# 2 months old golden biting a lot



## Aryan (Apr 17, 2013)

Okay so I bought a golden 6 day ago. His behavior was perfect the first 2-3 days but then it looks like he's got aggressive. He is 2 months old ( 53 day actually). He bites a lot. When ever he sees my hand he just jumps and bites. Whenever I lie beside him he gets on me, grabs my T-shirt and pulls and barks. Where ever he bites I give him his toy and he plays with it for 1 min and the comes to bite again. Also at times he gets mad and starts running in the whole house and bites very very strong at that time. Is this happening because I don't take him for a walk? I can't take him for a walk because he is not yet fully vaccinated. Is this normal for such a small puppy and if yes, then will it stop when he grows up and when will it happen. I am just scared cause this is my first pet. 

Thanks in advance


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

What you describe is typical Golden Retriever puppy behavior. Golden puppies are very mouthy and are sometimes referred to as "land sharks." If you search the forum you will find several threads about how to deal with the behavior. It will get better, but it may take a while. 

Also, welcome to the forum.


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## Aryan (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks for the reply. I was worried a lot about him. I thought he would stay biting even when he grows up. I heard that they bite till their milk teeth wares off. Is that right? And what thing should you suggest me to do with him till he is a puppy.


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## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

Very normal behaviour! When they run round crazy I call it the 'zoomies', happens at least once a day for a pup! Always have a toy handy for your pup to bite to redirect away from your hands, feet, clothes. When (not if!!) you are nipped, momentarily stop all play and attention. Eventually your pup learns that nipping is not fun because there's no pay off for them. But it does take time, so patience will save your sanity! There's no aggression here, it's just normal golden puppy (aka land shark) behaviour. Pics please!!!!


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## Aryan (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks for your kind reply. I am much more saticfied now. I will upload the pics later as I am on my mobile now


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## JakesMama2013 (Apr 16, 2013)

I was going to ask the same question as I am experiencing exactly the same land shark issues. I am relieved to know this is a trait and not a problem. I think I will try ignoring him when he bites and see what happens. He is so cute when he zoomies...he scrunches his little body up and runs like a butterball...love my pup so very much.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

A high pitched "OUCH!" worked with Max, he seemed to "get" that he had hurt me (even though he never really hurt me!) and he would back right off. Some puppies don't respond to that, it winds them up, but it's worth a try! 

I kinda miss those puppy days.


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## JakesMama2013 (Apr 16, 2013)

I earned that my Puppy is both teething and trying to dominate me. I tried everything and nothing worked until a friend who breeds something called Blue Bullies said to do 3 things religiously. This is what I have done and it is working.

1. Every single time he bites, I place him on his back, being careful not to hurt him. I place one hand at the base of his chest and throat (NOT his throat) and use the other hand to hold his body down. When he wiggles or growls, I respond by getting right in his face and give him a deep guttural growl right back. If he continues to wiggle, I will give him a small shake, enough to let him know he is not in charge. It's more like a small jerk...very very small. I look him dead in the eye and do not look away even when he does. I have been doing this for 2 days and am seeing less and less biting. When I first did this, he would submit and then get up and bite again. I was told he would do this. When he did, I put him right on his back again, longer. The first time I did this I held him for about was like 15-20 seconds, I went up to a minute when he was really a land sharking. The first time I put him on his back, he got up and bit repeatedly, I had to do it over and over and over until he got the message. I was told this would happen, that this is not a do it once and the problem is fixed thing. I was told to be very very consistent. When he got up the last time and acted like he was going to bite, I smacked the ground and said "you want to go back down" (this is what I say now before I put him on his back). Well he put his butt in the air, head down, barked at me and played the zoomie game where he runs between my legs, back and forth, like a Tasmanian Butterball...without biting. Sometimes after playing zoomie he will try to bite and I smack the ground, say the magic words. If it works he plays nice, if not, he's on his back again. I am very fortunate that I work from home and can spend a lot of free time working with my Jake. He plays zoomie with my Husband daily...it is the cutest and funniest thing and it wears him out.

2. Teething: Ice cubes. Ice cubes. Ice cubes. At first he was fascinated and played with them on the clean kitchen floor, it was utterly adorable. Then he started chewing. Now if I say ICE he will run to the kitchen and sit by the fridge while I get the ice cube. He chews the ice, first one side then the other. This must really feel good on those sore little gums. 

3. I spray BITTER APPLE sold at all major pet stores on anything he starts to chew...with SPECIAL care on electrical cords. I found it has to be reapplied every 24-48 hours, but most of the time, he stops...he does look for something else, when he does, we give him a toy and spray bitter apple on the new thing we don't want chewed. I am an antique dealer and it has not harmed or discolored any antique furniture, our carpet, our shoes or our clothing...bless the folks who developed this stuff.

I want to be clear that I am not a trainer and certainly no expert, this is just what I did and it's working for me...maybe it will work for you.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Puppies are not out to dominate you. They experience their world with their mouths. They are learning to be dogs and to use the body parts that were given to them at birth. They are playing with you the same way they would play with another pup. 

Since human skin is much more sensitive than other puppies that have fur we need to teach them what we want them to do instead of them trying to play with us like we are puppies. They are doing what is natural to them and we are going to teach them things that are not natural to them so it takes some time.

Jakesmama2013 wrote: 1. Every single time he bites, I place him on his back, being careful not to hurt him. I place one hand at the base of his chest and throat (NOT his throat) and use the other hand to hold his body down. When he wiggles or growls, I respond by getting right in his face and give him a deep guttural growl right back. If he continues to wiggle, I will give him a small shake, enough to let him know he is not in charge. It's more like a small jerk...very very small. I look him dead in the eye and do not look away even when he does.

This is what was done in the past because people did studies on captive wolves and thought this was the right thing to do. These were not family units they had a bunch of wolves that were not connected and had them captive in a small space. 

Todays science has found out that family wolve packs don't do this. They don't force another wolf into that position. A wolf may put themselves into a submissive position but they are not forced into that position.

When a wolf forces another into this position it is to kill it. period.

Please don't force your pup into this position you will either make it fearful or eventually it will shut down. This is no way to build a relationship with your pup.

It may stop the pup from biting you but it will also make it afraid of you. 

Do you want a dog that is afraid of you and will only listen if you punish or scare it?

What happens when it is 80 pounds and decides it had enough? How will you stop it then?


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Training sessions, Hand feeding your pup his meals and impulse control games will go a long way to having a puppy that doesn't bite.

In the mean time saying ouch as was mentioned before, not giving any attention (turning your back and keeping your hands crossed at your chest - if the pup starts jumping and biting your clothes put them behind a baby gate or in the crate or you actually leave the room so they cannot do that. Putting a toy in their mouth. These are all things to do until you have a pup that will offer behaviors you want in place of that biting which takes time to train.

Look up It's Yer Choice either here or on youtube for a video on how to train impulse control.


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## JakesMama2013 (Apr 16, 2013)

1. I spoke with our Vet and she said that 20% of Golden puppies (our Vet has Goldens herself) bite more with the OUCH method. Jake is one of those puppies. She said when biting is combined with trying to hump some, but not all members of the family, it is a dominance issue. She said the advice I was given by the breeder was good advice.
2. I already tried the time out method with the baby gate and Jake stopped responding to come. This was based on sincere advice from well meaning people who have spent zero time with our Puppy or our Family. Our Vet said this is very negative and a form of punishment. I agree. She also said picking him up and cradling him like a baby while speaking to him in a calm voice is another method to quell dominance. BTW...this is a secondary method...which we have implemented and it is also working.
3. As for the wolf pack theory, that is completely false. I pulled video up on YouTube entitled Maned Wolf Pup Pair Playing Six Weeks Old! By Houston Zoo, that shows sibling puppies playing with one putting the other on it's back and neither was trying to kill the other.
4. I posted my experience and what I am doing. I was not asking for an opinion, my actions are not open for debate or attack, I did not come here to get into some online argument or defend myself to a stranger who hasn't spent one second with our Puppy or our Family. 
5. Does this forum offer a feature to block members? 


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

For those that don't care for my posts just move along. Nothing here to see.
For those interested in information against alpha rolling a dog or a puppy here is one article. If you look across the internet you will find many. 

I just feel that some things we do to our dogs are not helpful to our relationship. Others may feel differently.








Interesting enough here is an article put up on dog star daily by Nicole Wilde. There are actually many articles out there from other respected sources.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/alpha-roll-or-alpha-role 

Nicole Wilde | Sun, 12/16/2007 - 08:04 


If you’re a dog owner, you might have seen television shows or read books that recommend a technique called the “alpha roll.” This old-fashioned method for “showing the dog who’s boss” or punishing a dog for bad behavior consists of forcing the dog onto his back. Once there, variations include standing over the dog, staring at him, growling at him, or simply pinning him until he “submits” and stops struggling. 
Proponents of the alpha roll claim it helps dogs to understand who is the leader. The maneuver is based on what wolves do to each other, they explain. As it turns out, the original information about wolves “alpha rolling” each other was based on observational data gathered from a study of wolves that was later disproved. On a personal note, in addition to being a professional dog trainer, my background includes working with wolves and wolfdog mixes at a rescue sanctuary. In my fifteen-plus years spent with these animals, I never once saw one force another onto its back to prove dominance. What I have seen is one wolf look at another and curl a lip ever so slightly; that tiny, subtle signal was enough to start the other wolf angling his head and body away. If that lip curl turned into an agonistic pucker (that National Geographic “look at my pearly whites” expression), growl, snarl, or intensified in any other way, you can bet the wolf on the receiving end would eventually end up on his back—voluntarily. The key word in that explanation is “voluntarily.” If a wolf truly forces another wolf onto its back, it’s not a discussion about rank—it’s an aggressive act that may well result in injury or even death. 
Some people believe that dogs view us as other dogs when we perform the alpha roll Let's get real dogs simply don’t view us as other dogs. (Thank goodness for small favors—that butt-sniffing greeting would get old fast!) But for the sake of argument, let’s say they did; would you really want your dog to be frightened of you, and think that your intention was to cause him harm?
Take it from me, a 5’2” petite woman whose dogs all outweigh her, and who has worked and lived with both dogs and wolves: you can absolutely establish leadership without using physical force. The majority of it is in your demeanor. Some people are natural leaders. They are calm and confident, and when they have something to say, the communication is clear and direct. Think Clint Eastwood. A strong leader does not need to prove a thing, and is certainly not a bully. In fact, the dogs or wolves you see squabbling for rank are the wanna-be alphas, the middle-rankers. With your own dog, be consistent in your rules and boundaries, and keep your verbal communications direct. Use hand signals if your dog has been taught what they mean, but keep other gestures to a minimum so as not to confuse him. 
Control the resources—food, treats, toys, access to walks, and anything else your dog finds valuable—and ask him to do something to earn each one, even if it’s a simple sit. If your dog does something you don’t like, respond appropriately. That might mean he gets a time out for nipping at your child’s pants leg, or, if he’s vying for your attention by jumping up, you simply ignore him. What those responses have in common is they teach dogs that those tactics simply don’t work, which results in the unwanted behavior happening less often. They also don’t include a human scaring the dog by physically manhandling him. 
By taking the alpha role rather than using the alpha roll and other strong-arm tactics, you will earn your dog’s trust and respect, and enhance the bond between you.


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## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

JakesMama, please don't take offence at advice offered to help your situation. When you post a question, many people will take time to answer from experience. Keep in mind that this is a 100% normal thing for golden puppies to bite a lot, and so advice does not rely on direct interaction with your puppy. Some good points have been made in this thread and are worth considering from those with a wealth of experience. Good luck in surviving this phase, we've all been there and survived it, albeit with a few packets of band aids along the way!!!


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## JakesMama2013 (Apr 16, 2013)

Katsura, I would not have taken offense if I had asked a question or asked for advice. I did neither. I advised a new puppy owner what was working for me. I am sure there are a host of wonderful people here offering a plethora of good advice, however what is also clear is that some of the more avid posters may be a bit annoyed that a new puppy owner had the audacity to post information that differed with their opinions. While I appreciate the sincerity of your post, I am finished with this topic.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

You can search for my posts prior to December of 2012. They are some of my first posts on here. I found this forum because of Tayla's biting. Glad to say it did resolve. So will yours.


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## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

Ok all good JakesMama, have fun with your bundle of golden love today!


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## Aryan (Apr 17, 2013)

solinvictus explained very well. Thank you all of you for your help.


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