my 3mth old German Shepherd

Question
My 12 wk old male AKC German Shepherd bites non stop.  I think he is playing, but I'm not sure anymore. He mainly goes for the hands and arms, also the feet.  But he is drawing blood.  It is like he doesn't understand that it hurts.  He mainly bites me, but I have a husband and 2 small children that I worry about.  He pretty much will obey my husband if he raises his voice, but I am the one who spends all the time with him and feeds him.  He has been a biter since we brought him home at 6 wks old.  He doesn't chew on furniture which was my main concern, it seems he would rather chew on me.  Please help if at all possible.  We have tried disciplining w/ news paper or time outs.

Thank you  

Answer
Hi Tiffany,  It is typical for puppies to playbite when they are young.  It is a way for them to deal with the teething stage they are going through.  When he is trying to knaw on you, use the hand he is not chewing on, reach over the top of his mouth, pull his upper lip down over his teeth and then push it back up against his teeth.   It will get him to release, as well as pinch, which he will start to associate that everytime he bites, it will pinch.  Don't hit him with a newspaper as he will never protect you because he can't tell a newspaper from a 2x4 at 10 feet away, so if someone is coming at you with a weapon raised, he will think he is going to get punished & will act accordingly.  That basically ruins them for any natural protectiveness.  Also, dogs only have a 5 second attention span, so giving them time outs is basically a waste of time as they can't associate it to the behavior they did.  It can help you deal with the situation for yourself, to give yourself a break from the puppy, but understand the puppy doesn't understand why he's there.  Hope this helps,

Dawn