Puppy Biting On Pant/Legs

When my puppy was real young (and when I had Ana), if he was out of his pen or crate, I was actively playing with him or he was playing with my other dogs so I didn't factor in.  He never really had the chance to bite on my pants or any part of me b/c we were always playing together with toys, tugging, fetch, chasing the flirt pole or he was rough housing with the other dogs.  He had a puppy pen that was plenty big for him to roll around and play with his toys, chew bully sticks, etc so basically I went with one hour in for each half hour or so out.  They are a lot of work at that age!  Maybe it's a difference in breeds but GSDs need constant supervision and need YOU to be playing with them when they are awake and out in the house.

Ignore.  Not a word, not a look, just completely ignore and walk away to another room.  And, be thankful that Jaws has the teeth in fabric and not skin!

glenmar

Ignore.  Not a word, not a look, just completely ignore and walk away to another room.  And, be thankful that Jaws has the teeth in fabric and not skin!

What if you are outside and on a leash? What if you turn around and ignore and the puppy is still hanging on? Just let her rip the jeans off? I think if I stood there and ignored she'd hang on and keep pulling and pulling.

ShelterDogs

glenmar

Ignore.  Not a word, not a look, just completely ignore and walk away to another room.  And, be thankful that Jaws has the teeth in fabric and not skin!

What if you are outside and on a leash? What if you turn around and ignore and the puppy is still hanging on? Just let her rip the jeans off? I think if I stood there and ignored she'd hang on and keep pulling and pulling.

When my puppies got this way it was either because they needed more exercise and *I* was not providing enough interaction, or they were starting to get overly tired and needed to go back in the puppy pen. Some puppies get the ignore thing and others are just going to be bitey mouthy puppies for a time so it's easiest to re-direct it onto a toy or put the puppy away for a while.

When Nikon was real small, I walked him with a stick or toy in his mouth.  In fact, I still walk him with a ball in his mouth.  It has a tug string on it and I usually hold that instead of the leash.  He doesn't pull against it and it keeps him in heel :)

ShelterDogs

I think if I stood there and ignored she'd hang on and keep pulling and pulling.

Take a toy she loves and some yummy treats EVERYWHERE you go, in the house or on a walk.  When she latches on, offer her the toy (squeaking madly) or the treat,whichever one she's most likely to take.  The moment she releases the pant leg to take the offering, say "out" or any word you choose and then ask for a sit and then give her the toy or treat.  You want to be careful that you don't inadvertantly make a game of her grabbing the pants leg and then getting a reward because when she lets go and then she says "aha, bite pants, release, get treat. wonderful game" :)  That's why you want to get her to give you a behavior before the reward.   

 Jackie's suggestion is great, and keeps you in "training" mode, not "correction" mode.  Puppies just do what comes naturally, and if they are spending too much time biting your pant legs, they need other things to direct their attention to, so providing exercise and enrichment is a good tactic.  Exercise alone won't always do it, because pups have to experiment like this to develop bite inhibition - they need off leash play with other puppies, and they need to exercise their minds as well as their bodies, so I like to recommend feeding pups from puzzle toys, such as the Aikiou.  You can get those at cleanrun.com.  Of course, pups need to be supervised and not left alone with puzzles.  They aren't completely chew proof!  I've been known to squeeze through a door, leaving a "pant leg piranha" on one side and me on the other (only in a safe location).  The pup learns that biting the pants makes the playmate disappear for a few.

 Tootsie, was like this until about 6 months. I did the ignore and walk away method. Tootsie hanging off my pant leg while I was walking was not an unusual sight. Now, at the almost age of 6, her teeth have never and I mean never come in contact with my skin. Her having a very soft mouth probably helps.

JackieG

Take a toy she loves and some yummy treats EVERYWHERE you go, in the house or on a walk.  When she latches on, offer her the toy (squeaking madly) or the treat,whichever one she's most likely to take.  The moment she releases the pant leg to take the offering, say "out" or any word you choose and then ask for a sit and then give her the toy or treat.  You want to be careful that you don't inadvertantly make a game of her grabbing the pants leg and then getting a reward because when she lets go and then she says "aha, bite pants, release, get treat. wonderful game" :)  That's why you want to get her to give you a behavior before the reward.   

Thank you Liesje, Jackie and spiritdogs. I appreciate this advice. I never had much experience working with puppies at the shelter. We did get puppies, but I never worked with one that had a biting problem until now. I will pass on this info.

spiritdogs, the Aikiou does look very good. I saw Nicole Wilde's review of it the other day. Have a look.