9 months old German Shepherd and still mouthing/biting

by Doug
(Wisconsin)






My shepard is 9 months old and she still wants to mouth or bite as it hurts when she does this, sometimes leaving bruises on my arms.

Is this normal and how long before she will stop this?

We have tried bark busters Bah Bah and squirt bottle and this isn't working. Our niece said shes a biter and she will never stop this.

Any ideas or help will be of great value to me. Thanks Doug


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Mar 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Mouthing
by: Darlene

If you puppy or adult already knows the word "NO!" , when it 'mouths' you,gently, but very quickly wrap your hands around its muzzle to close and say loud and firm "NO". This has worked on all my K-9's and a family members cat.
As always, be consistant and be patient in waiting for results.
Mar 02, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		GSD Kisses
by: Anonymous

My GSD was very mouthly, especially with my kids which was a problem. We taught her to give kisses rather than bite. So when she is getting mouthly, that say "kisses" and she closes her mouth to give kisses. At 13 months she is much better, but still will get very mouthy around adults when playing. The kids know what to tell her ( give kisses) and it works.
Feb 20, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		No Aversives for Normal Behavior
by: BeSmarter

At 9 months your shepherd is not teething but still has plenty of puppy behaviors. What she is doing is Mouthing NOT Biting, and this is a normal behavior which can be easily modified.

Do NOT jam your fingers down her throat or do anything nasty. She's not mouthing to assert dominance but because this is how dogs play, and you haven't taught her (in a clear enough way from her perspective) that this is not how you want her to play with humans. Punishment is a lousy means of teaching this lesson, never mind that it's unnecessary and will also damage your relationship with the dog.

Next time she mouths you, calmly say Ouch or Nope or whatever you want, stop interacting with her immediately and turn your back or walk away for a minute before paying attention to her again. The end of the play/interaction will be negative enough. Keep this up, and she will catch on that mouthing humans ends all the fun and will cut it out.

People, could we all get past this physical domination dominance/pack leader stuff already? ALL recent research indicates this is not a correct interpretation of actual wolf pack behavior, and 99% of pet dogs have no dominance issues whatsoever. Just because dogs forgive most of our crappy, ignorant handling of them doesn't mean it's ok. Get more educated on better behavior modification techniques to be a better actual leader -- there's no shortage of info available online and in libraries.

Have some respect for the dog you assume owes you respect.
Feb 10, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still Biting and Mouthing
by: Anonymous

it is possible that your GSD is still teathing, and like babies... they will look for anything to kill the pain.

Puppies are like children, each one teeths at their own rate. Try turning his attention to something else besides you to bite on like a rope or another toy. This worked with mine.
Feb 07, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Stop the behaviour immediately....
by: SAM

Putting my thumb down my puppy's throat worked wonders when he was 3 months old as we had a significant problems with nipping and biting also, but these annoying and painful behaviors have discontinued.

Like you, I tried many methods, but they did not work until this one. Your dog is trying to exercise dominance over you and you must show him that your the leader of the pack and not the other way around. Your dog will respect you for this.

If the thumb doesn't work, try your whole hand. I can appreciate this will likely be much more difficult with an older dog, than a pup, but it is worth a try. You may also want to consider hiring a personal dog trainer to assist you with your behavioural issues.

This is something we also have done and it has proven successful as well. My 6 month old shepherd is progressing beautifully.

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