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4 months old - and backsliding w/training

1K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  jafo220 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi everyone new to the forum but a long time reader.

My puppy is named Logan and he is 4 months old going on 5. I give him short training sessions throughout the day and he knows sit, drop (down), come, stay, wait very well. I recently taught him turn around and he got it pretty quickly. We attend a GSD training club every sunday although it has been on break for the past 2 weeks.

He has been generally very good for the past month and a bit but it's like all of a sudden he is a different dog. The mouthing/nipping stopped during the last month however it has come back and I feel it is even worse. I will walk into the backyard and he will come to me circling my legs or jumping up to bite my thighs. I will stand there straight and not move but sometimes I feel like I have to try and walk away because it hurts but I don't want to show him that when he is biting me he has power over me.

Another thing, I take him for walks at least twice a day, one first thing in the morning and then one after his dinner and if I have time he will get one mid afternoon. Lately he does not seem to want to go on walks. I will walk out the front yard and he will sit down and just look at me. I bring treats with me for him to come a long and as soon as he comes I give him a treat but then he will sit down again and not move. It's weird because he used to be generally okay on walks and now all of a sudden it seems like he doesn't want to go anywhere.


I'm definitely losing a bit of my patience but I will not give up. I guess I just want to know if this behaviour is normal because of his age. I don't know, I feel it's like he turned 4 months old and then something in his brain switched?


Any help or words of encouragement will be appreciated :eek:
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Your boy is a BABY and will be going thru alot of phases and stages. ---> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...ialize-i-want-photos-videos-puppies-dogs.html

Why it's so important that ALL training be based on fun and games at this point... Have you read thru this yet and gotten a good basis in the recommendations? --> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...191183-top-training-expectations-puppies.html

Have you read this sticky? YOur dog is clearly advanced :) --> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...s-6-months-where-did-my-perfect-puppy-go.html

Also there are much better ways to TEACH your puppy not to bite you found ---> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...wner/188549-puppy-biting-hints-tips-help.html

Good luck!
 
#3 ·
" I will stand there straight and not move but sometimes I feel like I have to try and walk away because it hurts but I don't want to show him that when he is biting me he has power over me."

Interesting mentality and approach to teaching bite inhibition....maybe it will work but I am from a completely different school. When my pup was going through the stage of biting too hard in a playful manner, the world stopped and the dog knew it with no doubts whatsoever. My mentality was simply ...this is NOT allowed, end of story. I wonder if your decision to pretend that it doesn't hurt will only result in an escalation of the painful biting rather than a change toward your desired result. Perhaps, rethinking your approach might be in order ? Or perhaps, I read your post incorrectly.

SuperG
 
#4 ·
In the beginning when he was biting my legs I would yell "IPE" or "OW" and it would deter him. But now every time I yell those words it seems to ramp him up a bit? I thought standing still and ignoring him would work. Thank you for your reply, I really am interested in any suggestions you have and will try a different technique. So would it be best to simply walk away when he is jumping up and biting?

I have noticed though that when I feed him treats if he's a bit rough I will say gentle as I'm giving the treat and the next time he grabs it, he is noticeably softer eating off my hand.
 
#5 · (Edited)
if my pup bit me i'd yell NO! with a mean look on my face and then immediately wiggle his toy and talk in a happy voice with a smile on my face. to me all you're doing when you ignore is telling the pup it is acceptable to put teeth on you. well if this doesnt hurt mom then i guess i can keep doing it! i never understand people who ignore the dog. is the dog just expected to one day realize biting you is unacceptable?

i dont know about the walks. did you correct him too hard while on a walk? did he see/hear something that really startled him?
 
#6 ·
Teaching bite inhibition is crucial to your pup's development.

I'm sure there are much smarter folks in here than me and might chime in as well...there probably is an entire section dedicated to teaching bite inhibition in one of the specific forums in here...probably in a puppy's section ???

I can honestly say that the 3 GSDs I have had all ended up having a very gentle set of jaws over a short time period BUT...I wouldn't necessarily recommend my approach to most anyone as I certainly had my fair share of scratches and nip marks left on my hands during the learning phase. However, one item you mentioned is somewhat close to what I did regarding the treats. I have always given my pups treats and food while holding them in my fingertips not in the palm of my hand as many are told to do. My strategy was simple...I told the dog to "take it nice" or "gentle" in your case perhaps and if the pup gingerly took it from my fingertips they received their treat. Anything less than that, I would never let loose of the treat....now did that result in some nicks and minor bites?....of course but I accepted that as part of my strategy ( real bright huh ?) It took a couple weeks until all of them would take a treat in the most gentle of fashion. So far so good, it all makes perfect sense...no snapping for a treat resulted in getting a treat...first time every time.

However....taking treats "nice" was just part of the process as the pups play biting was still unacceptable and required conditioning. I figured I had the word "nice" registered in their brains and hopefully a connection to the use of their jaws. Since I tend to roughhouse a bit with my pups/dogs over the years, I knew I wasn't making it any easier on myself as far as bite inhibition went. This much I did know, their biting was playful as I was most certain if they chose to use the tools they had and the bite pressures they possess, I would have been a bloody mess. With my first GSD as I was going through this phase, I recall either reading or someone telling me the fashion in which the mother disciplines their pups when they nip on them too hard....now this could all be fictional but I was informed that a mother will put their jaws around a pup's muzzle and apply enough pressure to get the idea across that the pup's behavior was unacceptable. So, at first I would take my hand, place it over the top of their muzzle while getting a bit of their jowls and apply pressure so their jowls contacted their own upper teeth and gave them a bit of their own medicine. Now, since I am a bit impatient, I figured why not duplicate what the mother does and decided to use my own jaws on the top of their muzzle until the pup exhibited a bit of discomfort. Well, for me, this has worked for all three of the GSDs I have had. Would I suggest that you do this?....nope because I have no idea who you are and what you are physically capable of. I'm simply saying, I taught my pups bite inhibition in a less than scientific fashion compared to all too many other ways which is much more palatable and less intense than my methods....but I did get the results I desired....never had any of my shepherds bite anyone...ever..even when playing rough with others.

I also remember with my last pup making a fist when she would landshark me and instead of withdrawing it from her jaws I would push it towards her and continuing the engagement until she became uncomfortable with having my fist in her mouth.....but as I would say to my mom....she started it.

I have heard many methods, such as giving the dog a time out when they bite too hard when playing and I'm sure the strategy works but I'm too old school for "time outs".....I wish they had such a thing when I was a kid...what a cakewalk that would have been.

I think overall, what you need to do is commit to a plan which you know you can consistently enforce and stick to and your pooch will come around. The power of the word "NO" or whatever you choose to use has to have exactly that.... "power". At times, as I have watched my wife interact with our GSD pups over the years, I have been amused at how a dog is smart enough to discern who means it and who is bluffing or more importantly hoping. What was cute when they were a couple months old isn't so cute when they are 30 pounds much less 80. I tried telling her that... not once but three times over the decades...perhaps I should have bitten her....LOL.

I am confident, others will give you a much better approach than my ramblings but as I stated.....make your plan and stick to it..no matter what.

Hang in there,


SuperG
 
#8 ·
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I can't help with the biting thing. Mi.e went throuh it, stopped then started back up when he was around ten months and is still nipping but not so much biting. Alot of it is rough play. He has a low threshold, so yelling no or yelping seems to drive him higher. My trainer has me gain hold of his collar with both hands and hold him. He will try to get my wrists but can't because of how I'm holding him. Basically both of my hands are under his chin. He will try to roll sometimes but I don't let go. Once he settles down, I put him into a set. I go through this maybe three times in a row. Sometimes once. He knows I don't like it. Of course, you have to be careful at your pups age because of his size. My dog is 98 lbs. now.

As for the walking problem. An idea. My dog does this sometimes. I found that for some reason he likes to poo or pee on his own property. It wierd I know. But I went through this one time. After he went, he was ready to go. You might try to see if this is the case next time. Just an idea to try.
 
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