New here and just saying Hi - Page 1

Hello everyone.  I recently got my first GSD and also found this board.  I have always admired the GSDs that I have seen and been around and always fancied that one day I would get one of my own.  Unfortunately I did not find this board with all of the wisdom here until after i got my pup.  She was a discounted older pup from a breeder who seemed to care about her dogs.  I wanted an older puppy or young adult.  This translates into a BYB with no titled dogs.  That being said, I am very happy with her temperment and disposition and I think she is a very attractive pup astetically.

 The vet gave her a clean bill of health and I will have her hips and elbows x-rayed when she gets older unless I have reason to do it sooner.  I plan to do it because if there is a problem I would like to know before she shows any signs as she ages so that I can be sure to supplement and all to help prevent more damage as she ages.  I am being very careful now in making sure she isn't jumping or doing anything too rough (had to teach her NOT to jump off of the porch and to take the steps one at a time),  she is eating bil-jac large breed puppy food.  I see that a lot of people here feed a raw diet but I don't think that is something I want to do as long as there is a good option for a kibble.  Correct me if i am wrong but isn't bil-jac a very good quality food?

 She is very smart and learning at an amazing pace.  Eventhough she had been kept outside in a kennel run she was housetrained from the start with only one accident in the house.  Learned to heel, sit, down and stay within the first few days.  She doesn't seem to have much food or toy drive to me.  Neither gets her excited.  Her excitement comes from biting the sleeves of my jacket o.O  I am trying to discourage this and redirect her to a toy but she thinks my jacket is very tasty.  It would almost seem like she has done bite work and loves a sleeve.  I don't think that is the case but it just seems funny to me that sleeves are her thing.  She is also very quiet...and by very quiet i mean she is totally silent.  In the weeks I have had her I have only heard her whine a couple times when she wanted to go outside.
 
The only problem I have with her relates to the sleeves thing.  She is very "mouthy" and simply can't NOT bite at me whenever i try to touch or pet her.  The only time I can freely rub down her body is while she is eating.  Otherwise she is biteing and nibbleing on my hands and arms.  It isn't as if she is trying to be aggressive...it is more like play to her.  Other than stopping what I am doing or telling her no when she does it is there anything else I can do to curb this behavior?  I have managed to get her to let me pet her neck without biting at me.  But other than a good scratching right around where her collar is anything else gets her to biting again.  

Thanks in advance for any help on this issue.  I have really enjoyed reading the posts here and look forward to spending many more years reading and posting and getting to know people here!!!

Hello Sel, and welcome. I have a girl who did the same thing with sleeve biting. Thought it was fun at first, then it just got annoying. Try and correct her now, before you need a new coat, like me. LOL
I would keep her as lean as possible as she grows. I'm a raw feeder, so not to up to date on what quality kibble is out there. I think you would look for a high end no grain kibble. You will get better replies from others on that. Just wanted to welcome you. Best of luck to you and your pup.       
             

Hi Isachey and thanks for the welcome!!  I am all too aware of how it can turn into a major annoyance if left unchecked.  I am just not sure of how to get her to stop when it seems like everything i do short of not touching her seems to encourage her more.  

Hello Sel!  I am also new to the board, at least posting wise.  Have been a lurker for awhile.....

Northwinds

I had a black GSD pup from a rescue that the kids nicknamed, the "bitey dog". The  marks on my arms persisted as I was informed, it is the nature of the beast. It is a bit of a disappointment, especially for kids who just want a little cuddle every now and then, but if your goal is biting sports, you can't have it both ways. Of course I had no idea about SL or WL's then. That is one reason I do reccommend SL's for families of limited dog experience.


Oh and welcome, hope you aren't thin-skinned, yourself!

Hello and welcome.

Don't know about the kibble, never tried that one.  I feed dehydrated raw food now because my dog was getting diarrhea from everything else.  Now he is fine.  How old is your pup?  Just wondering.
Wish you luck.  My pup will be a year on January 31st.  Birthday party?

Luca is 3 1/2 months old now.  (I didn't consider this an "older" puppy but the breeder with a new litter due anyday did) I don't plan to do any kind of bite work with her or anything.  Maybe fetch a ball if I can manage to get her interested in the ball enough.  Right now she is more interested in the hand throwing the ball.  I am pretty thick skinned though.  It just concerns me somewhat because I do have children who would like to play with her but so far I have only been able to allow them to pet her when I have her head under control.  She wants to play with them also but those puppy teeth are like razors and nibbleing is a bit of an understatement as she will bite down pretty hard.  

As for the kibble I have always only heard really good things about Bil-Jac.  This isn't my first rodeo with dogs...just my first GSD.  I have to mail order any food I have for my dogs because I live in a very tiny town and the only thing available here is the mass market stuff I wouldn't feed to anything but bugs.  The breeder I got her from had her on Eukanuba large breed puppy and she was what i considered a bit overweight for a puppy of her size and breed.  She is a large puppy in my opinion to begin with...larger than other pups I have seen that were her age.  I have never been around growing Shepherds though so she might just be normal sized.  I have known for years to keep larger breed dogs a bit leaner because of the stress it can cause their growing bodies to be too heavy.  She has lost a couple pounds and is now more lean but not anywhere near UNDERweight.  Her coat seems to be a good bit more shiney now also.  I would love to post a photo of her but the only working camera I have right now is my phone and all that you would be able to see would be a black blob on a tan floor the resolution is so bad on it LOL!!  She is black and tan but the camera would blend it all together.  


edited to add her birthday is Sept 26th

Try re-directing the pup = give it something it can chew, bite.

Hi Betta!! I have tried that with balls (too big to choak on), treats, bones, rope bones and squeeker toys.  The one she is most interested in is the squeeker but she will drop it almost as fast as she takes it and will go for my sleeves again.  Just thought I would mention that my sleeves aren't big or billowy or anything.  It is a snug fitting fleece jacket.  I am just being patient with her, saying no and removing my sleeve from near her face(which means my hand/arm)and offering her something else to chew on or play with.  I hope patience and persistence pays off for me LOL.

my boy is mouthy - I tell him to get his bone and while he holds his bone in his mouth I pet him