Need help

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redman25
Rank: Senior Hunter
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 12:58 pm
Location: Charleston, SC

Need help

Post by redman25 » Mon Sep 27, 2010 4:43 pm

I posted about my 10 week old gsp's constant chewing the other day, and I understand that this is going to happen. On the other hand, he has a BAD habit of nipping at my girlfriend and our 6 year old little boy while playing. Only on occasion, and it's not aggressive, but I know this could progress into a serious issue. He doesn't do it to me hardly at all anymore, because I'm much more firm with him. I've taught both of them to redirect his attention to a toy or rawhide etc....., and they're really good about doing so. Sometimes he's just so amped up that he has no interest in whatever they have, he wants to play with THEM. I've thought about acquiring and using the figure 8 tool that I've read about, but I'm wondering if I'm jumping the gun or do I need to get on this no matter what it takes? I exercise him daily....a lot. We have a calm household, and the child is very laid back for a 6 year old, so I don't think we're causing this over excited behavior. Other than this I'm extremely happy with him. Any suggestions?

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ymepointer
Rank: 4X Champion
Posts: 611
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2008 1:21 pm
Location: The Pacific Northwest

Re: Need help

Post by ymepointer » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:31 pm

When was he weaned from his mother and taken from his littermates? I have heard that socialization after weaning with the dam and pups helps to curb this type of behavior, and if you take them away to soon they don't get the reprimands their siblings and mother dish out for to rough play.

Check out this article to help train that pups mouth to soften up

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bite2.html

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daniel77
Rank: Master Hunter
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:27 am
Location: Louisiana

Re: Need help

Post by daniel77 » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:58 pm

He doesn't bite you because he sees you as alpha. He sees your son and girlfriend more as his equals, and this is a real problem and will/can lead to more undesirable behaviors down the road. The simplest thing to do is have them flip him onto his back and hold him down until he calms down (maybe 30 seconds or so) when he gets unruly. This would also be fine to do if he's jumping up on people. Do keep in mind that he's a very young pup, and you don't need overkill on this.

I think that a good book, not necessarily just a bird dog book, but a general house dog behavior type book, maybe one of Cesar's, would be a good investment for you. Sounds like you're very lucky to have a family who is on the same page.
Two cannibals were eating a clown. One looks up at the other and says, "Does this taste funny to you?"

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