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When Do German Shepherds Stop Biting

How To Discipline A German Shepherd For Biting And Nipping

How To Stop Your GERMAN SHEPHERD BITING

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.

Your German Shepherd Is Overexcited Or Fearful

Some dogs will often run away or bite when they are threatened. So, your German shepherd dog may be biting you as he perceives you as a threat.

Its you to discern whether your puppy is biting a lot because hes excited or the dog is biting as a way to repel you.

Nevertheless, dont let your dog grow with such behavior.

More Information & Facts About The German Shepherd Dog Breed

Teething is just one aspect to consider when owning a German Shepherd.

If you want to learn more about German Shepherds in general as a breed, weve put together this guide with over 100 interesting pieces of information and facts about the German Shepherd Dog Breed.

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Home » Health/Care » German Shepherd Puppy Teething Guide: Stages, When It Stops & Managing Biting

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Just How Do You Stop The Gsd Puppy From Biting You

While you play with the GSD puppy, you can allow it to mouth on the hands of yours. Then, continue playing until he chews particularly hard. When he does, quickly create a high pitch yelp, as in case you are injured, and make your hand lame. And this should startle your cause and puppy to stop biting.

The Importance Of German Shepherd Obedience Training

When Do German Shepherds Stop Teething

Ive mentioned the importance of training your German shepherd and the role it plays in making him well behaved and mild-mannered, as opposed to aggressive, hyperactive and noisy. So here are the basics of how you go about it.

Noise training: Reacting to your dog barking at something by yelling or shouting in return will only aggravate them, or make them think that youre scared and that there really is a threat. First, stay calm.

Bark on command: Teach your German shepherd how to bark on command! Oddly enough, this has proved to be an effective way to teach your dog how to be quiet after hes learned when to bark.

Get your dog excited, a definite way to get him to bark. The minute he does, mark the bark. Mark the bark with a command like speak or just bark and then reward them with a treat. Remember to praise them.

Continue to mark the bark until he associates your command word with speaking and will bark on command

  • A good guard dog will naturally and instinctively alert you to trouble by barking.
  • If youve noise trained him to bark on command, then when he barks out of turn and then follows it up with growls, and you simultaneously notice his hackles raise and his ears cock, there is a good chance that there is danger approaching.

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How Can You Puppy Proof Your Home

When your puppy is teething, he wants to chew everything that is in his reach, which is why its important to puppy-proof your home.

Make sure to keep cleaning supplies and medicines out of your puppys reach, and cover any exposed cables. Also be sure to keep dangerous foods for dogs like chocolate and grapes well hidden.

If your German Shepherd is past the normal teething stage but is still chewing, anti-chew sprays can come in handy. These sprays will make whatever object the dog is chewing taste very unpleasant, allowing the sprays to serve as deterrents.

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.

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Give Your German Shepherd The Right Things To Chew

Help your German Shepherd stop biting you by giving them something else to chew on.

Your German Shepherd will most likely chew on everything you dont want

Unless you show him what you DO want him to put his teeth on.

You already know your German Shepherd is biting you, so anticipate the biting behavior and substitute a toy for your hand or ankles. Instead of just telling your puppy no let them know whats OK to bite and chew if they start nibbling at your fingers or toes.

Even better

Keep a few small toys in your pocket to offer them as they race around the house.

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German Shepherd Puppy Teething Guide: Stages When It Stops & Managing Biting

STOP puppy biting!!! with German Shepherd Man and Jae

Its a stage most German Shepherd puppy owners always ask about teething.

Common question people might have in regards to teething might include:

When does it start

And, what can be done to manage chewing and biting

Weve put together some general information and tips on the above questions

You might consider this information for this period of your puppys growth.

Youd definitely want to ask your local vet about your puppys teeth at their regular check up to get professional advice that everything is going as it should be, and to understand the stages better.

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Why Do German Shepherd Bite A Lot Tips To Stop Dogs From Biting

If youre blessed with a German Shepherd puppy, sometimes you might feel broken when it comes to those constant nibbling behaviors. Dont feel bad. Youre not alone.

This breed is really known for nibbling, and those sharp puppy teeth hurt! If your arms are covered in bruises, scratches, and teeth marks, youre definitely upset about it and looking for a way to lessen the pinching and to finally allow those wounds to heal.

Manage Their Environment So Theyre Successful

Dont let your dog have a full run of the house if theyre not well-trained yet.

One of the most important steps to learning to discipline a German Shepherd for biting and nipping is to prevent the ability to continue practicing the unwanted behavior.

You can do this by controlling the environment and controlling your dogs exposure to these situations that cause him to bite.

For example:

  • If your puppy begins to bite your children when they run around and play, place your German Shepherd in a contained area so he cant nip them.
  • Keeping your puppy on a tether attached to a safe, heavy object so they cant run and bite you when they get too wild

Also Check: Gsd Puppy Biting Problem

Be Consistent In What You Teach

If you are trying to train your dog to behave and stop biting and nipping, make sure you are doing it with consistency and repetition.

While training a GSD, you will need to repeat your technique several times until it starts to learn. Your GSD needs to know that biting and nipping is not acceptable and will upset you.

You will also need to become the leader of your dog, not a friend of the same level. When you are a leader, you control the dogs behavior. When the dog accepts you as a leader, it starts to follow the rules you set and the commands you give.

Do not let your puppy bite on your hands during the training process.

Doing so will create confusion in your dogs mind, and it will not be able to learn that biting is not good.

Developing Social Behavior And Bite Inhibition Early Puppy Stage

German Shepherd puppy biting my mom

As part of a litter, your German Shepherd learns to interact socially with other dogs.

German Shepherd puppies love to play and do so by barking, play growling, and nipping their little brothers and sisters. But now, you and your family are the littermates!

Unfortunately, this means youre getting the nips and bites while your puppy learns social behavior and bite inhibition.

Bite inhibition, also known as having a soft mouth is an important part of socialization. During bite inhibition, your German Shepherd puppy learns to control the force of their biting so that their siblings arent injured .

Puppies quickly learn that if they bite too hard their littermates stop the play, and the fun ends. This is a valuable life lesson for living with people and families.

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Teach Them The Leave It Command

Training your German Shepherd to leave it can avoid problems with biting.

Sometimes its better to train your German Shepherd to the leave it command so they learn early they cant always get everything they want in their mouth.

You can begin training this cue by doing the following:

  • When your GSD has a tight hold of something you dont want them to chew, simply show them a tasty treat near their face.
  • When he drops the item, give him the treat and say good.
  • Now, replace whatever was in his mouth with a toy youd rather him chew and bite.

Pay attention to the types of items your German Shepherd prefers to pick up and chew.

Is it something hard?

Then, replace it with a hard, tough chew toy.

Is the item soft?

Try replacing the item with a furry toy instead.

Get to know your German Shepherds unique chewing preferences. Youll be able to stop their biting of unwanted items more quickly with less damage to yourself or your belongings.

Why Do German Shepherd Bite

So, why do German Shepherds bite? There is no hard and fast answer to this question. But the main reasons would often be his upbringing and past .

In other cases, it is a completely random act and every individual dog can differ, even if they are from the same litter. Sometimes even being taken away from their mother and siblings too early can affect their social skills and affect aggressive nature.

Here are the many other reasons why your German Shepherd may be biting you.

Recommended Reading: German Shepherd Hot Spots

How To Get A German Shepherd Puppy To Stop Biting

You have to remember that it isnt as simple as taking your puppy to a class once or twice a week and then hoping for the best.

It requires constant effort on your part. You will need to consistently work with your dog to reinforce what you learn at obedience class and continue working with your puppy after completing the training course.

If you dont, your puppy is likely to backslide and stop listening to your commands.

That is why getting a good pet training course that you can continually reference is a fantastic idea.

How Do You Fix A Dog That Bites

3 SIMPLE WAYS TO STOP PUPPY BITING! – Training German Shepherd not to Bite.

Start training early to minimize this kind of possessive behavior. Teaching the Leave it command works well in preventing toy aggression. Food aggression can be avoided by teaching your dog to wait while you put their food down. Teach them to sit or lie down and then remove their food and then put it back.18 Sept 2019

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Will A German Shepherd Naturally Protect You

The German Shepherd has a natural protective instinct that does not waver. His deep desire to protect his owner and family is unmatched, and the GSD is even known to put his life in danger to save others. In addition to naturally protecting their human family, German Shepherds are known to protect the home as well.

How To Train A German Shepherd Puppy To Stop Biting

Use treats for positive reinforcement.

When your puppy does something wrong, give him a pre-selected command to express that you are not happy with what hes doing. A simple no will do the trick.

When he responds favorably, give him treats, pet him or allow him to have time with his toy. This response is much better than raising your voice or using other unfavorable training methods that only serve to make the dog resent you.

If youre still having behavioral issues, theres a better than average chance that youre not giving your dog enough exercise.

Increasing his physical activity can go a long way toward curbing any behavioral issues that might still exist.

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Training Techniques To Follow

Consistency is key with any training technique. While there are plenty of techniques to try, we recommend redirection and positive reinforcement.

The method is simple. When they start chewing on something that they shouldnt, simply redirect them to an appropriate thing to chew on. If and when they start chewing on the toy or other appropriate object, give them praise.

Especially praise them if they go right for one of these objects and dont need the redirection. German Shepherds love to please their owners, so this is typically an effective way to train your puppy.

You dont need to yell at or otherwise punish your puppy for chewing in the wrong area. This can be detrimental to the training process because your puppy will start to try hiding the behavior, so you wont be able to redirect as needed.

The Dangers Of A Dog Bite

Pin on Things for my dogs

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.

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Train Your German Shepherd Puppy To Not Bite Over Food

One of the most common times a German Shepherd puppy will bite is when food is in the equation. Puppies tend to be very overprotective of food, which they learned when in the litter as they had to fight for nutrition.

Unfortunately, it will be behavior that can extend to occur over their food bowl.

If your German Shepherd is showing food aggression, then you need to train the puppy to learn you are in charge and can pick their bowl up and put it back down at any time with no aggression from the dog.

Handy Hint: Here are some ways you can teach your dog to not steal from the table or start begging you for food.

What you do is put a bowl in front of your German Shepherd then quickly remove it again. If your German Shepherd doesnt react with a bite attempt, praise them vocally and reward with a treat.

If you do get a growl and bite, give them a firm no command and keep hold of the bowl.

Repeat the process until you get the response that you want the end game is your German Shepherd viewing you as the dominant alpha who controls the food source and doesnt get bitten.

Is Yelling A Good Way To Keep My Puppy From Biting Me

While you may have heard of the common practice of yelping like a puppy and stopping play, this method doesnt work with all puppies. In some puppies with strong prey drives, yowling can excite them even more.

So you have to ask yourself, is my pain moaning increasing or decreasing behavior? If it is increasing and not decreasing, your yelp is probably positive reinforcement, which means the biting behavior will continue, and you are feeding it further.

This is the more likely scenario if, after your yelp, the puppy doesnt stop but is actually more excited and returns to biting and with more intensity. If he is actually decreasing over time, what you are doing is probably working, and you should continue what you are doing. Beware of extinction bursts.

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Take The Quiet Approach

Dont reward mouthing or aggressive biting by responding to it. Ignore them altogether.

You can choose this option if youd prefer not to say no to your puppy or the ouch method didnt work.

To ignore them, walk away and go into another room, remain silent, and dont make eye contact. Only offer them interaction and come back to them when they show you calming behaviors.

Our dogs love our attention. They crave it!

How Do You Discipline A German Shepherd Puppy

5 Games to Stop Your German Shepherd Puppy From Biting

You discipline a German Shepherd puppy just like you would discipline a Pit Bull or any other breed of dog.

Make sure that you discipline your dog with positive reinforcement and not negative actions.

Whatever you do, dont get mad and yell at your dog, and dont hit your dog. These aggressive reactions will not stop your puppy from doing whatever it did that upset you in the first place, but they will cause your dog to stop trusting you.

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