My 3-month GSD puppy bites and whines. How do I prevent bad habits?

All of this sounds like normal puppy GSD behavior. They can have A LOT of energy that just needs to be expelled. I would consider taking her to a doggy day care during the day to see if this helps with her energy at night. I would also enroll her in a puppy behavior classes or have a trainer come to your house to help. These types of dogs need work and also need major behavior training in order to make them good dogs. Also, give her some time. As she becomes older she will mature and should improve but she won't without the appropriate training and attention. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Every puppy is different so it is difficult to give you an exact timeline of when this behavior will end. For eating poop, I recommend spraying the poop with bitter apple to deter ingestion of the poop. You can also use Forbid, but I am unsure if this is available in your country. You might find another product similar at a pet store or if you call and ask a vet office. To break the biting Behavior, I recommend sticking your thumb underneath the tongue inside the mouth and gripping the underside of the lower jaw with the remaining four fingers. Once you have done this apply light pressure between your thumb and your other four fingers and hold that grip for about 5 to 10 seconds until your puppy finds this annoying. I usually repeat this several times before the puppy decides it is not a fun game anymore. Most of the time, puppies will come back for more thinking it is a game and shortly after experiencing several episodes they stop and lick instead. I find this has been one of the most successful tricks that I use to stop biting. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text based consultation if needed.

To help keep him occupied when you aren't able to actively play with him, I recommend getting him a Kong toy. My GSD loved his. Also, to save you hands, you need to work with him on learning what is and is not acceptable when mouthing and chewing. When you play with your puppy, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your puppy and cause him to stop mouthing you. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your puppy for stopping. Resume whatever you were doing before. If your puppy bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period. If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. When your puppy delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. After the short time-out, return to your puppy and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your puppy until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your puppy isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your puppy to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your puppy or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your puppy can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all. Also, the help keep that busy little mind occupied and teach him appropriate behavior, get him involved in obedience training. Many places have puppy kindergarten classes (if you have a PetsMart nearby, ask about their classes) that will teach you to teach them basic obedience. If he shows an aptitude for it, continue with his training as far as you would like to go. Teach him tricks, teach him tasks, play fetch, whatever you can and need to do to keep his body well-exercised and tired and his mind occupied. A tired dog is a happy dog.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Luna is eating, drinking and using the bathroom normally then she is likely whining because of her breed. German Shepherds are a “chatty” breed. Meaning they make a lot of noise when they are healthy. I would recommend making sure Luna has a lot of exercise and lots of brain toys (toys she has to think or solve to get treats out). Shepherds have an active mind and need a lot of stimulation. Obedience classes can be helpful for you to teach Luna new tricks to keep her entertained. Good luck and kisses to Luna!

The crying and whining is normal for her age. She has to learn that no one can be with her all the time and that someone will come back. Make sure she has toys and a comfort bed or blanket to help As far as biting, she is young enough to teach what behavior is good. Whenever she bites stop playing her and tell her no. Ignore her until she settles down and try agin. If she continues then keep stopping until she makes the association. Make sure she has toys that are safe to chew on and bite. When she does wrong give something that is appropriate so she learns. Make sure you reward good behavior with treats and praise socit helps her understand

Your best option is to have a professional trainer come to your home and evaluate her during these situations. They will be able to give you the best advice. Behavior issues are not quick fixes and if you don't know what you are doing you could make the dog worse instead of better. These types of behaviors should be handled by a professional. You need to catch this before she gets worse. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to rectify (especially in a dog like a German Shepherd). I don't know where you are located so just do a google search for in-home professional dog trainers in your area or you can probably get a reference from your veterinarian. Here are some random ones `i found in India but I don't know if any are close to you: ( http://www.k9school.in/ ) ( http://cochindogtrainingacademy.com/ ) ( http://www.woodstockdogs.com/ )

That is a very young age to get a puppy and take it from its mother, which can affect socialization some. I highly recommend enrolling in a puppy kindergarten class together once Jerry is old enough to ensure you both set some ground rules, learn how to communicate with each other, socialize with other puppies, and get started on some basic obedience. It is normal for puppies to bark and be active, but if she is being aggressive, growling, snarling, etc, it is also a good idea to speak with a trainer or behaviorist in your area as this is not normal behavior. A trainer can work with you in person to help make sure Jerry is feeling comfortable instead of fearful, and that you both learn how to work together.