10 week old pup lunging at our kids.. HELP

[Peter.]

Originally Posted by Capone22

I have 2 kids and 2 dogs. One being a 4 month old GSD. Lots of separation needed!! Get an x pen and put it in the kitchen with lots of toys and things to chew. When the kids are napping have her to a couple short obedience exercises and tug games to tire him out. Crate time is ok too. It's all just management until the puppy is older. It is a lot of work for your wife so hopefully she wanted this puppy as much as you did. The puppy I have is MY dog so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. My husband does help when he's home. But care is 98% my responsibility.


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Ok, so lots of separation is ok? our breeder said we should not separate them much.. I also read you should not play tug with the pup.. but I figure it's better he understand that he can chew and bite a rope, instead of pants or people.. maybe I'm wrong.

[Kyleigh]

Playing tug with your pup is LOADS of fun and a great way for him to expel energy! Just be careful b/c puppy teeth aren't as strong as adult teeth ... don't pull TOO hard!

[Capone22]

Yes separating toddlers from land sharks is a must. Or someone is bound to get hurt. Tug is great for puppies and training. Can someone link him something for that? I don't know how. There was an old school though that tug made the dog aggressive or something. Not true. Most agility/obedience/schutzhund people use tugs as rewards with training.


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[Capone22]

By separation I don't mean away from the whole family. The x pen allows them to be close without hurting anyone or tearing up the house. And I make sure to give the puppy lots of individual time throughout the day. But she's rarely by my kids unless she's tired and I'm there to watch.


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[Peter.]

Originally Posted by Capone22

By separation I don't mean away from the whole family. The x pen allows them to be close without hurting anyone or tearing up the house. And I make sure to give the puppy lots of individual time throughout the day. But she's rarely by my kids unless she's tired and I'm there to watch.


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Ok, this makes a lot of sense...

[DJEtzel]

How's his recall?

My Border Collie puppy still has a jumping problem with strangers or people he really likes that encourage it.

Much like it would be if he started to run after children, I recall him (he has a beautiful recall inside, I can call him out of rough play with numerous other dogs) and treat him, let him calm down by me, play a game with a toy if necessary, and let him wander away. If he gets too rambunctious I call him away again. It's great recall training and would teach him that when the boys run/move, he runs to you and sits!

[Peter.]

Originally Posted by DJEtzel

How's his recall?

My Border Collie puppy still has a jumping problem with strangers or people he really likes that encourage it.

Much like it would be if he started to run after children, I recall him (he has a beautiful recall inside, I can call him out of rough play with numerous other dogs) and treat him, let him calm down by me, play a game with a toy if necessary, and let him wander away. If he gets too rambunctious I call him away again. It's great recall training and would teach him that when the boys run/move, he runs to you and sits!

I would say it's pretty decent.. especially if he knows I have a treat.

The problem seems to be that nothing is more alluring than my little boys legs when he's (the dog) is rambunctious.

We've done a LOT of work with him in a short period of time..

We play a "Look at Me" game that he totally gets.. I'll toss a treat, or a piece of food, or ball.. while on leash.. and before he goes for it, he knows he has to look me in the eye.. and I have to tell him go get it. No problem.

We play a game called "Mine", where i throw down something he wants, like a bagel, or a shoe, and I block him from it until he sits and looks up at me.. at which point he gets a treat.. he excels at this as well.

but again.. kid legs are the end all be all for this pup.. it's like dropping a bucket of blood in a pool of sharks (though, he wants to play.. not kill)..

unless of course, he's totally wiped out energy wise.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by Peter.

Now, I'm back to work, and it's day 2 and my wife is overwhelmed.. When she pushed the pup away from the kids and tells him off, he lunges at her, growls (probably play growl..) and if she tries to pick him up to place him in a timeout area, he nips at her face and or hair.

Pushing a pup away from you when he's jumping and biting on you, will only excite him MORE. He thinks it's a game and the more you push, the more he will push back.

At ten weeks, GSD pups are landsharks. It's totally normal behavior and they grow out of it, but it does get tiresome! Is your pup crate trained? He should be crated in the house when the children are playing, otherwise he will want to join in the play, puppy-style, which means leaping on you and biting. That is how puppies play, he is not being snotty, malicious or dominant, he's just being a puppy.

Arm yourself with a stuffed toy, rope toy, Kong or whatever he likes best, and whenever he bites you, stuff the toy in his mouth and play tug-of-war with him. Eventually he will find that it's more rewarding to bite the toy than your hands. You might try spraying your hands and sleeves with Bitter Apple, so that the pup learns that they taste awful, further encouraging biting toys instead of human parts. This works sometimes... other times, the pup seems to develop a taste for Bitter Apple.

See if you can find a Puppy Kindergarten or socialization class in your area, that will help him blow off steam with other puppies, and they sneak a little bit of elementary obedience/manners in there as well as giving you tips on how to handle a spunky GSD pup.

[Peter.]

Originally Posted by Freestep

At ten weeks, GSD pups are landsharks. It's totally normal behavior and they grow out of it, but it does get tiresome!

Ok, so he's in this phase now.. how long can it last?

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by Kyleigh

Do you have a crate for the puppy? There is absolutely nothing wrong with your wife putting the puppy in the crate for an hour or so while she gets the "important" things done, and then bring the puppy back out to play.

Totally agree! It's better for everyone, humans and puppy alike, that he gets some down time. If you don't have a crate for him, I'd suggest getting one.

Originally Posted by robk

GSD pups go through what is referred to as the "land shark" stage. Its normal. Be prepared for some sore hands and torn pant legs. Here is a video of my daughter and my dog ruger as a pup;

German Shepherd puppies and Wii Fit don't Mix - YouTube

What helped us was too have toys, ropes and tugs in easy reach around the house. We learned to redirect the biting on to a play object.

That's exactly what I did - toys EVERYWHERE! When we moved from one room to another, I'd grab at half dozen or so of the favorite toys of the moment and take them with us.

Originally Posted by Freestep

Pushing a pup away from you when he's jumping and biting on you, will only excite him MORE. He thinks it's a game and the more you push, the more he will push back.

This can't be overstated - dogs will paw at each other to initiate play, and what are human hands to a dog? Paws. I understand the instinct to push away a jumping puppy, but as your wife has already observed, that just encourages him to continue. Instead, you can body block (no hands!), you can turn away, and you can also have him drag a lightweight leash which can be stepped on or picked up, or he can even be tethered to someone by a leash.

Arm yourself with a stuffed toy, rope toy, Kong or whatever he likes best, and whenever he bites you, stuff the toy in his mouth and play tug-of-war with him. Eventually he will find that it's more rewarding to bite the toy than your hands.

He doesn't know how he's supposed to interact with humans, so you need to show him. He wants to engage with you, and that's good, so redirect him to a toy when he jumps and bites.

And as Freestep suggested, if you haven't signed him up for a puppy class, now is the time. How long the landshark phase lasts has a lot to do with how he's handled and managed, and how diligent and consistent everyone is about working on bite inhibition and developing appropriate play skills. I've found that my pups are usually much easier around 6 months or so, but I put a LOT of work into them from the day they come home, and they've been in at least one and maybe even two classes by then. I would expect to see the worst of the biting to be over by around 4 months old - before teething begins and jaw strength develops.