I have a 12 week old german shepherd who will not stop bitting and nipping us!?

Question

any tips on how to get her to stop this?? plus she is fairly aggressive to the other dogs in the house any clues??

Answer 1

If you have other dogs in the house, you should know that all puppies bite and nip!

Teach her that it's not OK ASAP - Hold her mouth shut when she does it and tell her NO (Flicking her nose and telling her no will work too).

Control the behavior before it becomes a problem.

Answer 2

BAD BAD BAD sign.

First and foremost you must know YOU ARE TOP DOG IN YOUR HOUSE! Now that I've gotten that through to you Alpha, do not hit your dog or act aggressively towads her. Aggression breeds aggression. It's all about how you portray yourself. You stay calm and she will stay calm.

(I'm not a hippie honest)

First and foremost get your dog into training. I recommend a lot of training (not just for your dog but for all dogs). Dogs respond better when they have jobs - give your dog a job. German Shepards are bred to protect, herd, etc. As a family pet you must give it a mission. First step training. Once your dog learns the basics it's easy to stop the nipping because you're alpha. And the bottom of the pack DOES NOT NIP AT ALPHA! It's an immediate SIT then followed by and immediate DOWN. That is your dog submitting to you. No yelling required, just be calm and firm.

Now for aggression towards other dogs - my English Setter used to be.

Get a noise maker. A bottle filled with rocks, a whistle, a clicker anything that will get the dogs attention quickly. Once the dog is looking at you get her to submit. Remember the sit? Remember the down? Use it! Get her to focus on you. She should be looking at Alpha for direction not give YOU the direction.

There needs to be an established heirarchy, if not the dog will fill the void - thats what it sounds like she's doing. She's protecting her pack - thats what the leader of the pack does. She must see you as alpha and you will protect her and the rest of your pack.

So.. #1 Must get training!!
#2 Must keep up with training
#3 Exercise the dog regularly (at least 30 min-1 hr a day).
#4 You must be Alpha

Good Luck

Answer 3

When we have nippy puppies at the shelter we correct the behavior in this way:

Whenever the puppy tries to nip, wrap you hand around its muzzle, close its mouth and tell it in a firm, calm voice, "No bite", then release the pup's muzzle. If he still tries to bite, repeat the correction: wrap you hand around its muzzle, close its mouth and tell it in a firm, calm voice, "No bite". You may have to do this a few times before the puppy "gets it". This has worked 100% of the time at out shelter, and pups learn the correction in just 1 day.

[[This action mimicks what a mother dog would do to correct a nippy pup. Mama dogs put their mouths over the pup's muzzle, bite down softly, and give the pup a firm growl.]]

If your pup is being aggressive toward the other dogs in your home, you need to step in and stop the behavior EVERY TIME you see it. Be consistent; never let him get away with growling, snapping, posturing, or charging at the other dogs.

Step in between the pup and the other dogs and give it a firm, calm command to "Stop that!" This reinforces the notion to the puppy that YOU are the alpha dog and YOU are in command of the pack. If you don't stop the behavior now, it will only get worse, and will be more difficult to control once the dog is full grown.

We also suggest signing your pup up for socialization classes with a trainer who has experience with aggressive dogs.

Answer 4

Next time she goes to chew on you, force your hand in her mouth. Not with the intent to injure her or gag her, just to make her uncomfortable, she'll decide on her own to stop. (wrap your hand around her lower jaw and hold her tongue down. She won't like it) Once it stops being fun she'll stop doing it.

Or grab her nose, look in her eyes and say "nyah!" like you were growling at her (it's what her mom would do).

Don't let her chew on you for fun

As far as being aggressive with other dogs, I have two things to say. One, is she fixed? Even unfixed female dogs can be agressive.
Two, it's a natural dog thing. If she's not in danger of being hurt by the other dogs (and they're not at risk of being hurt by her) then it could just be play (albeit rough play), or a way of sorting out who's on top. If it doesn't stop shortly then I would take her to get some training focusing on dog-aggression. Is her tail wagging? Is she bouncing up and down? Is she 'bowing?' If so, she wants to play. You may want to redirect her energy into a game of tug or fetch.

Hope this helps

Answer 5

Training classes! A must with this breed. Correct her tell her wrong. Make sure she knows its not an acceptable behavior. If she is not spayed you should get her spayed. With the other dogs same thing make sure you correct her. Get a spray bottle fill it 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water. Use it when she is being aggressive to the other dogs so you wont get bit. Spray her in the face they hate the smell and its not harmful. It will get her attention so she knows shes being bad.

Answer 6

She's just a puppy! All puppies bite and nip up to the age of one. They don't do it on purpose. They think it's just play. They grew up playing and biting their brothers and sisters. You then took her home and she's still trying to play. If you are trying to kick the habit all together, when she bites say OW really loud and tap her on the nose and then say No! IF you keep doing this she will learn. Also reward her when she plays with you and the other dogs without biting. Like I always say, Dogs are sneaky, and they know how to get treats...by having good behavior. Trust me she will learn fast.

Answer 7

While I agree that getting this dog into obedience is the right idea, I definitely disagree with holding the mouth shut and flicking the nose... you are SURE to get retaliation from that, hence making the problem worse. Might I recommend a site where you can download videos about training for free?? http://www.dogstartraining.com where you can see exactly how to take care of the nipping, in an APPROPRIATE manner, and one which the dog understands in his own language.

Answer 8

Puppies, large or small breeds are generally nippers. I have a 3 month old yorkie and she does the same. We start puppy training class on Thursday and many had told me this will help her behavior. I believe they are just trying to establish their place which if they are nipping and you don't correct the behavior he/she will learn that they are the boss of your house. I'd say, correct this behavior as earliest as you can and take them to a training class.

Answer 9

Sorry forget my previous answer entirely. I thought you said 12 years.

OK in that case: a good way is with a noisemaker that she doesn't like - make it go off every time she acts inappropriately. Say a word first (Stop Fluffy) then make the noise. After a time, all you'll have to do is "Stop Fluffy" and she'll stop.

She is young and rambunctious. Normal for a dog this age, but get it in check soon.

Answer 10

Take her to obedience classes... she is at a very playful age and though she may seem aggressive she is really just playing... she needs to be taught that this is not acceptable behavior now in order to avoid later problems.