April 21, 2011

My 10 week old puppy chases my 7 and 9 year old around the backyard. Should I stop this behavior? I am a little worried about him biting the kids when he catches them.

Full Question:
We have a 10 wk GSD that has so far shown no signs of dominance. My question: is it OK for her to chase my two kids ages 7 and 9 around the backyard? She is mouthy so the kids try to stay just out of her reach. Everyone is having a great time with this but my husband thought it might not be a good idea. I was thinking it was fine but that maybe we should correct her if she puts her teeth on them. Or should we just let her outgrow her mouthiness? I have your video Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months and just ordered Basic Dog Obedience.

Thanks for your time.
Sherry
Ed
Ed Ed's Answer:
I think you make a test and see if she bites down hard. I think its OK for her to play with the kids at this age - maybe what they should do is take an old towel rolled up in a tube (or a puppy tug like we sell) and run with it, then the puppy can focus on biting that when it catches them - rather than biting the kids.

This starts by teaching the pup that it's fun to play tug of war with the towel or tug - (put it on a short string or rope, a dog leash works fine) make it bounce around until the dog grabs it. Like in the puppy video. Good Luck and thanks for your business.

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