Mouthy puppy - Page 1

Greetings and Happy New Year to all.

I am new to the msg board, having "lurked" here for almost 8 months now.

I have recently purchased my first GSD,  (Gunther Von Banffy Haus) and he is now 15 weeks old and has been home with us for 7 weeks now.

He is EXTREMELY mouthy. From the minute he is out of his crate, until we put him back in the crate he constantly is biting, biting, biting. We know he is playing, and I exercise him A LOT, trying to tire him out, but also keeping in mind NOT over exercising him for fear of possibly causing some hip/elbow issues.

We both have a toy in our hands and try to focus him on the toy and not our hands/feet/legs/stomachs, etec. LOL.

Verbal corrections don't work with him. Physical corrections ( scruffing him) doesn't work until I really horse on him and then he just seems to get pissed and want to bite more.  I am not comfortable with choking him to try and  stop this behavoir, (it does work, but I do not want to hurt him) but I am afraid that I have waited too long to try and lessen the biting during play time and now find myself in a bit of a quandry.  

I know that this question may have already been asked and answered a thousand times, but I would like to hear what correction techniques others have used to reduce the play biting without taking away any drive(s).

Thanks in advance.

Vinegarjoe

no corrections.... just keep re-directing him. You'll be fine, just keep toys and treats on you at all times when he is not crated.

Does anyone buying puppies ever get support from their breeder?  This and questions about housebreaking should go directly to the breeder one purchased the dog from.  Did you buy from a reputable, experienced breeder vinegarjoe? 

Puppy play biting is pretty normal.  Depending on the dog's personality there are a number of ways to effectively deal with this.  Using the wrong technique can turn your pup into an absolute monster.  If you bought from a breeder with experience, take the pup to the breeder and get some first hand advice.  Every pup is different.  Dealing with this the wrong way can have lasting negative effects. 

Play biting is one of the most common complaints I deal with as a dog trainer. With the right technique, it's often surprisingly easy to fix. When he bites, instead of jerking your hand away, stuff your hand in his mouth and grab his tongue. The goal is not to hurt the dog, but he will find this pretty disgusting. Hang on until he wants nothing more than to spit your hand out, and then let him do so. If you can't get hold of his tongue, press down on it or shove your hand far back into his mouth. Go in from the front of the mouth, not the side, so your hand will block his teeth from connecting with you. Don't be cautious about this--you have to do it enthusiastically to make it work. The dog will conclude that you get really weird when he play bites.

If you can't work up the nerve to stick your hand in his mouth, get a can of Spray Shield (also called Direct Stop), which is a citronella spray that will not hurt him. Blast him in the mouth every time he play bites you. The drawback is that you have to have the can with you at all times. You can buy the stuff at amazon and some pet supply places.

Obviously, this is not recommended for a dangerously aggressive dog. Also, I'm assuming that you're not planning on doing bitework with this dog. If you are, you're just going to have to put up with a lot until he learns to redirect his bites.

Vinegarjoe,

I have a 9 week puppy and I've been experiencing everything to wrote. Lately, I have been using the hand shoving technique, all the way inside her mouth until she spits my hand out and feels as if she's going to throw up. I actually use this technique with my cat also who hates it so much. Sometimes, I hold her from the back of the neck and pin her to the ground and scream NO. Sometimes it works and sometimes she'd get more aggressive. The biggest problem with this issue is when she start play biting my kids (the youngest is 10). They don't know how to stop her. Treats and toys don't work all the time.  When the problem intensifies, I put her in the backyard. I try not to lock her in the crate as she would regard this as punishment and hates it.

I had a poodle a while back and I got her when she was a puppy. She did excatly the same thing, but her bite didn't hurt, and as a matter of fact, I went along with the play and let her bite me whenever she wanted. This phase, of course, disappeared after few months. The difference with the GS puppy is that their teeth are sharp and can really hurt.

We do not call them "carpet sharks" for nothing....

bite him back.

good one Two Moons, and i like the carpet shark as well, made me laugh

Steve

Yeah me too.

There are several ways to curb the biting Vinegarjoe.

I don't believe the stuff about hindering the bite work later.

Proper manners in the house don't have to complicate bite training in my opinion.

Moons.