HELP! My 7Month Old Male GSD is "attacking"

[yaya.xoxo]

My 7 month old male german shepherd is starting to "attack" my family and i. I read online that it could be puberty. Sometimes it seems like he is just playing and sometimes he Wraps his mouth around our wrists and shakes viciously and wont let go. We have to have someone pull him off when hes doing it to us. HELP please. He has already went through puppy training.

[onyx'girl]

Keep on with training classes and give him outlets for his energy. Does he have toys/tugs/balls to fetch?

Practice Nothing in Life is Free.

He's just getting over the teething stage and some dogs get oral again when the adult teeth come in. Make sure he has raw fresh knucklebones to work his mouth.

[LifeofRiley]

Can you provide more details as to what leads up to the behavior in question? Have you noticed any patterns - i.e. time of day, type of play, type of interaction?

[yaya.xoxo]

Originally Posted by LifeofRiley

Can you provide more details as to what leads up to the behavior in question? Have you noticed any patterns - i.e. time of day, type of play, type of interaction?

There really isnt any patterns he will just be playing then attack. or when we walk into our gate he runs up and jumps on our back and attacks.

[yaya.xoxo]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

Keep on with training classes and give him outlets for his energy. Does he have toys/tugs/balls to fetch?

Practice Nothing in Life is Free.

He's just getting over the teething stage and some dogs get oral again when the adult teeth come in. Make sure he has raw fresh knucklebones to work his mouth.

he has stuff to play with and chew on but that only helps for a little and out of nowhere he will get an urge to attack.

[RowdyDogs]

Based on when he does it (you say when he's playing or when you come home, which are both very fun, exciting times for a dog), I suspect it is a play behavior that is out of control.

I think you do need a trainer's help. Puppy class is great for basic manners, but training your dog is a lifelong process and when he develops an unwanted and potentially dangerous behavior like this, it's a good sign that you guys need a tune-up. Can you call the trainer who taught your puppy class about this?

How much exercise does he get every day? I agree with onyx'girl that often aggressive play behaviors like this pop up when the dog isn't getting enough stimulation. A tired dog is a good dog, and all the toys and chews in the world aren't going to tire out a puppy without humans or other dogs to help.

I also agree with Nothing in Life is Free training, and not tolerating this behavior. The second he gets amped up enough to attack, he needs to be shut down. In the absence of professional help, I would recommend a time-out or similar deprivation-based correction, rather than a physical punishment. With dogs who are already biting, there's too much potential for it to escalate into serious aggression if you use physical punishments without knowing exactly what you're doing.

But really, working in-person with a good local trainer is going to be your best bet here, IMO.