German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[fingal]

Have 12 week old liver GWP - he is lovely but will continualy bite/chew on arms and hands when he gets excited and then starts barking - is this usual or need rectifying

thanks

[Keith]

When he gets to rough when playing firmly say no and stop playing. They need to learn early that this is not acceptable behavior.

[WireDog]

We're not experts - but nipping is pretty normal - what helped us is the video "Silent Hunting" by JM Nahorn, Mason Creek Kennel -- she shows how to subdue the puppy without breaking it's spirit or hurting it -- make sure there are lots of toys around too. I'm sure lots of people have other ideas too - read everything you can here -- we had GSPs for years and now have had GWPs for 2 years - wonderful, great breed with heart!

[Keith]

I have a female out there right now that is nearly 3 loves nothing better than roughhousing. She will go longer than I want to. But when she mouths me she doesn't bite hard. I have an 8 month old male that will jump up and nip at my shirt from behind to play. I say no and push him away because he tries to rip my shirt. Your pup will probably outgrow much of this behavior. But if the pup is biting to hard or getting to excited then you need to correct it by discouraging it and not playing along.

[fingal]

OK,

Thanks for the info, this is a very usefull forum

[dualgwp]

Puppy biting and chewing and nipping can be painful and downright annoying, but it's normal!
Remember, puppies don't have hands so they test out their world with their mouths and teeth.When you watch dogs play, they use their mouths to knaw and chew on each other. When one gets a bit too rough for the other, the injured party will get a bit miffed and usually bite back harder...that's how puppies learn how hard is too hard to bite.

When your puppy grabs for your hand, grab him by the muzzle (best if you can grab him by the upper jaw when his mouth is open) and hang on. While I have him in this position, I'll talk to him telling baby "gee whiz, now you don't like that much do you, oh well, it's tough, but every time you go to bite me, this is what is going to happen."

Of course puppy doesn't understand what I am saying, but I'm saying it in such a way that he understands he doesn't like it much. I'm not yelling, I'm just talking not nice to him. I try to take a "tone" with him. The puppy will struggle, cry, paw at your hand.... don't let go until he settles down just a little bit.

At that point he is signalling to me that he "gives" and then I let go. Then ignore him. If he goes for you again, grab him again and hold on. After 3 or so of these episodes, he will probably decide "this ain't much fun at all" and find something else to do. Also, when he decides to calm down, and after you let go, offer him something else to chew on and play with.

Too many puppy owners actually teach their puppies to bite and chew unintentionally. Never ever play tug of war with the baby. Never play games that entice them to use their teeth on you, no matter how cute it is at the time. Supervise kids when they play with puppy and the moment it gets rough stop it. The kids also have to learn that this type of game is a no no.

Most puppies just outgrow this behaviour, but remember when those little needles pierce your skin.... it's really pretty normal behaviour.

Most of all, avoid the impulse to swat the pup... it just urges them on.

Patience
Bernee Brawn
Justa GWP's

[Anne]

It is certainly normal behavior, and we're lucky they do it because it gives us a chance to teach them bite inhibition, which may be the single most important thing you ever teach your dog.

Since any dog can be provoked into biting we want to be sure they have very good jaw control and soft mouths so if an accident happens (their tail gets slammed in the car door, or something) and they do bite they do not break the skin.

So, I tell people to teach bite inhibition in 4 steps:

Step 1:
When the puppy mouths so hard it hurts let out a loud high-pitched yelp. This is how dogs tell each other they are biting too hard so you are literally speaking their language.

If your pup does not let up when you yelp, stand up and walk away. (You'll often see one pup end a play session with the other one when they have mouthed so hard. The natural consequence of playing too rough is no one wants to play with you.) If they follow you out of the room mouthing you may have to give them a short time out to make your point.

Step 2:
When they have learned and they never bite so hard it hurts yelp when they put any pressure down even if it doesn't really hurt you. Teach them any amount of pressure is too much on human flesh.

Step 3:
Teach "Off". Close a treat in your fist. Your dog will sniff, lick, and possibly chew trying to get it. When you see the first subtle sign of avoidance (pup looks away or something) give them the treat. When they consistently get "off" to get their treat add the verbal cue off.

Always yelp if they mouth, hair, shoelaces, clothes etc. We don't know how hard they are biting so it is counter productive to allow them to chew these things.

I'm always interested to know how puppy training is going for people so please keep posting!
Anne
_________________
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[Anne]

I meant 3 steps. Sorry, didn't notice the typo until it was posted.
_________________
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery