3 month old male. He likes to chew but has found that I taste better than his toys i guess. Would grab by the neck and give a firm no for biting me and then right away give him a toy to play with praise. He no longer seems to like any of his toys and is trying to use other household items for toys. When i take whatever he gets away and replace it with one of his toys his interest is minimal. Back to the biting- after reading some posts i tried the walk away and ignore thing but he seems to think that that is a game and will dart in towards me for quick hard bites. this new game of his has been going on for the last couple days and i want to resolve it in the best way without confusing him. I take him for several walks a day but i dont think that these problems are due to a lack of attention or excersize. Any suggestions on what im doing wrong would be appreciated... Oh one last bit- I read somewhere that this biting will last up through the 4 month age typically- if there is any truth to this does it mean to just bear it for another month and try to correct the way i have been or what?
thanks in advance!!

It's not about just replacing the 'bad' item with a good one. It's about making the toy a fun item worth chewing by YOU joining in and playing with the dog. When he grabs your legs and you run that is fun. If you run and drag the squeaky toy, and then let him catch it and play, and run and play and run and play, the toy will be a whole lot more fun than the sofa.

I know you are exercising but it may not be enough for your dog. If they are chewing, and you correct, and they keep doing it, (and are young) it sounds like they are BORED OUT OF THEIR GOURDS and even getting yelled at is better than no attention. If you are able to spend more positive time with your dog, it will tire them out and make them want to please you. Rather than not care if you are happy or pissed, just paying them attention.

I take my puppies, at 3 months old, for HOURS long off leash hikes in the park near me. That was the only way I could tire them out so they were perfectly behaved angels. And I'd rather have them happy and well behaved (and tired out), then full of energy and me having to yell at them constantly thru out the day.

My girls are best behaved when asleep in their beds after a long bout with exercise. Love those sleeping dogs!

I was leaning towards thinking that he was bored as well but the background info that i didnt mention is that im a college student that lives at home... that is playing with him all the time, running with him having him chase me and vice versus. I like the idea of long walks of lead but he seems to think its a game not to come back in the backyard so i have hesitated about doing it in a non fenced area. I could be wrong but he seems very confident and could care less if he sees me or not. As well to make things a little more tricky he is being treated for coxsidia (sp) and- likes to try to eat feces, any feces he can find... I realize that is bad with or without the parasite but it is another reason i dont like him getting far away from me outside. With the toys it seems like we have played them out or his interest and back to him being bored- i was wondering if i actually played with him so much in the past month that he is a little tired of it... Does this new info make you think anything different about wat is going on here?

I personally would not take a 3 monthn old pup out for hours of walking. They are still very young and developing and I would not want to stress the joints with all of that excercise. Also, I crate my pup when I can't be right on top of him and that eliminates all concerns about behaviour. He is always an angel!!

I do not allow my pup the option to not come when called. I have a drag line or flexi lead on him even on my property while playing. This way he must always come, and I ALWAYS have treats in my pocket so when he come si give him one, even if it is only a little nibblew of a jerky treat.
Does your pup have food drive? If so, use it!! make food the result of his obedience and he will be much more inclined to want to listen. Meaning , like I said, call him, he comes, treat him.
As for the biting, what are your plans for this pup? Companion, Sch,SAR, etc... Depending on what your intentions are you may want to inhibit the biting altogether if he will just be a house dog. sport competition you would want a different approach, such as the redirection.

our walks are just around the block 2-3 times a day and most of the playing is in the house.Is this still too much exercise in your opinion? When rewarding with a treat my concern is the dog only wanting to do what he is told when they know the food is present. Will they be able to do it just to please the handler later on and the treats are just to help inhibit learning? We've always trained for treats before with good results but had wanted our puppy to respond for the reward of pleasing us... is this wrong or mixed up? Our 1st shepherd was treat crazy and would do anything for a treat. Our second shepherd didnt have a food drive and just wanted praise (Both dogs were acquired as adults)i like the idea about putting a long line on him. As for the biting we'd like to train him into bitework when he matures so i guess im going to stay consistant with the redirections

I personally would not take a 3 monthn old pup out for hours of walking. They are still very young and developing and I would not want to stress the joints with all of that excercise While I would not haul my 3 month old dog up Mt Olympis for the day. And I would not ride my bike for miles with him dragging beside on a leash. Or put him, leashed, on a treadmill, then leave the room for a few hours...... I did not find an OFF LEASH, so at the pups pace (which means frequent walking, stop and sniffs, and lying on the path) ever harmed my dogs (one that is a GSD). Or my friends pups. (they aren't GSD's, so maybe GSD's don't have normal structure as puppies to have normal exercise?).

The time (hour or so) out in a new and interesting place. With the new smells, textures to feel, sticks to drag, rock to climb, logs to climb/jump/go around, whatever. And the drive there in the car. And back in the car. And maybe meeting someone on the trail. Making arrangements to meet your friends and their dogs on the trail. ALL THESE reasons and more is why I took my pups out and (brace yourself) they did just fine. Grew up strong, healthy, full of energy, AND I loved them because they so much more manageable when I got home.

If you have to have your dog on a long line, that's ok (not as good, but I can understand why you would have to). It's the TIME away from home, with you, and in a new place that's important. The mental and physical stimulation of going out and about.

When I exercise my dogs, I think of if I had a litter of pups, and their parents, and a thousand acres to keep them in. And I KNOW, for absolutely sure, that with that setup, those puppies would be getting so much more HEALTHY exercise than I can ever give on leash, in my house, or throwing a ball for 10 minutes in the yard. I know there would be endless rough and tumble wrestling matches. Tearing and chasing each other in long games constantly thru out the day. At their own pace. They play when they play, rest when they are tired, but they will play until they drop and then come back for more!

It is a sad statement for our breed if we can no longer have our GSD puppies have a 'normal' amount of exercise when they are young.

I never had an older dog that I raised from a puppy not keep me in sight on our off leash walks...well...except for a Sibe I once had <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> by using this method. It is easy for me because I've always lived within walking distance to woods and open areas where there are no other people or dogs.

I take my young puppies somewhere they are not familar with and take them for a walk. They will eventually become interested in something besides me, so when they walk off a ways or stop to sniff something, I duck behind a tree. When they realize I am no longer there, they become frantic to find me. I let them hunt a bit, until they find me on their own. If they do, I praise them and make a game of it, and if they don't, I then call them w/out making an appearance. If they really can't find me, I will step out in the open and laugh and call them and praise, praise, praise when they *find* me. We make a huge game out of playing *hide and seek*. After that, even if they stop to sniff etc., they always have one eye on me so I don't *disappear* on them!

This has worked equally well for older dogs I have owned or fostered.

I also train all my puppies/dogs, no matter what breed, to a retriever whistle, because a whistle will get their attention when your voice might be ignored.

Loey
That sounds like fun for you and your dogs! When we first got this puppy at 8 wks he stuck to us like crazy but now at 13 weeks he is more confident (I believe). Although I havent tested whether or not he will always want to have an eye on me- When we are in the backyard he seems to ignore me if im not trying to play with him or directly get his attention. I realize it is his backyard and that he likes to check everythign out again every time he goes back out to make sure all sticks are in the proper places etc but if I act like im going to go in with out him he could care less. I thought this was the sign of a confident dog (yes/no?)... If this is the case maybe a little too confident. As well when we are playing in the yard he never wants to stop and come in and im worried that in a new place at this point he may not want to come back. I guess a long line as a safety could help counter that but do you have any suggestions on other things to do to avoid having to hunt him down in a park?

Did you say what breed your dog is? Some breeds are more independent than other breeds, and some individual dogs more independent than other's.

If you are unsure of your dog when he is not in an enclosed area, it's best to put the long line on him and work on getting a good solid recall. Start in the yard and then move to other locations so he will come to you no matter where you are. As other's have said...give him no option but to come the first time you call him!

Something else I have found helpful is to take a new puppy or dog out with older dogs that stay close. When I was fostering, I would take the new dog to our walking area on leash, and have my dogs along, of course. My dogs are both rescue dogs and were mature when I got them, but the only time they are on leash now is when I take them to the Vet. When we got to the area, I removed the leash from the foster dog and let them run with my dogs. Not one ever ran off on us. I would also start training them to the retriever whistle at the same time. I would blow the whistle and when my dogs would run in, the new dog would follow and I would praise, praise, praise and treat them all. It never took more than the one day to train the new dog to the whistle!

My sister has a Min Pin she got at 8 weeks, and who is now 6 mo's old, and the breeder told her to never let him off leash because he would run away, and this is true in town where she lives, but when she comes out here to walk with us, she is now able to let her Min Pin off leash. The first time she made the decision to take him off leash, I told her I really didn't think he would run off and he didn't and he came back every time we called him.

I firmly believe a dog that is never let off leash, never learns to be off leash, and although the first thing I do with a puppy I get is leash train them to walk nicely on leash, I also let them run off leash in a safe area. Of course, I start ob training them from day one too!!!

Lois Dugre had some great postings. I also go to the woods and if my dog is not paying attention either run in the opposite direction or hide. This will NOT work in an area the dog is familiar in (like your yard) because (as you saw) your dog could care less if you fell off the face of the earth. He knows where he is and is perfectly happy there, with or without you.

Going to a NEW and UNFAMILIAR place will only help to bond him to you (like when you first brought him home and it was new and different). Most of our pups, when brought somewhere new, and with the only familiar thing their owner, will tend to stick nearby because they are being cautious.

You may need to use a long line, hate to see you lose your pup. But 'usually' when they are younger (like your 3 month old) they will stick fairly close. Especially if you keep tearing off in the opposite direction (DON'T LEAVE ME) if they are not paying attention or straying too far. Or if you keep hiding behind trees/rocks for the same reason (OH MY GOSH I AM ALL ALONE!!). I know at 6 months is when my girls started really getting independent and not as trustworthy. But since that was the same time we were starting up my obedience classes I had lots of help and guidance with those issues!

You taking your dog to new places to meet and greet a few times a week already? Vital for socialization and to make the pup a part of the real world. A few hours out with you, in the car, driving around doing errands, and then out for a time for people to ohh and ahh and give your pup treats is also a way to tire your dog out with the mental situation.

These dogs are extremely smart, and have high energy. So I found I had to deal with both the mental stimulation/learning as well as the physical exercise to keep my girls the best behaved when I was home.