help biting on legs!!!

[pshah0002]

max suddnely (last couple days) started biting on my legs while walking. To correct this problem, i say NO and ignore him and stop walking, but soon i start walking there he goes biting my leg again. I also tried to jerk him off with leash, but i am affraid that i might do damage to his neck or throat by jerks. can someone give me an advise on what to do to stop this behavior? BTW he is 4.5 months old.

[brembo]

LOL. Landshark. *cue Jaws music*

This among a host of many other things is why I avoid GSD puppies. I'm sorry I have no advise, just came by to chuckle.

[LoveEcho]

When Echo was going through his landshark phase, whenever he did it I'd grab his scruff (not pick him up, just pinch) growl "no", then put him into a down/redirected. It worked well for me... the phase will pass (eventually)!

[MaggieRoseLee]

You need to pick up the pace and MOVE!!!

Your walk is B O R I N G and biting your legs is FUN!!!! So a normal healthy GSD puppy will pick the fun 100% of the time.

So pick up the pace and MOVE!!!!!

Also, make sure you've located those great dog classes, perfect age to start up and get the mental plus physical stimulation and learning for BOTH of you!

I'd also make sure I'd be upping the general OFF leash exercising outside of the home/yard. New places, new sights, new sounds, new smells and really wear that puppy out.

This is the stuff I have to do (and no leash means no leg biting!).

German Shepherd puppy 15 Weeks - Socialization at Dog Fair - YouTube

German Shepherd puppy 15 Weeks - Socialization at Dog Fair - YouTube

Hiking the Poconos w/Friends and their dogs - YouTube

Hiking the Poconos w/Friends and their dogs - YouTube

You Tube

You Tube

[pshah0002]

Originally Posted by LoveEcho

When Echo was going through his landshark phase, whenever he did it I'd grab his scruff (not pick him up, just pinch) growl "no", then put him into a down/redirected. It worked well for me... the phase will pass (eventually)!

this might be a stupid question but max is my first ever dog in my family and still learning lot about dogs . how long is this phase??

[LoveEcho]

Originally Posted by pshah0002

this might be a stupid question but max is my first ever dog in my family and still learning lot about dogs . how long is this phase??

It's hard to say... pretty much when they learn they're not supposed to As they mature a little the "oh wait, I'm not supposed to do this" begins to beat out the sheer excitement of those legs. Just be consistent, and as Maggie Rose Lee emphasized, engage your pup, play, socialize, be firm, and create a partnership. Once they are able to focus a little more (and the socializing, puppy classes, etc help this along), it gets easier. Echo didn't do it at all past 5 months, but every dog is different.

[arby665]

I know this is an old thread but this is becoming a huge problem for me. Karly pretty much only bites at my legs while we are walking down our street. It's only a 2 minute walk to the end of the street but it takes us about 15 minutes between her biting at me and basically trying to refuse to take a walk. Once we turn off our street she walks just fine and seems to really enjoy it. It starts back up once we get back to our street on the way home. I use the leash to jerk her off and tell her "no bite" but sometimes she has ahold of my leg and I have to stop and pry her teeth off me. This morning (second day in a row) she broke skin on my thigh.
I've tried taking a toy but as always I'm way more attractive than any toy I've found. It's not a matter of boredom as it starts the minute we walk out of our driveway. It also doesn't matter what speed I am walking.
Any other ideas on what is going on here?

I forgot to add that she does this even if I'm not the person walking her. She is constantly trying to get to my legs.

[Linda1270]

Originally Posted by LoveEcho

It's hard to say... pretty much when they learn they're not supposed to As they mature a little the "oh wait, I'm not supposed to do this" begins to beat out the sheer excitement of those legs. Just be consistent, and as Maggie Rose Lee emphasized, engage your pup, play, socialize, be firm, and create a partnership. Once they are able to focus a little more (and the socializing, puppy classes, etc help this along), it gets easier. Echo didn't do it at all past 5 months, but every dog is different.

This is so true, same thing with my 5.5 month old GSD Tess, she is so much better now but not at first, it was horrible taking her for a walk. I had to always bring food with me and make it fun for her. She use to bite my feet, stop constantly to look behind her, when she wasn't biting me, and trying to keep me from taking her too far away from her comfort zone, our back yard.

I brought lots of treats with me and tried to make it fun for her, always treating her if she stayed right beside me and didn't jump up at my legs. I would also praise her in a loud happy voice. I would also work with her in the house and in the yard as much as I could, trying to tire her out with sits, stands, downs, offs, etc. Not sure exactly when it was but suddenly walks started to become a lot more enjoyable. She's far from perfect yet but she's so much better.

Hang in there both of you, it will get better!

[LauraJav]

My Max does that too- if you run- he bites your knee pits- it's so strange.
I think it's funny- but working on using the off command as he kind of gets off means leave it alone or don't touch. Good luck!

[David Taggart]

What are these bites, actually? There's a wish to stop you moving fast. I watched strays running after cars, some dogs attacking bicycles, the wheel attracts the dog as a prey in its "funny" movement. You became his prey in his play. In order to stop this before your best clothes were ripped to bits you take your puppy on shorter leash (your hand as close to his collar as you can, immobilizing him a little) and continue running/walking. He will learn soon, that his attempts to bite your legs lead to restriction. My dog was the same, she was biting my sleeve and my hand, but she stopped when I showed her that I'm serious about moving forward and doing nothing else on the way.