Why Do German Shepherds Shed So Much
They have a double coat, to far both cold and hot weather.Husky’s and Malamutes also share the coat type.So, when the weather becomes hot, the coat sheds to becomethinner, and as winter dawns the coat has a ‘blow shed’ to havethicker hair replace it for the dropping temperature.
The German Shepherd is a breed of medium to large-sized working dog that originated in Germany.
As part of the Herding Group, German Shepherds are working dogs developed originally for herding sheep.
German Shepherds In The Top 5 Most Damaging Dog Bites By Breed
The American Animal Hospital Association conducted a study and concluded that German Shepherds were one of the most dangerous breeds based on bite severity and frequency of biting. This is not surprising given the fact that German Shepherds have one of the most powerful bites of all breeds. The study also concluded that large dogs with short, wide heads were the most likely to bite. This conclusion is supported by the fact that Pit bulls and Rottweilers are responsible for the highest number of fatal attacks. German Shepherds are more dangerous than the average breed, but they are not at the top of the list.
Is It Normal For German Shepherd Puppies To Bite
Biting is a normal behavior in puppies of all kinds. Puppies begin to bite their siblings from the moment they can move, and will continue this behavior until they learn otherwise.
A biting German Shepherd puppy is to be expected, and should not result in any discouragement on your part. As long as you are following the tips we mentioned above, your puppy should shy away from this behavior in no time!
You May Like: Taping German Shepherd Ears Up
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.
Let Out A High Pitched Yelp
When your German Shepherd bites with those razor teeth, immediately let out a high-pitched cry such as Ouch! or Ahh Ahh! to let your dog know its not acceptable. At the same time pull your hand away slowly and move away from your dog. Dont jerk your hand away as your pup will see this as a game, like a game of tug-of-war.
The idea here is that you are mimicking a littermate, as a pup would yelp if they were bitten too hard during play and then all the fun would stop. Its exactly the same thing, only YOU stop the play.
Recommended Reading: How Long For German Shepherd Ears To Stand Up
Why Your German Shepherd Bites Your Hands
Each of the different reasons why your German Shepherd bites your hands or arms 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 hands and the signs to look for.
It wants attention
The reason why it bites your hands could be that it wants your attention.
This would be more likely to be the cause if it starts biting your hands 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.
If that is why it bites your hands 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 hands.
It is teething
If it is a puppy then the reason why it bites your hands or arms 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.
Another possible reason could be that German Shepherd puppies explore and interact with the world with their mouths and noses as much as they do with their eyes. As a result, it will bite on your hands a lot because it is interacting with them.
Related post: How to tell if your German Shepherd loves you
It wasnt trained not to as a puppy
You have inadvertently been reinforcing the behavior
Excitement
It is exploring
Physical Correction For Biting Is The Least Effective
You should never strike or verbally reprimand your puppy for biting.
As for yelping or squealing in imitation of how a littermate might react to a painful nip, the results are mixed.
Loud yelping sounds work on rare individuals and often serve to arouse GSD pups further. Excitement will intensify your dogs biting.
Other tactics, such as grabbing your dogs snout, pinching her muzzle, or tapping her on top of the head, will teach him to fear your hand or cause him to react aggressively towards it.
Other trainers teach people to stuff their hands deeper into their puppys mouth or insert their thumb under the animals tongue.
Again, making your dog uncomfortable for an activity that comes naturally to her will often stimulate fear or aggravate her aggression.
As reported by several sources, including Shibashake.com, physical correction can cause anxiety, fear, or stress in puppies and dogs. Harsh punishment and even moderate physical or verbal reprimands too frequently lead to future aggression in dogs.
Recommended Reading: How Much Do You Feed German Shepherd Puppy
How To Discourage Jumping And Biting Behavior
Thankfully, there are ways you can curb German Shepherd jumping and biting.
- Be proactive. If I knew someone was coming over, I would put Allie in another room or in her crate. Once our visitor was in the house and the initial excitement had passed, I would let her out. By keeping her from greeting people right when they walked through the door, I could minimize her overzealous behavior.
- Teach a place command. This is a simple command that teaches your dog to stay in her place until you give a release command. This is another way to allow the initial excitement to pass and your German Shepherd to calm down a bit before greeting anyone.
- Redirect attention to a toy .
- Fold your arms and turn away. You can also use an off command when you turn. Keep turning until your GSD stops jumping, then praise them and use a treat as a reward.
This training method works great because youre refusing to give your German Shepherd what they want attention! Its best to practice this when you dont have guests over so that your pup knows how to handle excitement in advance.
Make Sure They Are Physically & Mentally Stimulated
Its more likely for a German Shepherd puppy to bite when they are lacking stimulation. Because of this, it is so important to offer plenty of mental and physical activities throughout your home.
Physical and mental activities can cure your puppys boredom, and even help them strengthen their critical thinking skills! One of our readers favorites has always been the Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel Squeaky Puzzle Plush Dog Toy. Take a closer look and youll see why this toy is so irresistible!
Recommended Reading: German Shepherd Feeding Chart
Watch Play Biting In Action
The aim here is for the German shepherd puppy to be completely socially isolated for the next 20 to 30 seconds – long enough for this lesson to sink in, but not long enough for him to forget what it was that caused such a response in the first place and to start playing with something else.
To keep the focus off your hands during play, and to prevent him from learning what a delightful chew toy your fingers really are, supply him with a more appropriate chew toy such as rawhide bones, pigs’ ears, or a squeaky dog toy.
If he should snap at your hands or face while playing, correct him quickly with a sharp, “No!” As soon as he stops, praise him and then quickly redirect his attention to an appropriate chew toy. As soon as he takes the toy, praise him again.
Never use physical force to correct your dog for inappropriate chewing or mouthing. In most cases this will even actually encourage further nipping and biting from your dog. Give him 30 seconds of isolation instead of the corporal punishment.
If for some reason the cold-shouldering technique does not work for your dogs nipping and play biting behaviors, maybe your dog is just really worked up from the play session, he might need to cool down a bit. In this case, the ‘time out’ method might be appropriate. Take him to a small room by himself, and leave him there for five minutes or so to chill out. When he’s calmer bring him back in.
Myth #1 Do German Shepherds Attack Their Owners
Many myths about German Shepherds are related to their aggression level.
Historically, in movies and television especially, we see examples of German Shepherds behaving badly.
This myth is likely supported by the common use of German Shepherds as police and military dogs.
These dogs tend to act aggressively, and have been known to unintentionally injure their owners. But is this action an actual attack or is it just a case of mistaken identity?
Fact: German Shepherds do not attack their owners any more frequently thanmany other breeds of dogs. In many cases of injury caused to owners by GermanShepherds, the dog is not at fault or the incident was not a case ofaggression.
This doesnt mean however that GermanShepherds havent been known to attack their owners. Many well documented caseswhere a GSD has attacked their owner, there is a known history of abuse.
In these instances, the dog has attacked its owner out of fear or as a way of protecting itself in a scary situation.
German Shepherds, like most other dogs will take any action necessary to protect themselves when they are feeling threatened, even if the threat is their owner.
You May Like: Spragues German Shepherds
But Doesnt Scratching Mean Your German Shepherd Has Fleas
Greencross Vets explains that a flea infestation is only one possible reason why your German Shepherd might be scratching.
It is true that fleas can irritate the skin to the point where other opportunistic bacteria, fungi, or parasites can get in and cause further irritation and itching.
But often a dog that is itching doesnt have fleas at all. The itching is caused by something completely different.
However, if your dog does have even a minor issue with fleas and has an allergy to the bugs, this can cause more intense itching. When this happens, it is called flea allergy dermatitis.
Flea allergy dermatitis is a specific type of allergy to flea bites. While getting bitten by fleas will cause itching for any pet , in affected dogs the itching becomes severe and is often concentrated around the tail area.
For dogs with severe flea allergy dermatitis, all it can take is a single flea bite to set off the itching.
Use Chew Toys Instead Of Your Hands
When puppies are young, it can be fun to use your hands when playing with them, and a little nip here and there probably wont hurt you. But you are training them into thinking your hands are fair game.
Instead you should use chew toys for this type of play. If you can focus their attention onto a toy and not your hands, they will learn that fingers and hands are not there to be bitten.
Its all about positive association.
Theres a I let my puppy play with when we started training him not to bite. You can also see the prices by clicking the photo below.
Recommended Reading: Why Are German Shepherds So Smart
Putting Your Thumb Under Your Puppy’s Tongue
Yeah, I know where is the logic in that? I mean you’re basically setting your thumb up to be bitten and at the same time encouraging biting.
But you won’t believe how many folks have emailed me desperate to stop biting and detailing this method as something they have done frequently.
I’m not even sure what the idea behind this silly method is, so suffice to say please don’t do this!
Are All Puppies Good
Another reason for the popularity of this idea is that many people think all puppies are playful and sociable, or that puppies who behave aggressively are just playing. The truth is that dogs of all ages display the full range of canine body language, including stress signals and bite warnings, and these are often only noticed by people who are trained to see them. Most pet owners are unaware of these subtle signs, leading to claims that the dog bit out of nowhere, when in fact the pup may have been displaying warning signs for months and months leading up to the bite.
Don’t Miss: How Much Is A German Shepherd In The Philippines
Do German Shepherds Bite Their Owners
In a word: yes.
You might assume that German shepherds dont bite you as their owner because obviously, you are the one feeding them and providing their food so you expect them not to hurt you. Unfortunately, thats not always the case. To be able to stop your German shepherd puppy from biting you, its important for you to know the common reasons why your German shepherd puppy bit you in the first place so that you can solve or eliminate the problem.
Assess Their Laying Spot
It seems that your German Shepherd doesnt trust the safety of his bed or lying spot. It will also circle the spot to ensure there are no vermin or harmful objects that will make your pets rest uncomfortable.
There is little scientific data to prove the above 3 examples except for the idea that dogs circle before lying down to make a nest. This small study of 62 dogs implied that dogs are more likely to circle before lying down when given a soft, uneven surface to make a temporary nest to sleep in.
Also Check: Stanley Corens The Intelligence Of Dogs
How To Stop A German Shepherd From Biting And Nipping
There are several ways you can train your pup not to bite or nip. If your pup is biting because of teething, it is not a problem.
However, if your pups biting habit is getting out of control, adopt the following strategies to get control over it.
- The first step is to tell your dog that biting is not acceptable.
- You will do this with the help of voice commands, body language, and hand signals.
- If your pup bites at you, make and ouch sound.
- Pull your hand away and say No.
- Move away from your pup and stop playing.
- When you stop playing with your pup the moment it bites, it will associate no play with biting.
- Repeat this practice whenever your GSD bites or nips.
- It will help your GSD learn that biting and nipping is not appreciated.
If this method doesnt work and your GS pup is still biting, try this:
- Start playing with your pup.
- Let it grab your hand and as soon as the pup bites, say No in an authoritative tone.
- Put your thumb in your pups mouth and under its tongue.
- Put your other finger lightly beneath its chin.
- Your pup will not be able to bite you and in this uncomfortable situation, it will try to get your fingers out of its mouth.
- This is an effective technique that will make the puppy feel uncomfortable and it will avoid biting you.
- Remember, you will have to repeat this technique several times until your pup completely hates taking your hand in its mouth.
This doesnt work either? Try this:
Your German Shepherd Didnt Get Any Socialization
Germans shepherd have to stay with their mothers for eight weeks. Its at this duration that the bitch will train its litter various socialization skills, like how not to bite.
So, if you got your German shepherd puppy before it had stayed with its mother for long, he will probably bite you often as he didnt get this lesson.
Also Check: Is My German Shepherd Too Skinny
How Much Do Pedigree German Shepherds Cost
German Shepherd Puppy Price: If you want a purebred puppy from a breeder who shows their German Shepherds, you can expect to pay somewhere between $1,500 to $5,000 or more, depending on the showing accomplishments of the parents.
As these dogs are relatively rare, breeders can charge more for a White German Shepherd puppy. While the average puppy price for a standard German Shepherd starts at about $300 and goes up to $900, White German Shepherd puppies cost between $750 1000.
Why Does My German Shepherd Bite My Hands And Arms
If your German Shepherd has been biting your hands or arms, youre probably wondering why and what you can do about it.
This post will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might be doing biting your hands and what you can do about it.
So, why does my German Shepherd bite my hands? Common reasons can include wanting attention, teething, rewarding the behavior, a lack of training, excitement or that it is exploring using its mouth.
There are actually a number of things that you can consider when trying to understand what might be causing your German Shepherd to be doing it. There are also a number of things that you can do to get it to stop doing it depending on the cause.
Also Check: Who Would Win In A Fight German Shepherd Or Pitbull