Has anyone got any advice for a puppy that has taken to niping and biting. She has never applied pressure so i think she thinks it is a game. She is still teething. We have tried ignoring her but she will go off and do something else that she knows she isn’t meant to do to get back attention (ie weeing, taking things of shelves).

She is a 12 week german shepard. We have been crate training her but don’t want to use that as a punishment.

Any ideas?

trying lots of loud noises?

make a nice audible ow EVERY time she nips.

if she persists then stand up, eave the dog alone.

at that age they are taught not to bite by their mother and peers sodding off on them when they play too rough.

Exactly as above.

I’ve trained a few puppies with biting recently, most respond really well to noise, if not then turning your back on them to signal the game is over works very well.

If you struggle, then you can use the crate – as long as the pup enjoys being in there already – as a time-out zone. If he bites, then pick him up and pop him in his crate – leave him there for 20-30 seconds then go get him again. Again, last resort over what is mentioned above – it works really well, and it was the only thing that my collie responded to as he was incredibly bitey and noise and ignoring didn’t work.

Yep, what tracknicko says. It’s good that you’re doing your best to rid her of any instinct to bite people. Older dogs in the park will let her know how to behave around them.

Big ouch when she bites. Act really hurt. Turn your back on her. If she persists, then pick her up by the scruff of her neck and put her in the kitchen and close the door on her for a few minutes. Consistency and persistence are key. Keep going and one day you’ll realise she hasn’t nipped in ages.

You’re also correct not to use her crate. That has to be her little chill out safe space.

Best of luck. I’m sure she’ll be fine. 🙂

What Tracknicko says worked well for my dog (Collie) a high pitched squeal (like a puppy in pain) followed by stopping play and immediately replacing your hand with something they can bite and chew worked very well indeed. They don’t want to hurt you, just don’t know where the boundaries are.

If you google ‘The Bite Stops Here’, its a brilliant article on how to stop it. It takes a bit of time though – nipping and mouthing is perfectly normal for a pup that young.

Four pint plastic milk bottle with a few pebbles in and shake it at them when they’re naughty.
Mine found the bottle and chewed it up when I’d left it low. 🙄

At 12 weeks old I wouldnt at this time be too concerned. You often get mouthing with puppies. That said you need to ensure this doesn’t become a habit.

A dog will use its mouth to investigate things, like a hand. With its sibblings each would be nipping and tugging each other and its also part of the pack hirachy.

A firm “NO” should hopefully suffice and I do not recommend using any foreign objects, certainly in the first insatnce like shaker and water bottles.

Get a good trainer, with both of my dogs I worked with an animal behaviorist. Probably more expensive than a “dog trainer” but it teaches you how to understand your dog, its behaviours and what you can expect. It also teaches you a set of methodologies for training rather than just “teach it to do this or that”.

Socialise the puppy as much as you can, this time of year country shows have little companion dog show where he will meet lots of dogs. Take him in stores while hes small enough to carry. Most pet stores let you in all the time.

Developing a firm and consistent command structure at an early age is key and your tone says alot more than the words. Firm when its naughty, soothing and playful when its good, usually rewarded with a treat for achieving something on command.

Take small steps and learn to work with yor dog and train yourself to understand it and traning it will be a lot easier and lead to a long and fulfilling relationship.

As above, a firm “NO” and remove your hand, followed by another “NO” and ‘game over’, get up, turn your back and walk away. Puppies hate to be ignored (generally).

Thank you all, I think we are doing the right thing we just got to give her time. At least i know it is a normal thing to happen.

The reward for your help is a bad quality picture.

I agree totally with all the advice above and in particular Pingu66.

Patience and understanding are what matters and thanks for the picture – She’s lovely

disco garden!

+1 bottle with pebbles and pretend (or real) OW! when she bites. Took 2 months with our springer. Also scruff of neck works well.

Beatiful dog. Puppies are fantastic.

Another recomendation is ensure that they have plenty of stimulation. Make sure it knows what its toys are ie it can chew them, not furniture etc.

I have raised both my dogs with only the odd slipper/trainer becoming victim.

As others have said, playtime is playtime, with its young teeth and claws like needles you will probably get scratched in play and blood drawn. I know I did but non were bites just bloody hurts as they are so sharp.

Let it know even in play that it hurts. Even now my dogs are 2 and 3 years if one is naughty it gets ignored. Its amazing the impact it has.

Get some good books aswell and learn about your specific breeds needs as different dogs have different purposes and often different requirements from a stimulation perspective.

I never found the bottle with pebbles/coins thing worked that well. My dog jumped out of her skin the first time, the second time she looked confused and the third time she didn’t care.

What did work was shutting her out of the room you’re in for 20-30s as she hated being separated from us

I think the bottle shaking to scare or shouting are entirely wrong for such a young dog. Get a rope toy or similar and anytime it looks like biting or does bite give it the toy and have a play. If it bites you get up and walk away and ognore it for a bit.