Please Help - 8 month gsd still biting/nipping

Hello people . Just need abit of advice.

Well what it is, is i have a 8 month old Male German Sheperd. He is now fully house trained , but the problem is he still hasnt got out of the habit of biting me and me partner. He dosnt bare his teeth or do it aggresivly hes only playing really but it bloody hurts as his teeth are like razors lol. I have got him plenty of toys like plastic balls ropes squeek bones etc , but after about 15 mins he gets board of those and goes for me arms and legs again . I am firm with him and raise my voice but he just barks and growls. I havnt hit him cause i have read it causes aggresion and fear. I was just wondering if anyone here with the same breed or ever had a simular problem could tell me what to do .

Thanks

Ps sorry about the spelling lol

Imo you didn't stop this early enough He still thinks it's a game, that you like!! No, please don't hit him, that's a definite no-no and in fact, he will probably think that's part of the game too and get more aggressive with his nips. I would take the VS route and do the standing up bit with your arms folded and turn you back on him, try it, it might work You must be positive with it and quick, do it instantly,the minute he goes to nip you, and then reward him when he doesn't. Mine used to do it as pups but usually when we were out, and I always used to just stop in my tracks, fold my arms and look up at the sky, they soon get bored with that when they're not getting your attention. Hope this helps

Thanks i will try that

Have a look here
The article is by Ian Dunbar BTW

We used to have a GSD and I can identify with your problem very well. My problem was when I groomed Sabre in the garden he would groom me as well by chatting at my left arm. I had all bruises up my arm with him doing this anyway I found a solution by grooming him in the fields when I took him for a walk and he was too distracted by looking who else was out walking and behaved himself. The problem with GSD's is that they don't mature until they are about 18 month old so they are very puppyish until then. Smaller dogs are mature at around 8 months. Don't worry he will grow out of it but I would just do as Helen suggests until he does.

I know what you mean about this data.

My dogs do this in play too, one more than the other...I've done all the training it out of them, ignoring them when they do it etc, but the only way I can gaurantee they don't do it is to not play with them! But of course I still do play with them, but I do walk away when they have nipped.

I know the sort of nip you mean to and it does really hurt!...They don't mean it, it's the same as my dogs do to each other when wrestling, they just have no idea I only have skin and not a thick coat on all the time like them!

My boy dog is the worst and he will cheekily sometimes just march up to you and take your whole forearm in his mouth and try to shake it like prey...This actually hurts less than the 'nip'.

With the girl, you can't play football for instance with her as she ignores the ball and watches your pant legs instead and then tugs at them and your laces, any thing like that.

My dogs do play very rough and I know this, so with each other I let them rough house together and make them play with a toy or something with me, so we can still play but not how they do with each other, if it goes pear shaped then I always stop playing and show my dissaproval by just walking off.

It is something that GSD's seem prone to, I used to say NO made it clear I was not pleased and walk away into another room. It always worked but some took longer than others, think you have done well to have him fully trained by 8 months, found that another thing GSD's are prone to a recognition that there bladders are full and they should have asked to go out 15 minutes ago

I always say my dogs would love to do that training where they have to latch onto and tug the guy in the padded suit and not let go until told They would be in seventh heaven.

Okay, people won't necessarily agree with this and you'll have to decide whether it's right for your dog, it worked for Takara but I only used it as a last resort!

I tried all the turning away, like you I found that shouting at her, just made her answer back and get giddy (my dad still hasn't worked this out )

I worked hard against all the people that came to the house and encouraged her to bite their hands, as well as my dad and finally stopped her biting.

Basically, I never stood for it, if she bit me, I walked off or put her in her crate and then I did a couple of sessions of playing with her in a boisterous manner... This is where people will argue with me!

I knelt down on all 4s at one end of the hall, whilst Takara sat in the kitchen doorway and I did that silly thing where they dance with their front feet, eventually she couldn't hold the tension anymore and came bounding over and jumped all over me. I let her do that, I let her kick me or whatever (all by mistake) but the second I felt teeth make contact, I stood up and walked off. It was heart breaking because she didn't know what was going on, but after about 4 attempts, she jumped all over me without biting me.

This may not be suitable for you as Takara was younger when I did this, asnd I wouldn't want an 8 month old GSD jumping all over me! But it did help because I was on her level.

Also - my dad wound her up as a baby ALL the time, he still does and then wonders why she won't settle down. He used to put his hands in her mouth, and encourage her to bite, or if she bit him when he didn't expect it, he grabbed her bottom jaw but then talked to her like an idiot which made her more excited and she bit him again as soon as he let go. Now, he can't sit with his hands on the arm of the chair because she bites his hands constantly! She never bites me because I never allowed it. Just a hint!

My GSD was fully housetrained by about 15 or 16 weeks - I found him one of the easiest dogs I have ever had to housetrain. Our Bichon being the worst. Sabre was immaculately clean in the house and could wait for hours to go out.