About 3 weeks ago we brought home a GSD, he is now 11 weeks old and doing very well on most of his obedience training, he can sit, lay, shake, stay, hasn't had even one accident in his crate...he's a smart pup. However, I cannot seem to get him to stop biting me. Its not so bad with the rest of the family, but I am his primary caretaker and I get all the teeth...all the time. Things I have tried: loud yelping sounds, taps on the nose, time out, and more recently a spray bottle. The outcome? He just bites harder and harder with each correction, and if I turn around to ignore him he just sinks into the back of my knee, calf, basically wherever he can. Today was day 2 with the spray bottle, and he actually started growling while he was clamping down, with more pressure with every "no!". I could use any bit of help here. Thanks!

You can read this: Help with a nipping pup. And stop using spry bottle as you can see it doesn't work and makes things only worst. Now your dog starts to show aggression because of it.

yeah, ive read that thread and tried everything on it, but it seems like after 2 days of doing any of the recommended techniques he starts to get more intense in his biting. I mean, its comforting to know that other people have gone through similar stubbornness with their pups, but I just cant find the right method for him. I will say this though, along with the spraying the last few days i also have been spending time intermittently throughout the day to do simple commands with him, "no bite" being one of them, and he always releases his grip on me and calmly sits down to receive his treat, so I know he knows what this means, but if get caught treatless, he just keeps at it even with a firm "no bite" command. Maybe im just expecting too much for his age, but boy do those teeth hurt.

also, I just took him to the dog park for the first time over the weekend and he seemed to really mellow out after, ie, no biting.. I don't know if he just got the right amount of energy out that day or something, but I feel like that's something i should make more frequent of an activity.

My vet told me to do as he mother does...every time the teeth went too close i yelped really loud because that's what mummy does....and just shoved a teddy in her mouth...it doesn't last long they grow out of it really quick one you find what works for your dog and stick to it every time. He'll want to bite down because of his teeth and he'll also want to play...another method is to stand up straight and turn your back...and only give fuss when he's not doing it...if he starts just do it again, you might end up dizzy but it works....Victoria stillwell....love her

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Staffy x Lab almost 10...Fizz
Ginger Tom 2 1/2...Tilly
Bichon x King charles spanel 1 yr 10 months
Latest addition Tex the black shep 11 1/2 years foster pooch
How can I forget my fish..i have 13 tropical fish too...err...2 cats 2 neon and one lemon tetra...2 err...will have to go look and get back on that one i can't remember the names lol
My Dogs are the centre of my world
RIP Dolly Sadly Passed away 7pm 6/3.2011

Thinking back I can't remember what worked for Zimba, it just eased over time. I know yelping certainly didn't work, he just got more excited. I used to try to have a toy always handy to swop for my leg, arm, bum etc.

He's only 11 weeks, so I think it's pretty normal. It will lessen with time.

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You've hit the nail on the head - he keeps going through an extinction burst!

It works a bit like this... puppy play bites (normal behaviour). This gets a reaction (any reaction - good or bad - can reinforce this behaviour) so he does it more. He learns biting works (it gets attention).
Suddenly biting doesn't seem to work.... pup thinks "why the hell not?" so he tries harder... still no response.... tries harder still.... Yes!! See, it does work (when you give in)

To give you a comparison - what do you do if the TV remote doesn't work first time? Push the bittons harder of course!! the fact that as an intelligent human being you know full well this is pointless, that the batteries need changing etc, is beside the point - your first instinctive reaction is to simply "try harder". Your pup is doing the same thing - and he doesn't have that level of logic to give him an alternative...

I suggest you pick a method and stick to it - for more than 2 days if necessary (shouldn't take much longer though).

Forget all the "corrections" (spray, hitting, etc) these will almost certainly make things worse. ANY attention is likely to reinforce the behaviour, unless your corrections are so severe that they cause pain and fear (which will also make things far worse).

The best option is to ignore the pup when he bites. I don't mean ignore the biting - I mean totally 100% ignore the pup when he does it. Stand up, fold your arms and look away. No speaking, no touching, no eye contact. Nothing. Like he doesn't exist. If he is persistent, walk away. Leave the room and shut the door behind you.
You don't need to stay out long - just don't go back in while he's still fussing. If you go back in and he tries immediately to bite, go straight back out. Repeat.

The important thing is total consistency. NEVER give him attention for biting. Biting must mean that all play, all attention, all good things cease immediately. Yes, as you have noticed his initial response will be to try harder - but this phase is normal and doesn't last. After a few desperate attempts he will get the idea.

Hope that makes sense. Good luck.

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"For all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world"

GREAT advice...it works for all negative behaviour too

__________________
Staffy x Lab almost 10...Fizz
Ginger Tom 2 1/2...Tilly
Bichon x King charles spanel 1 yr 10 months
Latest addition Tex the black shep 11 1/2 years foster pooch
How can I forget my fish..i have 13 tropical fish too...err...2 cats 2 neon and one lemon tetra...2 err...will have to go look and get back on that one i can't remember the names lol
My Dogs are the centre of my world
RIP Dolly Sadly Passed away 7pm 6/3.2011

This is exactly what I did too and it worked really well and really quickly. I would stare purposefully at the ceiling. Worked for attention seeking behaviour like barking etc too.

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When Dougie was a pup tried all the usuals the same as you have (not the spray or tapping nose though) but it didn't work. We made sure there were no toys in the hall and all the doors were shut so when he bit, without saying anything popped him in the hall alone and shut the door & left him for a few minutes. Cured it within a few days