Help!!!!

[Judes]

Hi there, I'm just new on this site so I apologise if I'm not posting in the right section. I just have a question regarding our 12 week old puppy. This is our first german shepherd and after a week of having her she started biting and literally hasn't stopped! The only time she isn't biting is when she is asleep or eating! I have had puppies before so i'm aware they bite and chew but i've never experienced anything like this before. At no point can we just sit and pet her, she sinks her teeth into you hands, arms, feet just whatever part of skin she can get near! I have 2 children who have to furniture jump as they can't walk across the floor without her nipping at their feet or jumping up and pulling at their clothes, I am covered in bite and scratch marks, my children end up in tears at some point every day and this morning I was lying on the sofa and she jumped up and sunk her teeth into my head and her tooth went right into the corner of my eye! The blood ended up running down my face and I now have a black eye! Surely this can't just be accepted as puppy behaviour?? I have tried the firm voice which seems to just get her even more excited and she lashes out even harder. I've tried turning my back on her to ignore her but it doesn't stop her from biting me from behind!! I've tried every chew toy under the sun and changing them round every day so she doesn't get bored! I do not know how to deal with this and it's causing so much upset! We love this dog to bits but we can't get near her without being attacked!! We never bought a crate but I'm wishing now we did but I don't know if its too late??
Sorry for the long post but any tips or advice I could get would be very much appreciated!! I really am at the end of my tether

[Sunflowers]

You have a normal German Shepherd puppy. There are many threads on this. Eventually they do grow out of it, at around six months.
Welcome to the official home of the German Shepherd Dog, a dog respected and admired throughout the world for its versatility, loyalty and intelligence. - Search Results for Puppy biting

[gsdsar]

It is not too late to get a crate.

As for the biting. Yeah it stinks. But it does get better. Remember,a tired puppy is a good puppy. More excersise, down time in the crate, and consistency with bite inhibition, and she will grow out of it.

Try some if those toys that you can stuff peanut butter in, redirect with a toy.

Good Luck

[POWERSCOL]

Look for the posts on Bite inhibition here - they saved my Hide
Its normal as I too am learning, but does go away. When it gets rough, yelp loud - puppy should respond by letting go, just as if they were in the litter.

Emma is 15 weeks and doing much better - looking forward to no blood.

Key thing is do not strike out - it only makes it worse. Reward acceptable play with treats too, especially if you get a positive response with the yelp.

It does get better.

[Castlemaid]

Yup, that is what herding breeds with a 100yr of breeding for working temperament to be super intelligent and WANT to interact with their people do. Puppies play with their teeth. If GSDs had hands, they would be building bridges and designing anti-gravity vehicles. So instead, they take all that mental and physical energy, and focus it into what comes naturally to a small puppy that wants to play and interact, and has not developed any self-control yet: they nip and try to engage people into playing tug.

Ever watched a litter of puppies play? Chaos! Fun, but total chaos! That is what their brain is hard-wired to do. The wiring won't be re-directed in a matter of a few new behaviours from people. It will take consistent repetition and time.

People that have successfully raised GSD pups and little kids at the same time, did so by managing the puppy. Keep pup away from the kids unless an adult is there to supervise and manage pup's behaviour. Crate, Exercise pen, baby gates. Have the puppy tethered to you.

Redirect nipping to toys. With time, your pup should bring you toys to play with, instead of going directly for flesh as a play-thing. Exercise your pup a lot! A tired puppy is a GOOD puppy!

If you don't already, crate! If pup has had lots of exercise and mental stimulation, lots of fun interaction with people and is still being a demon dog that seems to go over the top - your pup is overtired, and just like a toddler, is acting out and having a tantrum. Put pup in crate for a nap - just like toddlers, they are just not aware of their own needs, and do not have the self- awareness to know it is time to calm down and sleep. Some people have incorporated scheduled naps in their puppy's routine, and have found a big improvement in their behaviour.

The landshark phase lasts until they are done teething, should be over at around six months of age.

[katdog5911]

Welcome to landshark phase. I still bear the scars and my pants still have the holes from Stella. But this does eventually get better. I tried all sorts of things to stop this behavior. Yelping did not work for me, although it seems to work for some. It just ramped her up more. I think redirection, stuffing toys in her mouth, and finding good things for her to chew on helped me get through this. Walking her was always an interesting time. Take two steps....find dog attached to pant leg. lol
And a nice time out to calm down in a crate works for some. I finally was able to calm her down by repeating "don't bite the mommy", stuffing a toy in her mouth and calmly rubbing her belly. Of course there were many many times I just sat on the floor and cried....while Stella continued to bite me! But it does get better.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Welcome to the forum and sounds like you have a normal GSD pup

Great site with all info GSD plus your 'play bitiing' issue is on --> Welcome to the GSD/FAQ's for the first time owner - German Shepherd Dog Forums

Good luck and how about showing some pictures of your new baby

[POWERSCOL]

Judes - it was mentioned here but get a bag of soup or dog bones from your local market. Mine has them frozen - sometimes I need to ask as they are not always out. They used to be free, but now want .98 a lb.

It is the best money I have ever spent on Emma. She will chew on them for hours. I give them to her frozen. She sometimes will fight with them on the kitchen floor - barking and messing, then sit down and chew. I call it bone hockey the way she slides it around, directing with her nose. I use as a redirect if I can find it as she tends to hid it.

I only give one at a time and they last for several days before I throw them out. You will know when.

The other great chew toy is get some Bully Sticks - they can be expensive but are worth it - I get the 3 foot ones and trim them into 12 inch pieces. They are much better than rawhide that some folks do not recommend due to digestion issues.