german shepherd wont stop biting himself?

Question

i got a german shephard from a rescue centre, and ever since getting him he has a habit of chapping himself which has left him sore on his back and no fur, i took him to vets and he said he does it out of boredom which he started doing when he was in the rescue centre, he gave me medication but when they run out he started again, we have tried allsorts, has anybody got any ideas as it is driving him crazy and making him sore, apart from a sheep dip.
thanks

Answer 1

My friend is a vet she said this could be an allergy. Try giving your dog half a teaspoon of PIRITON 2 or 3 times a day. Its cheaper than wot a vet can give you and it works better.
You can buy piriton from most supermarkets or a chemist.
If the piriton is expencive just use any non-growsey allergy medicine. If you have a Problem getting your dog to willingly drink the medicine you can use tabelets but treat your dog as you would treat a 8yr old child

Answer 2

Sorry but I coulnt read the whole thing due to lack of paragraphs. ' You bought a powerful type breed a K9, so prepare to put up with a lot problems that come with it. What you have pointed ou, the biting, toilet training excitement ect is all common with powerful breeds. You should practice CRETE trainig with your K9 most breeders & police use Crete trainig as it teaches the dog how to calm it self down, an excited dog is almost impossible to control or take instructions. Thus when the dog bites you it gets more & more excited. You have to match the energy that the dog is giving you to disapline it. You cant say stop biting me when its jumping off the ground in excitement at level 10 to bite your face, you have to match the same energy level. This pup may love & trust you, but boy it does not respect you. Also you should be walking 2 times a day at least 40 min controlled walk, he cant be pulling you. Walking a dog is more then just excercise it a bonding & trust excercise, You should of had him in a obedience class at 4 months. Dont wait any longer, Otherwise you only have yourself to blame.

Answer 3

Try tackling the symptom not just the cause. German Shepherd dogs are extremely intelligent and will become bored if not challenged. Dog agility is a great way to keep his mind active and will be a great bonding excercise for the two of you. Another idea are the food balls where your dog has to work out how to get his dinner. Medication can sooth the problem but until you stop the cause the problem will reoccur. Just remember you dog has experienced traumatic events and needs your love and patience.
Good luck! x

Answer 4

Basic Training of the Puppy - Read here https://tr.im/gsrNo

The new puppy is certainly one of the most adorable and cuddly creatures that has ever been created. It is the most natural thing in the world to shower it with love and affection. However, at the same time it is important to realize that if you want to have a well trained adult dog, you need to begin the training process right away. The dog, like its related ancestor, the wolf, is a pack animal. One of the features of a pack is that it has a single dominant leader. Your new puppy is going to want that leader to be you, but if you do not assume that role from the very beginning, the puppy’s instincts will push him to become the leader.

The most important thing to remember about training the puppy during its first six months of life is that it must see you as the leader of the family pack. The essential thing is gaining the trust and the respect of the puppy from the beginning. You will not do this by allowing the puppy to do whatever it wants to do whenever it wants to do it. On the other hand, a certain amount of patience is required. Most people err in their early training by going to extremes one way or the other. Although you need to begin the basic training process at once, you can not expect your dog to do too much at first. Basic obedience training is fine and should include simple commands like sit, stay, and come. Remember that trying to teach the dog advanced obedience techniques when it is a puppy is much like trying to teach a five year old child algebra.

It is also important to restrain from cruel or abusive treatment of the puppy. You can not beat obedience into your dog, and it certainly is not going to engender feeling of respect and trust. House breaking is an area where this usually becomes a problem because of the anger that is triggered when the puppy fails and creates a mess inside the home. Although this issue must be addressed without anger, it most be addressed. If you allow the puppy to eliminate inside the house, it will continue to do so as an adult dog. The same thing is true of other destructive or dangerous behavior such as chewing and biting. Do not expect the puppy to grow out of it. You are going to need to train the puppy out of it, but you should do so firmly but with a sense of play and fun using positive reinforcement and lots of love and praise for good behavior.

Answer 5

It could be a nerve thing, a nerve at the end of his tail. I know of a dog that was constantly chasing his tail (until it wasn't funny any more; he'd chased it bloody!) Guy gave the poor dog to the pound. They took x-rays and found that the dog had, at some point, broken the end of his tail, and that was what was causing the dog's distress. They snipped (in this case, just the tip) the tail, and after that the dog was fine! Check to see if the dog has a slightly deformed tail. Or some other nerve damage from something else.

Answer 6

Do NOT put bitter apple on it if there is any broken skin - it will hurt the dog. Take him back to the vet for some more medication & ask if they have an Elizabethan collar you can use when you're not there. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise, physical & mental. Do plenty of training with him to keep his mind occupied.
It might be worth getting some Bob Grass ointment. It's a very old remedy but really does work in some cases.

Answer 7

You could try spraying bitter apple on the spot, but be aware some dogs actually like the taste of it. It may be that the only way to get him to stop is to put an elizabethan collar on him until the spot is ealed. By then he should be broken of the habit of chewing. It will be tough while the collar's on, but it may be the best option. My shepherd has a spot on his leg he licks constantly, and I'm getting ready to put an e-collar on him right now because nothing else deters him.

Answer 8

Take him to a different vet, he may have allergies, I have been keeping GSD's for 31 years now and before that I was in the army and worked with them, they can be a bit prone to skin problems this is often caused by food, is he on the food that the rescue centre fed him? if so you need to change him on to something else, but you DO need also to find a vet familiar with this particular problem so that it can be monitored!
Good luck.

Answer 9

fleas can be a cause but im sure he has been treated as you sound like you really look after this dog ,have you tried a muzzle just to stop him getting to nibble.
Did the vet check his hips or legs you dont say how old your dog is but some dogs with a pain in the legs or hips will nibble at themselves as its in pain.
Try to stop him when he is doing it distract him and praise him for stopping give him a small piece of ham or cheese its just maybe a case of breaking this cycle he has got himself into.


Really if it was my dog i'd get a muzzle for when i wasn't around or vets collar to prevent biting and then when im at home the muzzle would be off when i was able to watch him, the sore would get to heal , and then i'd be distracting and treating him .

Answer 10

1