This this article Ed speaks of puppies biting ankles, pants and kids and what not as prey drive and in the same sentence says that when you are holding your dogs collar putting him in and he bites this is aggression.

Now he gives great solution to the prey drive by alternating toys and treats to redirect the dog's prey drive to appropriate toys. He doesn't mention what he would do to a 11 or 12 wk pup who bites as your handling her collar going in and out of crate or just handling collar in general. Would you redirect as well. I don't think you would due to different source of biting. Do I condition her every time I touch collar she is marked and rewarded for good behavior or is this more serious and needs immediate reprimands.

I think for the most part you need to try to ignore it, or put something else in the pups mouth so that it doesn't bite you.


My pup was terrible to handle the collar for a long time.
They outgrow this.

Other people are MUCH more experienced and would have better answers.

It sound like the dog is rebelling over being controlled.

Not a big deal but I don't allow biting on me.

Redirecting can work but if the timeing is off it turns into a reward for being a butthole.

I just lift a young pup of his feet by the scruff and stay calm and quiet till his body relaxes.

Not just quit trying to bite but RELAXED BODY. If you quit before that happens then the puppy wins and it can escalate.

A better way would be to work on going in and out of the crate using markers. Also feed the pup in the crate without closing the door initially.

DON'T use the crate for punishment!

 Quote: Daniel.P.Hughes

He doesn't mention what he would do to a 11 or 12 wk pup who bites as your handling her collar going in and out of crate or just handling collar in general. Would you redirect as well. I don't think you would due to different source of biting. Do I condition her every time I touch collar she is marked and rewarded for good behavior or is this more serious and needs immediate reprimands.

Can you link to the article please? My first thought for a 12 week old pup is that what you are seeing is prey drive. Hands moving around face need to be bit as do all moving objects within reach of teeth. Don't underestimate the peripheral vision either..... turns her head to see what's touching her and goes for the moving hand. Now if she is exhibiting, a deep growl, or stiffening her body or giving you a hard stare, I'd think aggression and enlist the help of someone who is experienced to assist you in addressing it.
If she is not exhibiting any of the behaviors above, you should definitely be rewarding good behavior for allowing handling. I practice handling my pup all over his body for at least 5 minutes a day as a training session. He's 17 weeks now and will stand for brushing quietly for a few minutes, at 12 weeks he was spinning trying to get my hands or the brush. I still treat him anytime I grab his collar, that is practiced too, and I taught him a "Gentle" command for when I put on his leash or collar, he still turns his head to see where I'm handling him but licks my hand instead of biting it. His self control is improving slowly and eventually I'll fade out the "gentle" for sitting still but that's a ways off yet.
Have you taught her to go to her crate on command? If not work on it because you won't need to be moving her in and out by her collar. Another tip for easier in or out of crate is get her attention with a handful of a few kibbles or treats, drop them on the floor in front/inside of the crate door, open it and when she goes in or out and bends to eat them snap her leash on or off.

Bob I don't use crate for punishment and oddly she goes I pretty good it is just when I try and put leash on or just have her collar which is going in and out of crate. I will work on crate with markers. Actually I could go out at any time and if I hold collar or harness she gets that way. She was fine on them just not being touched. She squirms and tris to get hands. There is no growling or any other form of display just REALLY mouthy. I was thinking of marker training for collar touches but didn't want to do it if it was aggression or something needing more firm handling.

Also link is right here .

I have had several dogs before this but wanted to get a working dog so this is new territory especially the prey drive but I look at it like an adventure that is making me better owner.

As Ed said, most often that appears to be a mild form of aggression, but nothing to be alarmed about. I agree with Bob, kinda like a preteen acting out at bedtime. The difference is that the pup hasn't yet learned that it's inappropriate to act in that manner.

I like Bob's suggestions for adjusting the behavior in short order, but in a puppy-appropriate fashion, and for marker training the crate. You can marker train for good behavior and handling, but putting his teeth on me would be handled a little more directly, yet not harshly.

I have helped start several WL GSD pups over the past year or so. The ones that were allowed to be buttholes (and one who was a furbaby) have not developed as evenly as the ones that were taught manners.

The one thing I would add is, if you know *your* behavior is likely going to lead to undesired behavior from your pup, direct your pup as to what you want it to do first.

So if collar handling = mouthy pup, then tell her to come or sit first. Reward. Put your hand near her and reward for self control. Then calmly reach for the collar and reward right away for correct behavior.

Basically break it down in to puppy steps, show her what you want and set her up for success. Then simple corrections after that if needed