How do you get a 12 week old GSD puppy to stop nipping at it's chihuahua buddy?

by Ashley
(Ontario Canada)

Joycie the chihuahua and Bosco

Joycie the chihuahua and Bosco






I have a 12 week old male GSD puppy and a 3 year old female chihuahua. My GSD puppy is always nipping playfully at my chihuahua. And it is not just the chihuahua he nips at. He does it to my husband and I too. I have had puppies before but none at mouthy as this one. I don't want him to continue to nip at the chihuahua when he gets bigger because he could hurt her.

I have tried submitting him to her as my breeder suggested. So far that hasn't worked. I have tried yelping when he bites me. Nothing has worked.

Any suggestions for how to prevent his nipping from becoming a bigger problem?

Thanks Ashley


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Dec 05, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks
by: Ashley

Thanks for the info Debbie. I have Bosco enrolled in Puppy school for January which is the earliest I could get. But do you think that basic obedience training he will get from that will be what I need to stop his biting?

He is getting better with time but still nips at my chihuahua sometimes.

Any other tips would be great!

Thanks
Ashley


Nov 15, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		typical German Shepherd puppy behavior
by: Debbie

What you've described is pretty typical of most German Shepherd puppies. For one thing, they're puppies and learn about the world by putting things in their mouths, plus at this stage they're about ready to begin teething (if they haven't already) which promotes even more "mouthiness", plus they are natural born herding animals and nipping the heels, etc is every bit a natural herding instinct when working with livestock.

That being said, you don't want the GSD puppy to continue along in this vein - believe me, I understand that, neither would anyone else. You have to teach the German Shepherd puppy the behaviors you will accept and those that you won't NOW before you have an 80 pound GSD nipping your Chihuahua.

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a dog trainer but I am also the first to suggest that you get yourself and your German Shepherd puppy enrolled in a puppy training class ASAP! This is the best money you'll ever spend in your future with your GSD!

Not only will you learn to train the GSD puppy, but you'll also be trained in methods that most people simply do not know. Face it, we're not all dog trainers - if we were we'd all have well behaved dogs and not need trainers in the first place and you wouldn't be asking this GSD training question right now.

Puppy classes offer that special mixture of socialization, training and bonding which just can't be gotten in most any other situation. And the time you spend now in training will be paid back to you over and over again in the future if you really follow through with the experience.

And German Shepherds are so, so smart. You'll be surprised just how much that little black and tan sponge of yours will soak up in no time flat!

Just ask your local veterinarian for some dog trainer suggestions, or maybe a dog groomer, dog supplies store or even local university - you might be surprised just how many dog trainers there are in your area - then you'll just need to choose the best one for you and your German Shepherd puppy.
Nov 14, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		nipping
by: Anonymous

Our 4 month old female GSD has been very mouthy too.
She is calming down a little. One thing we do is grab her mouth shut and say NO. Another thing is to
hold our ground and make her lick our hand. GSDs are high maintenance dogs and require EXTRA patience and exercise.
Nov 11, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Yeah.
by: Ashley

I have cats too and he does the same thing with my cats, but they don't help matter because they run away from him which makes him chase. I have been taking him to friends houses with cats who stand there ground and give him a good swat. Helped for teaching him to not nip those cats but he still chases mine. Still trying to correct him for doing it. But it doesn't help.

Wish someone would reply with advice for us....
Nov 08, 2009
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starstarstar 		Any Luck
by: Stacey

I have the same problem with my GSD nipping at my cat. We have tried everything and nothing seems to work. My vet said they would work it out but it almost seems to have gotten worse instead of better. We tried the submissive thing over the cat but didn't work. He gets in trouble everytime but still thinks he can do it when we aren't looking. It is so annoying. So let me know if you found anything that works.

thanks
Stacey

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