9 week GSD pup...Any advice on no biting appreciated :-) - Page 2

One thing I've found that helped spare me from bites was having an adult GSD my pup could use as a chew-toy. Ranger was VERY patient with her, even when she stood under his belly, where he couldn't  reach her, and chewed on his legs!  

ROFLMAO    Sorry, every time I see threads like this, my vivid imagination runs wild.  If you have seen the cat treat commercials where the cats are latched on to the legs, this is what I picture with the puppies, only they are bitting.

Maybe not having a true working line GSD is a good thing? 

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Good luck.  Sounds like you have a great pup for your goals.  Can we see some pictures?

My son got so sick and tired of the Maya nips that after one particularly hard nip, he bent down and bit her right back. She yelped and cried and carried on, but she never ever nipped him again. You would see her start and then it is almost like a light went off and she stopped. I kept thinking that was cruel and I just couldn't bring myself to do that, so I am the fool as it took a long time to get her to stop nipping at me. Dog training 101 for non dog trainer types, I guess.

Oh, I did that a dozen times with different dogs;
some it worked with, some just came back for more !

Thanks for all your advice.... The freezing and ignoring seems to be doing some good as he doesnt bite my feet anymore...just my hands when they get in HIS way...lol :-/
Ive started to try and clicker train him and the sit,come,down commands and his name....hes getting there! :-) But as for the lead......erm....well thats another story...its a normal neck lead and he goes crazy and its hard to distract him from it...lol.... maybe a harness would be more suitable for him to get used to? ........

I have a full working line GSD and I love him! While some of the information and advice you have received is good, some of it, not so much. I don't start my obedience with my dogs until they are around 7 months old or so. What I do with my little "chompers" is when I take them out of the crate, I have a ball, or tug, or some kind of toy that they like, on me, so when they come out of the crate, they focus on the toy right away, and when they do "bite" the toy, I reward that behavior. Instead of fighting the natural instincts of the dogs (biting)...I teach them that it is ok to bite, but only when I say, and on what I say. If they are already out of the crate, I do the same thing, I have a toy to play with and that is what they are allowed to "bite". You can also help your pup with teething, if you give your dog bones, like milkbones, or whatever, you can put them in sandwich bags and put them in the freezer. It's kind of the same thing as a child that is teething, you freeze their teething ring and it helps to soothe their gums. As a fellow GSD person, I am so happy that you did your research on your breed before choosing him. I personally, have never heard that the GSD pups "teeth" more than other breeds, but..... Anyways, good luck to you and your boy!

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment...i really appreciate it :) hes gettin so big so quickly and i love him more... I just want him to be happy and i want to teach him well.... The chompings not so bad now as it was .....but still the odd nip and biting down on shoes and trousers as we walk past..... Went to a pet shop today to get him one of those harness leads....as he seems to hate the normal collar and lead..... but we tried it when we got home and he also hates that......so far anyway..... :) Any tips on introducing leads without him shreading them would be most grateful....i thought distraction would be the key.....but hes a stuborn lil so and so.....and continues to play with it :)...

All the advice you have been given is good. Need to transfer biting onto a toy. I find you need to be patient, rather than aggressive, as that can make them worse. Collar and lead you just need to put it on, and leave it, and play with a toy, or treats. Pick up the lead and treat. Check on the lead and treat, and try to be positive. If you start pulling, they will just pull back. And the one good thing about bitey pups, is you can teach them bite inhibition, so when they bite on you, they know not to use full force. When they bite on a toy, they can go for it. If a pup never bites they never learn not to. My boy, who is a very strong working line boy, has learnt that if his teeth touch me, I just look and he stops. He is mortified if he hurts me, and he has, several times, accidentally. But try and take a ball from him that he doesn't want to give, and I defy the strongest man to do it, without inflicting pain.  Enjoy!!