Re: German Shepard Biting/Mouthing

[Teresa Stanczak]

Hi Ashlee,

Thanks for your patience in awaiting a response!

Sounds like what Zeus is doing is completely normal for a puppy. It is one of the most common complaints of new puppy owners, those puppy teeth can be killers! Puppies engage with each other in play and explore their environment with their mouths. Morning time and after naps when the are fully recharged can be some of the worst times ( piranha puppy- yikes!)
Puppies and adult dogs for that matter need to chew…just not on you. Make sure you have lots of appropriate chew things on hand for him to keep busy with like kong toys, nylabones, sterilized marrow bones (the kinds that are not basted in anything and are at least 6 to 8 inches long) and treat balls to keep him busy . These are just some ideas.

Have you worked your way through the triangle? If not make sure you work your way up and pay attention to toy/bone and chew toy rules in Pack Structure http://www.selfhelpdogtraining.com/PackStructure/cms/PackStructure.html
Following Pack Structure rules will also help with him biting inappropriate things in the house.

If you know that he is going to be especially mouthy like first thing in the morning, don’t pick this time to pet him and snuggle. Maybe play a game with him like tug or ball first and then after he has relieved some of that energy and seems a little more relaxed you can get some petting time in. Puppies usually play hard and sleep hard so it shouldn’t take too much to tire him out at his age.

Giving him appropriate items to chew on (like kongs that are stuffed with food to keep them interested) and appropriate outlets for their energy such as tug and walks should decrease the nipping and mouthing alot. It will not go away overnight but you should see a definite decline over time.

How do you normally respond when he is chewing on items such as pillows and coffe tables in the house? Sometimes chewing on things in the house is an attention seeking behavior. For example the puppy has learned that if he snatches the pillow from the couch a fun game of chase ensues.

Congrats on the new puppy!
Teresa