I have a 15 week old German shepherd who snatches toys and treats from me. Sometimes he does it when I hand them to him and sometimes just when I'm just holding something. I'm not really sure how to stop him. I pull it back when he lunges at it several times saying "no," but he doesn't seem to get the idea. I also tied holding treats inside my hand and not giving them to him until he stops trying to get it out, but as soon as he sees the treat he's snatching again. He bites hard and breaks my skin frequently. Is it just a puppy thing or is there a way to stop him?
2007-02-02 12:49:54 · 8 answers · asked by DuffMan409 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
just kick him on his butt
2007-02-02 12:52:25 · answer #1 · answered by sylvaniaS 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
OK - time to work on bite inhibition right now with this pup. This is especially important at this stage, to make this a game and to always practice it.
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bite2.html
It sounds like you are inadvertently teasing the dog with the toy. Put away any toys that he has that you can't totally hide under your arm or under your shirt. Get a handful of treats and a toy, and let him have the toy. Then, let him see that you have a treat. He'll drop the toy and you pay him for that by tossing the treat, and then repeat. Keep him interested in the toy - not by putting it in his face, but by dragging it on the ground and moving away from him. If he's not interested in the treats, get better ones, and don't give up. Stop the lunging by totally hiding the toy. If he jumps at you to continue the game, simply turn all the way around, and then turn back when he has 4 on the floor.
It's also a good idea to tie a long line to his toy - if he decides to not give the toy to you, you can reel him in like a fish. That way, you can be in control of the toy and you can reward him for giving it to you more often than if he gets to do a victory lap every time.
The Doggie Zen game will help you too. Do a Google search for it. Hope this helped!
2007-02-02 14:57:07 · answer #2 · answered by Misa M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When he does this just grab his collar and make him sit. Tell him stay and give him the treat. Say no once or twice but not to many times. This is not a puppy thing it is a problem. To him it is a game. Never laugh when he does this behavior and ALWAYS talk in a firm voice. When he bites you grab him muzzle and put the wound to his nose so he sees what he has done. If you don't show him the wound he won't know what he did wrong. I really hope this helps. Good Luck :)
2007-02-02 13:28:21 · answer #3 · answered by Lizzee F 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I use to train my dog this way. Get him something that would catch his attention - either toys or food. Hold it tightly. When he came snatching, say "No" to him. When he still do it, stare straight at him, show him a serious and angry face, then call his name and repeat several time, "No" with a loud voice.
If he ignore you and persistantly try grabbing it. Slap him in the mouth and say "No" while you slap him. He will learn that the word "No" comes with pain if he ignores it.
Do this training several times a day by catching his attention with something he likes, then teach him to take from you slowly. Each training must be completed with him successfully understand not to snatch. Finally repeat it everyday, so that it builds his character to obey the master and not to forget the lesson learned.
Good Luck..you should be able to train it if you spend enough time with your puppy.
2007-02-02 13:22:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use positive training.
Hold his mouth shut each times he nips at you and tell him NO!
Let him know you are the leader and that behavior is not allowed.
You have to be consistant and make him stop each time.
My puppy use to do that too. Boy it would hurt. We would hold her muzzle shut and tell her no bite.
Another suggestion is to yipe when he bites you and don't play with him anymore. Put him in time out for a couple of minutes, no more than that! They don't like being alone.
2007-02-02 12:58:21 · answer #5 · answered by Kamah 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm in the process of raising my own german shepherd puppy, and they are a DELIGHT to work with! What I've done to stop Buck from biting (though to some this may seem "Cruel") is every time he bit at me or grabbed something with out permission, I gently hit the sound of his nose with two fingers and said "NO!" sternly, or if I was across the room I made a loud buzzing sound. It doesn't hurt them and they eventually learn not to do it.
2007-02-02 12:53:51 · answer #6 · answered by Aurelia Zorina 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
what we did with our doberman is with the treats we would grab the treat almost at the very end that you are feeding him and put our hand out to give it to them and when they snatch it say NICE and just keep doing that and dont give it to them till they dont snatch worked with the beagle and dobie
good luck now that he is a puppy is the best time
2007-02-02 14:33:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The way we trained our Rottie not to do that is this:
Take a hotdog and grasp it between four fingers. (Like you're making shadow puppets) Offer it to him, (and say "gentle"). He will only be able to get his teeth onto a little bit of the hotdog. He will learn very quickly to gently gum it out of your hand.
Our Rottie is now 120 lbs, but he will eat food off a fork from this technique. Best of luck!
2007-02-02 12:55:20 · answer #8 · answered by arwens_curse 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋