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My GSD pup's biting problem..







koruchann
Novice


Dec 19, 2007, 9:26 PM

Post #1 of 13 (22676 views)
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My GSD pup's biting problem.. Can't Post

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum & need to seek everyone's advise. I just got a female GSD pup, she's 13 weeks old now ( Her name is Bailey). Well, I should've been a bit wary when the breeder told me that she was the "bully" in the litter. She is very dominant & since our family wants a good guard dog, my dad was very pleased. She proved to be extremely intelligent; mastering Sit, Come & Down in only 3 days!

HOwever... Bailey has a HUGE nipping problem. She will only nip at me. Somehow, she also dislikes my mother & will bark at her & try to nip her heels! but she will happily tag alongside me & my dad. As im the main handler of Bailey, its getting really frustrating & tiring. I have poured over many many Forums & website and have tried almost most methods.. I have only use alpha rolls few times and stopped using since. I even tried pinning her down, that seemed to aggravate her more!

I'm sure many have read some of Leerburg's ebook, he suggested grabbing the cheeks (left & right) & lifting the pup's 2 front paws and stare into the pup's eye with a low growl like "Nooooo"... I have tried this for 2 days now; NO shaking the pup, just merely staring into the eyes. How long does it take to work? Can someone advise me? Pirate

Mainly, Bailey will bite when i try to attach the leash on her collar, and she somehow doesn't like to be petted Frown I am getting headache now on how to handle cutting her nails in future..

I am considering to have her spayed (Vet advised me to to do it after she had her 1st heat), but I read some where that females, after spaying, tends to be more aggressive?! How true it this?

Well, as bailey is only 13 weeks i know she's just only a puppy & will tend to be playful, other than the constant biting, she's alrite. Im just worried the biting will continue until she grow up Unsure

Hope someone can share their thoughts on the above, thanks so much!..


Amber.Faith
Old Kaki


Dec 24, 2007, 4:01 AM

Post #2 of 13 (22639 views)
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Re: [koruchann] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

You maybe need to try other methods then... One of them is bound to work. But remember this, she is only 13 weeks only & that means only 3 months old. Puppies will be like this. They will nip at anything & this nipping your mom's heel & your hand, is not that becoz she's aggressive or anything. She just has the urge to nip. Not to worry, soon as she grows older & also constant corrections, she will bound to stop. Also remember this, if she nips you, exchange your hand with a toy. Teach her that chewing toy is good & chewing hand is bad. She's a very smart dog to have learned those three commands in three days. She can go far in OB...


koruchann
Novice


Dec 24, 2007, 7:11 AM

Post #3 of 13 (22636 views)
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Re: [Amber.Faith] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi Hi Amber.Faith!!

Thanks so much for the reply! I do hope she will grow out of it! haha.. otherwise my mum wud make curry out of her... keke.. I am planning to enrol her for OB but the vet said to complete all 4 jabs 1st... According to her, bigger breeds require 4 jabs.. I dunno how true is that, some of my friends say its not necessary.. can u recommend me a good place for OB classes?


Amber.Faith
Old Kaki


Dec 24, 2007, 8:31 AM

Post #4 of 13 (22632 views)
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Re: [koruchann] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

Oh no, the 4th jab is unnecessary! It's called booster & it's just an overdose to the dog. The vet just wants to make money. 3 jabs good enuf! Well, I train my dogs at puppy.com which is in Taman Desa. There are other places too where you can train your dogs but it's up to you. There's also MKA, Pet-n-you & others which I can't remember. But if you live near Taman Desa, then train there lor... I can't compare them all. They all are good.


koruchann
Novice


Dec 25, 2007, 1:32 AM

Post #5 of 13 (22623 views)
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Re: [Amber.Faith] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

Alritey.. Thx so much!!! Laugh Hope to see u at Tmn Desa some day!


zephyros
Canine Addict


Dec 31, 2007, 7:12 PM

Post #6 of 13 (22514 views)
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Re: [koruchann] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

hi how's your puppy?

as amber said don't worry too much, it's just a puppy, if u picked up your puppy before the age of 8 weeks or so, chances are bailey did not learn the rules of nipping. usually when the pup nipps the siblings or mother too hard, they'll get a warning growl ie mom scolding etc.


Quote
To be successful pets, these dogs should be trained and socialized from an early age with a firm and loving hand. Coercive or angry training does not succeed well with these dogs. To be truly happy, the German Shepherd needs a task in life. The breed is so intelligent and learns so readily that it has been used as a sheepdog, guard dog, in police work, as a guide for the blind, in search and rescue service, and in the military.



the reason your puppy might nip is MAYBE to herd your mother lol. but yea just be firm but not harsh in teaching. if bailey nipps, don't give any response that might indicate to bailey that you are playing with him ie, grabbing him, lifting him etc, he might take it as attention from you. so when he wants attention he'll nipp even more. firm "NO" might work on some dogs, some might not, and some might even start to fear you if u do it wrongly. only reason a dog will bug u, is for attention. if he doesn't get what he wants, he'll stop doing it. why? cause it doesn't work. encourage good behaviour ALWAYS, and ignore the bad ones but turning away and ignoring the pup totally. not even a second of eye contact, zero, zip nothing, as if your pup does not exist. the moment your pup sits down or does something acceptable, quickly praise.

never even once allow your pup to do something wrong and let him get away with it. once is enough to let him pick up a bad habit. correcting a wrong behaviour is always more tedious than avoiding it. avoid mistakes if possible and when he does make one, quickly discourage him. your bailey should be teething soon, so get a chew bone ready. the moment he starts or wants to nibble on something he's not supposed to, quickly change his attention by calling him and give him the chew bone. if u can prevent him from trying to chew on shoes and are really nice to chew on, he'll never that shoes are chewable.


koruchann
Novice


Dec 31, 2007, 11:35 PM

Post #7 of 13 (22499 views)
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Re: [zephyros] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi Zephyros!!

How r u? Wink Thanks so much for ur advice! Well the problem with Bailey is at times she's really good & calm and at times she'll bite my hands like crazy. Despite yelling "Noooo" at the top of my lungs doesnt seem to make her cut it out. FrownFrown ....

The thing with tis little monster is, the minute she nips and if i walk away & try to ignore her, she knows what to do EXACTLY to annoy me & get my attention back! She knows i go nuts if she digs stones up and chews them, eat soil which i always forbid her or run off with one of our slippers! (Its strange as at times she's totally not interested in the slippers!) I'd give good money to know what goes on in their furry little head


zephyros
Canine Addict


Dec 31, 2007, 11:57 PM

Post #8 of 13 (22494 views)
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Re: [koruchann] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

good money? then u can start paying me. what bailey is born for...to make your life interesting

each dog has their own way of doing it, and in your case, yes GSD loves to dig, so did mine lol and my mom's flower bed was his favourite place. to him, he watched my mom do it, so he thought he'd help out with "loosening" the soil for her too rofl

what thing u might have missed was, once u ignore, and bailey stops nipping, call her back immediately to praise. if she nipps again, ignore again. don't ignore totally even when she's good. as soon as she stops nipping call her name and praise. once she bites cry oout "OUCH" and walk away again. she'll get the idea sooner or later.

i think the reason she might be nipping is she's got too much energy. dogs with too much energy and no place to burn them, will get "creative" ranging from chewing on your Louis Vutton purse to rearranging your garden. anything that can fit into the mouth, will go into the mouth. :D

try exercising your girl more. never let her nibble on you even if it's gentle. lick yes. for my pup, when he nibbled on me i said "ouch" and when he starts licking i praise him with gentle voice and pats. if bailey hates petting on the head, go under the neck, behind the ears or give a back scratch. find her favourite spot. mine is on the back spine. if you hit the right spot, he'll give this wiggle like when when we get goose bumps Sly

so when he's naughty i'll scratch that spot too and he'll start wiggling and stop whatever bad thing he was doing and forget about it. usually he wont' repeat it again cause he has learnt that ie tugging on my pants = tickle session


koruchann
Novice


Jan 1, 2008, 5:17 AM

Post #9 of 13 (22482 views)
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Re: [zephyros] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

Oh yes, absolutely! They can really make life sooo interesting!! HAHAHAA, like waking up in the morning with a heart attack! Goshhh, Bailey is such a sneaky little furball! I tried to ignore her once after she nipped my hands and i left her with her chew toy, u know what she did?! In less than 2 mins when i wasn't looking, she crept quietly upstairs & wee-ed at one corner!!!!

She's really fond of eating soil out of flower pots & flower beds, is at normal? And guess what, she broke my bathroom metal faucet last month! Practically chewed it off! and left sharp shards all over! I was frantic and called the Vet & even the vet was puzzled! But she's alrite now, thank God!!! Crazy

I try to play fetch with her everyday now.. At times she'll chase it at time she'll just sniff around & ignore me... Aiseh man... Unsure ANy advice on how to drain ur doggie's energy ?


zephyros
Canine Addict


Jan 1, 2008, 5:44 PM

Post #10 of 13 (22463 views)
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Re: [koruchann] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

walks or runs.

seems to me your pup is teething...u better give it a good chew bone...gsd are known to have strong teeth and jaws...but urs hahah lol

train her good..she seems to be really "creative" and strong one..


koruchann
Novice


Jan 3, 2008, 5:07 PM

Post #11 of 13 (22409 views)
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Re: [zephyros] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

HAppY New YEar!!!

Just got back to work!

Ugh.. I have to stock up on bones! She destroys her rawhide bones very quickly... Unsure Oh yeah, i got her a lot of kitty toys to chase! Drives her mad! hahaah...


zephyros
Canine Addict


Jan 3, 2008, 5:36 PM

Post #12 of 13 (22405 views)
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Re: [koruchann] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

haha nice. well maybe u can try nyla bones instead of raw hide. they last longer

or u can get those joints. those last quite a bit too but do boil them in hot water for a bit.


vckloong
Novice

Apr 27, 2008, 8:47 PM

Post #13 of 13 (11160 views)
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Re: [zephyros] My GSD pup's biting problem.. [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi,

Dog behavioural problems are sometimes worrisome.

If you guys need an expert or consultant's advice from the United States you can visit www.dogtrainster.com.

They have pretty good information there as well as certified consultants there to help you out.

Vincent
www.dogtrainster.com - Ultimate Resource and Tips for Dog Training
www.dogtrainster.com - Ultimate Resource and Tips for Dog Training

 
 




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