# My 9 mo old male bites.



## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

A trainer. Right away.


----------



## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Mbokc, I moved your thread to an area of the Forum where you should get more responses. Welcome to the Forum!


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

The time to train is yesterday. You need to either get on top of this as a major priority or put him to sleep. No rescue is going to take a dog with a history of having bit twice...that's the reality.


----------



## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

It’s called resource guarding. Everyone is right you need to get a trainer to help you today.


----------



## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

yes there is hope but realistically it's also a matter of how willing and diligent you are working with a trainer to manage this behaviour.


----------



## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

Was it a bully stick? I'm only asking because I have a very well behaved and trained 9 year old. He has never snapped or bitten anyone but when Moe was a puppy and on crate rest we were trying to keep him still and entertained. We bought Bully Sticks for Moe and naturally gave Duke one. It was my first time buying them. Duke thought it was the best thing ever! He was devouring it and I went to take it away. For the very first time in his life he spun away from me. I was shocked to say the least. I backed up and told him to drop, a command he knows very well. He didn't drop it and it became very clear he would swallow it to stop me from getting it. I backed up and went to the refrigerator for a piece of hot dog. I showed him the hot dog, made him sit and took the bully stick. We have never brought another bully stick in the house. 

You can not excuse this behavior but if he's only done it twice, both times while you were taking something away, it made me wonder if you were trying to take away the same high value item both times? Have you ever taught trade?


----------



## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

I had a Golden that bit when he was young. Our trainer sent us to a guy who was said to specialize in tough dogs...so we did. We left him with that trainer....when we got him back he was obedient, but still aggressive and dangerous. We then went to a dog behaviorist! He was good and very quickly accessed our dog. He demonstrated to us what triggered him to bite, it was not limited to guarding something, he also would bite if you touched his chest, like when brushing him...

Bottom line, after all that time and cost, he bit my hand and then later threatened my wife. We had to have him put down! Wish we had done it earlier on.

I would suggest you should work with you vet and find a dog behaviorist. The one we had did not cost a ton, but he figured out what type of aggression our dog had and accessed to us exactly what we should consider doing, in one two hour session with us and our dog. He did not say to put him down. He did say he could be dangerous so keep him away from all kids. And do not let any stranger around him...avoid triggering him and if he get's worse, then put him down. 

Just be careful because these problems can go either way...get worse or get under control...but you cannot always tell where they are....Good Luck


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Thank you for sharing your story. I am sure it's not easy to do but it's important for people to understand that sometimes despite all our efforts, there are dogs who are not safe to have in the average family home. It is not the fault of the people, some dogs are hardwired for this. We owe our dogs proper training but the safety of people, especially children, is always the most important thing. 



3goldens2keep said:


> I had a Golden that bit when he was young. Our trainer sent us to a guy who was said to specialize in tough dogs...so we did. We left him with that trainer....when we got him back he was obedient, but still aggressive and dangerous. We then went to a dog behaviorist! He was good and very quickly accessed our dog. He demonstrated to us what triggered him to bite, it was not limited to guarding something, he also would bite if you touched his chest, like when brushing him...
> 
> Bottom line, after all that time and cost, he bit my hand and then later threatened my wife. We had to have him put down! Wish we had done it earlier on.
> 
> ...


----------



## MustLoveDogs&Cats (Dec 15, 2019)

I'll add my current experience for discussion on resource guarding--we are dealing with it too and each day it is something our family is aware of and prepared to manage as we adjust to a relatively new dog in our home.

I adopted a 5 mo male English Cream Golden after seeing a post on Instagram this past December from a veterinary practice not too far from my home. We had been looking for a dog after losing a wonderful yellow Lab. (at age 13) about 7 mos prior to seeing the post that this dog was available for adoption. (During the 7 months, I had fostered five dogs since losing my Lab but always found wonderful forever homes for them.)

The post stated clearly that this dog had moderate resource guarding issues and that he would not be placed in a home with children. He had prior homes but was given up after biting. (My children are adults and were not living home at the time so I only had to contend with cats and luckily the dog is fine with my cats. Since COVID19, three young adult kids are now home)

He's a typical Golden, very lovable, cuddly, high energy, smart, strong-willed. I had owned Shepherds, Rotties, mutts off the streets--I thought I could handle anything. The owner of the Vet. practice suggested I take the dog home for a weekend (or week) and see how it goes, noting that I could always bring him back if it didn't work out for any reason. So we took him home, fell in love and named him Winston, or Winnie, when he's a good boy.

First week was great...almost too good to be true that we adopted a beautiful, wonderful dog at a time when we were really ready, AND I could bring him to work with me each day. My work colleagues also loved him.

During the second week, after we committed to keeping him, on a random walk, he spotted a bagel, gobbled it up quickly and as I reached down to take it away, he snapped. He did bite my hand but not too terribly, this first time. I must admit I had never dealt with this before--with any dog. It was a shock, I was scared as well as sad and angry--lots of mixed emotions. I went home, did lots of research, called a number of trainers and tried lots of things. No easy fix, that's for sure.

He's done it about 6 times in the four months we've owned him. Once was over a bully stick, once was ice cubes, once was while licking a bowl when a cat walked by--he snapped at and bit the cat, once was a rawhide, once was a piece of plastic, once was trying to get him off the couch, but each time *I* have become better at reacting, being prepared to diffuse the situation and redirect his attention. I now _always_ carry treats to offer whenever needed and there are things I don't fight him for. If he gobbles a bagel or something I can see is harmless, I let him have it. When I want to move him off the couch, I offer a treat and tell him off. If I give him a yummy bone or treat, I make sure no one is around and then I trade him a few times with another treat as he eats it to show him there are always more treats and he doesn't have to guard things. He chews sticks and many random things that I often don't catch so I let him have them but he's never been sick and his stools are always fine.

_Yesterday,_ (he's now 9 months old) I had placed a bowl of spoiled chickpeas on the ground outside my door that I was getting ready to move to the compost bin. I had placed it there early in the morning and forgot about it until I opened the door to step outside with the dog, who, of course, spotted the bowl and immediately started gobbling rotten chickpeas! I reacted by reaching down and the dog snapped. This time, it wasn't so aggressive, he did not actually bite, and I happened to have a broom handy. I took the broom, quickly moved the bowl away from the dog, said, NO! and the dog backed down. It was over very quickly. I picked up the bowl, moved it away, and then put the dog in his crate for 30 minutes, another thing I do every time he starts to guard something.

I know this is not an ideal situation but I do believe that he is getting better and that there is hope for him as long as I do my part by working with him each day. I really do not want to put him down, I believe I can manage the situation with enough patience and positive reinforcement of expected behavior. My family agrees and we all work with him. We adore him but are careful.

*I have learned so much from this group which has helped me immensely. Thank you* to all those who share regularly. I hope I too can be helpful to others who are trying to be the best pet parents possible.

Be well, everyone!

_This is a photo is Winnie with his best friend, a new neighbor named Forrest. I hope they'll be lifelong BFFs. They share sticks nicely...so far._


----------



## Goldiepupster (Nov 22, 2019)

Mbokc said:


> My 9 mo old golden bit me in December and bit my husband tonight. Both times were in response to our attempting to, or seemingly attempting to, take something away from him that could be dangerous if he swallowed. Both times, our hands were near his mouth, but not touching him. Both times he bit, they were malicious biting, not puppy types. He growled and snapped. I guess my question is, is this something that we can do anything about? My husband is ready to give him up now, as he doesn’t feel he can trust him. I understand, because I felt the same way after he bit me. I don’t trust him anymore, and am afraid to put my hands near his mouth. Is there any hope?


We have a resource guarding 9 month old and it is tough at times. What kind of bite was it? I understand there are levels of severity which make a difference in terms of outcome for the dog.


----------



## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

MustLoveDogs&Cats said:


> I'll add my current experience for discussion on resource guarding--we are dealing with it too and each day it is something our family is aware of and prepared to manage as we adjust to a relatively new dog in our home.
> 
> I adopted a 5 mo male English Cream Golden after seeing a post on Instagram this past December from a veterinary practice not too far from my home. We had been looking for a dog after losing a wonderful yellow Lab. (at age 13) about 7 mos prior to seeing the post that this dog was available for adoption. (During the 7 months, I had fostered five dogs since losing my Lab but always found wonderful forever homes for them.)
> 
> ...


At nine months, I too would be concerned about this pup. He could be just 'guarding', which is not unusual. But once he shows dangerous aggression inflicting a painful bite, I would seek out a trainer that is known to deal with aggressive dogs. It is *likely *that a good trainer, working with you and your husband could get this under control. It is also possible, but not likely, that this aggressiveness will increase to where the pup is no longer safe to have around. Either way it goes you will have to take some type of action to try and save this pup from himself.'

Good Luck


----------

