So our GSD pup is about 13 weeks old now and very well behaved, but we’ve got a lingering problem with her and our youngest son. Whenever they are in the same room together, or out in the back yard, or wherever, she will try to play with him but she tries to play with him as though he is one of her littermates. If he runs by her she’ll try to run alongside him, but she’ll grab onto his clothes with her teeth as they run. She’ll also try to stand up and put her paws on his shoulders and wrestle with him. It really seems as though she is only playing rather than trying to hurt him, but she’s going to be bigger than him in no time, and could potentially really hurt him.

The problem though is that he eggs her on, and will run by her trying to get her to chase him, but then of course she’ll get a nip in and he’ll whine about it. We’ve instructed him to yell “NO” at her when she does it, but he won’t do it. When he does she stops, but of course he’ll turn around and instigate it again a little while later.

Typically when this happens they are across the yard, or in the next room so that I have to chase them down while it’s happening to stop her.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to put a stop to this? I’ve even thought briefly about getting a shock collar with a remote. I always make sure that I can watch them when they are together, but it’s always when they are out of reach.

Anyone have any ideas? I feel like it’s his fault as much as hers, but that’s no consolation if he gets hurt. She doesn’t do this with my 4 year old daughter (she doesn’t try to roughhouse with the dog, and the dog doesn’t play that way with her that way), and she’s pretty well behaved around adult, though she’s still a little “mouthy”.

I feel your pain...literally. We have a 4 month old Siberian husky that bites and nips constantly. Our 4-year-old encourages it with his behavior but it's getting old. We're signed up for puppy classes starting the 27th. Maybe we'll have a revelation I can share. We can't even sit on the floor with the little guy to pet him without being constantly bitten.

DO NOT TAKE CHANCES.

Find another home for the puppy, it is just a dog.

The child is more precious. Maybe when the child is a little older you can find another puppy with a better temperament.

Still way to young for a shock collar.  What she's doing when chasing him and nipping is what GSD's naturally do, they try to heard you.  My 6yr old GSD still try's to do that with my wife but only in a playful way, he doesn't put pressure in the bite, more like grabbing her arm and saying we're going over here.  GSD's do mouth a lot though, so if it's not something you want her to continue you need to correct now while she's still young.  It's imperative you get the family on board too or it will cause confusion to the dog.  I've had GSD's all my life and my father was a PD k-9 handler/trainer, every dog is different.  GSD's need to be challenged and exercised for your sanity and theirs.  Get the dog some kind of chew toy, tennis ball or soft frisbee to keep in her mouth while playing.  If she nips, tell her no and make her sit.  There's no need to yell no just use a stern voice, she'll get the picture soon.

Best wishes to you guys. The frustrating part is that we have mostly stopped the nipping with everyone else. She still wants to mouth people when she gets excited and forgets herself, but if I give her a look and even extend my hand ("I dare you to bite it") she'll give me an "oh shit, I'm sorry" look and will shy away. We just can't get her to settle down with the little one. :(

Train your kid.  Work with the dog.


Your son and the dog need to understand boundaries.  Your son needs to be taught not to instigate the puppy.  The puppy needs to be taught not to nip or put it's paws on your family members.


To be perfectly honest, your son will be the tougher of the two to crack.

ETA: You need to begin an excercise regimen with the pup.  Provide an outlet to release all that "working dog" energy.

Yeah, she has pretty good bite inhibition even when she does nip at someone, it's just that her teeth are so sharp they are painful even with very little pressure, especially to a kid.

Yeah, that's what I figure. He's an especially hard headed little guy too. Bright but stubborn.

She's just a pup, she just needs to be corrected of her behaviour now while she's young...A good dog will be your childs best friend..

At 3, I think he could handle a shock collar.  Probably should not set it on High, but you might try a Low or Medium setting first.

TRG

LOL it has crossed my mind...

She really does not seem to be an aggressive dog, she just seems to think he's a hairless puppy.

Of course I frequently have to rescue her from him once he's "had enough". I heard her yelp yesterday and he looked guilty. I checked her out and found that the base of her ear was covered in what looked like saliva. Yup... he bit her.

Much agreed.  

Both the kid and the pup need to be worked with more frequently.  Also OP, yelling can garner the opposite response you're looking for...sometimes results in more excitement when your goal is to calm them.

Your child needs to establish dominance.  If the pup bites, he needs to correct the pup.  The best way is to put the dog on their back and say no.  The pup will learn who is boss.  I'm training a new pup here now and she already understands "no bites".  I also have the kids put their hands in her food when she's eating and have them give her treats when they work with her.  Everyone in the house needs to be involved in all aspects of the puppy's development or the dog will quickly assert it's dominance over a child.  These behaviors can be corrected with grown dogs, but it is much easier to prevent when they are puppies.

you better nip that shit in the bud.  The pup's going to bite back...at which point you'll have only your boy to blame.


FWIW, I'm not hard on kids, but many young pups are better behaved than the owner's small children.  The pup gets punished for "bad behavior" when the child is pulling, biting, pinching, and hitting.

Point taken on the yelling.

I personally love dogs. However I will never put a dog ahead of a child. If the dog attacks a young child for any reason, the dog will be gone. If the child is not yet old enough to deal with the animal in an appropriate manner, then maybe waiting a few years would be a prudent choice.

This dog is probably not aggressive but is it worth the risk?  Maybe a little time or a different breed until the child is a little older.

This is our issue. Our son won't do anything. It's kind of funny in a way but he'll be standing there like nothing's wrong and then calmly say, "Dad, the dog's chewing on me again." We've tried telling him he's got to assert himself and let the dog know what the dog is at the bottom of the pack, not our son.

At our training orientation everything was counter intuitive but the results that were shown in the video were amazing. Our husky is very good with the food bowl and I know he's just wanting to play. There's no aggression, just puppy. We truly were spoiled with our golden retriever, though.

So is there anything that I can do as "pack leader" to teach the dog that she is at the bottom of the pack, even below the children? Or does each individual have to assert themselves with her to establish the relationships?

Good to know that the nipping will fall by the wayside. As it is she mainly just nips at his clothes, but unfortunately she frequently gets his skin as well. Doesn't seem likes she's going for "him", just the clothes.

The videos we watched were from the Dog Listener. Seem pretty good to me.

your child needs to establish that role, otherwise as soon as you leave the room, the puppy will go back to "playing" with your son. Tell your son to stay calm if the puppy nips his clothes, to stop running, stand up, push her off of him and tell the puppy "NO". it might take a while but it will work.

our 4 month old GSD went through a similar phase, but luckily our 3 y/o male GSD put her in her place and it lasted only a couple weeks. Mostly she would nip at ankles and feet while she was running around the house. She is still playful, but she knows her boundaries. She doesn't play rough with us or nip, pounce, etc unless we initiate it.

Same problem here with a 13 wk old GSD and a 5 yr old. We are working on it.