, I went to Svalbard with a group of friends - we flew there in three light aircraft, having carefully planned all the survival aspects of the trip.
Whilst there, we went on an overnight dog-sledding expedition where we all got the chance to drive a sled with a team of six huskies. The guide was at the front, and he had explained to us that he was training up a young dog by putting him at the front of his team next to an older, experienced bh. But during the course of the day the guide was having constant problems with the young dog veering off and pulling the whole team in the wrong direction.
Eventually, the guide stopped us all after this happened for the umpteenth time. He unharnessed the troublesome dog and led it away from the rest of the team, where he pinned it down and appeared to bite it.
We asked him about this odd behaviour later, and he said he was biting the dog's ears because that is what its mother would have done to discipline it when it was a pup. He said there's no point shouting at a dog, but if you speak the right language it'll understand you perfectly.
So... Bite your dog's ears!
Whilst there, we went on an overnight dog-sledding expedition where we all got the chance to drive a sled with a team of six huskies. The guide was at the front, and he had explained to us that he was training up a young dog by putting him at the front of his team next to an older, experienced b
h. But during the course of the day the guide was having constant problems with the young dog veering off and pulling the whole team in the wrong direction.Eventually, the guide stopped us all after this happened for the umpteenth time. He unharnessed the troublesome dog and led it away from the rest of the team, where he pinned it down and appeared to bite it.
We asked him about this odd behaviour later, and he said he was biting the dog's ears because that is what its mother would have done to discipline it when it was a pup. He said there's no point shouting at a dog, but if you speak the right language it'll understand you perfectly.
So... Bite your dog's ears!
CAPP0 said:
We've done that ever since he started this but to no avail - hence considering steeping it up a notch or two!
I googled the Land Shark thing - very interesting, and by all accounts he should stop soon!
Then my escalation would be to firmly scruff him as a show of dominance.I googled the Land Shark thing - very interesting, and by all accounts he should stop soon!
Still do the clearly audible ouch (so he learns that as a warning) than firmly grasp his scruff, the louse skin around his neck and push him down.
Once you've established physical dominance, which needs to be done while still a puppy, you can shift to using the "Look" Staring down the dog.
Edited by Martin4x4 on Saturday 29th November 23:18
I've bitten my dog bedore now! Had a very similar issue with me mutt, so I bit him back. Stopped the problem stone dead. I'm all in favour of being 'top dog' in our relationships (I mean with the dogs) and having had problems with my Basset at the begining of the year, the only thing that (eventually) worked was 'dog behaviour'.
However, with your dog beingso young, I'd expect it to stop pretty soon naturally.
However, with your dog beingso young, I'd expect it to stop pretty soon naturally.
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