HI

My husband and I just got our very first GSD puppy a week past Sunday. He is now 12 weeks old and I am having a few problems and am looking for suggestion on how to stop them.

Firstly, his bitting, I have read that it will stop and I am sure it will in time, however, he seems to go for me more than my husband, to such an extent that it hurts a lot? Any suggestions?

Secondly, chewing everything in sight. Most likely another common problem, any suggestions how to stop. We have tried giving him a toy instead but fear that he may think well if I chew this I will get attention.

Thirdly, we can't take him out to our garden, as there are foxes and dogs about until he gets all his jags. At the moment we take him onto our balcony and this is working fine, he even asks to get out, when he pees he comes back in but when he poos he trys to eat it and most times suceeds. Any help on that?

Thank you all in advance for any advise

Karyn

All puppies mouth when they're teeting and you're right it bl**dy hurts but he will stop eventually. Try putting him out of the room every time he bites and then not letting him back in for 5 - 10 mins, initially you'll be up and down like a yoyo so you have to be persistant but it will work eventually.

In terms of the chewing is he left on his own at all during the day ?? If so he's chewing out of boredom and he needs more to keep him occupied. Basically you need to move everything out of his way cos try as we might a lot of puppies will chew, so while he's still teething especially try and get everything out of his reach. For bigger bits of furniture try a spray called bitter bite. I'm sure someone who knows what they're doing in terms of stopping it permanently. I have a 11 month old lab and she still chews so my advice would obviously be rubbish :D

Also a lot of dogs eat poo, theres a special name for it but I cant remember what it is, it doesnt hurt them I dont think but it is disgusting so you just need to make sure you pick it up as soon as he's been!!
Try and having kittens with a litter tray, when Darcy here's the scraping of litter she jumps up as if its dinner time, then its a race to see which one of us can get their first

Uughgh Its disgusting!!

Thanks for the advise Rachel.

I am here all day until about 3.30pm then I put him in his crate with a couple of toys, until my husband comes home at 5.30pm. We use the crate for him to sleep in at the moment, and it is in our room. That we if he needs to go during the night he wimpers and then one of us gets up to let him out. The crate is a bit of a god send. I will try the putting out of the room as that worked earlier today while I was trying to have my lunch.

Thanks again.

Karyn

Grab a copy of "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey :) It's very helpful and takes you into adolescence and beyond. "The Ultimate Puppy" is also good but more expensive.

I would advise taking your pup out and about "in arms" or at least to meet other people and vaccinated dogs in their homes if they are friendly, as GSDs need lots of socialising and waiting until your little one has all the jabs means he is missing out on vital socialisation which shepherds really need.

Best wishes
Lindsay

Copraphagy! When animals eat poo! Rabbits are an example of true copraphage's - they have a primitive digestive system and therefore need to re-ingest food for a second digestion this is usually done on a night :) I understand its more common in dog's who's owners are attempting a veggie or vegan diet for their pet :( - However my 12 week old pupster is doing it, I've caught her once, but I clean it up now before she gets a chance - Thing is have to remember her appetite for poo before she licks my face
Sarah

For the nipping and mouthing to me this does not sound normal because all the pups I work with are stopped early on. This is what we do. When the pup reaches out to bite I either grab his tongue or the side of his mouth and in a firm voice with my eyes looking straight at him a say "No Bite" Then I let go and look away from him and ignore him. It has always worked for me. I suggest you try it. After 5 minutes of ignoring him though I suggest you put him in a sit and then praise him for the sit. By the time my pups or the pups I train are 10 weeks old they are coming to me where ever I or their owners are and sitting for attention with no barking and no clawing or jumping. I always get the pup to sit before any attention is given. They are just as good about it then with kids also and i never worry about one being hurt in any way.

Here is a suggestion I got from a dog training show here in Canada. It is called "Good Dog". I tried his idea and loved it. First get an old tea towel that you don't mind getting holes in. Then dampen it with only a little water. Then put it in the freezer. When it is frozen or the next time you see your pup chewing on something it's not suppose to then go get the towel out of the freezer. Put it aside for a minute. Get down on the floor, take away what the pup or dog has that he is not suppose to chew, look the pup in the eyes and say firmly "Leave it". This command will come in firmly for a lot of training. Then take the towel and say a command for the towel like "Get Towel" or something like that. If he shows no interest then try making a chicken broth and instead of dampening the towel in water dampen it with the broth. This one always works. The pup will take the towel and chew it. It will feel really good on it's gums by cooling them and help with the teething in a gentle fun way. WHen the towel looks like it is starting to soften up take it away and do the whole thing agian. WHich usually takes about 1/2 hour to soften. In this way they can't pull it apart and only can chew.

For the eating the poo. When you see the pup sitting by the doors to the balcony put a leash on him. Then go out with the him and give a command like "Hurry Up". Praise like mad when he goes. When he goes to eat it, and give him a chance to turn and look like he will without him actually doing it, then give a little shake of the leash and say "Leave It" Then reward him with a treat if he sits or turns around and faces me. Do this each time he goes out. There is a spice you can put in their food to make their poo taste bad to them but don't recommend it for a pups delicate stomach. I hope this helps.

Nicole I'm not sure if it was you that said you dont like having to justify your advice and so I apologise for questionning but ....

and I say this very sincerely as I dont know myself but I would have thought that with a breed as prone to nervous aggression as GSD thats grabbing their mouth or holding their tongue was not a good idea.

To be completley honest I have very little epxerience with GSD's but it was the first thought that popped in my head when I read your post!!

Thanks for the advise Nicole.

However I am not to sure about the grabbing of the mouth. It's kind of like putting your hand into the fire.

I will be trying the tea towel and the leash idea though. I can definately see the principle behind the cold tea towel, the soothing of the gums.

I have started putting is lead on while we are outside so that should work also

Thanks again.

i think what nicole has said is very good advice it has worked wonders with my gsd only rather than grab her mouth i tap her on the nose before every one jumps to conclusions i have tried hundreds of other things but this i believe seems to be the most effective and i find it comes in handy a lot of the time for things such as picking up rubbish on the street to stopping her niping even pulling on the lead your hand having said that though she seems to have got smarter and lunges at you and sort of bites thin air will this method stop that as well worried to do anything im not advised to do because other than very few things as well as eating her poo yuck shes a brilliant dog and i really dont want to spoil her charachter thanks a lot for all your help

Robert,

I dont want to be picky here :) but first of all, you and Nicole use different methods so you cant really say "it works" ;) It wouldn't work with my dog nor most pups i have met, and i would suggest that if as she says it works for her, then she has a knack and would i guess be working with maybe less reactive dogs such as Goldies. Again just a guess.

YOu have also just said that you tap your dog on the nose andthat it comes in handy for all sorts of things - well, why not just systematically teach a Leave it command? :) If you want help with how to teach it, just say :)

Likewise tapping her on the nose for pulling is not teaching her what you DO want.

<<having said that though she seems to have got smarter and lunges at you and sort of bites thin air....>>

She is doing this because of the way you are attempting to train her. She is reacting to your method of nose tapping so you are teachign her to lunge and it will get worse. If you are in the UK, do take her to a reputable puppy class. I hesitate to recommend the same for the States as classes differ so out there. But please invest in a good up to date book which will help you 8nderstand your dog - or she will get worse :(

Best wishes#
Lindsay

I have found a tap UNDER the chin with a nuckle far more effective. there is no risk of damaging the sensitive nasal tisssue, and the act of the teeth clacking together seems to induce the reflex to let go.

I have never had a problem with pups I have raised since birth mouthing me.

Never even onc e allow it to turn into a chase game by snatching the hands away. If the pup has hold of your hand then use other hand to prise it off. also with a slightly older p0up make it unpleasant to have your hand in it's mouth by either pushing your hand further in inducing a gagging response, or baling your hand up with nails facing up so that they hit the soft palate if the pups bears down.

Above all keep hands next to pups face by gently stroking the dies of the muzzle ertc when it is not biting, so it is rewarded.

Hi Nicole

I don't wish to be contentious, but I would be very wary of advising any new puppy owner to grab their dog's tongue as a penalty for mouthing. GSD are highly sensitive creatures, what you are suggesting is quite a violent response to what is absolutely normal puppy behaviour. In fact, everything Karyn's puppy is doing is absolutely normal and nothing to be concerned about. The only thing she needs to do is remain patient and consistent - habits are formed over a period of time, and her puppy is not a mind reader, just doing what puppies' enjoy - biting stuff!

I'm sure people far more qualified to give advice than myself will come on the board shortly, but in the meantime, I found two things incredibly effective with my pup Cam: ignore him if he does something you don't like (put him out of the room, as Rachael suggests), but play with the little devil in-between times - focus his energies on a toy, as opposed to your wrists!

Good luck

Jo :)

Hi Robert & Jo

Thank you for your suggestions. I might try the tapping on the nose. It's a bit less harsh. At the moment it is a bit of a concern as I would like to have my six year old niece visit. And even though I know he is just playing I don't want to frighten her.

Also tried the cold tea towel and that is working.

I have only had him for two weeks and one thing I can say about GSD's is that they are very fast learners, barring the occasional accident.

Hi Karyn

Please don't try tapping on the nose - it may do what you want, or it may teach your dog to lunge and start to air snap and worse as is already happening to a previous poster :( Your pup may become scared of hands too.

The cold tea towel is a great idea though isn't it :)

(I had a Lab cross that was hit on the nose by its previous owner (OK it was a smack and not a tap but still trauma to the nose) and she died from guess what? Cancer of the nose :( )

Lindsay

Hi I have a 12mth old G.S.D dog and I have posted my prob on Unsociable g.s.d. I had the same problem with my pup when he was younger ie: biting, but didnt actually have a prob with chewing. I took advice off people on here and found a solution that worked best for me & my dog. He soon stopped biting. The advice I was given was when he bit, usually out of play. I would hold my thumb under his tongue until he found it uncomfortable & would say " No Bites" when I took my thumb out I would ignore him for a few minutes. He soon learnt that I didnt want to know him if he acted this way and it amazingly stopped. Thats why I have posted another prob on here as the people can really help as they have at some time all been in the same situation or simular to us. Keep perservering. You will soon find an understanding with you & your dog & have a good relationship. My boy is great in all aspects apart from other dogs but this is due to none socialisation when a pup so please please please if you can get him to puppy classes and meet as many dogs & people as possible. G.S.D's are a beautiful breed and if treat & looked after well can become loyal & lifelong companions!
Good luck!!

Hi garfield

I will try the under the tounge and get my husband to do it too. I don't believe in hitting a dog and from Lindsay's comments and don't want him to have cancer either.

We are going to take him to puppy classes in a couple of weeks, he is due for his final jab on wednesday and then we can take him out and to classes where he can play with other dogs.

All in all he is a playful dog and from what ever one has said it will stop in time, and from talking to people I feel better to find that this is quite normal.

COINCIDENCE???
to be honest as long as you dont hit ur dog accross the nose with a hammer then then i dont think it is likely to get nose cancer i have 2 labs and a gsd and it has worked beautifully with the labs from pulling on the lead to nipping to practically everything i am not saying to do it for definate though as u can see i do get problems with it but the thing is she is under a year.
to be honest 9 times out of 10 it will just stop on its own but to be honest i think all will work to an extent
it doesnt hurt she wont even touch you i think its just what she does when shes excited or theres flys around there the only other thing she goes for lol

NOSE Cancer???

I thought there was a good debate going till then roflmao..

Anyway i just point at her nose and say "NO" loudly and it works for our dog.

Excuse me but i feel a little more sensitivity is called for, mygirl

Yes, my dog died of cancer of the nose, caused the vet agreed by the previous owner constantly smacking her on the nose to get her to Stay.

It may be hilarious to you but it wasn't so funny when my beautiful Lab cross was diagnosed, nor when she had an op, nor when the cancer spread, nor when she was put to sleep.

Not every dog will die of nose cancer from a tap on the nose, of course - that's obvious - but taps soon develop into smacks and so on. If you readup on some biology/physiology you will understand how cell damage at a basic level can cause cancer!! :(

Roll on the floor and laugh your **** off if you want, but it's not something i would do when someone is offering advice from a sad experience.

Lindsay

Sorry for being a tad insensitive, but if someone said that in response to a problem i had i'd be horrified.
If we believed everything we read then we wouldn't step foot out the door.
I do sympathise but i thought yours was an extreme case.

Sarah
My lack of sensitivity must be due to my father smacking me as a child i presume, didn't stop me gaining 'A' levels in Psychology/sociology, Math, English, History. Hmmm.

lindsay i want to say i am very sorry to have heard this does it happen to many dogs i am worried now and how hard were they smacking her if u no i mean with mine they just get a small tap and i think i will change the method i use to train them i really am sorry i think the worst thing in the world is losing a dog through carelessness thank you very much for this and sorry for not being so sensitive my self i have never heard of a case like this my self and im sure mygirl hasnt either but im sure she never meant to be so offensive nor did i i no how u feel it really is bloody horrible to lose a dog no matter the condition or cause or breed or age hope u can forgive me.

For info, although there is no evidence to link isolated cases of physical trauma to cancer risk, long-standing and/or severe injuries *can* increase cancer risk. Also, there has been some research into the causes of breast cancer, which concluded that trauma was indicated as a risk factor. So, might sound far-fetched, but clearly there is an issue here in relation to physical abuse inflicted over a period of time.

Jo :)

Hi Karyn

Our GSD pup is 11 months old now, and is brilliant. She was terribly bitey as a pup. You couldn't fuss her without the mouthing and biting. All we did, consistently, was to withdraw our hand, and say no biting very firmly. Then stroked again, No Biting etc etc. It took a while, but they learn very quickly. We didnt resort to any physical response, except perhaps to push our hand gently to the back of her mouth if she was reluctant to let go, and they tend to want to get rid of your hand then!

She's not bitey or unsociable, and hasn't mouthed since she was about 5 months.

Hope this helps

Kat

Hi

Kat, that is very reassuring. I am trying to put my hand to the back of his mouth and that seems to work most times. However it is not just my hands, it's my arms if I am on the floor playing with him but most times it is my ankles and my legs. He will grab onto me and bite and nip, I bruise really easy, and I am black & blue. So I put my hands down to get him off and then he will start on my hands.

One thing though, since I first posted my problem it is starting to get better. If he gets to much and excited I put him out of the room for a few minutes and this does seem to calm him down.

Thank you again everyone for all your suggestions. I think it is just a case of finding what works for us. He is thirteen weeks old today, and he will sit & come on command, and I have successfully got him to lie down on command today. GSD are a smart breed and I think we will get there in the end.

Hi Karyn

Course you'll get there, don't despair! We stopped rolling about on the floor games with the pup until she had learned the no-bite!

Enjoy your pup, he'll be wonderful in the end

Kat