More Puppy Advice........please

[Melisa1]

Last time I asked for advice, I got wonderful help with our new Golden Retriever, Barney. Now I need a little more...........
Barney has done wonderful with potty training - no problems there at all.
The only issue I am having now is his biting and chewing. he is not tearing up any thing in the house but me . He bites and chews on me constantly. He chews and tugs on my clothes, and constantly lunges and bites my nose and lips. I don't want to spank him because I don't really believe in that but if I fuss at him or say "NO" and push him away he thinks I am playing and keeps it up. Any suggestions???? Oh by the way he is about 15 weeks now.

 

[Crankyshank]

Spray objects he shouldn't be chewing with bitter apple.

When he bites you, scold him by saying "No Bite" very firmly and give him something that is acceptable to chew on and then praise the hell out of him for chewing that item. If he insists on it, say no bite and give him 0 attention until he stops biting/tugging with you.

 

[Melisa1]

bitter apple is good stuff, I used that for my shih-tzu when he was young. The problem with this puppy is that he isn't chewing on objects other than his toys, he is chewing on me. Think I should spray bitter apple on me? just kidding.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Yes, spray your hands with bitter apple. Really.

With a 15 week old, it'll just take time. And lots of it They eventually grow out of it though usually not before we lose patience! Be consistent and firm when he bites on you. End playtime - get up and walk out when he does it after you correct him. After awhile, he'll get it.

 

[Crankyshank]

bitter apple is good stuff, I used that for my shih-tzu when he was young. The problem with this puppy is that he isn't chewing on objects other than his toys, he is chewing on me. Think I should spray bitter apple on me? just kidding.

In extreme cases, that would work. I understand you meant he was biting you - that's why I included the latter part of my post. The bitter apple is if he goes from biting you to chewing furniture.

 

[NMAmy]

Oh, my gosh, I posted practically this same question when we got our golden. I'd had dogs of different breeds all my life but she was just so darn mouthy. She still likes to chew--I buy her lots of toys to keep her occupied. She's always held our hands in her mouth--not biting but holding it. She'll also tug at our sleeves to get our attention.

One thing I made clear to her was that actual biting was a big no-no. Just keep up with the NO. If he thinks you're playing, make him sit and calm down.

I got lots of advice from golden lovers on the DIS. One thing a lot of people told me was to just wait until she outgrew it. She's 1.5 years old now and is getting much better. She is really one of the spazziest dogs I've ever had & needs a ton of attention but I love her.

 

[dreamcometrue]

I have 2 Goldens. They are very "mouthy" dogs! When he's tugging at your pants while walking, stop, and tell him in a stern voice "leave it". Keep some treats on you (seems like I always had dog treats in a little ziplock bag when my 2 were little). As soon as he lets go, give him a treat, and tell him good boy! Goldens are very smart, and he will catch on quickly! Another thing that helps is to keep a leash on him for a while, even in the house. Just let him drag it around. When he does something bad, give a quick pull on the leash and say "leave it". Again, reward, reward, reward! Goldens are big on rewards! They *will* grow out of this! My two are just over 2 years and just over 1 1/2 years now and while my female LOVES to chew up my boy's stuffed animals (which he loves so much! ) they don't touch anything else anymore that doesn't belong to them!

Don't, under any cicumstances, spank him! That will just make him be afraid of you, and you don't want that!

 

[janette]

I usually just held our puppy's mouth shut and firmly said "No biting"; he eventually got it and even now all I have to say is No Biting when he forgets and he'll stop biting and start licking.

Bitter Apple is also helpful, we only actually used it a couple of times and after that just showed him the bottle. Worked great

 

[JR6ooo4]

We used to let Q wrestle us when we had welders gloves on, and she was puppy. Then as she got older she started biting harder so we had to stop. It took a year for her to forget that anyone with gloves on was meant for wrestling.

Our pups are home schooled. Did not read one book. They get time outs when acting up. They must sit and stay.

Mikeeee

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We would say NO BITE. Be clear and stern and mean it.
Think of it as telepathy...not kidding. You can think NO when you say it and the dog will get it.
Dogs really pick up your vibes and body language more than verbal.

Also key is too pick up on the mouthing BEFORE he does it. When you start to see it say NO BITE...try and beat him to it before he does mouthing. (not beat him...sorry if it can across that way!)

I also agree to using a leash if it is out of hand.

Pretty soon he will get the message, just be consistent.

 

[Melisa1]

Thanks so much guys, I knew I could count on you all for great information. I will start using it tonight when I get home. He is such a good puppy in all other aspects and I know I can break him of this, I just needed some great advice!
Thanks so much again!

 

[rkwells]

I have 2 Goldens. They are very "mouthy" dogs! When he's tugging at your pants while walking, stop, and tell him in a stern voice "leave it". Keep some treats on you (seems like I always had dog treats in a little ziplock bag when my 2 were little). As soon as he lets go, give him a treat, and tell him good boy! Goldens are very smart, and he will catch on quickly! Another thing that helps is to keep a leash on him for a while, even in the house. Just let him drag it around. When he does something bad, give a quick pull on the leash and say "leave it". Again, reward, reward, reward! Goldens are big on rewards! They *will* grow out of this! My two are just over 2 years and just over 1 1/2 years now and while my female LOVES to chew up my boy's stuffed animals (which he loves so much! ) they don't touch anything else anymore that doesn't belong to them!

Don't, under any cicumstances, spank him! That will just make him be afraid of you, and you don't want that!

Our beautiful golden baby just turned 1 on Nov 7th. He is a wonderful dog but VERY MOUTHY and quite stubborn about it. Like the above poster stated never punish but be very stern and consistent with your "NO Bites". With our Tucker we had no choice but to Crate him at times until he settled down. Alot of exercise and walks go along way towards helping. Like I said, our boy is one and this is still an issue at times. The biggest challenge is making our kids understand that they can't play rough with him and then expect the dog not to get carried away. Hang in there because they do outgrow this and they are such wonderful dogs in every other way that this is a small price to pay!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I also wanted to add that you give them VERY STERN corrections if they mouth the kids. Very important to teach the dog he/she is lower than the kids and they are not a littermate.
It has to be quick and over and only if you do a proper correction aka you have to be standing pretty close, which is why leasing them works, esp. for the training the dog around the kids.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Ahh, the joys of puppy teeth.

I thought my dogs' puppy mouthing was hard to control until I watched a friend's Golden Retriever pup for 10 days while her husband was in the hospital. That dog was unbelievable, LOL! (Plus he wasn't my dog so I felt a little funny about correcting him exactly as I would my own.)

The only thing I would add to what's already been said is this: try to think about how the pup's mother would correct this behavior in the wild. Mom would give a no holds barred growl and stare. Act like the Mom would: use voice and eye control. NO!! Loud and firm! (Don't yell, though.) Learn to use your voice and your eyes. This is what dogs understand by nature. It will go a long way toward training as he gets older.

Good luck. We need pictures!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The biggest challenge is making our kids understand that they can't play rough with him and then expect the dog not to get carried away.

I agree that is such a challenge when young kids are in the home. We've always had a rule with all of our dogs: No dog teeth on human skin EVER.

When our kids arrived it wasn't a problem as our dogs were older and were very familiar with that rule. It was when we got a pup two years ago that it became a challenge, big time. Especially because by nature, "shepherd" dogs "herd" by nipping ankles. The kids thought that was pretty funny when the dog was young (I myself always had bloody ankles when I was a kid as my GSD always "herded" me, even when I was riding my bike). It was a combination of teaching the dog and teaching the kids. We worked long and hard at it, and our vet even spoke to the kids about it. Eventually we worked it out. The kids now are old enough to understand the no bite rule, but it's still difficult with the instinctive behavior with the dog. We taught her to carry a soccer ball in her mouth when she's out with the kids. I can see she wants so badly to herd them but she knows she's not supposed to. Interesting to observe.

 

[RrCoAsTeR]

Everyone else is right... but in my experience goldens go for the bitter apple. It tastes yummy to them. At the kennel/shelter I help at we generally say wait until about 5/6 months before you consideer it a problem. Goldens alos tend to be mouthy.