# So... he's showing his teeth to me...



## ebenjamin85 (Apr 13, 2008)

I'm certainly no expert but it sounds like he's just trying to play. Golden's like to show their teeth when they play... most on here call it bitey face. 

I've attached a picture of Samantha and Mulligan playing, although to those that aren't used to golden play it would look like Mulligan is trying to eat Samantha.  There is always lots of play growling and teeth, but it really is just play and not harmful at all


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I don't think it sounds like anything to worry about, and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with who's "boss."

If it bugs you, watch for when it's most likely to happen and diffuse the game with some quick, fun obedience. (And you may need to tone down the play for a while so he doesn't escalate to that level of play arousal.)


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

It sounds like play growl to me. If it bothers you, and because he'll be a big dog, you might want to discourage it. Best thing I've found is turning my back on the dog for a few seconds so there is no play response or feedback for the behavior. 

My toy spaniel does this all the time and we've never discourage it but she only weighs 20 lbs. It would seem much menacing in a 60-75 lb pooch. Tucker hasn't done it with us, just with other dogs.


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## wmag (Mar 17, 2011)

My 6 month old does this too when we play. She also barks at me. We play chase and when I chase her she stops and shows her teeth, growls, and barks! Then I quickly turn and run the other way and she chases me growling the whole time. It is really funny and I know she is just playing because when I say enough she stops right away!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Sounds like he's playing and by running away he's trying to engage you in play. Puppies play that way. Here is a pic of Hank and one of his littermates playing. It looks like they're fighting and trying to kill each other...


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Here's a pic of Penny playing with me. She loves playing 'bitey face' on the bed. You can see my fingers in the top left corner. She growls, she snarls, plenty of 'croc chops' but it's all in fun!


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

I can understand your concern. I had no idea that goldens and golden mixes played this way - this bitey face thing. I remember being concerned about it too when I first got my boy but reading about it here calmed my fears. When he is playing with smaller dogs I do step in and get him to quit it a bit.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I think it's play too. This is Robbie and one of our previous foster puppies, and yes they are playing. Your probably right he is trying to play with you like he would with another dog.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Penny's Mom said:


> Here's a pic of Penny playing with me. She loves playing 'bitey face' on the bed. You can see my fingers in the top left corner. She growls, she snarls, plenty of 'croc chops' but it's all in fun!


Tesia and I had this exact game of "bitey face" this morning when we woke up! She grabs at my hands, I grab at her snoot, then we both slap our hands on the bed (I slap mine down, she slaps her paw down), I'll sort of "sneak up" towards her snoot with my hand, she lies in wait, then grabs at it. She never chomps down, and often she stops to give some licks, as if to say, "you _do_ know we're just playing, right?"


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## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

Ahhh, yes - bitey face.... Lots of growling, snarling, snapping - All in good fun! I think this was the first full day that we had Quinn. But even our sweet, gentle Sophie played bitey face....


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Flora will wrinkle her upper lip and show her teeth when we're playing, but I know 100% that it is purely play. She's a very expressive girl. I think your pup is behaving normally!


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## ozzy'smom (Jun 18, 2011)

We just had Ozzy at a dog park yesterday where we was playing with a Golden just about his age and from a distance you would think they were trying to kill one another. Ozzy does that to us too and though it IS in fun he can sometimes get rough. We are working on teaching him to settle down when he gets too excited or rough. Normally I just say, "kisses" and he'll stop the bitey face and give me a kiss instead.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

OMG, EXACTLY the same: complete with paw slaps, grabing snout. I paw the top of her head, fast and repeatedly; not hard, more like brushing. She love love LOVES it! Do you get the croc chops too? Snapping that jaw shut just shy of my hand! She would never chop me on purpose. Most of my 'hurts' come because I ran into her teeth. :doh:



Sweet Girl said:


> Tesia and I had this exact game of "bitey face" this morning when we woke up! She grabs at my hands, I grab at her snoot, then we both slap our hands on the bed (I slap mine down, she slaps her paw down), I'll sort of "sneak up" towards her snoot with my hand, she lies in wait, then grabs at it. She never chomps down, and often she stops to give some licks, as if to say, "you _do_ know we're just playing, right?"


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Penny can get ratcheted up to an 8 or 9 if I don't stop it with her. I use the hand signal for 'halt' and tell her that's enough. Of course, I don't let her get past a 6. This is how we play on the floor now, until she's allowed on the bed again.

Every morning, she entices me to follow her into the bedroom so she can play on the bed with me. I call it 'jumping on the bed'. Ummm, no Pen; Dad's still sleeping in it!



ozzy'smom said:


> We just had Ozzy at a dog park yesterday where we was playing with a Golden just about his age and from a distance you would think they were trying to kill one another. Ozzy does that to us too and though it IS in fun he can sometimes get rough. We are working on teaching him to settle down when he gets too excited or rough. Normally I just say, "kisses" and he'll stop the bitey face and give me a kiss instead.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Penny's Mom said:


> OMG, EXACTLY the same: complete with paw slaps, grabing snout. I paw the top of her head, fast and repeatedly; not hard, more like brushing. She love love LOVES it! Do you get the croc chops too? Snapping that jaw shut just shy of my hand! She would never chop me on purpose. Most of my 'hurts' come because I ran into her teeth. :doh:


YUP!! Sounds like they went to the same How to be a Dog School. 

Definitely get the croc chops, but she also likes to get hold of my arm briefly and gently, but she lets go almost right away (so she can chop again!). I don't do the head brush, but I poke at her. I move really slooooowly... trying to poke her snoot. She watches... watches... and just as I get to her nose, CHOMP! But not ON me, just close to me. The paw/hand slaps on the bed are what I love best. It feels like she's imitating me. I also love when I stop slapping, and she slaps again, then again, and is like, "Hey! Hey! Slap the bed! Slap the bed!"


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## weareborgswife (Oct 14, 2011)

I was wondering about similar... glad to know it's normal! Scout is VERY vocal... he has many barks/growls and uses them in lots of different ways- our other dog had one LOUD bark... and that was that... 

He has crock chomped in my daughters face and got her once, so we are trying to discourage that (she moved his way as he was closing- he was very sorry). Especially since we have young kids here often (and my sister's family is a bit dog nervous)

Scout growls when playing alone with his toys- shaking and growling at them, and growls during games of tug, and similar. When he is on his own it is so funny... when he does it when we are actively playing, I usually stop the game or change it somehow to calm him a bit. If you are playing with him and stop touching him for a minute, he will chomp at your hands and bark at you, as if to say, "come on and touch me!" working to find a balance between him controlling me and being able to tell me what he wants.


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## Angelina (Aug 11, 2011)

Love the pictures! Angelina and I played that once in a while, it made my partner too nervous so now we don't. Cannella is too sensitive as she is a rescue and someone was strong handed with her in the past. But she plays with other dogs that way.....
Again, LOVE the pictures!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

YES YES YES!! She'll put my arm in her mouth too and then let go. If I put my fingers in her mouth...try darting in and touching her tongue and back out before she can close...anyway, if she gets my fingers in her mouth she spits them out! I let my two fingers 'walk' s l o w l y to her paw and then dart-touch. She watches and watches, gets all snarly the closer I get and the CROC CHOP! Then she leaps up and twirls a few times and flops back down. Do you get that too? We have a lot of fun.



Sweet Girl said:


> YUP!! Sounds like they went to the same How to be a Dog School.
> 
> Definitely get the croc chops, but she also likes to get hold of my arm briefly and gently, but she lets go almost right away (so she can chop again!). I don't do the head brush, but I poke at her. I move really slooooowly... trying to poke her snoot. She watches... watches... and just as I get to her nose, CHOMP! But not ON me, just close to me. The paw/hand slaps on the bed are what I love best. It feels like she's imitating me. I also love when I stop slapping, and she slaps again, then again, and is like, "Hey! Hey! Slap the bed! Slap the bed!"


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

These pictures are all hilarious! To turn the Goldens into guard dogs, we just need them to start playing with intruders! They'd run fast....


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