Nipping Frustration with GSD Puppy

[PAOLA MORALES]

So my dad surprises the family with an 8 week old German Shepherd puppy - 2 actually. Littermates brother and sister.

Since I am the one who stays at home the most, I’ve been charged with watching them while everyone else goes to work and disclaimer: I have never raised a puppy. My last dog was about a year and I had her more than 10 years ago. So I had NO idea what I was in for.

About two days in, we noticed a lot of fighting between the siblings and when we learned about “Littermate Syndrome,” we decided to return one of the puppies to the breeder.

Our remaining puppy, Lucky, is a lot more calm now since his sister usually started the rough play, but he is nipping more than usual. I understand that it’s common for puppies, especially GSD, and that I have to redirect his biting with a toy or chew, OR make a verbal correction and stop playing when he doesn’t listen.

This is my problem: I want to be a good owner, but both my parents are “old fashioned,” and they are used to hitting a dog for correction. I told them it could be detrimental and ineffective, so they’ve held back with this puppy, except once.

My dad forgot to cover up and Lucky bit his bare ankle, causing him to immediately slap the dog away and give a loud “No”. 
 

As awful as this will sound, I am a little jealous because it worked. Since then, Lucky hasn’t but my dad. He still plays with him, goes to him, and seems genuinely okay with my dad. Meanwhile I am out here, with my torn up boots, getting bit and getting frustrated.

What can I do to curb his biting without resorting to hitting? I already offer different toys (which he will chew for a bit and then go back to gnawing  the zippers of my boots) and leaving (which he just cries and waits until I come back and resumes the behavior)?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums, sibling rivalry can be a real thing! Please see my tips/ideas in bold. 

So my dad surprises the family with an 8 week old German Shepherd puppy - 2 actually. Littermates brother and sister. Since I am the one who stays at home the most, I’ve been charged with watching them while everyone else goes to work and disclaimer: I have never raised a puppy. My last dog was about a year and I had her more than 10 years ago. So I had NO idea what I was in for.

About two days in, we noticed a lot of fighting between the siblings and when we learned about “Littermate Syndrome,” we decided to return one of the puppies to the breeder. Our remaining puppy, Lucky, is a lot more calm now since his sister usually started the rough play, but he is nipping more than usual. 

It seems that now with your pup's favorite playmate gone, he is now searching for a human playmate! One of the biggest advantages of littermates, is that they come to rely on each other for play so there's less nipping on us. However, yes, part of that relying on each other can easily turn into overdependence and risks for sibling rivalry, where one puppy becomes more confident and bullies the other one. 

 I understand that it’s common for puppies, especially GSD, and that I have to redirect his biting with a toy or chew, OR make a verbal correction and stop playing when he doesn’t listen. This is my problem: I want to be a good owner, but both my parents are “old fashioned,” and they are used to hitting a dog for correction. I told them it could be detrimental and ineffective, so they’ve held back with this puppy, except once.

My dad forgot to cover up and Lucky bit his bare ankle, causing him to immediately slap the dog away and give a loud “No”. As awful as this will sound, I am a little jealous because it worked. Since then, Lucky hasn’t but my dad. He still plays with him, goes to him, and seems genuinely okay with my dad. Meanwhile I am out here, with my torn up boots, getting bit and getting frustrated.

Usually, when we see a loud "no" or physical intervention working, we are seeing a puppy reacting out of fear or better, a state of learned helplessness. When well timed, the puppy can learn to associate the action (biting) with the no and physical correction, but there are risks for "side effects." Sure, these methods have worked in the past and do continue to work , but it is is not the type of relationship we want to establish with our dogs. There have been loads of studies proving that these methods risk paving the path for defensive aggression. 

What can I do to curb his biting without resorting to hitting? I already offer different toys (which he will chew for a bit and then go back to gnawing  the zippers of my boots) and leaving (which he just cries and waits until I come back and resumes the behavior)?

There are a variety of successful methods that you can rely on that don't involve yelling and hitting. Here are several games that you can play with your puppy to encourage alternate activities than using mouth on skin. I crafted these games when working with a very nippy German shepherd puppy who had a history of being physically corrected. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

On top of playing the above games that gives pups alternate ways to interact with us that doesn't involve biting, I am a big proponent of catching puppies *before* they bite so we can help them succeed. Here's the thing, once puppies are biting, they are having too much fun to pay attention to other things. Also, it becomes very habit-forming so we end up becoming their favorite playmates depending on us for physical play. While this is something to honor, we are just not adept to withstand sharp puppy teeth all day long. So we need to change the way they interact with us. This doesn't mean no more playing, it just means encouraging different interactions. 

So as soon as you notice your puppy approaching you with the intent to bite *before* he has a chance of latching on:

- Try engaging him with toys that add movement into the game such as a tennis ball tossed in the opposite direction (make it extra fun!) or a flirt pole (stick with a stuffed animal attached one end). The goal is to find a way to make these toys much more interesting, rewarding and fun to interact with than your body/clothing. I like to carry several tennis balls in my pocket (gotta love those cargo pants!) and a flirt pole around my waist so I can use these tools at moment's notice. 

-Try redirecting to a kibble toss game. I like to keep kibble always in my treat bag/pocket ready for this. As soon as he approaches you, ask him for a sit (if he doesn't know it yet, skip the sit for now) and toss a piece of kibble/treat. He'll likely eat it and come for more if he perceives them as valuable enough. Repeat several times, catching him always before he even has the chance to think of biting. This makes your pup tired, provides an outlet for chasing instincts while you incorporate some fun obedience.

Here is how to train sit, which is an incompatible behavior compared with biting (a dog in general cannot sit and bite ankles/pant legs at the same time). It's very easy to train and you'll impress your parents on how quickly positive reinforcement works! https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/

-Try redirecting to an empty water bottle with no lid filled up. Most pups cannot resist the crinkling sounds produced by chewing on these. They make an economical. temporary chew toy. Always monitor your dog when chewing if your dog tends to ingest things and consider that excess chewing can make some parts sharp.

To make the bottle even more interesting, fill it up with a portion of your puppy's daily ratio of kibble so your puppy will keep busy trying to roll the kibble out. You can read more about this fun game here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/

Also, make sure to:

-Provide outlets for pent-up energy. Brain games, training, and opportunities for socialization should wear a puppy out and provide outlets for their basic needs. With brain games that allow him to chase things and get rewards out of them (like kibble out of a bottle or a in a Kong Wobbler) he should seek these games more and more which can turn ankles pretty boring after a while because he gets more out of these activities when he's bored/frustrated/overstimulated. 

-Train your pup some bite inhibition. This is a very important skill. A good exercise to train this using treats is here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

-Provide a variety of food puzzles (you can fill them with kibble ) and safe puppy chew toys. Rotate them to keep his interest alive.  Here are some ideas:  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/adriennes-picks/top-5-dog-feeding-toys/

-Enroll him in puppy classes (once your vet says it's OK). Look for one run by positive reinforcement dog trainers who check puppy vaccination status and sanitize their properties to prevent spread of infectious diseases. Your puppy benefits from being around other people and play with other puppies in a structured, positive manner. 

-Keep an eye for Lucky getting cranky as he may be tired. Puppies need a lot of sleep, and when they're tired they get more nippy and likely to misbehave. Give your puppy routine opportunities to sleep in a quiet place in his crate/exercise pen and offer something to chew while in there. 

Other important skills for puppies:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/the-importance-of-preventing-resource-guarding-in-puppies/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-prevent-separation-anxiety-in-puppies/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/

So to re-cap:

The main goal in getting a puppy to stop biting arms/hands/ankles/pant legs is to teach that it's boring playing with them because there are far better forms of play out there that don't involve  human body parts. So move less and make your toys move more. Wriggle them, toss them, provide toys that release food, play the kibble toss game. With their strong urge to bite and play satiated with other forms of play, soon, puppies should outgrow the habit of chasing ankles/pantlegs just as they outgrow the habit of chasing their tails.

You may have to try several of the above options and see what works best. Rotating them helps provide variety. Redirection to a rewarding treat-dispensing toy or game that uses treats should be moderately easy at this age if these activities are made rewarding. Teaching an alternate behavior (like sitting, hand targeting, or giving paw) is also important because dogs cannot misbehave if they are busy targeting our hands or sitting! It may take a bit of time though to teach these alternate behaviors fluently, but it is sure worth the time and effort.

By providing outlets for his energy and needs for mental stimulation and reinforcing appropriate behaviors, you should eventually start seeing a decrease in the biting behavior. Keep track of it so to measure whether things are getting better with time. However, keep the teething stage in mind so make sure to offer lots of chew toys that are safe during this time. 

For obstinate cases, it may help to temporarily avoid temptations by refraining wearing clothing that attracts puppies a lot, such as shoes with shoe strings, leather shoes, pants with wide pant legs, long skirts and dangling scarves. Some puppy owners who are around their pups for most of the day like to wear tall boots or tuck their pants in their socks. 

Puppy nipping/biting doesn't stop overnight, it's a gradual progress, waxing and waning over time, but with feedback to reduce its intensity, management to prevent rehearsal of over threshold behaviors and encouraging engagement in alternate behaviors, with time, you should see a reduction in the intensity and frequency of the biting. At first, there should be small signs of progress, the biting initially reduces in pressure and intensity, and then gradually reduces in frequency. Most pups get better by the time they are 5 months, although some may take a bit longer. 

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more other questions!

Best,

Adrienne 

[PAOLA MORALES]

Thank you! I will do my best to incorporate these tips/activities! 😁

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome, keep me posted on how things go! 

[PAOLA MORALES]

Hey Adrienne!

Just wanted to give you a quick update. The good news is that I think Lucky is learning to inhibit his bite! I realized I was overworking him and I started enforcing more naptimes which has helped! I also notice that when he nips at us, he does it with less intensity. Of course it still hurts a bit, but I think he' s learning to be more gentle with mouthing.

I have another concern however with potty training. 

Lucky was initially potty trained on the puppy pads inside the house while he didn't have any of his vaccines. Now that he does, we've been trying to transition him to going outside. I placed a few used pads in the area of our driveway where we wanted him to go along with a fresh one on top and I made a habit of taking him out every time he wakes from a nap or starts to sniff the floor.

He has been going there to pee frequently, but he has trouble pooing there, as if he doesn't want to poo in the same places where he pees. Moreover, now that he's comfortable going outside, he is peeing/pooing in more parts of the yard. How do I train him to go only in the one designated area? 
So far I have just been praising him every time he goes where he should, and ignoring him or not giving him praise when he goes elsewhere. What else can I do? Or is it just supposed to take a long time?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Thanks for the update, great to hear you pup is already being more gentle with his teeth. Kudos to you for a job well done!

With the potty training, it's not very easy to have them pee/poop in a designated spot. Peeing is easier, but with pooping, many dogs are picky where they poop and some go through ritualistic circling and walking so they tend to go a little farther than where they pee. Some dogs are also fastidious about walking over or nearby where they previously peed, so in many cases, they pee and then walk a little further and then poop.  Also, something to consider, if they don't feel totally safe in their designated potty spot, they'll try to hold it until they feel much safer. 

However, if peeing/pooping in a specific spot is important, there are several things we can try to do to help them out. The process is somewhat similar to making them pee on pee pads, only that now you're dealing with a much larger area with many more distractions. Your pup will need lots of guidance as he'll need to learn that great things happen only when he goes in that specific area and you'll need to set him for success by making it difficult to make mistakes. 

In general, the larger the potty area, the easier it will be. If the area is too small, it will take more effort as there is a larger margin for error, similar to striking a tiny bull's eyes with a dart. It would be even better if you can place some type of barriers to remind him to stay in the area until he's done doing his business. Once he's done, praise and reward and let him out of the area. 

If you can't use barriers, then using a leash may be next best thing, but you'll be walking him in the area over and over until he goes. This can feel like a tedious task, but it gets better if you can train him to go potty on command:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/

Now, here's the problem if he's left free to go anywhere: while you're not giving him praise and a treat when he goes elsewhere, we need to consider that just the mere act or peeing and pooping is intrinsically reinforcing to dogs. They get a sense of relief when they empty their bladders and bowels so, the more your GSD pup goes potty in the wrong areas, the more he'll feel drawn to going in such areas. It is therefore important minimizing the chances for accidents in the wrong places.

Also, something to consider is that, even though you may have trained him to use a specific area as a puppy, as he matures, he may feel the need to start urine marking, so he may be instinctively drawn to wanting to pee/ poop in other areas that aren't his usual potty area. He'll likely methodically sniff around and want to expand his territory and therefore pee and poop in other selected areas. On top of this, things may eventually regress if you ever keep your dog outside on his own unsupervised for extended periods of time. When Nature calls, should he one day go in another area, this may cause a new habit to establish.