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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. You probably already know that learning how to potty train a German Shepherd puppy can be a stressful time. But… once you know these easy steps, great things happen! Knowing how to potty train your German Shepherd is vital to having a happy, comfortable life with them. Use this training consistently to have the most effect. A proactive approach works best. Which means you should… focus on preventing accidents, instead of waiting on them to happen! Follow a strict feeding and bathroom schedule to see the best results. Basically, you teach your German Shepherd puppy the right potty skills… until it becomes a habit humanesociety. The key to quick success is taking your pup out every 2 to 3 hours and never giving the opportunity for them to have an accident inside. This means at least 8 to 10 trips outside every single day! In their welcoming and safe crate either resting, eating their meals, or enjoying a play toy. In an exercise pen or playpen with a strict potty area. Under your direct, undivided attention. This means you are always watching your pup. All it takes is for you to check your phone for a few seconds for your pup to have a toileting accident! You can either use a crate to speed up their potty training or provide them an area indoors to eliminate. I prefer the crate method. Housebreaking with the use of a crate speeds up your success rate incredibly! But you want to use the crate positively so they learn to love their little den. Make their crate an enjoyable and inviting place to go. How to show your pup how to love their crate: Never force your pup into their crate! Take your time with crate introduction and allow them to explore under their own will. Serve your pup at least one meal a day inside their crate. Use a Kong with their meal stuffed inside and mixed with a small spoonful of unsweetened Greek yogurt or peanut butter to entice them to stay and work on the Kong inside the crate. Offer treats when they willingly go inside to rest or explore their crate. Use a verbal cue when you want your pup to go into the crate. You can learn all the benefits of teaching your dog to use their crate in this easy post on crate training your German Shepherd successfully. Check it out to get the complete facts, tips, and step-by-step instructions to perfect crate training today. Use Puppy Pads You can use puppy pads if you need to… or skip to step 4 to learn potty training without pads. Not going to use puppy pads? You can skip to step 4. But… if you prefer to use puppy pads, then you need an area where you always take your dog when they need to go to the bathroom. Preferably place their pads near the door that you eventually want them to use to go outside. Place more pads down than you think you need at first. This is because puppies have poor aim and also may find a spot they prefer other than the one you pick. After a couple of weeks, you may remove the extra pads until there are only two puppy pads on the floor in the primary area they prefer to go. Keep the food and water area away from the puppy pads in another place. Using Puppy Pads Successfully Change your puppy pads as they become soiled. But a lightly soiled pad is attractive to your pup in the beginning stages of training and helps them learn the right area to potty indoors at first. Once they are reliably using the correct spot, you need not continue to use this trick and can throw away the pads as they become too soiled. Training Them to Go Outside After Using Pads Indoors If you set up your pads near the door you use to take them outside to their elimination area, then you can transition them to go outside more easily. So, place or move your puppy pads closer to the door from their original spot to begin the transition to the outdoors. When your pads are close to the door, watch them for their elimination signs and get them to the outside as swiftly as you can. While I generally use a crate to house train my German Shepherd puppy I also totally understand that you might prefer to learn how to potty train a German Shepherd puppy using a puppy pad for any number of reasons. Teach Them a Potty Routine Every day, follow the same routine and schedule to keep your puppy from having accidents inside your house. Teaching your dog to eliminate outside means that you must have a strict schedule. Watch for signs that your pup needs to go potty so you can avoid indoor accidents. Morning Potty Routine First thing in the morning when you let your pup out of their crate or from their sleeping area take them to their potty spot. If in doubt, carry them outside yourself. If you will not leash your pup when you take them out in the morning, then run ahead of them to lead them outside quickly. If you have stairs, carry your pup since rushing downstairs on a full bladder is never a good idea. Outside Potty Routine Stay with your pup until they do their business. You can place your pup in a small confined area to go potty or keep them leashed to you. Stand quietly until they potty. Then, praise them and offer a tasty treat. This can bore you at first, but potty training a German Shepherd puppy becomes easier every day. After 10 to 15 minutes, take them out of their crate and repeat the above process. Learning how to potty train a German Shepherd puppy takes repetition and patience. How do you know when to take your GSD puppy outside to potty? Take them out after a nap. They need to relieve themselves after sleeping or napping in their crates. Take them out after a play session. Take them out after they drink a large amount of water. Take them out first thing in the morning and the last thing before you place them in their crate or go to bed. Take your dog out when their body language says they are searching for a potty spot! You should take out your German Shepherd puppy every 2 hours for an 8-week-old pup. Add an hour for each month your pup is old. So, a week-old dog needs to go out every 3 hours. And a week-old German Shepherd needs to go outside to relieve herself every 4 hours. Puppy Age How often do you take them outside to potty? Most dogs do not have full bladder control until they are six months old. This means that even if your puppy does learn to hold it, accidents may still happen if it is left inside too long. Not potty training early can extend the process and make things harder. As the puppy grows, the mess and smells will increase. It is also harder to break an existing habit than prevent one from starting in the first place. How long on average does it take to potty train a puppy? If everything goes according to plan, your German Shepherd can be potty trained within five days. However, that does not mean your pup will be able to be locked indoors for eight hours while you go to work and not make a mess. Therefore, a two-month-old puppy needs to go out every two hours. A three-month-old can hold for three, and so on. German Shepherds also often have a high play drive and might completely forget that they need to potty when they want to play instead. There are few things more frustrating than playing outside with your puppy for an hour, only to have them calm down enough to relieve themselves the moment they come indoors. Have a complimentary diet An upset stomach is one of the most common setbacks in housetraining. In particular, puppies are vulnerable to garbage gut because they tend to eat anything smelly or exciting. This is another reason to make use of a crate. Excellent digestive health is not only good for your puppy, but it makes it much easier to stick to your routine. Use a specific door By now, you might be noticing a theme of consistency and routine emerging. Taking your puppy out through the same door helps condition and imprint the housetraining process on your dog and will also serve you later when your dog learns to always ask to go outside at the same door. Leash and lead The leash or lead is a further way of conditioning your puppy. The lead ensures that you can keep them close and make sure they always go to the specific spotty to potty. Do some research on the best collar for German Shephards , as there are some breed specific requirements. Then give a treat or some playtime to reward the correct behavior. Guide your dog back inside A potty run needs to be conditioned as a potty run. While praise, playtime, and treats should be used to make it a positive experience, your pup must learn to stay focused on the task at hand. Creating a negative experience for your dog is more likely to cause sneaky behavior such as peeing and pooping secretly out of fear that you will reprimand them if caught. Make sure you check on your puppy at least twice throughout the night Set an alarm clock and check if your puppy is awake and restless at least twice a night. This is your cue to take the pup outside. If the crate is near your bed and you are a light sleeper, you will likely wake when you hear rustling or whimpering. Stick to a routine A rigid routine is the quickest and smoothest route to a house-trained puppy. Be sure to take the puppy outside as soon as it wakes up in the morning, as well as after a nap, after playtime, and after meals. Until they are at least twelve weeks old, they should be taken out a minimum every two hours during the day. Positive Reinforcement As with all dog training, positive reinforcement works best. Make sure to praise and reward within three seconds of your puppy going potty to make a positive association. While your German Shepherd is learning that the entire house is out of bounds for elimination, the crate is a useful tool to avoid accidents. Once this has been achieved, you can gradually allow your puppy more free rein indoors. Pee Pads are not helpful. Puppies Puppy accidents are inevitable and can also be the most frustrating part of welcoming a new dog into your household. However, with a little bit of patience and the commitment to establishing a routine, you should get your GSD puppy potty trained in no time. This article will dive into how to potty train a German Shepherd puppy as well as give you step-by-step instructions and tips for success. German Shepherds become aware of their ability to control their bodily functions at around 3 weeks old. However, it is best to start potty training as soon as you bring your puppy home, usually, this is around 8 weeks of age. So, a 2-month old can hold their pee for about 2 hours. To avoid accidents, take them for potty breaks once every hour. No, not all adult German Shepherds are potty trained. Nevertheless, the general process of training an adult is pretty much the same as potty training a puppy. The key is in setting your rules and establishing a routine from the beginning. Ideally, choose a relatively quiet place. German Shepherds, like many other dog breeds, are creatures of habit. Having a designated potty area and using it consistently is key to making this process work smoothly. When dogs eliminate, their urine and feces leave behind a unique scent. Smelling it will signal to their brains that it is, indeed, time to go potty. Step 2: Establish a schedule Just like having a consistent potty area, sticking to a regular schedule is essential. Take very young puppies to their designated potty area every hour. As they age and as they become familiar with the routine, you can lengthen the time between their potty breaks. Start by choosing a command and sticking with it. When your pup gets to their potty spot, say your chosen command. Then say your command again and praise your pup as soon as your pup has successfully eliminated. You can usually tell this by their body language. Keep doing that until you can just give the command and your pup knows to squat and poop. Step 4: Reinforce positive potty behavior Whenever your GSD pup potties successfully, give them a good time! Reward them especially when they potty on command. Make sure you give them lots of praises and maybe a good head scratch. Depending on what motivates them, reward them with food or play. Step 5: Give it time and patience Following these steps will give you the best chance of success, but expect it to take some time. Top Tips for Potty Training Success German Shepherds are easy to train , so by following the proper potty training steps, you should get your GSD pup housebroken in no time. Nevertheless, here are some tips that will set you up for success and allow you to get over this tedious phase much more quickly: Tip 1: Make crate training a priority Crate training offers plenty of critical benefits, especially to puppies. Apart from providing a private space where they can feel safe, the right crate can be an excellent housebreaking tool. Tip 2: Establish a routine German Shepherds tend to thrive on a daily routine, so try your best to make every day the same for them. It will also help you more accurately predict when they need to go potty. Try to limit feeding times to three times a day for puppies younger than 6 months. German Shepherds that are at least 6 months old can eat once in the morning and then again in the evening. Tip 4: Withhold water at night Dogs should always have access to clean drinking water, but free access to a water bowl will make potty training more difficult. Once housebroken, your dog can have free access to water. When you take your dog out to potty, try to keep yourself relaxed and only talk when giving the potty command. This will also make your post-potty reward extra special. Disciplining your puppy for a potty accident is likely to do more harm. It will lead to negative potty behavior like being afraid to eliminate in your presence as well as feeling anxiety over having to pee or poop. Just clean it up and hope you can both do better next time. If your dog is having accidents too regularly, you likely need to take your dog out more frequently to prevent it. This is also the best way to maintain proper hygiene and good health. Tip 8: Listen and observe Dogs have their own way of communicating and will be especially communicative when they need to go potty. Some dogs might whine while others paw at the door. You just need to establish a routine and give them time to develop full control over their bladder and bowels. As long as you are committed to following your protocol, you should be able to enjoy a fully housebroken dog soon enough.

Their eyes will typically be brown or blue, and they are medium to large in size. Grooming Guide As both parent breeds are double-coated, there is no doubt that the white German Shepherd husky mix will adopt this type of coat. Double-coated breeds should be groomed every day, as well as multiple times per day when they are blowing their coat. Grooming a double coat should always start with a slicker brush to target the undercoat. From there, a dematter comb can be used to target any mats in the fur, followed by using an undercoat rake to remove hairs that are about to be shed from the undercoat. A grooming comb can then be used to get rid of any remaining hair or mats, and then finally, a bristle brush to give the entire coat a once over. Full details of this process as well as recommended items can be found here. Bathing Bathing should not be frequent due to the double coat — every two to three months should be more than enough. Frequent bathing is not advised because it can interfere with the function of the double coat by removing oil and damaging the hair. Huskies are also great self-groomers, which is likely to be inherited in this breed. Nail Trimming Since this mix is so active, nail trimming should not have to be done very often, as they will keep their nails shorter by walking or running frequently. If the nails get too long, we recommend using an electric nail grinder to trim them down. Unfortunately, this mix is not ideal for people who suffer from allergies. Temperament The temperament of the white German Shepherd husky mix can vary greatly depending on the traits that it inherits from the parent breeds. Huskies are very loyal , affectionate , and full of energy. They can be very stubborn and independent, which makes them difficult to train. Huskies are super friendly to everyone, including strangers. German Shepherds are easy to train as they love pleasing their owners. They tend to be very suspicious of strangers due to a strong guarding instinct but make very loving family dogs once they get to know you. They may have a strong guarding instinct or the opposite, and they might be very easy to train or stubborn instead. Are They Good Family Dogs? If you can meet their exercise and mental stimulation needs, white German Shepherd huskies are great family pets. You need to be careful around small dogs and cats due to their high prey drive, but if you can socialize them together from a young age, there should be no problems. Both German Shepherds and Huskies are great family pets. They are loyal and love to be part of a pack, and they are also great with children. It leads to arthritis and, eventually lameness. GDV requires immediate medical attention and often occurs when food is consumed quickly , leading to an expansion in the stomach which can have several consequences, including causing the stomach to twist. Exercise Needs The white German Shepherd husky needs a lot of exercise — ideally 2 hours each day of moderate to intense exercise. A post shared by lola lola. While German Shepherds might not be quite on this level, they still enjoy lots of exercises and are perfect companions for an active lifestyle. The white German Shepherd husky mix is an incredibly intelligent dog. Huskies are known for being very smart in their own special ways , while German Shepherds are used in special forces across the world due to how well they adapt to training. The white German Shepherd husky mix is definitely one of the most intelligent mixes you could come across, similar to other husky mixes like the Belusky. Are They Easy To Train? This mix is definitely easier to train than a regular husky — who can be very stubborn and independent — due to the German Shepherd traits of being very eager to please and highly trainable. It does depend on what personality traits they inherit, however, as huskies are notoriously difficult to train, while German Shepherds are one of the easiest breeds to train. The white German Shepherd husky mix is still quite new, and there are not established breeders for this mix, so there is quite a lot of variation in price. She has over 10 years of experience with Alaskan Malamutes and Huskies. She is currently working on getting her PhD in materials science but continues to write for The Malamute Mom in her spare time. Although, white German shepherds are in existence in Germany today. There are no records because they are forbidden to be registered in that country. Germans also believed that an albino trait that is recessive caused the white color. In canines, albinism is rare. If white German shepherds were albino they would have pink eyes containing no pigment and their skin would not be pigmented as well. In puppies born from parents with both dark pigmented eyes and skin, pigment is always present. Image by Rebecca Scholz from Pixabay Siberian husky. All canines are descendants of wolves from way back in time. Many people compare the Siberian husky to a wolf and although there is a slight similarity, that is where the comparison ends. Huskies are extremely social animals and wolves are just the opposite, living in the wild and steering clear of people. Eye color in huskies can range from light brown to brown, with different shades of blue, green, and even both eyes, each with a different color. Wolves have yellow eyes, which makes for a distinguishing trait. The Siberian husky originated in the portion of eastern Siberia, close to Alaska. These dogs were necessary for the Chukchis, who was an Eskimo tribe, whose survival depended on the huskies transporting supplies to different villages and helping with trail scenting for hunters. The Huskies also lived among families and played with the children. In , a fur trader from Russia brought the first Siberian huskies to Alaska. In , a severe outbreak of diphtheria occurred in Nome, Alaska requiring the serum to be transported to Anchorage. The serum could only be taken part way by train but was carried the rest of the way, miles, in bitter temperatures, by sled dogs. This was called The Great Race of Mercy. They are loyal and protective of their family but can be aloof with strangers. This breed is an excellent choice for an active family who can give them the necessary attention and exercise. The white German Shepherd Husky mix does not disappoint at all. With its stunning pure color and exceptional characteristics, this breed is the best of white German Shepherd and the Siberian Husky. Combining these two breeds is sometimes referred to as Gerberian Shepsky. You may like: Labrador husky mix. The White German shepherd husky mix is a rare breed that the American Kennel Club does not yet recognize. This breed was created by crossing a German shepherd with a Siberian husky. The resulting breed is a strong, intelligent dog with a loyal personality. Parent Breeds of White Gerberian Shepsky. Siberian Husky and the other one parent that is a white German. German Shepherd is considered a large working dog that is medium in size, and German Shepherds are a medium-sized breed. German Shepherd is known as a herder dog or working dog breed. Siberian Husky. The Siberian Husky is the iconic symbol of the arctic roots that are its foundation. It is believed that the Siberian Husky is an affectionate breed with a soft and friendly temperament. This makes him an excellent pet for people of all different ages. Although they are friendly with humans, Huskies possess a fierce prey-seeking instinct and prefer homes with small animals like guinea pigs and cats. The instinct could also cause them to dig holes, so you should ensure that your Husky is kept safe during outdoor activities. You may like: Pomeranian husky mix. White German Shepherd. White German Shepherd is the identical breed of dog to the normal German Shepherd dog. The only difference is the fact that white German Shepherds carry an inherited white gene which causes their coats to be completely white. The other features associated with the breed are genetically similar to the German Shepherd. As with all German Shepherds, they are also a breed of German Shepherd. The white German Shepherd is a reliable, loyal and brave dog that makes an ideal pet for the family and family guard dog. However, they can also be great and active dog. Naturally occurring white German shepherds can be rare. To create an uncolored puppy, both parents must carry onto the recessive gene for white. The only way to ensure the birth of White puppies would be to breed two dogs of white. Siberian Husky White German Shepherd mix breeds are not only distinct but have distinct personalities due to the characteristics they acquired through their parentage. The overall behavior that the German Shepherd Mix is quite good. They are gentle and loving, inherited from the Husky However, their courage and loyalty come from the Shepherd. The mix strikes the perfect balance. As the white German Shepherd grows older, it will protect the family and you from any risky act. Husky White German Shepherd Mix is also a source of love with hugs and lots of precious moments to cherish throughout your life. They also make wonderful children and can coexist with other pets if they are socialized from a young age. This German Shepherd Siberian Husky mix is extremely intelligent and can be taught quickly if properly taught and supervised. Activity Level. The White German husky mix is a high-energy breed that needs plenty of exercises. A daily walk or run is a must, as well as some playtime in the yard. This breed does best with an active family that can keep up with their energy level. You may like: Husky terrier mix. The White German shepherd husky mix is a large dog breed, weighing pounds. They stand inches at the shoulder. Life expectancy The dog can live years. Highly loving dog with family and young children. Extremely good with other dogs as well Social When trained well, it can be friendly to strangers. This dog is very playful and protective, thus, a suitable guard dog. It adapts quickly to new commands and other elements of the environment. The dog is friendly to strangers, especially when the family is around. It can play non-stopLess protective; hence not a good watchdog. It adapts easily to new environments. Personality and temperament It responds excellently to training and is a high-energy dog. It shows moderate barking and needs engagement to stimulate its mental activity. It responds well to training. It shows high energy levels and is very vocal; it barks a lot. It requires plenty of mental stimulation activities Overall This is a courageous, confident, and intelligent dog. This is a loyal, outgoing but mischievous dog. On average, you have a mix inches .The erect ears and sharp golden brown or brown eyes of the German Shepherd are evident in the mix. The coat is just as dense and medium-length as the German Shepherd or the Siberian Husky. However, the popular colors of the mix come in brown, cream, white, red, and blue. That said, you want to have this dog in a spacious environment where it will be free to play when the need arises. They value family and would play and have a lot of fun even with children. The dog strikes a good balance between friendliness to strangers and being protective when a threat appears. While the dog can have a bit of mischief, proper training can eliminate uncouth behavior. Avoid too much table scraps or human food to control some lifestyle diseases. Bathing can happen only a few times a year. This is because the hybrid takes much from the parents and has a forgiving coat that does not require much maintenance. Trim the nails to avoid foot problems. Health: Remember that this mix can be vulnerable to diseases such as patellar luxation, hip dysplasia, epilepsy, and progressive retinal atrophy. Be swift to take it for veterinary checkups, tests, and treatments. Regular exercise: Exercising your dog is a must-do thing. The White German Shepherd husky is an offspring of highly-active parents. Make sure you incorporate reward-based training for a better response. While this breed may not be suitable for every lifestyle or living situation, those who are able to provide the proper care and attention will be rewarded with a loving, affectionate, and energetic companion. Are you looking for quality website content to get your website to the next level? If so, please visit the Service Page for details on website content writing service. The breed originated in Germany and was first recognized by the American Kennel Club in .The German Shepherd is a medium-sized dog that can grow to be between 22 and 24 inches tall at the shoulder, with males weighing between 70 and 95 pounds while females weighing between 55 and 80 pounds. The breed has a dense double coat that comes in tan, black or red colours. Their ears are triangular in shape and hang down, and their tails are long and bushy. They have strong, muscular bodies with straight backs and powerful legs that give them good jumping ability. Siberian Husky The Siberian Husky is a breed of working dog that originated in north-eastern Siberia. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family. It is recognizable by its thickly furred double coat, erect triangular ears, and distinctive markings. Siberian Huskies were bred by the Chukchi of North-eastern Asia to pull heavy loads long distances through difficult conditions. While most Malamutes are wolflike, Siberians appear more like a dog with rounded ears and foxlike faces. Like other Spitz breeds, Siberian Huskies have a dense undercoat with an outer coat that stands off from their bodies and gives them a shaggy look. Their average weight ranges from 30—50 pounds 14—23 kg. Males are usually between 21—24 inches 53—61 cm at the withers, while females are typically between 20—23 inches 51—58 cm. Appearance of a husky white german shepherd mix The White German Shepherd Husky Mix is a beautiful mid-sized dog with strong muscles, a thick coat, and a medium-length tail. This dog has a round head with small ears that are set high on the sides of its head. Its eyes are almond-shaped and dark brown in colour. The muzzle is narrow and has an underbite that gives it a friendly appearance. Its coat is white with black patches that form spots or stripes. The colours of these markings can range from light brown to dark brown or black depending on how much melanin pigment is present during development at birth melanin is responsible for giving colour to our skin. The weight of a white German Shepherd Husky mix ranges from 50 to 80 pounds, and the height ranges from 22 to 26 inches. They love to play with other dogs and people and are always ready for a game of fetch or a brisk walk around the block. These dogs are very intelligent, so they respond well to training. This hybrid is sensitive and affectionate but can also be stubborn and independent. Here are some tips for keeping your white Gerberian Shepsky looking its best: Bathe your dog every few months, using a mild shampoo and warm water. Use a comb or brush to untangle the fur after showering. Trim their nails once every two weeks by grasping them in one hand and gently cutting them with scissors in the other hand. Lifespan The life expectancy of a White Gerberian Shepsky ranges from 7 to 14 years. This can lead to discomfort, lameness, and difficulty in movement. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding excessive strain on the hips can help minimize the risk of hip dysplasia. It is more common in large breeds like the German Shepherd. Regular vet check-ups and maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent or manage elbow dysplasia. Both German Shepherds and Huskies are susceptible to this condition. Regular eye examinations and genetic testing can help detect PRA early, allowing for proper management and care. It can occur in deep-chested breeds like the German Shepherd and Husky. Feeding smaller meals throughout the day, avoiding strenuous exercise after meals, and using elevated feeding bowls can help reduce the risk of GDV. Allergies Gerberian Shepskies can be prone to various allergies, including food allergies and environmental allergies. Symptoms may include itching, skin irritation, and digestive issues. Identifying and avoiding allergens, regular grooming, and a balanced diet can help manage allergies in this breed. It can cause weight gain, lethargy, and skin problems. Regular blood tests can help diagnose and manage hypothyroidism effectively. It is characterized by a loss of coordination and muscle weakness during intense exercise or excitement. They need at least an hour of exercise each day and love running and playing hard. They do well with long walks on a leash or off-leash and play in a fenced-in yard with other dogs. They also love playing fetch and tug-of-war games, so if you have a tennis ball or rope toy lying around, then this is the perfect breed for you! White German Shepherd Husky Mixes are friendly and outgoing, which means they get along with most other animals. How much is a White Shepherd husky mix? Is a German Shepherd husky mix a good dog? This is a great fit for anyone who wants a big dog with a lot of energy. Huskies are known for their high activity levels, and German Shepherds are known for being very protective. The only downside to having this mix is that sometimes your dog could be hard to train because of its high energy level. Final Thoughts The white German Shepherd husky mix is among the most beautiful, striking dogs. They are beautiful and luxurious pets who will thrive in any home where they are loved. Other Dog Mixes:. Is this still the right breed for you? Is a husky shepherd mix a good blend of the two? This guide on the German shepherd husky hybrid dog will look at some of the different considerations that you may have to make before committing to owning this cross-breed. From there, their basic care needs will be covered, before looking at the options for purchasing one. With all this information in mind, you can then make a more informed choice about whether or not this alternative hybrid dog is a great choice for your family. View this post on Instagram Aug 2, at pm PDT German shepherd huskies as designer dogs When breeders and owners refer to this cross breed as a designer dog, it may come as some surprise to new owners. The reason for this is that this hybrid dog originates from two singular pure breeds that have been deliberated bred together for certain characteristics. This is why the breed is also commonly referred to as the Gerberian Shepsky. This made up portmanteau is much like the fun name of the labradoodle or cockerpoo. Whichever name breeders choose, it is easy to see why they are desirable designer dogs because of the blend of physical traits. They have a gorgeous form and tend to retain of striking blue eyes of the husky. The mix of genetics and the variations that can occurs between dogs lead to a variety of coat patterns and colours. Some will say that these hybrid dogs are mostly grey, but other say that brown is the common variant. White German shepherd husky mix dogs can be a popular choice because they suit their fluffy coat and icy blue eyes and look particularly beautiful, but this is one of the rarer colours. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ghost ghostthedog on Jul 29, at pm PDT On the other end of the scale there is the black German shepherd husky mix. There are also red, cream, blue and golden dogs, so there really are lots of different options. Colour is not that important when deciding whether this hybrid is right for you, but the size of the dog could be. It is easy to forget how big these cute puppies can grow up to be. German shepherd husky mix size can vary based on parentage, with different height and weights being seen. German shepherd husky mix adult dogs have been known to weigh lbs .No matter what, they will be large, powerful dogs because both the Siberian husky and the German shepherd have a long history as working dogs. These characteristics are retained in cross-breeding. Is your dog driving you crazy? Click Here to solve all dog problems the kind and gentle way. Shepherd husky mix breed characteristics Because this is a husky mixed with a German shepherd, there are sure to be a blend of traits and not all pups in the same litter will end up with the same temperament or characteristics. Some may take after their husky mother more, others may take after their German shepherd father. There will always be more dominant breed in the genetic makeup and a split is very unlikely. It is said that when a Gerberian Shepsky leans toward the husky genes, he is more loving and gentle. Some owners may find this to be true, but other factors in the upbringing will play their part too. With the right handling and training, they can be extremely calm dogs with a gentle nature. These dogs are energetic and playful and while this can be great for active families with time to spend, it could be a problem for those that cannot deal with the consequences. Bored Gerberian Shepskies are prone to mischievous behaviour and this could get out of control if they feel that they are in charge. With the right training, owners can enjoy this great temperament. There are, however, potential problems to watch out for. A common search term when discussing the problems associated with owning one of these hybrids is that of German shepherd husky cross barking. As far as your dog is concerned, barking can be a good thing because it means that they are acting as a reliable watchdog for the family and reacting to intruders. Vocalisation is an issue with huskies that is passed on in many of these cross breed individuals. Some may be prone to howling when left alone in the house, which can be a problem for the neighbours. Want to train your dog without spending hundreds of dollars? Click Here to check out the brain training for Dogs course now! Gerberian Shepskys and other animals The other potential issue here is that some of these dogs have a difficult time around other animals. A blend of a protective instinct, predatory genes and an inbred ability to herd means that other household pets and livestock could have a hard time. When handled correctly, the shepherding side of the parentage could be used to great effect if you plan to have a shepsky as a working dog. If they are a family pet, be sure to keep them on a lead near other animals. Because this is a German shepherd mixed with husky, there will be different considerations here. These dogs are known for their intelligence and obedience and this means that they can be keen, quick learners. Many new owners will find that these hybrids have the ability to learn simple tasks without too much need for repetition, and this is believed to be a characteristic that is passed down from the German Shepherd side of the family. It is also noted that these Gerberian Shepskies have a surprising reaction to verbal commands and whistles, but can struggle with toilet training. It is best to avoid negative reinforcement and punishment when training these hybrids because they will not respond well. Instead, work with positive reinforcement and treats so they understand correct behaviour. This works with that playful nature to ensure that training is also a form of playtime. It creates a win-win situation for the pair of you. It is also a good idea to start training your husky German shepherd mix puppy early to be sure of getting a good start and avoid the development of any bad habits. That desire to learn and please is inbuilt so they will be able to pick up new tricks and important behaviour traits from an early age. This can make those issues of socialisation and toilet training much easier to deal with, potentially reducing the risks of accidents and excessive barking in adolescence. Work with regular training sessions at home and consider taking them to a puppy school if you need further advice. This is another great way of dealing with socialisation issues, they can learn how to behave with other animals while learning essential commands. Caring for your Siberian husky German shepherd mix With the right training as a puppy and a better understanding of behavioural traits passed on by the parent breeds, you can be sure of a strong relationship with your adult dog. The hard work is on-going, however, as these dogs require a lot of care and attention There are health care issues to watch out for, diets to consider and exercise and grooming regimes to maintain. Husky german shepherd mix health care needs can vary from dog to dog, but there are certain inherited traits that can be a be problem. Elbow and hip dysplasia are seen in both parent breed and susceptibility can be passed down to their crossbred offspring. There are also reports of the following: juvenile cataracts.

Deafness is relatively rare in dogs, but it can be congenital or acquired later in life. If your puppy is congenital deaf , it will be born deaf. However, if your puppy is acquired deaf, it may lose its hearing later in life. There are a few things you can do to check if your puppy is deaf. Hearing and vision loss can progress at a faster rate than changes in behavior. If our dog is selective in hearing or behaves strangely, we may suspect he is engaging in a pattern of behavior. Dogs of any age, gender, or breed may experience hearing loss. When a person does not recall clearly, this is frequently the first indication that they are hearing impaired. The symptoms of an ear infection may manifest in all parts of the ear. Infections can progress to the middle and inner ear if the eardrum is crossed. As ear hairs become clogged, dogs with too much hair may develop hearing loss. Puppy deafness typically manifests itself in puppies between the ages of 6 weeks and 8 months. If you suspect your dog has hearing loss, see a veterinarian. If you are deaf, you can be diagnosed with it by taking a non-invasive test that measures brain activity in response to sound. A CT scan may be recommended if there is a suspicion that the ear is infected. If your dog has hearing loss, you may need to walk him on a lead or in a place where he is safe. When you approach the puppy, his behavior may change: he may jump or hide. If a puppy cries or disappears when approached from behind, it is most likely deaf. In addition to genetics, a number of other factors can play a role in acquired deafness. Some medications may be toxic to the ears if taken in doses that are too high. Some animals may be able to regain their hearing after taking these drugs for a short period of time. Certain breeds of dogs are more likely to become deaf as they age, and many dogs begin to lose their hearing at a young age. Some breeds have been linked to increased genetic susceptibility to deafness, including the German Shepherd, Australian Shepherd, and Dalmatian. Consonant present at birth or acquired deafness, as well as cochlea degeneration, can all result from infection, trauma, or degeneration of the cochlea. By the time they are born, dogs and other animals have a genetic predisposed to hearing loss. In order to diagnose deafness in animals, sound cannot be observed in isolation. In general, it is difficult to detect hearing loss in one ear unless you pay close attention or perform an electronic diagnostic test. When the external ear canal is blocked due to deafness, surgical or medical treatment is usually the most effective option. If noise or trauma persists for an extended period of time, a person suffering from deafness will not recover. Because of their deafness, dogs with congenital deafness may communicate more slowly with their owners and other family members. Furthermore, they are more likely to develop other behavioral issues such as anxiety and aggression. A DNA test and a hearing test are two of the many tests available. You must go above and beyond to help your deaf dog communicate with you. You should provide your dog with plenty of verbal stimulation as well as tactile stimulation in order for him to understand what is going on and be responsive to your commands. If you cannot provide adequate care for a deaf dog, consider adopting one or finding a shelter dedicated solely to its care. Photo by — dogvills. It has the potential to cause ear damage whether one or both ears are present. If your dog has partial or unilateral hearing loss, they may be unable to hear where sound is coming from and tilt their heads when they hear it. Puppy puppies who are deaf or who are genetically predisposed to hearing loss are less likely to survive. Ear infections, ear mites, and chronic otitis can all cause hearing loss. The ear of a dog such as a Dalmatian or a Jack Russell Terrier can be affected by a nerve disorder. Merle or piebald coat patterns are frequently associated with congenital deafness. In deaf dogs, the voice may be odd, and their barks may be lower than in other dogs. Dogs with deaf ears may be able to hear special whistles or the vibration of a stomped foot. A hearing-impaired pet can be made simple to accommodate with simple accommodations, and we do it for our friends as well. The first step toward caring for a deaf puppy is to understand how deafness affects him. Puppies with deafness are born with the condition, which affects them from a young age. A deaf puppy will be unable to hear until it is around days old, when its ear canals begin to open, and it should be able to hear normally again. Most deaf puppies do not require special care other than regular vet visits or vaccinations, as long as they are properly cared for. If your puppy is deaf or has other health issues, such as a respiratory infection, you should consult with a veterinarian first. Here are some things you can do to make life easier for a deaf puppy. One of the options is to keep them as quiet as possible. They should be kept at a minimum from hearing loud noises, should be allowed to play games that make a lot of noise, and should be given plenty of time to rest. If you want them to enjoy quiet environments, you can also provide them with low-noise toys and games, or you can purchase toys specifically designed for deaf dogs. One is the response test, where you make a loud noise like clapping your hands and see if your puppy looks in your direction or startles. Puppies may experience deafness as early as six months of age, or older dogs may experience deafness gradually. There are several warning signs that an older dog or puppy may lose hearing. If the owner takes certain precautions, a deaf dog can be kept as safe as possible. Shepherds, terriers, sheepdogs, settlers, great Danes, dalmatians, and cocker spaniels are examples of a wide range of breeds. There is evidence that dogs with white coats have a higher rate of deafness. Dogs can become deaf if they have hereditary causes, ear infections, or both. If your dog is deaf, it is critical that you take him to a veterinarian as soon as possible to have a proper diagnosis made and begin treatment. You can help your dog live a happy and comfortable life even if there is no cure for deafness in dogs. A healthy dog requires both water and food, so keep those things in mind when feeding it. Giving your dog plenty of fresh water will help his ears, mouth, and energy levels as well as keep his ears and mouth clean. If you have a deaf dog, you must ensure that he gets proper exercise. Walking or playing on the playground every day can help keep him mentally and physically active and help him to stay high on energy. Furthermore, give your deaf dog appropriate toys and puzzles to keep him occupied. If your dog becomes deaf as soon as possible, he should be taken to a veterinarian as soon as possible. You can help ensure that your deaf dog has a happy and comfortable life by following a few simple steps. Dog Deafness Test There is no surefire way to test if a dog is deaf, but there are a few methods that can be used to get a general idea. One common method is the hand clap test. To do this test, stand a few feet away from your dog and clap your hands loudly. If your dog does not react, it is likely that he is deaf. Another test is the doorbell test. Stand next to your dog and ring a doorbell or knock on a door. If your dog does not react, he is probably deaf. Hearing loss in dogs can make parents unsure of what to do or treat their pets. Your dog should be evaluated for hearing loss if any of these symptoms are present, especially when combined. An infection of the ear canal can also be detected through lab tests and x-rays. Almost all dogs are born deaf also known as congenital deafness and one or two dogs are even born deaf. Bull terriers, English setters, Australian cattle dogs, whippets, and Dalmatians are just a few of the breeds that are more prone to deafness. If you suspect your dog has partial or complete deafness, your veterinarian will advise you. When you have finished the test, simply clap your hands from a distance away as you look out the window. When your pet responds to loud noises, you should not be concerned because he has full hearing. If he does not react, he may have some hearing loss or partial hearing, so he should be checked by a veterinarian. The Pet Acoustics Home Pet Hearing Test is an excellent way to ensure that your pet is receiving the necessary attention and care he requires. By standing in a location where you are not able to see your dog and making a sharp noise, you can see how well your dog can hear. Dogs can be trained to hear better using a variety of methods, including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and cochlear implants. Our website contains additional information. How to Tell if Your Dog is Deaf: A Guide to Hearing Loss in Dogs August 12, in Uncategorized All dog owners want to make sure their pet is healthy and happy, but one ailment that may be hard to determine is hearing loss in dogs. Deafness can strike puppies quickly or gradually come on for older dogs. According to the American Kennel Club, anywhere from 5 to 10 percent of dogs in the U. Owners need to stay vigilant when it comes to their dog's hearing. Fortunately, there are several signs to watch out for. These symptoms are key to understanding your dog's hearing issues. There are also some solutions to communicating with a dog that has suffered hearing loss. It might be difficult for people to wonder, "Is my dog deaf? Working with a veterinary expert, you can monitor your pet's hearing and ensure a high quality of life. What are the signs of deafness in dogs? Dogs with deafness begin to lose the ability to hear high-pitched sounds first, so if it doesn't respond to a whistle, try attempting other sounds like claps or clicks while facing away from your pet. You may also notice a general lack of activity and have trouble waking your dog. What the signs of deafness in puppies? It can be harder to determine deafness in puppies - after all, they are distracted, energetic and a little wild by nature! But there are a couple of simple tests you can try. Watch your puppy walk through the house. If it doesn't turn its ears toward sounds, that is a sign of hearing loss. You can also shake keys or play with a squeaky toy to see if your puppy will react to the sound. A deaf puppy will not react to "exciting" noises or voices. Your vet will know more about how to tell if a puppy is deaf after that. What breeds of dogs are prone to deafness? While all dogs can suffer from deafness, there are more than 30 breeds of dogs that have a higher rate of hearing problems. Some of the breeds include Australian and German shepherds, terriers, sheepdogs, settlers, great danes, dalmatians and cocker spaniels. Studies have determined that dogs with white coats have a higher rate of deafness, with two genes - merle and piebald - playing a role in hearing loss. What should owners know about sudden hearing loss in dogs? While sudden hearing loss is rare, there are a couple of exceptions. If your dog experiences some sort of head trauma, it could lead to damage to the bone surrounding the ear canal, which can then result in acute loss of hearing. Certain medicines can also have adverse effects on canine hearing - check with your vet if you have any questions about applying medicine in your dog's ears. Is there a dog hearing test? You may be wondering how to tell if your dog is deaf at home, but if there is any question, you should head to your veterinary provider with your concerns. It detects electrical activity in the cochlea along with checking the auditory routes in the brain. The test involves placing electrodes on your dog's head and then sending a slight stimulus through earpieces. It is the best way to determine the hearing capacity of your pet. Deaf dogs can function normally, as long as owners take certain steps to keep them safe. You will have to train your dog to understand hand signals. They shouldn't be left unleashed or placed in unfamiliar situations, since sudden touches or movements may startle them. With some adjustments, your dog can continue to live a happy life even with hearing difficulties. If you're beginning to notice that your four-legged friend isn't responding to your calls or is slow to react to commands, connect with us. Knowing how to tell if a dog is deaf for certain is nearly impossible without taking a trip to your experienced veterinary provider. We had a female GSD who went deaf as she got on in age yo and she didn't really change at all in behavior except that she had to be looking at me to obey, of course. I think i might do a vet check to make sure that nothing else is going on. Toozer turned 12 at the end of January. She goes to the vet every other week for acupuncture. I am sorry that I missed your post about Dante's hearing loss. I have been out of the loop with school, sick cats, broken vehicles, etc etc.It is indeed extremely difficult to watch our friends get old. Re: handsignals.Tooz does know hand signals for most of her obedience commands. It is hard to communicate though if she isn't looking at me. Do they make an electronic collar that just vibrates? I know most of them have a vibrate feature but I would be paranoid that I would zap her by accident. There is nothing we love more than off leash hikes in the woods. My yard isn't fenced but she doesn't leave the property. I would hate to think that her off leash days may be coming to an end for safety reasons. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Because of his severe separation anxiety, he was using everything as a chew toy: the couch, items in the home gym room, walls and molding, carpet and dining room table legs. What they didn't know until we got there was that the real cause of his poor behavior was not his lack of hearing but their other dog's frenzied state of mind rubbing off on his new brother. Luckily we were able to help them restore harmony in their home by addressing both dog's issues at once, as a pack. First, we started them off by teaching the Respect Walk. We noticed that their rescue was actually very good while walking but their other GSD was a bit of a nut once she got outside on the leash. The owners had given up walking them entirely because she would constantly pull and also try to lunge and chase after cars as they drove past. Fearful of getting themselves or the dogs hurt because of these behaviors, they stopped taking walks together. Thankfully they had a treadmill!! We immediately went to the treadmill and trained both of their GSDs on it. Both pups were very happy to have a way to let out their pent up anxiety and energy. Once each dog was accustomed to the treadmill, we began to work on the deaf dogs separation anxiety. He hated his crate! It was no problem to get him re-introduced to the crate. By simply moving the location of his crate and showing him that the crate was his "safe place", he began to realize it wasn't just somewhere he went when his family was leaving. At this point, we noticed that a lot of the deaf dog's anxiety was actually stemming from their other dog! She was extremely anxious and paced the house constantly, never sitting still. We showed the owners how to work on teaching her a "Down, stay" so she could just relax in the house instead of frantically trying to control her owners every movement. The deaf dog also had a little fear of new people that we showed the owners how to overcome. We taught them "door control" so that their dogs would patiently accept a new person coming over and not go into a "puppy rodeo" all over the house. Previously the deaf dog would hide behind the owners or growl and using "door control" helped make the owner's new expectations very clear and he complied very quickly. These owners had a lot on their hands with one GSD being overly anxious and spastic and the other deaf and in fear. Now, they know how to conquer all these issues and consistantly work with both of their dogs in a calm, loving way the dogs will respond positively to. With no more anger and frustration in the house. The deaf dog is now crated without issue while they are away now that he can love his crate instead of fearing it. We love staying in touch with the owners so we know that everyone is happy and living in harmony and even after checking up with them a few times, everyone is doing great! Thank you to the owners for giving this amazing pup a second chance at life and for allowing us the privilege of helping their home be unified.

Welcoming a new puppy into your home is an exciting time filled with joy, cuddles, and a few inevitable challenges. One of the most common questions new puppy owners ask is, "When can puppies go outside? Table of Contents Easiest Dog to Take Care of: Top 10 Breeds for a Happy Home Do you ever dream about having a furry best friend who loves to play fetch, gives the warmest cuddles, and greets you with the happiest tail wags every time you come home? A friend who is not just any dog, but the easiest dog to take care of? We know, it sounds like a dream come true, right? But we also understand that bringing a new puppy home is a big step. It's like adding a new member to your family, a little brother or sister.All French Bulldog Insights French Bulldog Breed Info If you're seeking an adorable companion with a charmingly squashed face, an easygoing personality, and a distinct penchant for lounging on the couch, the French Bulldog could just be your perfect match. With their signature bat ears and expressive eyes, French Bulldogs, or "Frenchies" as they are lovingly known, have captured the hearts of many dog lovers around the globe, consistently ranking among the most popular breeds. Renowned for their easy maintenance and the ability to thrive in apartment living, French Bulldogs are a city dweller's delight. Their small size, typically weighing under 28 pounds, makes them perfectly suited to compact urban spaces. However, their charming personalities and heartwarming companionship are universally loved, irrespective of city or countryside living. This breed's laid-back nature does not mean they're devoid of fun and play. On the contrary, French Bulldogs can be quite playful and are known for their often comical and entertaining antics, which only further endears them to their owners. Their affectionate demeanor, combined with a remarkably low barking tendency, makes them a joy to have around the house. French Bulldogs are sturdy, compact, and stocky, with a powerful muscular build that contradicts their small size. They have a smooth coat that comes in a variety of colors, from fawn and brindle to white and grey. Their facial expressions are human-like, and they're known to "talk" using a complex system of yawns, yips, and gargles. However, owning a French Bulldog does come with responsibilities. Their brachycephalic short-nosed nature makes them prone to certain health issues and less tolerant of extreme temperatures. Despite their muscular appearance, they are not the best swimmers, and care should be taken around bodies of water. Use the navigation bar to see our French Bulldog Puppies that are available for adoption, our adult Frenchies, future planned litters, and other relevant information. Our primary focus is on quality and not quantity. We produce high quality AKC registered puppies with excellent temperament. Our mama dogs and puppies are a very important part of the family and are treated with care and love. We take special care to feed our extended members of the family a very healthy and complete diet. They get quality dog food as well as supplements to keep them healthy. All our dogs and are AKC registered and health checked. Our goal is to improve the breed by producing healthy and loving puppies with excellent temperament that will bring joy and love to other families. Before going to their new homes, our puppies will have at least 2 vaccine shots and will be dewormed at least 2 to 3 times. This gives us time to properly care for the puppies, to vaccinate and deworm them, and to make sure they are potty trained and socialized before going home with their new family. There have been text messages and email messages in the past that we have not received for some reason.

Like many large breeds, a German Shepherd dog is not considered fully grown until they are about 18 months old. Female German Shepherds continue to fill out until they are around two years old, while the male German Shepherd growth rate continues until they reach two and a half years of age. Males are larger and require more time to fill out their chest and abdomen. As you can see by the German Shepherd weight chart, these dogs can continue to grow until they are three years old, but the majority of growth occurs within 24 months. If your GSD is older than 36 months and continues to put on weight, contact your veterinarian to ensure weight gain does not lead to obesity. How big should a 6-month-old German Shepherd be? A six-month-old German Shepherd puppy will be quite large, as many German Shepherds undergo massive growth spurts between two and five months old. By six months, a male German Shepherd will weigh 53 pounds on average, whereas a female will weigh about 46 pounds. How much bigger will my German Shepherd get? There are a few ways to gauge how much bigger a German Shepherd will get. First, check your puppy's age. If your GSD is younger than two years old, they definitely have room to keep growing! Another way to tell if your pup still has a lot of growing to do is their paw size. Do their paws look large compared to their legs and body? This is a classic adolescent feature of a dog and means your pup is likely still growing! Most of the time, a dog will not grow bigger than its larger parents. What is the size of a full-grown German shepherd? An adult male German Shepherd is typically 24 to 26 inches tall, while adult female German Shepherds are 22 to 24 inches tall, according to the American Kennel Club German Shepherd Standard. The estimated full-size varies significantly between sexes. In terms of weight, an adult male German Shepherd weighs anywhere from 75 to 90 pounds. A female German Shepherd weighs notably less at 55 to 70 pounds. Please keep in mind that these numbers are only estimates to give you an idea of how much bigger a German Shepherd puppy may get. Some dogs will be both smaller and larger than these weight ranges when fully grown due to a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Learn all about your puppy's physical characteristics, breed history, personality traits, and more in our comprehensive guide. Preventive care is key in helping your German Shepherd live a healthy and long life. Helping your dog maintain an optimal weight is one of the best things you can do for their health. Taking your German Shepherd to regular veterinary appointments is one of the best things you can do to ensure that they are healthy and feeling their best. Compare German Shepherd health insurance plans before they get sick or injured. They are also more susceptible to gastrointestinal tract and hip issues. A veterinarian should regularly assess your pet for these health problems and run tests for anything they may be more prone to due to their breed. Treatment for many conditions, including bloat and GI issues, can cost thousands of dollars. Dog insurance is a wise investment that can give you peace of mind by covering pet emergency expenses. Wellness plans are also available to help cover the cost of vaccinations, vet exams, microchips, and more. Some people can predict the future. For everyone else, there's pet insurance. Use Pawlicy Advisor to easily compare plans from top providers so you can find a great deal with great coverage. Get Peace of Mind Today Do you want to find the best pet insurance? Let's analyze your pet's breed, age, and location to find the right coverage and the best savings. Analyze My Pet About Pawlicy Advisor The pet insurance marketplace endorsed by veterinarians, at Pawlicy Advisor we make buying the best pet insurance easier. Puppyhood The first growth phase — puppyhood — has six development stages. During each of these stages, a puppy learns a lot of things. Neonatal Stage This period lasts from birth to 13 days. The puppy needs a lot of nursing from its mom because it is rather helpless. Its ears and eyes are closed, so it does not have any senses. The little pups should completely rely on their mothers for nourishment and care. By 2 weeks, they double their birth weight. They start crawling, and then their eyes and ears begin to open. The first milk teeth appear. The puppy can even stand up, but too unstably and shakily. This makes it possible for little ones to hear, smell, and taste. They even try to walk. Their baby teeth continue growing. The period between weeks is also called a transitional one. At the end of the third week, the motor skills start developing fast. The puppy can already control its temperature and body, namely, bowel movements. It begins to interact with its littermates. Nevertheless, the pup is still largely dependent on its mother. Though, you can interact with it. At the end of this period, the little cub is ready to explore the world. Its baby teeth are almost complete, and it can stand up more stably. It starts barking and growling a bit. The puppy grows quickly now. It actively interacts with its littermates. The baby dog can walk, and its baby teeth are complete. You can also consider the German Shepherd behavior stages from now. Its mental development starts because it discovers the world actively with its senses. Its walking improves, and it can make attempts to run, so it can even sometimes get in trouble. The puppy can start eating dog food. That is why it is important to begin weaning. The little one can recognize and greet its littermates and people, get interested in new things, and continue to explore the world. However, at this age, the first fear period can be experienced. Read our detailed guide about 6 week old German Shepherd puppy. It is the best period for taking your pet home. This period can be psychologically traumatic, so be careful not to expose the pet to direct sunlight because it may be afraid of it for its entire life. All the fears need your special attention. You need to nurture, but not encourage them. Read our detailed guide about 2 month old German Shepherd puppy. So, your puppy is three months old now. It is playful and active. Its teeth are complete. It is weaned and eats dog food. The feeding recommendation here is the overall one and a half cups, three times a day. It is also time to get your pet vaccinated against distemper and parvovirus. At the end of the third month, your little GSD can simulate its behavior after other dogs and humans. Training can start. Read our detailed guide about 3 month old German Shepherd puppy. Your puppy already has all its baby teeth, and adult canines and incisors begin to push through. It can even try to bite or nip you. The puppy coat begins to disappear and gets ready for replacement by the adult double-layer coat. You can see a racing stripe on its spine where the adult hair will grow. The puppy displays quick growth at this time, and it becomes stronger to withstand the possible fierce competition with its siblings if it is still staying with its family. It needs a lot of biting and chewing now for the correct growth of its adult teeth. Your pet needs consistent socialization and potty training now. After three months old, you should think about such vaccination as DHPP — distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. The juvenile phase lasts from 3 to 6 months, and it can be divided into three stages by month. Continue socializing and start more substantial training. You can consult the German Shepherd weight chart here to see whether your pup develops properly. So, be attentive to the games you play with your pet. Some of them can be dangerous and traumatic because your puppy may not know how to manage its body during them. You can give it two cups of kibble totally three times per day because it needs a lot of nutrition to grow. DHPP and rabies vaccines are recommended at this age. Your little pup is ready to explore the world. However, as a true teenager, it can become more stubborn and try not to listen to your commands. It starts to understand dominance and tries to persuade you in its leadership. Read our detailed guide about 4 month old German Shepherd puppy. During this month, it can gain about 10 pounds 4. Its ears have stably perked up by this time. It looks more like an adult dog but, as a true teenager, it is very playful and is always ready to go around. The adult teeth continue to appear. Sexual maturity starts emerging. You should feed your pet around two cups three times per day. A lot of training is also needed. Read our detailed guide about 5 month old German Shepherd puppy. It needs a lot of training and positive reinforcement. Now, your pet is fully house-trained, and it needs a lot of new experiences. The sixth month is a transition period to the Adolescent Phase. The ears are completely upright. Males achieve sexual maturity, while female puppies can experience heat cycles. Hormones start working, and male puppies can start marking the territory and looking for females to mate. The adult coat grows longer and gets its normal double layers. Adult teething is about to finish, and all 42 teeth appear. You should feed your dog with the overall two or three cups two times per day. Read our detailed guide about 6 month old German Shepherd puppy. Adolescence Phase Months German Shepherd males are thought to be grown-up when they are 3 years 36 months old. Females become adults when they are 2 years 24 months old. However, these criteria differ for every puppy. That is why the adolescence phase lasts from the end of the 6th month to the end of the second year of age 24 months on average. By the end of this phase, the puppy reaches its full size though it will continue slightly growing. Your dog can display testing boundaries, so disobedience is widely encountered if the dog is not properly trained. German Shepherds do not look like puppies anymore. Within this period, some dogs can display their second fear period at approximately months old , though to avoid long-lasting psychological trauma, you should ignore the fears. Some dogs may occasionally forget their skills that they have already acquired, so you may need to repeat training again. Here, the reinforced training is useful because some puppies can become entirely rambunctious. Your pet will also need more socialization since it reaches its sexual maturity, and some of its reactions can be pretty unexpected. Its sexual maturity continues, which may cause some aggression because of increases and decreases in hormones. The puppy does not gain weight so fast. Teething is finished. The German Shepherd starts looking more similar to an adult dog, with its standing up ears and well-developed muscles. The food your dog needs involves two or three cups total, given two times per day. Read our detailed guide about 7 month old German Shepherd puppy. It displays a lot of aggression. It can bark or lunge at other animals, kids, and unfamiliar people. A lot of training and reinforcement is needed. You can teach the youngster new tricks to deal with their aggression. The dog has strong adult teeth, and its ears are well-formed and perky. The transition to adulthood continues. As for food, your dog needs two-three cups in total two times a day. Read our detailed guide about 8 month old German Shepherd puppy. It does not grow fast, gaining about a couple of pounds per month. The dog needs two-three cups of food two times a day. Read our detailed guide about 9 month old German Shepherd puppy. They are very active and need a lot of attention and training. Sometimes, they can be really goofy or clumsy because they are still learning and do not know how to behave in many events. Your pup is very smart and clever but tends to display a lot of aggression if not supported and reinforced properly. The dogs should eat two-three cups in total per day. Read our detailed guide about 10 month old German Shepherd pupp y. It starts to challenge you as an owner and likes to demonstrate its leadership. You should teach it to be responsible and obey your commands. A lot of training and reinforcement is crucial. Still, give it two or three cups in total per day. It becomes a bit destructive, but be sure not to get angry or upset with it. It needs your patience and positive attitude. Such vaccines as DHPP and rabies are recommended at this age. It should also transit to adult food. Give it three or three and a half cups total twice a day. Read our detailed guide about 1 year old German Shepherd puppy. Years 1. This time is considered a transition period. The dog may have problems with fears and memory breakdowns. It may even forget how to do familiar things and should be trained again. However, its attention span is longer at this age, so it can have a more thorough obedience training. The dog should eat three or three and a half cups two times a day. Year 2 months — The Second Transition Phase This is one more transition period known as young adulthood. Your dog still displays some aggression. That is why they continue to need reinforcement, training, and socialization. It has already gained its athletic frame and strong muscle, and only several pounds are lacking for reaching its adult weight. In fact, you get a German Shepherd full-grown pet now. The DHPP vaccination is recommended at this age. Continue to feed your dog with three to three and a half cups in total twice per day. It has become a loyal and protective family pet or an obedient and enduring working dog. The young adulthood stage lasts from the second to the third year after the puppy was born. Its size is typical now for an adult dog. However, it may continue to grow slightly, but the changes are not noticeable at all. At this phase, you can also notice that your pet becomes more and more active. It needs a lot of exercise and training. A lot of physical activity is essential for the dog to stay in high spirits. The period between the second and third years of life is also called the adult growth stage. This is the time when your friend gets its excellent breed characteristics. It loves attention very much and continues to learn new things eagerly. The dog enjoys training sessions and strives for new experiences. It becomes calmer and more confident. Its hyperactivity slightly decreases. It displays a lot of self-control and discipline. Continue feeding your dog with three to three and a half cups twice per day. It will be its constant adult diet. Vaccination against rabies is recommended and required by authorities at this age. Seniority Phase This is the last phase of German Shepherd development. It may seem wonderful, but your dog can continue to slightly grow. The phase is divided into two periods — early senior years old and late senior years old. Unfortunately, you need to focus on its health rather than on training. Such health issues as hip dysplasia, joint pain, and decreased stamina can appear at this age. You need to have consultations with your vet more often. During this period, your dog does not change its weight and height considerably. Though, you can observe slight changes in weight. On average, these dogs live years. You need to attend to their health and comfort. The dog may remain energetic and playful, but it slightly slows down. It wants to rest more and gets much calmer. The animal may suffer from some pains, so it may need pain relievers for spine and joint problems and arthritis. It may also need nutritional supplements and changes to its diet. Special senior and sensitive stomach food may become the best choice. Avoid jumping and hard playing. Continuous veterinary monitoring is needed if some symptoms are worsening. The accepted proportion that is considered ideal is .The weight is usually not taken into consideration. If your pet does not correspond to this proportion, there may be a health issue you do not know about yet. That is why you need to monitor the parameters carefully. To be sure that everything is OK, multiply the length of your dog by 0. You will get the perfect height. However, there can be some divergences. If they are minor, you have nothing to worry about. The German Shepherd is rather thin, or even skinny. This results in bad proportions. The ideal weight of your German Shepherd is lbs kg for males and lbs kg for females. You can get either a heavy or obese dog, and it can be a result of overfeeding or certain health issues. How to Check the Weight of Your German Shepherd The simplest method to see whether your dog is underweight is to check whether the ribs are visible on the sides. If you can see that the shape of your dog reminds you of a barrel on the ribs, it means that it is overweight. If you cannot feel the ribs, but there is too much skin on the sides, your dog is overweight. However, if you feel the ribs and only a thin layer of skin, it is underweight. It does not matter whether your dog is underweight or overweight. In any case, it can cause health problems if you do not repair the situation. The best way to succeed is to make changes to the diet. If your German Shepherd is underweight, you should enrich the content of its food. However, do not make it eat if the dog does not want to. That can lead to more severe problems. Make a slow transition to food with higher fat content. Or you may even give your dog puppy food because it is rich in nutrients. If your pet is obviously overweight, the best thing is to cut off the food. However, you also need to do it step by step so that the dog finally can eat just half of the amount you have recently fed it. The adult dog has a height of inches cm at the shoulder and an average weight of pounds kg. Nevertheless, some German Shepherds can grow bigger and even reach pounds kg. You need to be sure about its proportions though to understand if your pet meets the standards. If you see some deficiencies, meet your vet for a more thorough evaluation. When does a German Shepherd stop growing? German Shepherd males are thought to be grown-up when they are 3 years old. Females become adults when they are 2 years old. How tall is a German Shepherd? The adult dog has a height of inches cm at the shoulder. An average male reaches inches cm in height, while an average female should be inches cm tall. The body of both males and females should be longer than their height. How big do German Shepherds get? How much does a German Shepherd weight? In general, an average male reaches pounds kg in weight, while an average female should be pounds kg heavy. This is a very strong and brave dog that can become a perfect guardian and protector. If you decide to take a GS puppy, you need to follow its growth stages accurately to be sure that it develops properly. You should follow a high-quality diet, provide your dog with a lot of exercise, and ensure its proper training and socialization. Your German Shepherd cannot stay healthy and active if it gets some health problems related to its weight or height. Sometimes, these issues are not obvious and understandable to the owner. That is why it is important to know the main development parameters of your German Shepherd growth stages to cope with possible challenges. We hope that this article, together with the weight and height chart, will become your effective and helpful guide. David W. I admire German Shepherds. They are magnificent dogs! I have been dealing with dogs, namely German Shepherds, throughout my life. I have been working part-time as a dog trainer and instructor for about 5 years, dealing mainly with German Shepherds. So I know a bit about these animals. Therefore, I decided to share my knowledge and experience about this fantastic breed. If you need help with advice and care tips or want to know more about German Shepherd dogs, welcome to this blog. As the German Shepherd growth chart suggests, a German Shepherd dog reaches full size and adult weight after one year. A growth spurt can occur between 1. The result of this late growth is an up to 10 percent increase in height and weight. Although you can consider a German Shepherd fully grown by one year, there may be additional factors that influence the growth of German Shepherd dogs. Is Your German Shepherd Healthy? Improper development can occur for many reasons. It could be as simple as your dog responding poorly to their dog food. Your feeding schedule and portions might not be sufficient. Your dog could also have a basic nutritional deficiency that you need to correct. Yet, being underweight or overweight can signify serious health problems. Weight loss can occur when the syndrome develops. Dogs typically show signs of EPI at between six months and six years of age. Parasites Dogs are highly susceptible to parasites. Deworming medication helps to reduce the risk. Yet, almost all puppies experience a parasitic infection at least once. Upon infection, your dog is at risk of serious weight loss and other troubling symptoms. Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes mellitus can affect any breed but has an above-average occurrence in German Shepherds. These dogs need insulin daily to accommodate for the inability to metabolize sugars. If your German has diabetes, severe weight loss can occur in a short period. Diabetes typically affects canines that are four years or older. It is the most common cancer in German Shepherds. Up to three percent will develop HSA. In most cases, this condition sets in at around nine to 12 years. Dietary Deficiency Do you have your German Shepherd on a raw food diet? Puppies often run underweight when receiving their nutritional requirements through raw meat. This diet is healthy and effective but needs monitoring, as not all dogs respond the same. Review the diet plan with a veterinarian and confirm there are no digestive or metabolic issues. Also, do not forget the importance of exercise! Clear Your Concerns with Coverage You put your heart into loving your dog like a child, but some things are out of your control. Health struggles can affect canines as much as humans. Even purebreds from AKC-certified breeders are not safe from serious health struggles both early and late in life. All you can do is prepare yourself to overcome complications. What if cancer happens? What else could happen? Peace of mind is great as a dog owner. Is coverage the answer? Get pet insurance quotes and see for yourself. Get Quotes for Your Cat Charitable Giving With every pet insurance policy we generate, we do our bit to help less fortunate animals across Canada and the U. Popular Articles. How about some details regarding their feeding habits, behavior, medical needs, grooming regimen, and exercise requirements? In this section, you will find everything you need to know to keep them healthy and assist with things such as toilet training and teething. She will discipline them and make sure they learn to be independent. They then begin to go to the toilet independently and venture away from mom. At week 8, they play, can be housebroken, and bark when startled. The famous GSD ears will start to stand up, and you can begin leash and crate training. They must be handled and groomed and realize that human commands and dominance are the norm. During this time, the mother will nurse the pups until they are old enough to begin eating puppy mush , which is softened kibble. Allow puppies to eat as much as they like at each meal. At 6—8 weeks, their first shot from the vet is due. Smith, Shutterstock 12 weeks is a turning point for your pup. Their coordination will come on in bounds, as will their learning and social skills. They will be eager to learn but easily distracted, so have plenty of patience. If you become angry, it will stunt development if they become fearful of you. Your pup is officially into the juvenile period now. All of his puppy teeth should be developed by now and are normally very sharp. So, beware of your fingers when playing. At 12 weeks of age, puppies can start to eat three to four set meals a day with measured amounts. Purpose-made dog-approved chew toys are best, not teddy bears or old shoes. As they grow through this period between three and six months, GSD puppies are more juvenile than babies. They will be more boisterous and energetic. But on the plus side will feed easily, be more friendly with animals and people alike, and more than likely be housetrained if you have managed them correctly. They will be stubborn at this age when training and could ignore you, or not come when called. The best approach is to ignore any sassy attitude and only praise and fuss when back to being obedient. His internal organs and systems are fully developed and functioning as they should, while the skeleton is still growing. His full set of adult teeth should be present and correct. Your GSD is now becoming independent and will want to roam different areas and interact with their world on many more levels. Be aware that they could weigh 50 lbs at 6 months, so caution is needed with control and safety as they explore. He may also seemingly forget commands that he has been taught. It is best to ignore, not mollycoddle, any fearful reactions to new things to not reinforce the negative behaviors. By 6 months of age, you can reduce the feedings to three per day, now paying attention to the total calories consumed. Between the ages of 4—6 months, he will shed his puppy coat too. He might still be a bit goofy, gangly, and stubborn when it comes to training. German Shepherd females are reaching sexual maturity at this age. They may have their first estrus heat period. So, be mindful of letting them off the lead during this time if other dogs are around. At 9 months, your GSD can be tested for heartworm and treated if needs be. Speak with your vet about this for more detail. You can add small amounts of solid adult formula into the puppy food to get him used to the texture. Making it the optimal time to stimulate them as much as you can with obedience training and work activities. Your GSD should be comfortable in all situations, and with all types of company as their bond with humans should be well established. Their unique personality and quirks should be apparent and set them apart as your dog. They will have developed vocal and body language traits that you recognize and use for their needs. If male, he will be reaching sexual maturity and cocking his leg when urinating. He might also be looking to challenge dogs and humans for the title of pack leader. The key to cementing all your hard work so far is to be consistently firm with any boundaries he tries to push. By 12 months, they should be on adult formula only. German Shepherds stop growing between 2 and 3 years. This is when they fill out too. It starts to slow at around the age of 1, but he will continue to grow until he reaches maturity. During this time, they are considered to be adolescents. This is the same for their mental maturity too. This is the same for all German Shepherd types. Females tend to mature faster, both physically and mentally, than male German Shepherds. There are different stages within this time frame before maturity. And these are the neonatal stage 1—2 weeks , the transitional stage 2—4 weeks , the socialization stage 4 weeks to 3 months , the juvenile stage 3—6 months , and the adolescent stage 6 months to 2 years. Research has shown that neutering dogs can affect their growth. But how exactly? But early indications show that early neutering can increase the length of time that the bone grows. Meaning potentially taller dogs. But this also poses questions about whether this affects the joint alignment and whether it can cause any problems. And for the German Shepherd breed and his heightened propensity for hip dysplasia, this is a concern to be aware of. But waiting for full skeletal maturity also poses risks. Because neutering for females can reduce mammary cancer. If spayed before her first heat, it can eliminate the chances of this type of cancer altogether. As they will be able to offer you tailored advice for your German Shepherd. Dangers of Growing Too Quickly or Stunted Growth The dangers of growing too fast can affect their skeletal development. Conditions caused by growing too quickly are joint dysplasia and osteochondrosis. By feeding him a kibble that is designed for large-breed puppies will help control the rate at which his bones grow. This is because they have the optimum ratio of calcium and phosphorus levels in the food. So, always feed him large-breed puppy food during his developmental stage. This is most common in German Shepherds, but also in some Labrador Retrievers. It is an inherited disorder of growth hormone deficiency, and it will make the affected pooch always appear puppy-like. Growth Distinctions of Different German Shepherds. Let us estimate how large your German Shepherd will be as an adult by inputting their age and weight into the calculator below. German Shepherds are considered a medium-to-large-sized breed. This means they often fall around the line that separates medium-sized dogs from large-sized dogs. The AKC wants males stand at inches and weigh pounds, making them considerably larger than females in some cases. Females stand at inches and weigh around pounds. As you can see, this is a huge range. There is a significant difference between a pound dog and an pound dog. Therefore, how big your particular dog might get depends largely on their genetics. You can often get somewhat of an idea by looking at both of their parents. Typically, if the parents are smaller, their puppies will be as well and visa versa. What does a 4-month German Shepherd weigh? Usually, 4-month-old German Shepherds weigh about pounds if they are males and pounds if they are females. Once they are born, genetics tend to take over. At 4-months-old, the puppies have been growing according to genetics for long enough for you to guess what their adult size might be. A dog that is small at this age is likely to remain small. They are simply focusing on growing larger at this point. They should have all their puppy teeth and decent motor skills. How big is a 6-month-old German Shepherd? Puppies undergo massive growth spurts before five months. By the time they reach six months, their growth has slowed down considerably. The average male will weigh about 53 pounds, while females weigh 46 pounds. They have not reached their full adult weight yet, but they are very close. Because their growth has slowed down so much, though, they will continue to grow for a long time to come. This is normal. It is also normal if your dog retains their somewhat skinny appearance for a few more months to come. When is a German Shepherd fully grown? Female German Shepherds often stop growing at around two years. Males may continue to grow for another six months or so. The exact time that each dog stops growing depends on genetics and their diet. This can make them grow too fast, which can mess up their joints and cause other health problems. In fact, hip dysplasia is much more likely in dogs that were improperly fed as puppies. Instead, we recommend patience. Dogs may not grow evenly. Many may reach their full height before gaining much of their muscle mass and fat. Dogs are a lot like children in this way. They grow at their own pace. While these dogs reach sexual maturity before they are fully grown, it is generally not recommended to breed them until they have reached their full size. Otherwise, it can stunt their growth and potentially cause health problems for the mother and the puppies. Do German Shepherds Grow Fast? Generally, German Shepherds grow rather fast in their first six months of life. They will double their weight many times in this period and undergo many growth spurts. However, after five to six months, it will begin to slow down substantially. While they will almost reach their full size at about six months, it will take them until they are about two to finally gain those last few dozen pounds. Why is my German Shepherd so small? German Shepherds all grow in a unique fashion, similarly to people. For this reason, a German Shepherd may not seem to be growing much at all, only to hit a growth spurt. Your dog may seem small compared to other German Shepherds while still being in the normal range. This increases their risk for many health problems, including hip dysplasia. The dog needs to grow at their natural rate. A dog can simply be smaller than normal but completely healthy. Some German Shepherds have been crossed with other kinds of shepherd — these dogs are likely to not grow at the same rate as their pure-bred peers, too. Do not make the mistake and keep your German Shepherd outside most of the time. These dogs get highly attached to their humans and want to spend time with them! If your dog lives outside and is experiencing stunted growth, he may be refusing food due to loneliness. Make sure to take him to a vet — and in addition, let him spend time inside with you! Unleash the real potential of your companion! We will email you daily with training tips, ideas and videos. This is an introductory course into our training philosophy. You will get customized video lessons based on your training goals — and you can implement them in just 5 minutes a day. However, there are certain breeds that are easier to train than others. Thankfully, German Shepherds fit into that category because they are very intelligent and quick learners. This includes house training , crate training , basic obedience commands as well as learning tricks. We recommend attending a puppy kindergarten class as part of your German Shepherd puppy socialization strategy. Once your pup knows their basic obedience commands, you can enroll them in Schutzhund training aka IPO. Partnership and teamwork between yourself and your dog are the basis for this type of training. Note that the Schutzhund environment is not a place for dogs with aggression issues, neither towards other dogs nor people! If they pass that initial level which includes a temperament test, they can move on to IPO 2 minimum age 19 months and IPO 3 minimum age 20 months. That said, protection dog trainers recommend starting training classes that include bitework and high jumps once your German Shepherd puppy is 12 months old. Dutch and Czech are two other languages that commands are frequently taught in. Stanley, my former long-haired GSD dog walking client, started going to Schutzhund training when he was a little over 12 months old. His owners practiced commands in German with him on a daily basis, and I remember getting a print out of his German commands as they asked me to use them on our walks as well. Lots, ha! German Shepherds need a minimum of 2 hours of physical exercise per day, but generally speaking, the more exercise you can provide your GSD with, the more they will thrive. Remember, German Shepherds are high-energy, athletic dogs bred to be active all day long, especially if they come from a working line! Physical Exercise Ideas for German Shepherds As far as physical exercise, this can be a mix of walks, runs, bike rides, fetch and playtime. This is Nala, one of my former pet sitting clients. She was crazy about frisbees and balls. One of my favorite ways of increasing the energy and calories a dog burns on a regular walk or hike is by using a doggie backpack. Mental Stimulation for German Shepherds Besides providing a good physical workout, dog backpacks also burn mental energy. As you probably know, bored dogs can quickly become destructive as they figure out ways of entertaining themselves. For example, chewing up your furniture and shoes, scratching doors, raiding your kitchen trash can or digging up your flower beds. So do yourself a favor and make sure your GSD gets plenty of exercise on a daily basis. Remember, a tired dog is a good dog, and that applies to German Shepherds as much as it does to any other dog breed! Former GSD client Remi pooped after a long walk. Bottom Line So, how big does a German Shepherd get? Well, German Shepherds are medium to large size dogs, so they can weigh anywhere between lbs. That said, the average expected weight for a male GSD is between lbs, and the average expected weight for a female GSD is between lbs. Both reach sexual maturity somewhere between months and are considered fully grown at about the 2 year mark. Keeping that in mind, your GSD breeder should be able to give you a good general idea of how big your German Shepherd puppy will grow to be! Helps ease anxiety in their new home. We love using Bully Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors. Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist. Barbara is a trilingual, something dog lover, e-book author, founder, copywriter, dog nutrition blogger and editor at K9sOverCoffee. Post navigation.

Train your Frenchie here! You should start training your French Bulldog puppy as soon as you get them home. Puppy brains are a lot bigger than we think — they soak up so much good information despite their young age. French Bulldogs can be a rather independent breed of dog. In fact, we sometimes might feel like we need them more than they need us! What age can I start to train my French Bulldog puppy? You can start training your French Bulldog puppy as soon as you get them home. Build positive training experiences with Zigzag! We can start you off with a personalised training programme straight away in the Zigzag puppy training app , in fact, you can even use it before you bring your Frenchie puppy home as we have a pre-puppy section. Before bringing your French Bulldog puppy home, you can also get in touch with our Zigzag puppy experts with any of the many questions you may have! While blingy collars and outfits might be top of the list, there are some more sensible things you need to get your French Bulldog puppy that will help with your training. Here are my top picks for getting prepared for training your Frenchie. My favourite all-rounder is the Rapid Rewards treat pouch , it comes in many colours and looks stylish when on. The Mikki treat pouch is also good and a bit cheaper. You can go to town and choose pretty colours and designs for Frenchies! A lead — Around 2m is a good length for a lead. A training lead is a good idea as you can change the lengths of them to suit. A comfortable mat or a piece of non-slip vet bed. Treats The more smelly, the better. Have a look at the best puppy treats here. Chews and chew toys — lots of them! Our faves for Frenchies are West Paw Toppl and hollow buffalo horns for stuffing food into, and cow ears and pizzles for edible chews. Two identical toys : Excellent for swaps — your French Bulldog puppy will be super playful and enjoy the retrieving games in the Zigzag app. Originally, French Bulldogs were bred from English Bulldogs, who had a shady past as bull-baiting dogs. People enjoyed their cheerful nature and kept them as companion dogs after these awful blood sports were prohibited. When the need for these workers declined in England, their skills were still required in France, so the workers relocated, bringing their dogs with them. Relocate your training to Zigzag! When they arrived in France, they were adored by shopkeepers, butchers, and, most infamously, Les Belles de Nuit — the ladies of the night! What does this have to do with how I train my French Bulldog? Knowing the characteristics of the breed will help you better train your Frenchie puppy and understand why they behave the way they do. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Frenchies are incredibly loving and enjoy being in the spotlight. They can have a lot of energy possibly even more than a lot of energy and enjoy an active home life. Lack of stimulation WILL foster self-employment; provide them with items to rip up and pull apart to keep them out of trouble. By the way, if you leave them to it, they WILL go into your recycling and have a field day. Frenchies often think they are big dogs, thus they often do well playing with dogs larger than them. They look dashing in them too! December 6, In search of a new forever best friend? Not sure what puppy breed works best for you and your family? Quickly rising in the popularity ranks to spot number two, the French bulldog or more commonly known for their nickname Frenchie is a bundle of cute, silliness, and affection! This compact, low-activity, lap companion is a perfect fit for puppy parents that like a relaxed lifestyle! How do you know if the French Bulldog is the right fit for you and your family? A Brief Background on French Bulldogs! When it comes to French Bulldogs, not where they originally come from! These pups actually made their way over to France from England and were actually Toy Bulldogs. During the mid s, lacemakers from Nottingham, England traveled to Paris bringing along their toy bulldogs and cross-breeding them with bull-baiting bulldogs to gain those tall erect bat ears Frenchies have today! Soon, their popularity in France spread as more Parisian women introduced these pups a staple into city, cafe-culture. What are French Bulldog Breed Characteristics? French Bulldogs have short snouts, round adorable bodies and short legs, square-shaped faces but the most undeniably French Bulldog quality.Although these characteristics breed standard, French Bulldogs come in a variety of colorings including white, cream, tan, grey, black, brown, blue, multi-color, fawn, brindle, merle, lilac, and combinations of each of these! What are French Bulldog Personalities like? These pups have silly personalities, love to play, and can settle right up next to your lap. Unlike the common yappy small dog stereotype, Frenchies are quite affectionate and even-tempered. They love their human families, seek companionship, and enjoy playing with their people. If you were looking for a pup that was thrill-seeking and had a protective quality to their nature, French Bulldogs are far more content with a walk, quick game of tug-of-way or fetch, and would probably rather play with new people and dogs than be protective. While they are relatively easy-going, they can have a bit of a stubborn streak so be prepared with obedience training and to coax your Frenchie with some treats! Much like their early days, French Bulldogs are a great choice for puppy parents living in urban, city environments like apartment buildings. Frenchies, while they love to play, are what is known as a brachycephalic breed. High activity can cause them to overheat and they will have difficulty panting to cool off. While the idea of letting your French Bulldog puppy cool off in water seems right, no swimming for these pups. If you live somewhere with a pool or close to a lake, be mindful of your Frenchie, and even keep a protective float or vest on them! All in all, a home that provides space in a room to play, or walks around the neighborhood or in a park are just what Frenchies need to burn off their energy and keep entertained! How to Care for Your French Bulldog! French Bulldogs, like many short-snouted dogs, can suffer from respiratory issues such as wheezing, snoring, and over-heating in warmer temperatures. While their short coats are generally low-maintenance, French Bulldogs can suffer from eye infections and infections in the folds of their skin. Keeping their eyes clean, regular brushing with a rubber glove, and making sure their skin is completely dry after bathing can significantly help prevent these issues! When you first bring home your new French Bulldog puppy, set up an initial visit with your veterinarian to discuss French Bulldog breed nutritional needs, preventive care, and schedule their vaccinations! Thanks to their adorable looks, French Bulldogs receive a lot of affection from their humans. Basic Obedience and Tricks French Bulldogs are fun and easy-to-train breed! However, some Frenchie parents may find bouts of stubbornness such as refusing to take another step on a walk or not coming when called! If you start to experience this with your Frenchie puppy, try to keep them on a leash while under supervision at home to have them follow you and start to establish leadership. Since these pups love a good playtime session, teaching them some fun tricks is a great way to keep them engaged while still working on listening and following your lead! Potty Train Right Away With the right consistency and patience, all puppies can be potty trained! Some French Bulldog puppies may take a bit longer to master pottying in a specific spot so start from the very first day your puppy comes home! Pick a designated spot, start bringing your puppy there every time they have to go potty, and supervise them at home, or crate them at night to prevent accidents! As companion dogs, French Bulldogs can develop separation anxiety so establishing crate times during the day and at night will help your puppy start to feel comfortable being alone and boost their level of confidence. Set times for feeding, play, puppy training, and sleep will provide your puppy with routine and structure, encouraging good behaviors and fewer chances of your puppy developing bad habits. A daily schedule also makes certain things such as potty times far more predictable for you and helps to speed up the potty training process. Lastly, a set routine creates a well-adjusted puppy that will grow up confident, healthy, and happy! One of the best things about a daily puppy schedule is that you can establish one that aligns with your own! Teach them "Drop-It! One of the fastest and most fun! Are you still planning and not sure what breed fits your lifestyle? Let us know in the comments! Check out these blogs related to puppy training and more! The education of the French Bulldog is sometimes forgotten. They are can lazy dogs, but they are also eager to learn. The upbringing must be done with patience and determination. The French Bulldog is a small dog with a big ego, so it should be treated in the same way as a large dog. Because of the size, we often forget to treat the French Bulldog like a normal dog. It is important that he knows his place in the ranking. When raising your french bulldog puppy, he will need to learn his place in your family. Learning social skills We have done our best to get the puppy used to as many things as possible: people, children, other animals, sounds such as from the vacuum cleaner, radio, TV, microwave, toys, water, the car, etc. This is a good start, but the socialization period continues for 6 months. The primary socialization was done by the breeder or so it should be… , but the secondary socialization period will have to be done by you as the new owner. You will notice that your puppy can still become shy and anxious, so go on walks with your puppy as much as possible. Certainly, do not get angry if he responds anxiously, but do not go overboard in comforting too. If you get angry, you increase his fear; if you comfort him, you reward his fear. Show who is the boss Stay consistent with your Frenchie: if you forbid anything from your puppy, you will also have to keep forbidding it once the Frenchie is mature. It is also very important that everyone in the family applies the same rules. Never make a low posture when playing, not even with a small dog like the French Bulldog. If you have small children who are still crawling, then the puppy can see him as kin. Never leave your children alone with your French Bulldog. You determine the beginning and the end of an action or game. Ignore your Frenchie if he is pushy to ask for attention by pushing his nose or his paw. Always let your dog come to you, do not go to your dog yourself. Prevent the dog from entering or leaving the house first. Let the dog sit, and then go outside yourself first. It is certainly advisable to do puppy training possibly from 10 weeks. You can do this perfectly yourself. General interaction When raising your french bulldog puppy, always be consistent. Stay calm and patient. Do not show hesitant behavior, but be confident. Make sure you have a good tone in your voice: commands and rewards are clearly different. Command: neutral tone — correction: low tone — reward: high tone. If you give a command, the dog must execute this. Repeat the command and help your Frenchie. There is no point in repeating the command endlessly or getting angry and start yelling. If your dog performs a command correctly, reward him. Immediately correct unwanted behavior. A dog can only remember things for a few seconds, so he will no longer know why you correct it if you wait too long. After the correction, you let him do something and reward him for doing well with your voice. Problem Behavior: Unwanted growling There can be several reasons why a dog growls at forbidden things, such as teeth coming through, fear, boredom, and lack of exercise. Give your French bulldog different toys to prevent him from nibbling on your personal items. Make sure that the toys offer sufficient challenges, such as a toy from which something tasty comes out when it is in a certain position. If you see your French Bulldog growl at a prohibited item, take it from him and give him one of its own chew toys. Reward him if he accepts the toy. Good socialization can do wonders here. Reward the dog by giving him a special treat and a chew toy to keep him busy if there is a visitor, for example. French Bulldogs are very vigilant by nature, and sometimes it is difficult to prevent them from barking when he hears a suspicious sound. It is, of course, possible that you appreciate this characteristic. Yet it is not fun if he barks for a long time. It is very important to reward your Frenchie if he does this correctly. If your French Bulldog wants to warn you that someone is coming or if he hears a suspicious noise, then reward him for the warning. Then let him know that it is enough and reward him if he stops. Aggression Aggressive behavior may never be tolerated. There may be countless reasons why your dog wants to bite, but there is never a valid excuse. As a puppy, your dog must learn that they are not allowed to bite, even when playing. The most important measure to correct aggressive behavior is to make it clear that you are the boss. Suppose your dog bites, you can think about the possible factors that influence his perception of his place in the pack your family. However, if your French Bulldog thinks he is the pack leader, the problem cannot be underestimated, and it is nevertheless advisable to seek professional help. Your veterinarian, a dog trainer, or a behavioral therapist for dogs can advise you. This was PART 4. Disclosure HappyFrenchBulldog. The content on this blog is not a substitute for veterinary advice. Always seek advice from a certified veterinarian in a case of emergency. Contact Have questions about our content? Contact us at info [at] happyfrenchbulldog. Footer Nav. Thanks Emily! Frenchies are one of the cutest, most agreeable breeds around. That said, there are some unique challenges when raising a French Bulldog into a well-rounded canine. Overcome Stubbornness Early Frenchies are adorable. It seems like they know it too. They can be stubborn and even manipulative if you let them. Many people try to take advantage of training them with food, but often they end up with an overweight dog who only listens when they have a treat ready to go. Instead, you should begin training your Frenchie as soon as he or she comes home. Crate training from an early age is the best way to help them learn not to go potty inside the house. Far from being cruel, however, giving your dog a crate gives them a den that mimics how they live in the wild. More importantly, few dogs will want to use the bathroom in their home. Introduce them to the crate slowly. There are two big rules to using a crate properly that many people neglect. The first is using the crate as a punishment. If you have children then let them know that the crate is off-limits. This helps reinforce the crate as a positive thing for your dog. Some of the problems associated just come from the exceptionally short muzzle of French Bulldogs. Other problems also crop up frequently in the breed, such as allergies and food sensitivities , unfortunately. You should always watch your Frenchie for signs of becoming obese. Likewise, you need to pick and choose your battles when it comes to walks. Bad weather conditions can cause your Frenchie to have trouble breathing during your exercise session. Read more about the French Bulldog diet. Things like dehumidifiers and air conditioners can help dogs who are home all day. Water should always be available as well. Water is a non-negotiable requirement for any dog, just make sure they have ready access to it. Keeping Frenchies Healthy and Happy While French Bulldogs have some unique challenges to their husbandry, you can help to raise a healthy and happy dog without having to go to extreme lengths. Give the above tips a shot and always do your research when you think something may be amiss. If you do that, then you and your dog are sure to have a wonderful life together! She started this site as a hobby project to help dog owners find answers to the questions she had while owning her first dog. Pin5 5 Shares There are so many misconceptions about Frenchies, and I hope you find the real-life experiences I write about on the blog helpful in dispelling some of them. But there is an element of truth to one common opinion when people say Frenchies can be difficult to raise and train… so how hard can it be? How hard is it to raise a French Bulldog? French Bulldogs have a reputation for being stubborn dogs so you would think they would be hard to raise. As a Frenchie owner myself, I think generalizations like this are very misleading. We often look back and compare it to having a baby and toddler again. It was honestly that hectic at times with stuff getting chewed, pee and poop all over the kitchen floor, and him running away and not listening to us. It took a while to get him toilet trained, he was very bitey, and seemed to take longer than we expected to be trained. However, I think much of it comes down to how hard you work, plus some other factors. This can be due to genetics and their treatment before you picked them up. We took Claude to our local vets and it helped us raise him and train him to be very calm. You can find a list of my training guides lower down the page. They are not and need exercise and walks to be happy. Mental stimulation: Healthy and happy puppies need to have active brains, not just physical activity. Health and care: Keep them clean, feed them a good diet, and keep up to date with their vet appointments and treatments. In a moment, I will break those down a little further, with tips on how you can put these all into action with links into the guides for each one. Is raising two French Bulldogs more difficult? Whilst we only have one Frenchie, we will often look after another one. The reason is, you can find that they will learn from each other, and mimic good and bad behaviors. That can make training a little easier. Read this if you are thinking about getting a puppy. He knows what time to wake up, when his food should be out, and when walk times are. Dogs like things to be predictable! Have plenty of toys Keep your Frenchie mentally active, and you will help to raise a happy and healthy dog. You can take them for walks twice a day, but they will also need indoor playtime. You can buy toys that challenge them mentally and others which just rely on classic games such as tug of war… see the 18 best Frenchie toys I recommend. Your Frenchie puppy will love to play with plenty of different toys. Include them in everything Claude has become part of our family which means including him on everything that we do. When he gets left out of something, he looks really put out. Taking them out from a young age post-vaccinations exposes them to all the different elements early on that will help them to grow up as well adjusted dogs. The remainder is vet approved food that is packed full of all the nutrients he needs. When he does have snacks, we make sure they are things like healthy fruit and vegetables. Below you can access lists of safe and dangerous foods for Frenchies to print off and keep.

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. You turn your attention back to your computer screen and suddenly feel little teeth grabbing at your sock! You look down. Your once-angelic puppy is now having a full on game of tug-of-war with your pant leg! This cute baby is now more like a furry little monster. You get up and try to walk away, but the fur alligator is still attached, munching away at your trousers and having the best time! If this sounds like your life, read on to learn how to stop a puppy from biting. Why Do Puppies Bite? Believe it or not, this scenario is actually very common! Biting is one of the most natural things in the world to a young pup; and they do it for many reasons. You would be left with your feet and mouth to interact, taste and feel your environment. Now, what if you had puppy paws — incapable of grasping anything? That leaves you with one final way to interact — your mouth. For good measure, add in the incredible curiosity of a child. How many times do you see a baby grab things with their hands and pop them into the mouth? Puppies have that same mindset. Your mouth strength and play bite helped you communicate and determine your rank in society. Your mouthy mojo gave you respect in canine culture. Puppies interact with their surroundings largely through their mouths. Labradors, like most sporting breeds, have the drive to chase after prey, put it in their mouths, and bring it back to you. This translates into a strong need to chew. They will try this same tactic with their human pack members. If ignored, one bite on the toe is often enough to get the focus back on them. Remember, to a puppy even negative attention is still attention. Terrible Teething When you add teething into the mix, you have the recipe for a furry gator. Most pups will have an increased need to chew while teething , which can begin at 6 weeks and last to 8 months of age. Unlike teething, there is no magical age that puppies grow out of a learned mouthing behavior. Thankfully, with positive training, most dogs eventually lose interest in chewing on their owners. Types of Biting: Aggression or Play? Puppies use their teeth in many ways. However, this is actually just very intense play. Play biting can be accompanied with growling and snarling. This is just part of the fun to a young pup. Instead, we will look into how we can prevent playful mouthing. However, it is important to recognize the signs of aggression. Pay attention to the timing of the biting as well. If so, the motive behind the bite may be more aggressive. Could it be Resource Guarding? Some dogs also aggressively bite when they are guarding a toy or food item, commonly called resource guarding. With resource guarding, you will see the same behavior as aggressive biting, but they will also stand over an object and defend it from any perceived threat. If you think your puppy is behaving aggressively, seek professional help to learn how to actively manage this issue. In contrast to this, playing puppies will be relaxed and have a wiggly body. They will be bouncy, easily roll onto their backs and often be panting with open mouths. Even if they are growling, a relaxed face and body mean a happy puppy. What Can Trigger Biting? Do you really want your pound Labrador to target your hands as a toy later? Children Little kids tend to excite puppies more than adults. Children move erratically, run around, make strange sounds and have a lot more energy. Puppies can easily associate them with toys. Ankle Biters Puppies target fast moving objects that excite their prey drive. Your feet moving by at their eye level can be irresistible. After all, what self-respecting puppy would snub shoes with those floppy laces that are perfect for playing tug? How do we do this? Redirection with Hands When training your puppy, always have a toy to offer. Remember, puppies are like babies. Your job is to redirect them to fun toys instead of human skin. You must do everything possible to make toys extremely attractive so the puppy chooses them over your clothing, hands or feet. Redirection with Kids You can also use redirection around children. First, teach your puppy to use interactive toys and then show your child how to play with the puppy correctly. In the event that your dog forgets, teach your kids to be a tree when their puppy begins to bite them or their clothes. This position makes them less interactive to the puppy. They look boring and the puppy will lose interest. Most bites occur because the child is running or moving erratically. Remember, dogs have the same prey triggers as wolves. If something is running away, it looks like prey. Your job, therefore, is to have an even more amazing toy than your feet. You can take a toy, tie it to a rope, and then tie the rope to your belt so that you are dragging the toy whenever your pup is out. If your puppy is coming for your feet, stop moving them and wave the toy around excitedly instead. Once the pup is attached to the toy, you can start walking again. This way, they will pounce on the toy instead of you! Bite inhibition simply means that the puppy learns not to apply too much force behind their teeth. They apply gentle, but firm, pressure to their greeting. Puppies also learn to limit this pressure with their mouths by feedback from pack members. When puppies are little, they learn bite inhibition through play with their siblings. If two pups are tussling, and one bites down too hard, the other puppy yelps loudly. This startling sound usually causes the offending party to let go. The play stops for a few minutes, as the first pup nurses his wounded ego. Play then resumes, but with less brutality. Instead, let the puppy release your hand and then simply get up and and move away from your pup while ignoring them. Your job is to teach them when they bite down on you, the fun stops. Ignore them for about a minute, then return and resume the play and praise them when they focus on the toy. If they bite you too hard again, repeat this process. You can either step over a puppy barrier or go into another room and shut the door. Just make sure they are in a puppy-proof area, as they may take out their frustration on inappropriate household items. You can also keep the puppy on a leash while playing with them. If they bite you, you can calmly tether them to something and then walk out of their reach. Your goal is to correct the puppy only by taking away your fun presence. You should not be threatening or angry. Give them the appropriate time out from the fun interaction to settle down, and then come back with a toy to redirect their energy. Once they understand they have to be gentle, you can then start to ask more of them by ending the game with lighter and lighter pressure on your skin. Finally, you can take the game to the highest standard — no teeth on human skin at all. If you slowly progress to this over weeks, you teach your pup to have a soft mouth. If they do feel the need to put their teeth on a human, they know not to put much pressure into their bite. You need to teach your puppy that human skin is fragile and requires a softer touch than a canine interaction. Your goal for this exercise should be to help your puppy understand that the play and fun things continue as long as they keep their teeth on their toy and not on you! More Ways to Stop Your Puppy Biting While the yelp and time-out method works for most pups, there are additional ways to reinforce good behavior. When your puppy bites your hand, they get a terrible taste. You can use anti-chewing sprays like Bitter Apple to make your hands less appealing. When your puppy bites you, be still and wait for them to react to the bitter taste. When they let go, praise them and redirect them onto a treat or toy. You want the crate to always be associated with only good things. Crates also should be in the middle of the household, with the rest of the pack — not isolated. This is the same way other canine pack members would isolate them. A laundry room or puppy pen works well for this exercise. Make sure the room is comfortable and safe for your puppy. When the puppy is too stimulated, calmly put him in the room with some teething toys and leave. Teaching them interactive games like fetch or bringing you a toy to tug helps show them that they can have even more fun when they play by your rules. Positive play helps develop a bond with your dog. You never want to avoid it, you just want to show them how to play without biting you. Teaching puppies to retrieve objects helps to tire them out, gives them something positive to chase, and focuses their bite on an appropriate item. Plus, most Labradors are pretty good at retrieving! Remember, anytime we ask a puppy to stop a behavior, it should be because they are rewarded in an even more exciting and positive way for doing something else and things our way. The following video shows how. Video: How to Stop a Puppy from Biting This video shows how to use clicker training to stimulate a puppy in situations where they normally would bite; and then reward them when they choose a closed mouth and calm interaction. Dominant Puppies Dogs are individuals. However, as puppies mature, there may be the rare pup that uses biting as a way to take charge. Dominant puppies may bite to show you that they want to be the boss as they mature. This happens naturally among littermates, as all packs have a pecking order. This reinforces to them that you are backing down and that they are the leader in the relationship. Always remain calm and assertive with your puppy, but end the game as soon as they begin vying for leadership instead of playing. Remember, the alternative to not training your dog is a large animal putting his mouth on people. Be patient with your puppy. Remember, mouthing and biting are normal parts of canine culture. If you stay patiently positive, train consistently, and redirect and reward good behavior, you will soon see a puppy that learns to bring you a tug toy instead of shredding your trousers. It is not intended to be nor can it be considered actionable professional advice. It must not be used as an alternative to seeking professional advice from a veterinarian or other certified professional. Please consult a professional before taking any course of action with any medical, health or behavioral related issue. Helps ease anxiety in their new home. We love using Bully Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors. For a list of all the supplies we get for our new service dog puppies check out our New Puppy Checklist on the PuppyInTraining. This awful biting time with puppies seems like it will go on for ever, but actually it only lasts a few weeks - mostly by the time the new teeth have come through, at about four to five months, the biting stops, and soon you will find you have a dog with a gentle mouth. You may not realize it, but your puppy is already being careful to some extent - if you have ever fed a puppy a raw chicken wing, for instance, you will know that he would be completely capable of biting right through your fingers, if he really wanted to. He is already pulling his punches, and now just needs your help to learn that human skin is more delicate than the thick fur of his mother and siblings. Your puppy sounds like he gets wound up and overtired the mad running around the house. This is the time a crate or quiet area can work wonders. Stay calm, keep giving him toys and chews to chomp on instead of your hands, refuse to interact with him when he bites you - even a second or two of no attention will help him to realize you really don't like it. Grabbing his cheeks and pulling him obviously doesn't work, he probably thinks it's some kind of game, and the attention you are inadvertently bestowing on him in that way seems to be making the situation worse.It will help if you teach him what you DO want, which is calm, gentle behaviour. Don't forget to praise him quietly and calmly when he is being good and quiet. I found holding one end of a chew such as a bully stick , so that we were interacting without him actually hurting me, helped. I also found that working out a routine was very helpful, so that we would go outside to play, then he would have his food, go out again to pee, then I would put him in his bed in the crate or behind a gate for a rest. Don't panic, this is very normal puppy behaviour, and I guarantee it will pass. You will get there. In a couple of months you'll be telling us what a delight he is.Print How to stop your puppy from biting your hands and feet — fast! Have you ever watched a litter of retriever puppies play with each other? They are all mouths and feet as they growl, bite and paw at each other. Over time, if left to it, each pup will naturally figure out their place in the pack. However, when you bring your Lab puppy home there are no longer littermates with whom to tussle. And the result is often that your Lab puppy will start biting and growling at you! The problem is that puppy teeth are sharp. Very sharp! And when your puppy bites you, even if they are playing, it hurts. So, what can you do to stop this behavior before it gets out of hand and you find yourself or someone in your family injured by your puppy? Before I go any further, I want to be clear about what we are talking about. You should seek professional help and evaluation. Why puppies bite and growl Puppy play is a kind of training for a dog as they grow and mature. It is also a way that dogs determine rank within a group. Remember, dogs are pack animals. In a pack there is only one Alpha lead dog. Every other dog is under the authority and control of that dog. No two dogs share the same rank. So, while biting and growling starts as play, it does not stay that way. All dogs, whether in a group of dogs or a human family, want to understand their place in the family. They need to know their place. It helps they be more mentally balanced and will help solve a multitude of behavioral problems. Once a puppy or dog understands where they rank in the pack, they often assume that place, at least for a while. Remember, they are dogs. They are not robots so occasionally they may challenge their position, but if the boundary remains clear, the challenge is short lived. Biting, nipping and playful growling at a human can become a challenge of dominance. If your puppy is young, you can quickly and easily end this behavior by establishing boundaries and consistently enforcing these boundaries each and every time your puppy shows this type of behavior. If you have let this behavior go on for a while, you may be in for quite a fight to take back your authority. Biting is not the same as chewing A puppy biting your hand or feet is not the same as a puppy chewing on a shoe, toy or other item. All puppies have a need to chew. As their puppy teeth grow and their adult teeth come in, it is common for dogs to chew on things to relieve the pain and help the new teeth to come in. This should not be discouraged, but rather encouraged on an appropriate item like a chew toy, nylabone or rawhide. And if this works, this is an appropriate solution. Instead, it is likely an issue of dominance. How to stop puppy from biting you Biting is just one puppy dominance behavior. There are many others such as jumping on you, putting a paw on your feet, and lifting and placing paws on your arms or legs. The behaviors I have listed are often gateway behaviors that escalate into more aggressive or troublesome behaviors like stealing food off your plate or the counter, pushing you out of the way when going through doors and pulling you around on a lead. Start by establishing firm boundaries The first step to stopping your puppy from biting or mouthing you is to set up firm boundaries for your puppy. You can set these up for not only biting but for all dominance behaviors. So, what is a boundary? Well, here are some examples. Some people we have worked with are okay with their puppy mouthing their hand as long as there is no tooth pressure. If you feel the same way, then make that a boundary. But if there is any tooth pressure, a swift and consistent correction will follow. This boundary is stronger and does not give the dog any room for confusion. In fact, they often will understand what your boundaries are but will test that standard against everyone else in the family. Each person needs to set and enforce boundaries. React with firm consistent corrections After you establish the boundary, you now need to react every time your puppy or dog crosses that boundary. Each and every time! There can be no room for confusion. Your corrections must be swift and consistent. Not all dogs react to the same level of pressure. For some dogs, this squeeze and strong words will be all it takes to stop the behavior. Especially if you are consistent in your correction. But some dogs have a stronger or more challenging personality. This will give your puppy a taste of his own medicine since his puppy teeth are sharp and will pinch into his lips or flews. You must be consistent. How long will it take to stop my puppy from biting me? If you are firm and consistent, the behavior should stop for the most part in a day or two. Some dogs require more pressure, some less. Your puppy should feel some discomfort. That is okay. The point is to show your puppy that biting hurts and that it is not an acceptable behavior. When nothing seems to work If you puppy is a bit older and has been getting away with biting and mouthing you for a while, you may struggle to end this behavior. Often the problem is a strong dominance issue that needs to be addressed. If your puppy continues to snap or bite at you even after a correction, you likely need to exert some dominance over your puppy. This is similar to what a mommy dog does to a puppy that is not behaving. Humans can do the same thing to show dominance over a rebellious puppy. I know, it sound a bit ridiculous but it really does work. Instead, remain calm and patient. Stay in control. Reacting with emotion can lead to strong reactions or punishment that you will later regret. The point is to show your dog that you are the Alpha in the relationship, and you can and will determine what behavior is acceptable. Biting is not love As a professional dog trainer, I am always surprised at what some of clients consider appropriate behavior. Some owners feel that setting boundaries and enforcing those boundaries means that you do not love your dog. That you need to accept all dog behaviors otherwise you do not love your dog. This is a false and faulty mindset. We have seen clients who have been injured by their dog multiple times and they still refuse to take steps to end the behavior. That is not love. What if the next person that dog bites is a child? Would you be able to live with that? A dog that is allowed to continue harming humans is only one bite away from having to be put down. It may sound harsh, but it is the sad truth. Some people may argue that the dog is unable to understand what they are doing is wrong. This is not based on reality. Dogs are very smart. They can learn to do amazing things and become incredible hunting partners and family companions. But they rarely achieve this potential without an owner who cares enough to set boundaries and enforce them. Final thoughts on how to stop my puppy biting me all the time You can stop your puppy from biting you and others if you are willing to take the steps necessary to make your dog understand that biting is not an acceptable behavior. A firm consistent correction each and every time your puppy bites will quickly teach your puppy to stop biting. These corrections will not harm your relationship with your puppy, but will, in fact, enhance it. Your puppy will quickly learn where the boundaries are and how to operate within those boundaries. We see it time and again, once a puppy is taught that there are boundaries, they quickly adjust and become wonderful loving and obedient family members. Help, my Lab puppy keeps biting me! Calm puppy behavior. Conflicting advice on how to stop your pup biting Many articles will tell you to ignore a puppy when he bites and to offer him a toy instead. Some people will tell you to punish your biting puppy. Others will tell you that you must not stop your puppy biting too suddenly, or punish him for biting, for fear of drastic consequences later. So who is right, and who is wrong? Does ignoring stop your puppy biting? Many new puppy owners try to ignore the biting puppy initially. This failure tends to be for one or more of the following reasons. Does noise stop puppy biting? There is no doubt that a sufficiently loud squeal, followed by immediate withdrawal of attention, will cause many Labrador puppies to break off from biting. Sometimes long enough for a skilled owner to then redirect the puppy into a more appropriate activity. There is also no doubt that for some puppies, this has the reverse effect, and causes them to bite harder and more fiercely. A puppy that has spent sufficient time with his Mum, may be more likely to take heed of this verbal warning, as he will expect it to be followed by a sharp click of her teeth and a fiercer rebuke if he ignores her. But there are no guarantees here. And the fact is, squealing simply does not work as an effective anti-biting strategy, for some puppies. Punishing the puppy to stop biting I have heard, even quite experienced, breeders tell new puppy owners to punish their puppy if he bites. Either by intimidating the puppy with an angry growling voice, or even with physical punishment such as a scruff shake or slap. But there are problems with this approach. This process is called bite inhibition. And the use of punishment may curtail all biting rather than just the hardest, most painful, bites. Nowadays many people like to train dogs without punishment. And there are strong reasons for joining them — check out this article — the downside of punishing dogs. Teaching puppy to stop biting Why would we want to teach dogs to bite humans gently? Why is it not best to teach them not to bite at all, right from the start? The idea of reducing biting gradually was popularised by Ian Dunbar. The theory is that a dog which learns to inhibit his bite i. You can read more about bite inhibition here: Labrador Puppies Biting. The concept is a sound one, and most canine behaviorists agree that teaching gradual bite inhibition is a good thing. The problem for many new puppy owners, is stopping those painful bites in the first place! The first step is not a technique at all, but an adjustment in the expectations that we have of a small puppy How much do Lab puppies bite? New puppy owners tend to have false expectations of puppies. They also anticipate that stopping a puppy from biting will be a fairly quick and simple matter. None of these expectations is true. Most puppies bite hard, frequently and growl fiercely whilst they are doing it. This noise is not a sign of aggression see Help my puppy is aggressive. Stopping a puppy from biting is a process, a journey. And it can be temporarily an uncomfortable one! It is important to accept that there is no guaranteed way of stopping biting immediately. Indeed, as we have seen, bite prevention rather than inhibition may be a bad thing in any case. Supervise your puppy around children Once you have got your head around the fact that this process will take some time, that it will be a gradual thing, you need to think about how you are going to protect any children that might come into contact with the puppy. This is important because small children can, both hurt and, be hurt by small biting puppies. Calm your puppy to stop him biting The next priority is to keep your puppy calm. Overexcited puppies bite harder and more frequently than less excited puppies. This will merely start the biting up all over again. There are lots of ways to interact with puppies without physically playing with them. Check out our article on playing safely with your dog. What to do when a puppy bites When your puppy bites you really hard, take immediate action. Stand up, move away from him and completely withdraw your attention. You can try the squeal thing if you want to. This works well with some puppies. Be ready for it, and repeat your actions. If the puppy chases after you, biting at your legs and feet, step over a baby gate, or pop him in his crate for a few minutes. You can read up on this process in more detail in this article: How to cope with biting. Remember, puppies enjoy chewing , and teething puppies need to chew on something. Whilst you and your clothing are not suitable chew toys, you need to provide your puppy with alternatives, like Kong toys. How to stop your puppy biting Biting is normal Biting should be inhibited in stages Training takes time The key points to take away from this are that biting is normal, and that training a puppy not to bite takes time. Stop the painful bites first, then work on putting a stop to mouthing. If what you are doing is not working, you probably just need to be more patient and persistent. If your children are suffering, you need to separate and supervise. Work hard on keeping your puppy calm — it makes the biggest difference. How to teach your puppy bite inhibition. To make sure your puppy stays out of trouble, when he comes home it is your job to put the finishing touches to his bite inhibition ability. This is especially important if he does not have a great deal of access to playing with other dogs. The right way to stop your puppy biting All puppies bite. And biting hurts! Puppies have very sharp teeth and they bite really firmly. Often making fierce growling noises whilst they do so. You may be tempted to correct your puppy firmly for biting, after all, he needs to know it is wrong to bite people! A process that will help you put an end to biting, even though it takes a little longer. Conflicting advice is very confusing, and the best way to be confident in what you are doing is often to drill down to the reasons behind each approach. And studies suggest that if good bite inhibition ability is not acquired by the time a puppy is around five months old, it may never be achieved. Stopping your puppy biting! Some people, including some experienced dog breeders , will recommend that you simply stop your puppy from biting by firmly correcting him each time he does so. Some will even advise physical punishment. And it does. So this might seem like a sensible course of action. But there is a problem here. Suddenly stopping puppies from biting may give you a fast result, at the expense of some more important aims. One problem with correcting a puppy for biting is that the puppy quickly learns to be selective about who he bites. This is very important in families with children where puppies will often bite children ferociously, long after they have learned that biting grown ups has an undesirable and even painful consequence. Being completely prevented from even gentle biting, may mean that the puppy does not learn just how much force is safe to use on people. Why is bite inhibition for puppies so important? The trouble is, stopping biting is not the same as learning to control biting. The concern is that preventing the puppy from learning advanced bite inhibition may cause him to harm a human. Perhaps much later in life, when his bite is much more powerful and potentially dangerous. The answer is that there are triggers for biting, that may cause any dog, no matter how nice, to bite. Those triggers are fear, and pain. Many dogs that are injured, will bite for example. Many perfectly nice dogs that are trapped and tormented by a toddler, will eventually bite. We can do our best to make sure that our dog is never injured or tormented, but we cannot always be sure of protecting him. One day he may be hurt or badly teased, his growl of warning may be ignored. Small children are especially vulnerable in this kind of situation, as they fail to recognise the intention of a growling dog. If your dog is forced to defend himself, he may do what dogs do in this situation, and bite. Or at the very least, their homes. Most dog bites are not serious Although many people get bitten by dogs, fortunately, most dog bites are not serious. The reason for this is that most dogs do have good bite inhibition. So that if he is ever put in the awful situation of having to defend himself, he is able to pull his punches and give a mild warning bite. Essentially, by teaching good bite inhibition to our puppies, we are doing what we can to ensure that their bite is always inhibited. And never the bone crushing, devastating bite that a fully grown dog is capable of. How to teach your puppy bite inhibition What you will be doing is providing your dog with numerous opportunities to find that really painful bites are not rewarding for him. This means ending any game or cuddle, and if necessary removing yourself from his presence. Some puppies will stop biting if you squeak, squeal or yelp, and many people recommend that you do this. By all means try this. But be aware, the noise has no effect on some puppies and is encouraging to others. Your main trump card is the thing your puppy wants more than anything else — your attention. The rule for the first month is Withdraw all attention from the puppy for very hard bites Allow less painful biting and mouthing This is teaching him to reduce the force or pressure that he applies with his jaws. As a rough guide, aim for eliminating all painful biting by around three months of age Persistence and repetition in stopping your puppy biting Persistent repetition is the key. This is a process, not an event. If you correct the puppy for biting, be careful not to frighten him so much that he stops biting altogether. He needs to work through this learning process. Most experts now agree that it is better not to use correction at all for this process. Once you have withdrawn your attention for a short while, offer the puppy a toy to bite on or play with. Or let him sit on your lap and chew on a toy whilst you hold on to the other end. And become much more sensitive about how hard your puppy can bite. Until by about four or five months old, he is no more than gently mouthing at your hands. At this point, all force or pressure in his bite should be eliminated. The final stage of teaching bite inhibition Of course, mouthing is not acceptable in an adult dog. And the last phase in our training puts an end to mouthing. But as your kids approach the puppy, he starts biting and nipping them, causing a few surprised cries. The AKC says Labradors are an affectionate breed, treating adults, children, and other animals like family without causing any trouble. Labradors are easy to train and receptive to learning new commands since their main goal is to please their families. Do All Labrador Puppies Bite? As your new puppy settles into their new home, they are many stimulants, and he needs time to get to know your family, its new surroundings, and that not all slippers are a toy. Just as when people move to a new house, city, or country, your new Labrador puppy is exploring the world. This process will take a few weeks, so be patient. But what happens when he suddenly starts biting you and your kids? Every family that gets lab puppies faces this challenge. Although your puppy is only a few pounds, Labrador puppy biting is still painful. Many owners worry that the behavior will continue into adulthood, especially when biting becomes an ongoing issue. The good news is that there is usually a short time frame that you have to experience this. So in reality, Labrador puppy biting is primarily instinctual. Reason 1: Teething Puppies Sometimes, a Lab puppy biting is simply due to teething. Teething is uncomfortable, so your pup likely just wants to relieve that discomfort in any way possible. If that means biting a chew toy or your fingers, then so be it. Once your Lab puppy has its teeth, it might stop biting and nipping. You can help ease his comfort by offering him teething toys for puppies, like frozen chew toys. Reason 2: Excitement Biting Behavior Your new Lab puppy could get excited by just about anything: Your kids squealing, shouting, or crying, and adults shouting or being angry can set off your Lab puppy biting with its sharp teeth. The solution: Deter your puppy from biting you by redirecting him to what he can bite, like a toy. Reason 3: Biting for Attention Most Labrador puppies are receptive to conditioning and positive reinforcement. Dog lovers know that dogs crave attention from their families, but Lab puppies are extreme attention seekers. They love any form of contact with their families, whether playing, petting, or even just eye contact. So if your pup gets these responses from you while biting, he will interpret them as attention. The solution: Stop giving your puppy the attention he wants when he bites so he learns not to associate the two. When puppies are with their mom and siblings, the mom teaches them how hard they can bite each other without it being too painful through play fighting. Your Lab puppy learns how to calibrate strength based on his own family experience. Do Labrador Puppies Bite Children? One major adjustment is the play-biting: A small Lab puppy has a powerful bite and can cause pain, especially to such sensitive skin. The downside is that Lab puppies are more likely to bite children and teenagers than adults. It all comes down to learning how to interact with the puppy. Children and teenagers are inherently more confusing for a Lab puppy. The great news is that you can stop your Lab puppy from biting your kids through consistent training, but the training should be on both sides. Your kids also need to learn how to play and interact with the puppy, understanding its boundaries and playing just enough to keep them from overexciting. You plan to throw a chew toy into the yard for him to chase — but before you can throw it, he suddenly starts nipping and tugging at your hands while making odd puppy sounds that sound dangerously close to snarling. You might also be worried that you have a puppy displaying aggressive biting behavior. Most of the time, they mean no harm and just need a little training to control it! Without the proper guidance and education, many of these methods might be wrong: Instead of discouraging your puppy from biting, you could unintentionally reinforce it. Puppy Biting Tip 1: Discourage Play Biting Whatever stage of puppy development your adorable pup is in, he will always crave attention. If you encourage and reward play biting, he will associate it with attention, praise, and treats, causing him to do it more. So if your puppy has entered its biting phase and is displaying rough or aggressive behavior, stop yourself from giving any reaction. Simply follow rigid training steps, and it will eventually stop. Although that might be very hard to do because a Lab puppy is so adorable, you will thank yourself in the future for doing this. In fact, it might even make things worse. When you punish your Labrador, he might learn to fear you. This can worsen the biting and lead to your puppy developing more aggressive behavior as an adult. Some people also do a light swat on their puppies when they misbehave. When your pup starts biting, remain calm and follow positive training methods rather than negative ones. This is especially true when it comes to a nipping Labrador puppy. While a biting puppy is normal puppy behavior, without proper training and techniques, your Labrador might bite well into adulthood. Step 1: Teach Small Children Boundaries The first step in your training routine should be teaching your kids how to interact with the puppy. But if they start barking and biting out of excitement, you must stop playing with them immediately. Instead, pick up the toy and step away. Bite inhibition is when you teach your puppy how much is too much. After that time-out, you can return to the room and resume whatever activity you were doing. As your puppy learns to bite with less intensity, you can start training it not to put your hand in its mouth. This training takes time, so be patient, and you will see a positive result. Step 4: Reinforce with Additional Training You can also use other training techniques to reinforce positive behavior. Move your hand closer to the puppy and follow the same technique. If the puppy bites you, walk away from it. As you train the puppy to tolerate your hand getting closer to it without biting, you can finally keep your puppy calm and play safely without causing overstimulated biting. Puppies and dogs might go back to their bad habits if you change how you interact with them, so being consistent is crucial. Remember that children tend to take more time to learn training steps, so always reinforce the boundaries and supervise them during playtime in the early training days. Be patient and give your puppy time to learn. Seek help from professional trainers. Professional dog trainers are experienced in redirection, toy-play, and bite inhibition training to give you helpful tips and tricks. Take your puppy to puppy school. There are hundreds of puppy schools and programs that teach puppies good manners. Remember to never punish your puppy for biting. Invest in some good toys, such as different chew toys or Kong toys, so you always have something to redirect him towards. Conclusion Whether teething, scared or just excited, most Labrador Retriever puppies bite for various reasons. Unfortunately, those sharp little puppy teeth can hurt — so if you notice some unwanted biting from your Lab puppy, you should immediately start training him into different behavior. Learn more about what we do and check out our available Labrador puppies today! Share on.

Teach an alternative behavior like "lick" or "kisses" Alright, let's dive into each tip below. Exercising a puppy is one of the best ways to help alleviate problem behaviors like biting. Again, how much exercise your puppy needs will be largely dependent on their breed and age. A general rule of thumb is that a puppy can have 5 minutes of exercise per month of age, twice a day. So a 4-month-old puppy can exercise for 20 minutes twice a day. The more energy your pup uses, the better! Exercise can also take the form of , just be careful not to overrun your pup. Excessive exercise can cause joint problems in the long run. There are a host of options to help you overcome this issue so you can still effectively get rid of their energy. Consider getting a flirt pole. Flirt poles are a fantastic option because they allow you to play very energetic and fun games of chase, without worrying about getting your hands nipped at. You can get one here. Another option is to teach your pup a structured game of fetch. Fetch is great because it exercises dogs both physically and mentally. Zak George lays out how to teach your dog to fetch in our free online training class, 30 Day Perfect Pup. You can sign up here. Remember, many dogs can have been bred for hundreds of years to have high levels of energy. Be sure to give your pup an outlet with exercise to help stop that puppy biting! Don't miss out! That is the perfect time to engage them mentally with a quick training session! Not only does it deter them from biting, but it gives you an opportunity to reward them for positive behavior. In its simplest form, the leave it behavior is all about restraint. A dog that can restrain from lunging and grabbing a treat on the ground, is much more likely to be able to leave your hand alone when you ask. Step 2: Show your pup a treat and then close your hand so your pup cannot access it. Your pup will likely try to get to the treat by licking, biting hopefully not , or pawing at your hand where the treat is. Step 3: Practice that behavior multiple times until your pup starts to generalize the concept. The next step after that would be to try putting a treat on the ground and telling your pup to leave it. Step 5: Practice, practice, and then keep practicing. If your pup starts biting into your skin, give the leave it command, and reward when they stop. Practice makes perfect! For example, as you teach your pup the sit behavior you can help them understand yes and no. Over time trust me, it takes time , your pup will better start to understand the difference between yes and no. My wife and I raised two Yellow Labs that are about 7 months apart. And they were the first puppies we had raised as adults. So please, trust me when I tell you that getting frustrated will only make things worse. When you are frustrated, your pup likely is as well. And when puppies are frustrated, they won't learn! So, if you find a certain puppy behavior like biting or situation starting to overwhelm you… take a timeout. Let your pup cool down in their crate or sleep area and give yourself a few minutes to regroup. Guess what. So, do what you need to do for a personal break, and then recommit and get back at it! They have a keen sense of noticing our emotions. When frustration creeps in, learning stops for both human and dog. Redirecting to a game of tug of war can help teach your pup what is okay and not okay to chew on. As we mentioned before, puppies explore the world with their mouth, that is totally normal! Many pup parents have found it best to approach your pup with the toy in hand so you can be ready if the hand chomping starts happening. Teaching your dog tug can be a great way to stop puppy biting. Just remember, these behaviors can take significant practice and time to overcome. The question is, are you rewarding those positive behaviors and moments as you should be? If you are going through the process of overcoming puppy biting, you need to remember to praise the successful moments. When your pup comes up to you and lets you pet them without getting nippy, praise and reward them! Maybe you will see your puppy chewing a toy instead of your slippers or hand, reward them! If your puppy licks your hand instead of biting it, reward them! A huge part, and often underlooked, of training a puppy is to praise their successes. Treat each victory as a party and break out the fun, , and praise. Your job as a pup parent is to teach your dog what you want them to do. PS- If you're looking for a high-value reward treat for your pup, we've got your back! Check out our. Of course, you praise the positive moments but at times, you have to take away what your pup is desiring. In the instance of biting, pups are looking for playtime and engagement with us humans. Leave the room, put them in another room, or put them into a playpen for minutes. Implementing this method consistently will help your pup come to understand that when biting starts, playtime stops. A note on this, in most cases it is best to not use the crate as a negative reinforcer like a timeout. For example, when your pup starts nibbling, do your best to not jerk your hand away quickly. Most dogs love things that are moving! So if you jerk your hand or foot away, your pup may think you are trying to be playful. If your pup starts biting, let your hand go limp. Another way to make your skin a little less enticing is to keep them covered when possible. Being a successful pup parent oftentimes comes down to how well you can set your pup up for success. So if you know your pup is going through an extreme biting phase, consider keeping that skin covered when at home. It can be wearing socks, long sleeves and pants, and other things like that! When the puppy biting phase is at its worst, every little bit of help is important! Dogs are obviously very skilled at helping each other learn what is okay for play, and what is too aggressive. One quick note on socializing your puppy is that you should always be there to monitor them! Be active and aware and be ready to intervene if the play gets out of hand or aggressive. Some dogs have lower levels of patience with puppy biting, so be aware of how the other dogs are responding. Many pup parents find that the more they can correctly socialize their puppy, the milder the puppy biting will become. If you can effectively teach them a behavior that they can only do without biting then you'll be much closer to no biting! While there are plenty of alternative biting behaviors you can teach, here are some favorites:. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. You turn your attention back to your computer screen and suddenly feel little teeth grabbing at your sock! You look down. Your once-angelic puppy is now having a full on game of tug-of-war with your pant leg! This cute baby is now more like a furry little monster. You get up and try to walk away, but the fur alligator is still attached, munching away at your trousers and having the best time! If this sounds like your life, read on to learn how to stop a puppy from biting. Why Do Puppies Bite? Believe it or not, this scenario is actually very common! Biting is one of the most natural things in the world to a young pup; and they do it for many reasons. You would be left with your feet and mouth to interact, taste and feel your environment. Now, what if you had puppy paws — incapable of grasping anything? That leaves you with one final way to interact — your mouth. For good measure, add in the incredible curiosity of a child. How many times do you see a baby grab things with their hands and pop them into the mouth? Puppies have that same mindset. Your mouth strength and play bite helped you communicate and determine your rank in society. Your mouthy mojo gave you respect in canine culture. Puppies interact with their surroundings largely through their mouths. Labradors, like most sporting breeds, have the drive to chase after prey, put it in their mouths, and bring it back to you. This translates into a strong need to chew. They will try this same tactic with their human pack members. If ignored, one bite on the toe is often enough to get the focus back on them. Remember, to a puppy even negative attention is still attention. Terrible Teething When you add teething into the mix, you have the recipe for a furry gator. Most pups will have an increased need to chew while teething , which can begin at 6 weeks and last to 8 months of age. Unlike teething, there is no magical age that puppies grow out of a learned mouthing behavior. Thankfully, with positive training, most dogs eventually lose interest in chewing on their owners. Types of Biting: Aggression or Play? Puppies use their teeth in many ways. However, this is actually just very intense play. Play biting can be accompanied with growling and snarling. This is just part of the fun to a young pup. Instead, we will look into how we can prevent playful mouthing. However, it is important to recognize the signs of aggression. Pay attention to the timing of the biting as well. If so, the motive behind the bite may be more aggressive. Could it be Resource Guarding? Some dogs also aggressively bite when they are guarding a toy or food item, commonly called resource guarding. With resource guarding, you will see the same behavior as aggressive biting, but they will also stand over an object and defend it from any perceived threat. If you think your puppy is behaving aggressively, seek professional help to learn how to actively manage this issue. In contrast to this, playing puppies will be relaxed and have a wiggly body. They will be bouncy, easily roll onto their backs and often be panting with open mouths. Even if they are growling, a relaxed face and body mean a happy puppy. What Can Trigger Biting? Do you really want your pound Labrador to target your hands as a toy later? Children Little kids tend to excite puppies more than adults. Children move erratically, run around, make strange sounds and have a lot more energy. Puppies can easily associate them with toys. Ankle Biters Puppies target fast moving objects that excite their prey drive. Your feet moving by at their eye level can be irresistible. After all, what self-respecting puppy would snub shoes with those floppy laces that are perfect for playing tug? How do we do this? Redirection with Hands When training your puppy, always have a toy to offer. Remember, puppies are like babies. Your job is to redirect them to fun toys instead of human skin. You must do everything possible to make toys extremely attractive so the puppy chooses them over your clothing, hands or feet. Redirection with Kids You can also use redirection around children. First, teach your puppy to use interactive toys and then show your child how to play with the puppy correctly. In the event that your dog forgets, teach your kids to be a tree when their puppy begins to bite them or their clothes. This position makes them less interactive to the puppy. They look boring and the puppy will lose interest. Most bites occur because the child is running or moving erratically. Remember, dogs have the same prey triggers as wolves. If something is running away, it looks like prey. Your job, therefore, is to have an even more amazing toy than your feet. You can take a toy, tie it to a rope, and then tie the rope to your belt so that you are dragging the toy whenever your pup is out. If your puppy is coming for your feet, stop moving them and wave the toy around excitedly instead. Once the pup is attached to the toy, you can start walking again. This way, they will pounce on the toy instead of you! Bite inhibition simply means that the puppy learns not to apply too much force behind their teeth. They apply gentle, but firm, pressure to their greeting. Puppies also learn to limit this pressure with their mouths by feedback from pack members. When puppies are little, they learn bite inhibition through play with their siblings. If two pups are tussling, and one bites down too hard, the other puppy yelps loudly. This startling sound usually causes the offending party to let go. The play stops for a few minutes, as the first pup nurses his wounded ego. Play then resumes, but with less brutality. Instead, let the puppy release your hand and then simply get up and and move away from your pup while ignoring them. Your job is to teach them when they bite down on you, the fun stops. Ignore them for about a minute, then return and resume the play and praise them when they focus on the toy. If they bite you too hard again, repeat this process. You can either step over a puppy barrier or go into another room and shut the door. Just make sure they are in a puppy-proof area, as they may take out their frustration on inappropriate household items. You can also keep the puppy on a leash while playing with them. If they bite you, you can calmly tether them to something and then walk out of their reach. Your goal is to correct the puppy only by taking away your fun presence. You should not be threatening or angry. Give them the appropriate time out from the fun interaction to settle down, and then come back with a toy to redirect their energy. Once they understand they have to be gentle, you can then start to ask more of them by ending the game with lighter and lighter pressure on your skin. Finally, you can take the game to the highest standard — no teeth on human skin at all. If you slowly progress to this over weeks, you teach your pup to have a soft mouth. If they do feel the need to put their teeth on a human, they know not to put much pressure into their bite. You need to teach your puppy that human skin is fragile and requires a softer touch than a canine interaction. Your goal for this exercise should be to help your puppy understand that the play and fun things continue as long as they keep their teeth on their toy and not on you! More Ways to Stop Your Puppy Biting While the yelp and time-out method works for most pups, there are additional ways to reinforce good behavior. When your puppy bites your hand, they get a terrible taste. You can use anti-chewing sprays like Bitter Apple to make your hands less appealing. When your puppy bites you, be still and wait for them to react to the bitter taste. When they let go, praise them and redirect them onto a treat or toy. You want the crate to always be associated with only good things. Crates also should be in the middle of the household, with the rest of the pack — not isolated. This is the same way other canine pack members would isolate them. A laundry room or puppy pen works well for this exercise. Make sure the room is comfortable and safe for your puppy. When the puppy is too stimulated, calmly put him in the room with some teething toys and leave. Teaching them interactive games like fetch or bringing you a toy to tug helps show them that they can have even more fun when they play by your rules. Positive play helps develop a bond with your dog. You never want to avoid it, you just want to show them how to play without biting you. Teaching puppies to retrieve objects helps to tire them out, gives them something positive to chase, and focuses their bite on an appropriate item. Plus, most Labradors are pretty good at retrieving! Remember, anytime we ask a puppy to stop a behavior, it should be because they are rewarded in an even more exciting and positive way for doing something else and things our way. The following video shows how. Video: How to Stop a Puppy from Biting This video shows how to use clicker training to stimulate a puppy in situations where they normally would bite; and then reward them when they choose a closed mouth and calm interaction. Dominant Puppies Dogs are individuals. However, as puppies mature, there may be the rare pup that uses biting as a way to take charge. Dominant puppies may bite to show you that they want to be the boss as they mature. This happens naturally among littermates, as all packs have a pecking order. This reinforces to them that you are backing down and that they are the leader in the relationship. Always remain calm and assertive with your puppy, but end the game as soon as they begin vying for leadership instead of playing. Remember, the alternative to not training your dog is a large animal putting his mouth on people. Be patient with your puppy. Remember, mouthing and biting are normal parts of canine culture. If you stay patiently positive, train consistently, and redirect and reward good behavior, you will soon see a puppy that learns to bring you a tug toy instead of shredding your trousers. It is not intended to be nor can it be considered actionable professional advice. It must not be used as an alternative to seeking professional advice from a veterinarian or other certified professional. Please consult a professional before taking any course of action with any medical, health or behavioral related issue. Helps ease anxiety in their new home. We love using Bully Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors. For a list of all the supplies we get for our new service dog puppies check out our New Puppy Checklist on the PuppyInTraining. This awful biting time with puppies seems like it will go on for ever, but actually it only lasts a few weeks - mostly by the time the new teeth have come through, at about four to five months, the biting stops, and soon you will find you have a dog with a gentle mouth. You may not realize it, but your puppy is already being careful to some extent - if you have ever fed a puppy a raw chicken wing, for instance, you will know that he would be completely capable of biting right through your fingers, if he really wanted to. He is already pulling his punches, and now just needs your help to learn that human skin is more delicate than the thick fur of his mother and siblings. Your puppy sounds like he gets wound up and overtired the mad running around the house. This is the time a crate or quiet area can work wonders. Stay calm, keep giving him toys and chews to chomp on instead of your hands, refuse to interact with him when he bites you - even a second or two of no attention will help him to realize you really don't like it. Grabbing his cheeks and pulling him obviously doesn't work, he probably thinks it's some kind of game, and the attention you are inadvertently bestowing on him in that way seems to be making the situation worse.It will help if you teach him what you DO want, which is calm, gentle behaviour. Don't forget to praise him quietly and calmly when he is being good and quiet. I found holding one end of a chew such as a bully stick , so that we were interacting without him actually hurting me, helped. I also found that working out a routine was very helpful, so that we would go outside to play, then he would have his food, go out again to pee, then I would put him in his bed in the crate or behind a gate for a rest. Don't panic, this is very normal puppy behaviour, and I guarantee it will pass. You will get there. In a couple of months you'll be telling us what a delight he is.Calm puppy behavior. Conflicting advice on how to stop your pup biting Many articles will tell you to ignore a puppy when he bites and to offer him a toy instead. Some people will tell you to punish your biting puppy. Others will tell you that you must not stop your puppy biting too suddenly, or punish him for biting, for fear of drastic consequences later. So who is right, and who is wrong? Does ignoring stop your puppy biting? Many new puppy owners try to ignore the biting puppy initially. This failure tends to be for one or more of the following reasons. Does noise stop puppy biting? There is no doubt that a sufficiently loud squeal, followed by immediate withdrawal of attention, will cause many Labrador puppies to break off from biting. Sometimes long enough for a skilled owner to then redirect the puppy into a more appropriate activity. There is also no doubt that for some puppies, this has the reverse effect, and causes them to bite harder and more fiercely. A puppy that has spent sufficient time with his Mum, may be more likely to take heed of this verbal warning, as he will expect it to be followed by a sharp click of her teeth and a fiercer rebuke if he ignores her. But there are no guarantees here. And the fact is, squealing simply does not work as an effective anti-biting strategy, for some puppies. Punishing the puppy to stop biting I have heard, even quite experienced, breeders tell new puppy owners to punish their puppy if he bites. Either by intimidating the puppy with an angry growling voice, or even with physical punishment such as a scruff shake or slap. But there are problems with this approach. This process is called bite inhibition. And the use of punishment may curtail all biting rather than just the hardest, most painful, bites. Nowadays many people like to train dogs without punishment. And there are strong reasons for joining them — check out this article — the downside of punishing dogs. Teaching puppy to stop biting Why would we want to teach dogs to bite humans gently? Why is it not best to teach them not to bite at all, right from the start? The idea of reducing biting gradually was popularised by Ian Dunbar. The theory is that a dog which learns to inhibit his bite i. You can read more about bite inhibition here: Labrador Puppies Biting. The concept is a sound one, and most canine behaviorists agree that teaching gradual bite inhibition is a good thing. The problem for many new puppy owners, is stopping those painful bites in the first place! The first step is not a technique at all, but an adjustment in the expectations that we have of a small puppy How much do Lab puppies bite? New puppy owners tend to have false expectations of puppies. They also anticipate that stopping a puppy from biting will be a fairly quick and simple matter. None of these expectations is true. Most puppies bite hard, frequently and growl fiercely whilst they are doing it. This noise is not a sign of aggression see Help my puppy is aggressive. Stopping a puppy from biting is a process, a journey. And it can be temporarily an uncomfortable one! It is important to accept that there is no guaranteed way of stopping biting immediately. Indeed, as we have seen, bite prevention rather than inhibition may be a bad thing in any case. Supervise your puppy around children Once you have got your head around the fact that this process will take some time, that it will be a gradual thing, you need to think about how you are going to protect any children that might come into contact with the puppy. This is important because small children can, both hurt and, be hurt by small biting puppies. Calm your puppy to stop him biting The next priority is to keep your puppy calm. Overexcited puppies bite harder and more frequently than less excited puppies. This will merely start the biting up all over again. There are lots of ways to interact with puppies without physically playing with them. Check out our article on playing safely with your dog. What to do when a puppy bites When your puppy bites you really hard, take immediate action. Stand up, move away from him and completely withdraw your attention. You can try the squeal thing if you want to. This works well with some puppies. Be ready for it, and repeat your actions. If the puppy chases after you, biting at your legs and feet, step over a baby gate, or pop him in his crate for a few minutes. You can read up on this process in more detail in this article: How to cope with biting. Remember, puppies enjoy chewing , and teething puppies need to chew on something. Whilst you and your clothing are not suitable chew toys, you need to provide your puppy with alternatives, like Kong toys. How to stop your puppy biting Biting is normal Biting should be inhibited in stages Training takes time The key points to take away from this are that biting is normal, and that training a puppy not to bite takes time. Stop the painful bites first, then work on putting a stop to mouthing. If what you are doing is not working, you probably just need to be more patient and persistent. If your children are suffering, you need to separate and supervise. Work hard on keeping your puppy calm — it makes the biggest difference. But as your kids approach the puppy, he starts biting and nipping them, causing a few surprised cries. The AKC says Labradors are an affectionate breed, treating adults, children, and other animals like family without causing any trouble. Labradors are easy to train and receptive to learning new commands since their main goal is to please their families. Do All Labrador Puppies Bite? As your new puppy settles into their new home, they are many stimulants, and he needs time to get to know your family, its new surroundings, and that not all slippers are a toy. Just as when people move to a new house, city, or country, your new Labrador puppy is exploring the world. This process will take a few weeks, so be patient. But what happens when he suddenly starts biting you and your kids? Every family that gets lab puppies faces this challenge. Although your puppy is only a few pounds, Labrador puppy biting is still painful. Many owners worry that the behavior will continue into adulthood, especially when biting becomes an ongoing issue. The good news is that there is usually a short time frame that you have to experience this. So in reality, Labrador puppy biting is primarily instinctual. Reason 1: Teething Puppies Sometimes, a Lab puppy biting is simply due to teething. Teething is uncomfortable, so your pup likely just wants to relieve that discomfort in any way possible. If that means biting a chew toy or your fingers, then so be it. Once your Lab puppy has its teeth, it might stop biting and nipping. You can help ease his comfort by offering him teething toys for puppies, like frozen chew toys. Reason 2: Excitement Biting Behavior Your new Lab puppy could get excited by just about anything: Your kids squealing, shouting, or crying, and adults shouting or being angry can set off your Lab puppy biting with its sharp teeth. The solution: Deter your puppy from biting you by redirecting him to what he can bite, like a toy. Reason 3: Biting for Attention Most Labrador puppies are receptive to conditioning and positive reinforcement. Dog lovers know that dogs crave attention from their families, but Lab puppies are extreme attention seekers. They love any form of contact with their families, whether playing, petting, or even just eye contact. So if your pup gets these responses from you while biting, he will interpret them as attention. The solution: Stop giving your puppy the attention he wants when he bites so he learns not to associate the two. When puppies are with their mom and siblings, the mom teaches them how hard they can bite each other without it being too painful through play fighting. Your Lab puppy learns how to calibrate strength based on his own family experience. Do Labrador Puppies Bite Children? One major adjustment is the play-biting: A small Lab puppy has a powerful bite and can cause pain, especially to such sensitive skin. The downside is that Lab puppies are more likely to bite children and teenagers than adults. It all comes down to learning how to interact with the puppy. Children and teenagers are inherently more confusing for a Lab puppy. The great news is that you can stop your Lab puppy from biting your kids through consistent training, but the training should be on both sides. Your kids also need to learn how to play and interact with the puppy, understanding its boundaries and playing just enough to keep them from overexciting. You plan to throw a chew toy into the yard for him to chase — but before you can throw it, he suddenly starts nipping and tugging at your hands while making odd puppy sounds that sound dangerously close to snarling. You might also be worried that you have a puppy displaying aggressive biting behavior. Most of the time, they mean no harm and just need a little training to control it! Without the proper guidance and education, many of these methods might be wrong: Instead of discouraging your puppy from biting, you could unintentionally reinforce it. Puppy Biting Tip 1: Discourage Play Biting Whatever stage of puppy development your adorable pup is in, he will always crave attention. If you encourage and reward play biting, he will associate it with attention, praise, and treats, causing him to do it more. So if your puppy has entered its biting phase and is displaying rough or aggressive behavior, stop yourself from giving any reaction. Simply follow rigid training steps, and it will eventually stop. Although that might be very hard to do because a Lab puppy is so adorable, you will thank yourself in the future for doing this. In fact, it might even make things worse. When you punish your Labrador, he might learn to fear you. This can worsen the biting and lead to your puppy developing more aggressive behavior as an adult. Some people also do a light swat on their puppies when they misbehave. When your pup starts biting, remain calm and follow positive training methods rather than negative ones. This is especially true when it comes to a nipping Labrador puppy. While a biting puppy is normal puppy behavior, without proper training and techniques, your Labrador might bite well into adulthood. Step 1: Teach Small Children Boundaries The first step in your training routine should be teaching your kids how to interact with the puppy. But if they start barking and biting out of excitement, you must stop playing with them immediately. Instead, pick up the toy and step away. Bite inhibition is when you teach your puppy how much is too much. After that time-out, you can return to the room and resume whatever activity you were doing. As your puppy learns to bite with less intensity, you can start training it not to put your hand in its mouth. This training takes time, so be patient, and you will see a positive result. Step 4: Reinforce with Additional Training You can also use other training techniques to reinforce positive behavior. Move your hand closer to the puppy and follow the same technique. If the puppy bites you, walk away from it. As you train the puppy to tolerate your hand getting closer to it without biting, you can finally keep your puppy calm and play safely without causing overstimulated biting. Puppies and dogs might go back to their bad habits if you change how you interact with them, so being consistent is crucial. Remember that children tend to take more time to learn training steps, so always reinforce the boundaries and supervise them during playtime in the early training days. Be patient and give your puppy time to learn. Seek help from professional trainers. Professional dog trainers are experienced in redirection, toy-play, and bite inhibition training to give you helpful tips and tricks. Take your puppy to puppy school. There are hundreds of puppy schools and programs that teach puppies good manners. Remember to never punish your puppy for biting. Invest in some good toys, such as different chew toys or Kong toys, so you always have something to redirect him towards. Conclusion Whether teething, scared or just excited, most Labrador Retriever puppies bite for various reasons. Unfortunately, those sharp little puppy teeth can hurt — so if you notice some unwanted biting from your Lab puppy, you should immediately start training him into different behavior. Learn more about what we do and check out our available Labrador puppies today! Share on. Print How to stop your puppy from biting your hands and feet — fast! Have you ever watched a litter of retriever puppies play with each other? They are all mouths and feet as they growl, bite and paw at each other. Over time, if left to it, each pup will naturally figure out their place in the pack. However, when you bring your Lab puppy home there are no longer littermates with whom to tussle. And the result is often that your Lab puppy will start biting and growling at you! The problem is that puppy teeth are sharp. Very sharp! And when your puppy bites you, even if they are playing, it hurts. So, what can you do to stop this behavior before it gets out of hand and you find yourself or someone in your family injured by your puppy? Before I go any further, I want to be clear about what we are talking about. You should seek professional help and evaluation. Why puppies bite and growl Puppy play is a kind of training for a dog as they grow and mature. It is also a way that dogs determine rank within a group. Remember, dogs are pack animals. In a pack there is only one Alpha lead dog. Every other dog is under the authority and control of that dog. No two dogs share the same rank. So, while biting and growling starts as play, it does not stay that way. All dogs, whether in a group of dogs or a human family, want to understand their place in the family. They need to know their place. It helps they be more mentally balanced and will help solve a multitude of behavioral problems. Once a puppy or dog understands where they rank in the pack, they often assume that place, at least for a while. Remember, they are dogs. They are not robots so occasionally they may challenge their position, but if the boundary remains clear, the challenge is short lived. Biting, nipping and playful growling at a human can become a challenge of dominance. If your puppy is young, you can quickly and easily end this behavior by establishing boundaries and consistently enforcing these boundaries each and every time your puppy shows this type of behavior. If you have let this behavior go on for a while, you may be in for quite a fight to take back your authority. Biting is not the same as chewing A puppy biting your hand or feet is not the same as a puppy chewing on a shoe, toy or other item. All puppies have a need to chew. As their puppy teeth grow and their adult teeth come in, it is common for dogs to chew on things to relieve the pain and help the new teeth to come in. This should not be discouraged, but rather encouraged on an appropriate item like a chew toy, nylabone or rawhide. And if this works, this is an appropriate solution. Instead, it is likely an issue of dominance. How to stop puppy from biting you Biting is just one puppy dominance behavior. There are many others such as jumping on you, putting a paw on your feet, and lifting and placing paws on your arms or legs. The behaviors I have listed are often gateway behaviors that escalate into more aggressive or troublesome behaviors like stealing food off your plate or the counter, pushing you out of the way when going through doors and pulling you around on a lead. Start by establishing firm boundaries The first step to stopping your puppy from biting or mouthing you is to set up firm boundaries for your puppy. You can set these up for not only biting but for all dominance behaviors. So, what is a boundary? Well, here are some examples. Some people we have worked with are okay with their puppy mouthing their hand as long as there is no tooth pressure. If you feel the same way, then make that a boundary. But if there is any tooth pressure, a swift and consistent correction will follow. This boundary is stronger and does not give the dog any room for confusion. In fact, they often will understand what your boundaries are but will test that standard against everyone else in the family. Each person needs to set and enforce boundaries. React with firm consistent corrections After you establish the boundary, you now need to react every time your puppy or dog crosses that boundary. Each and every time! There can be no room for confusion. Your corrections must be swift and consistent. Not all dogs react to the same level of pressure. For some dogs, this squeeze and strong words will be all it takes to stop the behavior. Especially if you are consistent in your correction. But some dogs have a stronger or more challenging personality. This will give your puppy a taste of his own medicine since his puppy teeth are sharp and will pinch into his lips or flews. You must be consistent. How long will it take to stop my puppy from biting me? If you are firm and consistent, the behavior should stop for the most part in a day or two. Some dogs require more pressure, some less. Your puppy should feel some discomfort. That is okay. The point is to show your puppy that biting hurts and that it is not an acceptable behavior. When nothing seems to work If you puppy is a bit older and has been getting away with biting and mouthing you for a while, you may struggle to end this behavior. Often the problem is a strong dominance issue that needs to be addressed. If your puppy continues to snap or bite at you even after a correction, you likely need to exert some dominance over your puppy. This is similar to what a mommy dog does to a puppy that is not behaving. Humans can do the same thing to show dominance over a rebellious puppy. I know, it sound a bit ridiculous but it really does work. Instead, remain calm and patient. Stay in control. Reacting with emotion can lead to strong reactions or punishment that you will later regret. The point is to show your dog that you are the Alpha in the relationship, and you can and will determine what behavior is acceptable. Biting is not love As a professional dog trainer, I am always surprised at what some of clients consider appropriate behavior. Some owners feel that setting boundaries and enforcing those boundaries means that you do not love your dog. That you need to accept all dog behaviors otherwise you do not love your dog. This is a false and faulty mindset. We have seen clients who have been injured by their dog multiple times and they still refuse to take steps to end the behavior. That is not love. What if the next person that dog bites is a child? Would you be able to live with that? A dog that is allowed to continue harming humans is only one bite away from having to be put down. It may sound harsh, but it is the sad truth. Some people may argue that the dog is unable to understand what they are doing is wrong. This is not based on reality. Dogs are very smart. They can learn to do amazing things and become incredible hunting partners and family companions. But they rarely achieve this potential without an owner who cares enough to set boundaries and enforce them. Final thoughts on how to stop my puppy biting me all the time You can stop your puppy from biting you and others if you are willing to take the steps necessary to make your dog understand that biting is not an acceptable behavior. A firm consistent correction each and every time your puppy bites will quickly teach your puppy to stop biting. These corrections will not harm your relationship with your puppy, but will, in fact, enhance it. Your puppy will quickly learn where the boundaries are and how to operate within those boundaries. We see it time and again, once a puppy is taught that there are boundaries, they quickly adjust and become wonderful loving and obedient family members. Help, my Lab puppy keeps biting me! How to train a puppy not to bite Is it normal for puppies to bite a lot? Yes it is! Almost all puppies bite and some bite much harder than others. How long do puppies teeth and bite? With some exceptions, puppy biting will stop by the time your puppy has his full set of grown up teeth at 7 months. Fortunately, you can stop your puppy from biting long before they have cut all their adult teeth. Do puppies grow out of biting? If you do nothing at all, to teach a puppy not to bite, the biting would likely subside over the next few months. But its very easy to do the wrong thing, and actually encourage a puppy to bite more. And in those cases, play biting can become very rough and the relationship between a young dog and their family can break down. Do All Labradors Bite? Anyone who shares their home with a 10 or 12 week old puppy will tell you that Labradors bite! And I can reassure you that this applies to all Labradors in the first few months of life. Fortunately this is a phase puppies go through and not a permanent character flaw. And most adult Labradors are indeed very good natured dogs. And also at what is normal, and what is not. If your children are in tears at being bitten every time they try to play with and cuddle their new friend, you may be wondering if your puppy is becoming aggressive. You may even worry that your children might be at risk. Fortunately I can reassure you that this is not the case. While your puppy may frighten your children with his sharp teeth and growling. The way he is behaving now does not mean he will be a threat to their safety in the future. Happily, studies have shown that behavior in small puppies is not predictive of the way that they will behave as adults! Why Do Puppies Bite Children? Some breeders will not sell puppies to homes where there are small children. This is because puppies often bite children and teenagers harder and more persistently than they bite grown-ups. It is normal for small puppies to make small children cry, but before you rush your puppy off to the local shelter, bear with me a moment, because I can help with that. Children give off conflicting signals to the puppy. Fortunately there are lots of ways to make it easier on yourself and on your kids. In short, you need to be a little patient at this point, and it helps to know that this phase does pass quite quickly. And that it is completely normal for all puppies to bite a lot, and to bite children with particular enthusiasm! It has to be said, Labradors are even more bitey than some other breeds of dog during this stage in their development. In fact, retrievers generally tend to be very bitey as puppies. As can the pain of being bitten. Puppy bites do hurt. And sometimes they leave marks. Pain, bruising, scratching, little tooth marks on your toddler, these are all part and parcel of raising a puppy. Some very enthusiastic puppies will even draw blood on occasions. All this is normal, but I will explain what you can do about it. Perhaps the most serious concern that new puppy parents have, is the fear that their puppy is becoming aggressive. What really worries people is the snarling. When puppies play, they practice being fierce. They throw themselves into the whole play acting thing with huge enthusiasm. And they are brilliant at it. And the most important part of that game is to make as much noise as possible and to sound as angry as possible. So, all puppies growl or snarl ferociously when they play, while they are biting, and sometimes when they are trying to entice their poor owners into yet another game. His little face will be all scrunched up, his lips drawn back, his teeth showing. So he has no idea that he is frightening your children or that you are wondering if he is turning into a horrible aggressive and dangerous beast. Please do be reassured, that however fierce your ten week old puppy sounds. It is just a game. He is truly just playing. Normal Puppy Play Behavior So, the hard truth is, all puppies bite. And many puppy bites are quite painful. Some Labrador puppies bite more than most, and biting a lot, and growling or snarling at the same time is normal. So is biting so hard that it makes your eyes water, and even occasionally breaks the skin. Puppies bite at hands that go to stroke them, at bare feet, and happily tug away at clothing, all the while trying to sound as fierce as they possibly can. All this is normal. And you, quite naturally, will want to know exactly when it is going to stop! When Do Puppies Stop Biting? It also happens in working dog families where the dogs may be kennelled or at least are not allowed unsupervised interaction with anyone apart from their trainer or main carer. A study carried out on Guide Dog puppies in showed that simply rejecting interaction and refusing to play was enough to stop the puppies biting their adult puppy walkers. But, and it is a big but — in most young families, this is not always what happens. In many families, especially where the puppy is a novelty, everyone plays with the puppy, and often in quite a physical way. This gets puppies very excited and tends to make biting worse. Inexperienced puppy owners also tend to inadvertently prolong the biting phase by rewarding the puppy with attention when he bites. The more excited they get, the harder they bite. Rough physical play gets puppies excited, rubbing puppies tummies, chasing puppies, grabbing at puppies. All these things get puppies bubbling with excitement Noisy behavior can get puppies excited too, so children squealing, or crying, grown ups shouting or getting cross. You might not think you are rewarding your puppy for biting, but you probably are. Labrador puppies are particularly social and love attention more than most puppies do. Any kind of contact with you, or other members of the family, including physical contact, talking, shouting, even eye contact, all reward your puppy. And if you give him these things while he is biting, this will reinforce the biting behavior and he will bite more in the future Poor bite inhibition What makes the bites hurt more, is poor bite inhibition. So the next section explains what bite inhibition is and how you can help your puppy improve his. What Is Bite Inhibition? At just eight or nine weeks old , Labrador puppies are actually capable of crushing bones the thickness of your little finger, with their jaws. Your puppy has been learning to inhibit his bite since he was tiny. His mother and brothers and sisters all helped to teach him how hard he can bite without hurting them. This is where your training will come in. You can read more about bite inhibition and bite inhibition training in this article What About Puppy Teething? We mentioned teething earlier because people tend to associate biting with teething. So, is it true that puppies bite so much because they are teething? And how long will teething go on for? In fact, most problem puppy biting is simply play. Puppies may chew or mouth at fingers to help relieve the discomfort of teething, but this is not the major cause of the biting problems we find in homes with small puppies. Most puppies have their adult teeth by the time they are 7 months old, but biting does not usually last that long. He is growing fast and by 11 or 12 weeks those bites will hurt a lot more. The time to begin taking action is now! But for the time being, you need to put this image aside. Children under five are simply not capable of playing with a puppy under four months without getting bitten. So you need to supervise every interaction between them. Do put baby gates across doorways, even if you no longer need them for your children. Baby gates allow you to separate children and puppies when you are not free to supervise. Do show children how to stroke the puppy gently whilst you hold one end of a rawhide chew and let the puppy gnaw on the other end. It will end in tears. Playful Visitors It is not just children that play inappropriately with puppies. I have known grown men grapple roughly with a tiny puppy, rolling him around the floor, making growling noises, whilst the puppy gnaws on his knuckles. You can find out how to play safely with a Labrador in this article. Saving your sanity and enjoying your puppy If you were not expecting this, it can seem like a big deal, but supervision and some separation is essential if you are to keep your sanity, and your children are to dry their tears and carry on enjoying their puppy. With older children, you need to teach them how to interact with the puppy without getting him overwrought. Labrador puppies, like toddlers, are easily over-excited. And when they are over-excited they start to be silly. Your first job at this stage, is to keep your puppy calm. Your second job is to stop giving your puppy rewards for biting. Make sure the puppy gets no reward at all when he bites someone. Especially no attention. The next stage explains how you can do that. The process whereby the puppy learns to use his mouth gently on your skin — and it takes a little while. Bite inhibition is taught in stages. The puppy learns to reduce the power of his bites gradually. What to do when your puppy bites If your puppy bites and hurts you, remove your attention immediately. This is where baby gates can be really helpful. If you are playing with your puppy and he bites you, you can step over the gate, thus effectively removing all attention from him. All of a sudden his playmate has disappeared. What about squealing You may have heard that a puppy will stop biting if you yelp or squeal. And you can try this, because it does work with some puppies. But many puppies get even more excited by the yelping, and on others it has no effect. The strongest signal you can give your puppy is the loss of your presence and attention. What about punishment? Some people try and stop puppies biting by smacking them or shouting at them. There are several problems with this. Firstly, it tends to only stop the puppy biting the person who did the yelling. Which is of course the very opposite of what you are trying to achieve! You can find out more about the potential impact of punishing your Labrador here. What if you need to move a biting puppy? If you need to move the puppy away rather than stepping away from the puppy you may find he bites at your hands when you go to pick him up or take hold of his collar. Others bite when they are stroked or petted. We are fond of wiggling our fingers at puppies, petting them and rubbing our fingers in their fur, not behaviors that dogs really understand. And many puppies see fingers and toes as something to chase and play with. Hands are a particular target for puppy bites so teach your children to interact with your puppy using toys that he can tug and bite on, rather than playing with him using their bare hands. Distracting your puppy If you want to sit and pet your puppy, or your children do, use treats or hold a rawhide chew with one hand so he can gnaw on the end. Have your puppy wear a harness and houseline so that you can pick up the end of the line and move him to where you want him to go without his grabbing at your hands. Stage Four: Train Your Puppy Not To Bite This is where we teach the puppy to let us stroke and pet him, or handle him in any way we like, without him putting his mouth around our fingers. The best way to do this is with a clicker and some dog treats. But you can also use a word like YES instead of the click. And place a treat on the floor in front of him You see where I am going with this? Build up slowly so that you can touch him anywhere on his head or body, pick up his paws etc. All without him grabbing or mouthing at you. What do I do if he mouths at me? If the puppy grabs at your hand, you got too close. Make smaller hand movements further away from him until he ignores those, then bring the movements gradually closer. Stage Five: Playing Safely As puppies grow older biting can reappear. Puppies between six and nine months of age, are extremely boisterous, and may start nipping with their teeth during play. At this age, your puppy is more than half grown, and his size and weight are a significant problem if rough play is allowed. The secret to avoiding and resolving this issue is to change the way you interact with your puppy. And to ensure that children follow your example. Boisterous and excitable puppies must not be allowed to play rough games with small people. The consequences can be very unpleasant, and it is no coincidence that this is the age at which many young dogs are abandoned or given up to rescue. Here are a few more articles that you might find helpful:.

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