Dont Give Toys That Resemble Items Your Gsd Shouldnt Chew
Some pet owners think that a small shoe chew toy is adorable because dogs are notorious for chewing on shoes. Unfortunately, its far from productive towards your cause!
Rather than only chewing on the toy shoe, they may start to chew all shoes in their sight. Who can blame them when youve opened up a world of confusion for them? Also, avoid things like fake newspapers, old clothes, and other items that you wouldnt want them to chew on. It might seem simple, but its one of the easiest mistakes to make!
Supervise Your German Shepherd To Set Him Up For Success
Giving your puppy too much freedom before they have the necessary life skills to navigate that much space can set them up for failure.
Your German Shepherd doesnt come to you knowing the rules of the house. So, you cant expect him to understand what not to bite or chew.
This is especially true of puppies new to your life and even rescue German Shepherds that might have never been trained before.
A pet-safe partition gate that is tall enough to discourage jumping and climbing is a useful tool to help supervise and protect your new German Shepherd.
Never let a dog out of your sight when theyre untrained because dogs can find trouble quicker than you can get to them.
Now, lets cover what not to do when training your German Shepherd to not bite.
Are you already making any of these mistakes?
How To Stop Your German Shepherd From Biting And Nipping
There are different ways to stop your German Shepherd from biting or nipping. If your puppy bites and nips because he is teething, it is not really a problem but if this habit gets out of hand, you may choose to do the following tips.
Say No
You should make German Shepherd know that biting is an unacceptable behavior. Let your GS know this through hand signals, body language, or voice commands.
When your German Shepherd bites you, its okay to say ouch. After that, pull your hand away from your GS and tell him No.
Move or walk away from your German Shepherd and stop playing. It might be hard to resist their charm but mind this: when you stop playing with your German Shepherd the moment he nips or bites, he will understand and associate no play with biting.
This may not work the first time you do it but with practice, your German Shepherd may easily pick up the message and learn that nipping and biting is no-no.
Put Your Thumb Under Your Puppys Tongue
If the tip we mentioned above does not work, you may try putting your thumb under his tongue.
To do this, start playing with your German Shepherd puppy. Let him hold on to your hand and as soon as he bites you, say No in an authoritative voice and put your thumb inside his mouth, under the tongue. Put your forefinger gently but firmly beneath your puppys chin. That way, your puppy cannot bite you and since this is an uncomfortable situation for him, he will try to get your fingers out of his mouth.
Be Consistent
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The Dangers Of A Dog Bite
Adult German Shepherds that start biting can be dangerous. Whilst they are a small breed, people can get ill from infections. For example, around half of all dog bites will infect the person with bacteria, possibly leading to illness.
A dogs front teeth will grab and compress your tissue, and their smaller teeth can also tear your skin. The result is an open, jagged wound. If the wound becomes infected, it is often severe. The No. 1 concern with these bites is infection. You may need hospitalization and require intravenous antibiotics. You should always see a primary care provider if youre bitten. Dr Sayles of the Cleveland Clinic.
Teething German Shepherd Puppy
Just like all puppies, German Shepherd puppies love chewing hands and toys because their teeth are starting to develop and this makes their gums really itchy.
When their adult teeth start to emerge, German Shepherd puppies chew on toys, random things, and even any part of your body because of the discomfort they feel in their gums. They chew and bite and nip trying to make the pain and irritable feeling go away.
Generally, German Shepherd puppies start teething at 16 weeks of age. This period lasts up to until they are about 24 to 32 weeks-old. The nipping, biting, and chewing is very normal during this stage.
However, if your German Shepherd puppy retains the habit after that period, it can be a big problem.
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Give Them Plenty Of Appropriate Toys
Its easier to train them to chew their toys instead of a table leg than it is to train them not to chew at all. By having lots of interesting and appropriate chew toys on hand, itll be a lot effective to re-direct them from destructive chewing.
Do be aware that some dog toys and chewables can be ripped apart, and these can pose a choking hazard. Make sure the toys or you select are safe and appropriate for your dog according to his size .
It is also important to rotate your dogs chew toys and treats regularly so that they dont get bored and start to develop destructive chewing behavior again.
How To Discipline A German Shepherd For Biting And Nipping
German Shepherds must be taught that biting and nipping isnt acceptable behavior and need to learn what to do instead. Begin teaching them by using body language, hand signals, voice commands, and showing them the right behaviors you want from them. Let your dog know from the start that biting hurts you and doesnt get them what they want. If they continue aggressively biting you, place them in a short time out.
Always use positive training and avoid harsh punishment and corrections.
You can practice these techniques by following the steps below for disciplining your German Shepherd for biting.
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Why Your German Shepherd Bites Your Feet
Each of the different reasons why your German Shepherd bites your feet and ankles will likely come with a number of clues in the way that it does it.
Below, I will mention a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might bite your feet or ankles and the signs to look for.
It wants attention
The reason why it bites your feet could be that it wants your attention.
This would be more likely to be the reason if it starts biting your feet when you have not been giving it attention for a while. It would also be more likely if it does it when you had just left it alone for a long time perhaps because you were at work.
If that is why your German Shepherd bites your feet then it would help to give it more attention in the form of exercise, training and playing games such as tug of war in addition to training it not to bite your feet.
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It is teething
If your German Shepherd is a puppy then the reason why it bites your feet is likely to be that it is teething. When they are teething their gums will be painful and biting and chewing on things helps to soothe their gums. This is why they tend to bite and chew on things a lot as puppies.
If your German Shepherd is still a puppy then it is very important to take the time now to train it not to bite your feet and to behave the way that you want it to. You can do this using the tips mentioned below.
It wasnt trained not to as a puppy
Excitement
It is exploring
How Long Do German Shepherds Teethe For Can Be As Long As 20 To 24 Weeks
The majority of German Shepherd puppies will stop teething once they hit 6 months old, but dont be surprised if it takes longer, its not an exact science and can vary from dog to dog.
German Shepherd adult teeth take a lot longer to grow and push through compared to their baby milk teeth. The molars at the back are the ones that are particularly stubborn.
At the very latest, your 8-month-old German Shepherd puppy should have stopped teething. Anything after that age would be unusual, but still not unheard of. Most German Shepherds will now have all 42 adult teeth.
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Give Them The Right Type Of Exercise
Many people will tell you to simply give your German Shepherd plenty of exercise, and lots of it.
But this will only serve to give you a stronger and more athletic German Shepherd thats capable of even longer exercise.
Think of it like this
The German Shepherd is literally bred to walk and run hours on end when herding and working.
Can you run hours a day to keep up with the exercise needs of your breed?
If you can, then enter you and your dog in a marathon!
But, if you cant, dont worry!
Use these easy ideas for German Shepherd exercise and
You dont have to be fit enough to run a marathon to enjoy them!
Try some exercise that gets their body moving in unique ways and keeps them physically active.
Bite Inhibition Using Your Puppys Favorite Treats
Another variation of this technique is to use your pups favorite treats. Heres how you do this.
What you are teaching your puppy here is that off means not to touch. This command will stop your pup in his tracks the next time he is about to bite an object or person.
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Redirect The Behavior To A Chew Toy:
Sometimes, a pup bites everything in its sight, not because it is rebelling but because it is facing teething problems. When a pups teeth are about to erupt, his gums become swollen. Applying pressure on it provides temporary relief.
If your pup is going through the phase, you can first give a feisty no command to it to stop it. You should then give him a chew toy that will help him ease some of the teething discomforts. You may also offer them frozen carrots to allay their teething woes.
However, it is important to ensure that your dog is indeed suffering from teething problems and not just displaying bad behavior. This is because, if it is the latter case, you will be rewarding his bad behavior with a chew toy.
Reasons Why Your German Shepherd Is Destructive
Do you see anything on this board that might cause your dog to become destructive?
German Shepherds arent generally known as destructive dogs.
They are a highly intelligent breed that requires an owner willing to invest time with them. Consider why your German Shepherd might turn to destroy things so you can understand how to help and train them to stop.
Here are some reasons why your German Shepherd is destroying everything.
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How To Stop German Shepherd Puppy From Biting
German Shepherd puppy biting? The most common question we get from new German Shepherd puppy owners is, my puppy wont stop biting me Ive tried everything.
While labeling any dog breed would be unfair, specific characteristics are commonly associated with German Shepherd puppies. Unfortunately, some people have the misconception that German Shepherds have a tendency to be vicious. That could not be further from the truth.
Dont Leave Them Where Theyre Tempted To Destroy Things
One way to prevent and stop how much your German Shepherd destroys is to reduce their access to rooms in your house.
There are a number of ways that you can do this:
- First, when youre away, place your German Shepherd in an area they wont be able to destroy everything. If they tend to chew destructively on furniture, then dont leave them in your bedroom or living room. Some owners like to create a safe place to leave their dogs, such as an area that has temping items removed and put away.
- Place pet-safe partition gates that block your German Shepherd from entering into rooms you dont want them in. The gates still allow your dog to see through easily, which keeps your dog from developing too much stress when you leave them alone.
- Pick up items that your dog finds interesting and place them in a secure area. Some German Shepherd puppies find shoes, pillows, remotes, and even electric cables interesting enough to chew on and destroy. Not only is this frustrating, but its also hazardous!
- If loud or unusual noises stress your German Shepherd to the point they destroy things, then move them to a quieter area away from windows. Get a white noise machine to play soothing tones, or leave the TV or radio on low to help drown out the frightening sounds.
Some owners also prefer to crate train their German Shepherd so they can secure them when they leave.
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How To Stop A German Shepherd From Chewing
German Shepherds, as a general rule, are quite intelligent. Logically speaking, it makes sense. As a herding breed, shepherds have to be cognitively capable of problem solving to some extent in order to determine how to move all their wooly charges where they need to be. Unfortunately for us, most people who own German shepherds do not also own sheep! When you take an intelligent and driven dogs job away, they tend to create other ways to keep themselves entertained this is when your couch cushions tend to suffer the most. Dogs do chew while teething, but most chewing occurs because a dog is simply bored.
German Shepherd Puppy Teething Phase
All puppies go through a teething phase. Is yours?
German Shepherds get their razor-sharp baby teeth around 2-weeks-old. The baby teeth have usually all grown in by 6 to 7 weeks of age. So, when your pup comes home, around 8-weeks of age to live with you, all 28 of their baby teeth are ready for nipping and biting.
GSD puppy teething phases:
Baby German Shepherd puppies might also bite on your hands or chew furniture and other objects because theyre developing new adult teeth. When the adult teeth grow in they can irritate the gums and cause your dog discomfort.
This leads to your pup looking for things to chew to help soothe their teething pains.
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German Shepherds Have A High Prey Drive
One of the primary and distinct characteristics thatmake a German Shepherd a popular choice for police and military work is their high prey drive, coupled with their intelligence and high trainability.
Why Are German Shepherds Good Police Dogs?Originally bred as herding dogs , GSDs work closely with the flock and deal with unruly sheep by gripping them on the back of their necks .
Take a look at the video below showing what GSDs were originally bred for. At the 6:47 mark, the handler even explains that some biting is necessary, but that its part of the training so that the dog does not go overboard.
GSDs also have a natural inclination to chase almost everything that moves in their surroundings. Your GSD is very sensitive to even the tiniest movements that occur in her environment whether its a squirrel, a rat, a ball, or your hand!
All too often, people get a German Shepherd without prior knowledge of its inherent characteristics a high prey drive included leading to a frustrated owner who does not know how to handle his dogs improper behavior that could have been corrected.
Put A Thumb Under The Puppys Tongue And A Finger Under The Chin
With persistent biting you could try this tip. It seems to be quite cruel, and admittedly Ive never tried it, but it is used by some dog trainers so could be a fall-back tactic.
Dog trainers tell you to do the loud squeal when the German Shepherd puppy bites you then quickly place your thumb in their mouth, pressing it underneath their tongue. You can then put a finger under the chin.
Hold this position for 10 seconds if you can, but not hard enough to hurt the puppy.
The German Shepherd will not like it, and it could mean they stop biting you and will learn for next time.
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Why Is Your German Shepherd Licking
Before you can stop your german shepherd licking, its important to understand why theyre doing it in the first place. After all, if you can figure that out then it can often help you come up with the best solution.
With that being said, here are all the different reasons your pup might be licking! And after that, well move on to how to stop it!
You Taste Nice
One common reason that your german shepherd will lick you is that you taste nice. This is the simplest reason but its also fairly common. In fact, you may notice that your pup licks your hands a lot more after youve been preparing food.
But they may also be licking when youve exercised or your sweating. Because they probably like the taste of salt in your sweat.
You Reward Them
Another reason your german shepherd is licking is that you reward them when they do. For example, when my dog used to lick me Id normally grab her and play with her for a little bit. When you do this youre teaching them that licking gets them positive attention.
And even if youre not rewarding them youre still giving them attention. Some dogs dont mind if they get negative or positive attention, to them even being told to stop or pushed away is still a form of attention they like.
Grooming
Sometimes a german shepherd licking isnt for a bad reason at all, they may just be grooming themselves. Cleaning and grooming is perfectly normal in dogs as it is for cats .
To Understand Their Surroundings
Healing
Theyre Showing Affection