Bite Inhibition Help! - Page 2

If you are going to do ANY kind of work with the dog that involves biting, like Schutzhund - you do not "inhibit" shit, but cleverly redirect it, to suit your purpose. If that is what you want to do, then some advice could be given to make your life more bearable.

So, the counter question is - what are you planning to do with the pup? You should know that everyone that gets a GSD puppy goes through that stage, so welcome to the club.

Dre & Maggie:

You have a high drivey play drive pup...You probably should have had someone go with you to pick the puppy that was low key out of a litter...How did you pick your pup.....or what bloodlines are your pups out of....All pups bite and that is what we want them to do..

If I had a pup that didnt come out biting and hunting and very intense, I would be looking for another female or male to breed to..  My Old line is slowly disappearing so I will be turning down the sheets very soon.

You have to redirect the pup from the day you bet him home...By 12 weeks your pup ought to be sitting, walking onleash and by the time all shots are done...out and about meeting people ,,but you carry , treats , and tugs and ropes with attention getters on end...  I use a noise maker and clap hands for attention.....

At Hutto trial a few months ago, it was so nice to see  Rita Ledda with a 16 week old pup on leash , doing here  imprinting right there among all the chaos...she had the pup at full attention but wanted the pup to meet people..and get use to the sitting and the calming routine...You have to learn    How to Calm a pup... 

Time and Patience......start the calming sessions every afternoon,,,sit on floor and have some smelly treats hidden in your hand...   lay pup inbetween your legs on back...calmly find the spot on tunny to rub...rub each paw on bottom for 25 seconds or so .....keep  puppy calm for at least 5 minutes     each day do this and increase the time you calm your dog....rub his top of head and along the under jaw....these are techniques I use from the day number one the pups are born....I do 1 day old puppies   and I continue it every day.....or almost....some days I am so neat from mowing and weedeating and tending to the big dogs and my property  I miss a day.....but it makes a dog more apt to be able to take stress and be more easier taught to focus on you and your eyes....You should be teaching your puppy to look  and I mean  sitz and LOOK   up at your nose and eyes  for a few minutes each day....do this and use meat  to get his attention...you hide the meat in hand and make him look at your face until  you  are satisfied,,immediately give him his   REWARD

Then play with him with tugs.....encourage with out hitting or screaming no....to bite a tug   a rag  or a gunny sac....

Yelling at a pup that knows not what you are yelling does not good...the no  or  Phooey...which I use for the biteing my pants....of course I want my pups to bite my pants and shoes.....alll day long.....then I just distract them to a toy or tug....
or roll a ball......away from you...but you  must get their attention first...work on the food to nose to eye and reward and then start getting the teeth away from you.........never wear good clothes around  a puppy....that is what dog clothes ARE FOR....DON'T BLAME THE DOG...

get a toy he likes and make it more fun than your cloths

New kid on the block:

There is a lot more to it than just get a toy ...their instinct causes them to go after the legs and you have clothes on, sure....what have they seen since day one....movement...genetic instinct to go after what they see move....

It takes repetition every day and train a new pup...everything you do with him is imprinting him..if you already let him bite the pant legs and you dont like it....your fault...now you have to spend time undoing it......I don't have a problem with them biting my legs , shoes, brooms etc..I promote it...but I also work a different program than these ladies do....I know how to stop it when I want it stopped...I have a rope in my acreage  that I run my pups to,.....it is attached to a big wood kid structure , no longer used by kids...but used by pups and dog...the rope cannot come loose and it is 1/2 " in diameter....I move it and the pups all gang up on it...I tug and get them use to the heavy taste and movement of a tug  and it becomes a game....a game you continue when you take pup home.....if you dont....where else do you think the pup sees movement to a big hunk of a leg...something that moves all the time and is easy to sink teeth into......your legs and your tennis shoes.....

so you have to think of something to take the place of a leg with pants or a skirt that moves...a toy just wont get it...yes they will play with a fun toy and have fun...but the brain when you walk away goes right back to what you allowed them to do since you got the pup....You must redirect from day one....so now the long redirect with a bulky feeling in the mouth...something they like putting pressure on...

It takes over and over and over....called repetition......after a week or so....you come out with a tug on a rope   or a stick and get attention and throw a toy or ball away from you and pup will learn.

You can pop the pup on nose after you  have imprinted the other..but to pop him before he has time to learn a routine. The german wants to work   even as a pup    Just make it fun...laugh and act like a clown with the pup...That keeps them High...I like high..you May not..


Again, this is why you must tell breeder that you dont want a high drive pup. But  my cocker pups bite too..so I think it is a given  but some just do it more.

..One of the things I give my buyers before I sell them  a pup is the printed paper  about  the 10 reasons you  may not want a german shepherd.

Dre,
Its getting late, you should have been doing something about this behavior since day one.   
Redirect is a good tactic, so is biting the little shit on the nose and saying NO!   You must be the boss !
Calming your pup is good, grooming and hands on is always good, lots of it.  But wear him out first with some working exercise, a good run, burn up some of that energy first.
You are young and you want a pet, and he's four months old already and has high drives it seems.    Time to start obedience training now.  Pick your method and take the time, do it right and the rewards will be endless.
Don't do anything and trouble will not be far behind.

Moons.

My pup was born in the fall, so thankfully, I had thick layers of clothes on all winter, - we live ( for a short time!) in an old farm house.

They do grow out of it, enjoy it (if possible,) cause the puppy stage is alot of fun, and when its over, its gone.  Its part of getting a shepherd, so new readers who think they want a GSD, listen up!

This works for me--get him interested in ball playing.  Throw the ball for him and entice him to run after you with the ball in his mouth by running away from him when he turns towards you with the ball in his mouth--run around with him chasing you with the ball in his mouth--change direction often--make it an exciting game--laugh out loud, speed up, slow down, go behind trees, into other rooms, make noises.  When you decide to let him catch you, take the ball (or wait until he drops it) and throw it right away.  This is a really fun game for my puppy and with the ball in his mouth, he doesn't go for my legs.  Make sure you throw the ball right away before he realizes his mouth is empty.  When he's tired of running around I'll throw in some obedience--but I make sure he's tired.  When he's full of energy, and he doesn't have a ball (ORBEE) in his mouth, he's in the zone where he doesn't hear anything.  Just turning 3 months old and training for Schutzhund, he's too young to correct or inhibit.  I do obedience with food and he's great with the focus.  
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