Dog Proof Your Home And Supervise Your Dog
Minimize access to items within your home that your dog can damage.
For example, prevent access to certain rooms or use indoor dog gates to restrict movement to areas not accessible. This will prevent your dog from reaching things that they may chew on or destroy.
Also, whenever your dog is in the house, supervise them to see what they are up to. Keeping watch will allow you to be aware of inappropriate behavior when it happens and be able to correct and teach them not to do it again.
When Should I Worry About My Puppys Biting
Although biting is normal, it can sometimes be hard to recognize whether your puppy is playfully mouthing or exhibiting temper tantrums, which is a form of aggressive behavior.
In playful mouthing, a puppys face should still be relaxed, the tail wags, and biting isnt forceful.
On the other hand, temper tantrums, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, are characterized by a stiff body, lips pulled back to show teeth, and growling.
Biting will be more forceful and painful, since the behavior is typically caused by fear or anger. A German Shepherd puppy may be more prone to displaying this behavior, especially around unruly children.
If these tantrums happen frequently, its time to seek a professional such as a veterinarian, a certified dog trainer, or an animal behaviorist ASAP.
Use Chew Deterrent On Items
To prevent your German shepherd from chewing on items in your house, you can use a safe bitter solution sprayed on the items to discourage your dog from chewing and destroying them.
A simple mixture of apple cider vinegar and water sprayed on furniture legs or other items acts as a deterrent.
When your German Shepherd tastes this when he or she begins to chew on an item the bitter taste of the vinegar will deter them from continuing to chew. This will prevent further destruction of the item.
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They May Be Taken From The Litter Too Early
Young puppies learn to naturally inhibit their biting through socialization with their mother and their siblings.
A puppy does not quite understand yet the force of her own bite unless she bites too hard and the recipient reacts by yelping out of pain.
This interaction among puppies and their mother is crucial, and it happens during the puppys early socialization period between three to six weeks old.
Taking a puppy away from her mother prematurely will therefore deprive her the chance to learn important socialization skills.
As a rule of thumb, the American Kennel Club recommends that you take home a puppy that is no less than eight weeks old. By this time, the puppy should have had ample time to interact with her playmates and learn bite inhibition.
We concur that you should never take home a puppy that is less than 8 weeks old. In fact, more than half of the states in the U.S. have laws or regulations that mandate how old a puppy must be before it is allowed to be sold or adopted.
This does not mean, however, that your puppy will completely stop nipping. As the new parent, it is your job to continue training the dog so that any subsequent bites should be gentler.
For more on selecting the right German Shepherd puppy from a litter, including additional information on the proper age, what to look for in a puppy, and what to expect from ethical breeders, be sure to check out the 2 articles linked below:
Reward Them When Theyre Not Chewing
If you spot your dog in the middle of chewing on something you dont want them to chew up, say no or leave it firmly. Then redirect them away from it with a reward.
Rewards can be a toy, a high-value treat , and lot of praise.
Praise should also be used anytime you notice your puppy or dog choose an appropriate chew toy. This will encourage him to go for his own toys rather than furniture, shoes, and anything in the reach around your home.
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They’re Exploring With Their Mouth
All puppies, regardless of breed, go through a stage where they will explore the world with their mouths. Puppy nipping is completely normal behavior most puppies go through. It’s similar to the mouthing period babies go through when teething. However, in German Shepherds, the behavior may be more pronounced and more intense than in some other breeds of puppies.
Use Daily Basic Obedience Training
Along with mental stimulation games, German Shepherds need obedience training sessions daily.
The quickest way to train your German Shepherd to stop being destructive is by setting them up for success using daily obedience training.
Obedience training helps engage your dog through positive, reward-based interaction that helps them learn not only basic commands but also how to listen and pay attention to you.
You can follow Easy German Shepherd Obedience Training at Home to teach your dogs skills thatll decrease their need to destroy everything.
Training your German Shepherd isnt just for commands
Its a step-by-step program to help your dog develop behaviors you can live happily together with. Plus, it helps keep your German Shepherd from getting out of control.
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Stop With Excessive Cuddles And Affection
The thing that ruins a GSD pup most is the love that it gets from its owner. Many GSD owners get too excited when they buy a puppy. Instead of becoming the pack leader by training their dog, they become overly affectionate and loving towards their pup. This behavior of owners often ruins a dog, and it starts to see itself as your friend .
When a GSD pup sees you as a friend, it begins to chew on things and do whatever it feels like. The dog knows that you are its friend, and a friend cannot scold you or become your leader.
Such puppies begin to chew on their owners feet and hands.
This behavior gets out-of-control when the pup grows into a big sized dog. To avoid this behavior of your dog, you need to start training it at an early age. Set yourself as the pack leader and know when to say No. Do not run to your dog when you return from work or wake up in the morning. Stay calm and composed when dealing with your dog and avoid behavior problems like chewing and mouthing.
Dont Rush The Process
Below is a photo of my German Shepherd who took a dislike to one of her cushions in her crate!
Its important to recognize that not all German Shepherd puppies will learn everything right away. Patience and consistency are the key components of training your dog not to chew your stuff!
If you scold them too much or get mad at them, theyll become anxious or stressed. Shouting will not work when trying to discipline your German Shepherd.
You also shouldnt scold them aggressively when trying to stop destructive behavior as they might start to think that chewing is bad in general.
This will force them away from their chew toys and make them confused or sad. Your GSD could even end up barking, which is much more challenging to tame and prevent than chewing.
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Train Them Against The Behaviour
The chewing of rocks as a behavioral problem needs to be addressed to stop it. This requires behavior modification of training to teach your German Shepherd to avoid and stop this habit.
Training includes obedience training where you teach your dog to listen to commands such as drop it, leave it or no when they try to pick rocks. This teaches them to leave the rocks and they will understand not to pick rocks.
Remember to use positive reinforcement every time your German Shepherd understands and obeys and does what is expected of them. Reward them by giving treats, hugs, or praise.
This will encourage them to continue with good behavior. You may also need to engage an animal behaviorist to help with this to provide specialized training to stop the rock chewing habit.
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.
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How To Stop A Dog From Chewing On Everything: 5 Simple Solutions
Dogs are natural chewers. Some dogs, like German Shepherds, chew more often than others. From shoes and furniture to remote controls and underwear, even if it doesnt look like it could be chewed up, your dog will probably put it in their mouth.
If you are in search of quick tips to stop your dog from chewing on anything and everything in the house, youve come to the right place.
The Puppy Might Be Overstimulated Fearful Or Anxious
Sometimes puppies lose control of their bite because of overstimulation. Overstimulation can happen during playtime, or when your puppy has become cranky due to teasing.
Your GSD puppy may also bite out of fear. Your puppy has but 2 defenses to run away or to bite. If your puppy feels cornered, then biting is the defense that she will most often resort to.
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How Can I Stop My Puppy From Chewing Everything
Most big pet stores sell teething gels that can be applied to your puppys gums. They relieve pain and discomfort with natural soothing properties and lessen the need to chew. They typically taste nice and owners can opt for ones that dont contain any artificial ingredients.
There are also sprays you can buy and spray onto household furniture to keep puppies away. They use scents made up of all-natural, non-toxic ingredients that dogs do not like such as citrus and vinegar.
Its recommended that owners train their puppies on what is and isnt theirs to chew. Its never too early to start training, in fact, the earlier you start, the better. You can do this by redirecting naughty chewing to toys, and praising them when they get it right.
Its also a good idea to keep your puppys number of toys small until they understand the rules. If a young pup has too many toys, they might think that everything is theirs.
Why Should You Stop Your German Shepherd Dog From Jumping Up
Puppies jumping up may seem cute, but 6 months on you have an out of control 50-pound dog throwing himself at people and putting people at risk. As a puppy, jumping up should be stopped to prevent serious issues in later life.
German Shepherds are large dogs and the last thing you want is your adult dog knocking over poor Mrs. Jones from next door. He wont understand that it is wrong because he was allowed to do it as a puppy. An adult German Shepherd is capable of jumping between 4 and 6 feet high. They are a working breed and have a lot of power in the legs. For more information on how high a German Shepherd can jump please see this article.
It is also necessary to prevent jumping as German Shepherds are prone to joint problems like hip dysplasia. Jumping can make this worse and puts a lot of pressure on the joints.
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How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Chewing On Rocks: What To Do
The first step to do when your dog chews on rocks is to visit a vet so that they can examine them to see if the underlying cause is due to nutritional deficiency, health issues, or lifestyle behavior problems.
From this, they will be able to recommend treatment, special diet, or advice on behavior modification.
When any medical-related problem has been ruled out or addressed by the vet, you can implement a plan to help stop your dog from chewing on rocks. The following is what you can do:
What Age Do Dogs Stop Chewing On Everything
The desire to investigate interesting objects and the discomfort of teething motivate puppies to chew. Much like human infants, puppies go through a stage when they lose their baby teeth and experience pain as their adult teeth come in. This intensified chewing phase usually ends by six months of age.
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Games To Curb German Shepherd Puppy Biting
The best time to curb a German Shepherd puppy from biting is during a play session between you and your puppy.
I suggest initiating play sessions with your puppy as often as possible until you have taught your puppy to have a soft mouth.
I suggest using a clicker for these games. If you don’t already know how, check out my article on before getting started.
Consider Putting Your Gsd In Time
Puppies are very similar to children in the sense that they dont like to be put in time-out. You can put them in a designated area or a separate dog kennel for a few minutes if they start chewing on something that theyre supposed to stay away from. Your German Shepherd will eventually associate the behavior with time-out, making them stay away.
Note: If you use this method, their crate shouldnt be usedor wherever you leave them when you go out. When you designate a time-out space, you cant leave them there since theyll become confused and think theyre always doing something wrong. Only use time-out if you have a separate kennel or crate or area specifically for it.
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Relief Of Teething Pain
Puppies may chew on rocks to ease the discomfort and pain of teething. Teething is a period where adult teeth start emerging from the gums.
It is a painful and uneasy stage where puppies tend to chew on anything in the home to ease the discomfort. Rocks are also a good choice for them if they dont have anything else to chew on.
Dont Overwhelm Or Confuse Them
When youre training your German Shepherd to have better manners, its important to see their training from a long-term perspective. Dont expect them to learn how not to destroy things overnight.
A well-behaved dog takes time to train, and pushing them to learn too quickly may overwhelm them, especially if theyre a puppy and its a natural behavior such as teething.
Stick to the same training routine while theyre in a destruction phase to avoid confusing them. Dont reprimand them for chewing your show one day, then think its cute the next as this will slow their training and cause more stress.
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Dont Expect Too Much Too Soon
Its important to remember that at a younger age your German Shepherd will naturally have more curiosity and get into mischief since you havent trained them.
Despite their ability to make a mess of things in record time, its important to train them from the moment they come home with you using reward-based, positive training.
Understand Why Your Dog Is Chewing
Chewing is an instinctive urge for dogs, and contrary to popular belief, it has its benefits! In addition to keeping dogs jaws strong and their teeth clean, chewing helps furry friends manage all sorts of emotions. For instance, maybe you have a new puppy who is grappling with puppy teething discomfort. Perhaps you just welcomed home an adopted dog who is feeling stressed as they accustom themselves to their new environment. Or, you might simply have an active dog who could use an occupying pastime. All of these are scenarios where your furry friend may turn to chewing as an outlet or coping mechanism.
However, when your best friend directs their chewing urges to any object they can find around the house, destructive chewing becomes a problem. Read these tips on how to stop a dog from chewing everything in sight.
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Invest In Items That Are Safe And Okay For Your Dog To Chew
Alright, so remember in the very beginning when I said that chewing and dogs just go together? Well they do! And its okay for your dog to chew, as long its something you are okay with them chewing.
- Toys that are made from natural rubber, like Monster K9 Dog Toys, because of their extreme durability against chewing and safety for dogs
- Toys with soft edges that cant splinter. In the event that these are ingested, they will be much less harmful when they are passed
- Antlers are the go-to in our family. Deer and elk antlers are extremely hard, dont splinter and take FOREVER to wear down. While a little pricey, antlers last and last for our large breed dogs while other bones and rawhides seem to disappear in a few days
- Rubber toys that you can fill with peanut butter, treats, or kibble add an extra element of stimulation
Avoid giving your dog toys that resemble objects that you dont want them chewing. You cant expect your dog to understand why its okay to chew this slipper but not that one.
For us, its especially important not to give our dogs toys that look like stuffed animals because we dont want them taking and chewing our daughters toys .