# Help, i have a mouthy golden



## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

Personally, what we have recently done to get rid of this issue was consult a balanced trainer. Back turning, walking away, yelping, etc. just did not work for us. We needed to have a way to clearly communicate to our "jumpy bitey" puppy that no means no. 

We are all happier for it


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

What you are describing sounds like you have a puppy who is not getting enough exercise and who needs increased, structured obedience training.

By 6 months of age puppies are leaving behind puppyhood and entering adolescence. A sign that this is happening is that your puppy is making you crazy. 

Two suggestions.... 

1) Your dog needs to receive daily aerobic exercise to help with managing his behavior. *This is 30 minutes, every single day.*

- 'Puppy Play dates' a 30 minute session a couple times a week with another adolescent large breed dog is ideal and can be just as effective in the living room as outdoors if the weather is bad, teaching your dog to retrieve to hand is another excellent way to get appropriate exercise. 

- Teach your dog to retrieve. There are videos online or you can order a video by Jackie Mertens "Sound Beginnings" and start teaching your dog to retrieve. It is a great way to get her some exercise. 

- Purchase a 30' nylon line and a snap hook from the hardware store and take your puppy to a church yard, soccer fields, park or school yard during off hours and work with her on recalls (you and your husband stand 30 feet apart and each have a baggie of yummy, high value treats like goose liver. Call her back and forth and if she's hungry, she will catch on quickly and do this at a run. You can also play games where you hide treat balls or a favorite toy and have her search for it, this can be done in the house and is great for rainy day activity or when it's just too hot outdoors.

A leash walk around the block is simply not enough hard work for a healthy young retriever entering the prime of life. You are very fortunate that your dog shows nice manners meeting children on a walk and save the tantrum for you. She has overflowing energy and desperately needs a way to work it off.

2) Increased attention to obedience work and 5 or 10 minute training sessions snuck in several times a day are the rest of the puzzle. Keep the dog on leash and train "settle" and have the dog practice down/stays while you watch t.v. or work on the computer. Teach the dog "Place" where he goes to a mat or small rug and stays there until released. Research the term "Nothing in Life is Free" and begin running a tighter ship around your house, expect more from your dog and be consistent about behavior. Don't allow bad behavior sometimes because you're too tired to deal with it and then come down hard when you're frustrated. Try you best to be consistent at all times.

If you are not enrolled in an obedience class, find an obedience club - you can do a google search or get some referrals on line here. Your local regional AKC breed clubs can be a good resource as well.

Have the dog drag a short 18" piece of leash from his collar and you can use that to control him when there are behavior issues in the house or yard and he begins mouthing. 

I have included two links to get you started with understanding what is going on and suggestions on dealing with it....


Dog exercise needs

http://dogtime.com/dog-training-settle-down-dunbar.html

http://www.houstonspca.org/site/DocServer/developmental_stages_of_puppy_behavior.pdf?docID=369


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

We very recently have had multiple threads on this issue. Here is the link to one I'm thinking of: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...es/365889-biting-out-control.html#post5797281

I am coping below some advice given on that thread for the identical issue and hopefuly the person who gave the advice won't mind if I do so. Her name is LeslieB and she is a very knowledgeable Golden person who has been breeding and training retrievers for many years.


".....(I agree with) _*the exercise and the NIFL. Read up on both. Quite often we don't give these active dogs enough hard physical movements to drain their energy and it comes out as bad behavior. The old addage that a tired dog is a good dog still stands today*_. 

I also like the check cord but I would make it more like 30-36 inches. You want to be able to step on it and 18 might barely touch the ground and not give you much actual cord to get your foot on. At the first sign of any movement toward the biting behavior I would step on the cord, pick it up without touching the dog (so he is less likely to want to put his teeth on you) and give him a leash correction and off to the crate for 30 minutes. If the leash correction amps him up further then just take him directly and immediately to the crate. Put him in without a word and leave the check cord on if touching him is an issue. When he comes out of the crate - treat him like you did not know he was there. He has to come to you first.

You will be doing a whole bunch of in the crate and out of the crate for the next few weeks while your boy learns that if he puts his teeth on you he is banished from your company. Once the light bulb goes on then he will put the teeth away and learn some self control."


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## BrittanyCo (Jul 6, 2015)

Thanks everyone I will be researching more. We give Lambeau 2 walks a day but I agree it isn't enough physical activity. We do try to go to my parents once a week because they have a fenced in yard and two Goldens she plays with and it does tire her out for a little bit but she still has her nightly mouthing fits which is strange but I do feel since she isn't getting enough activity everyday it isn't working as well. We are not allowed to put up a fence in our neighborhood but went and installed and underground fence but haven't even started training for it. I know there are mixed opions at underground fences but we shall see.


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## Brads035 (Apr 1, 2014)

I know that the standard message is 30 minutes of activity a day, but I honestly think that this is way way too low for an adolescent puppy. In addition to your walks, can you give 30 minute sessions of off-leash play outside to run around in the morning, afternoon, and night? When my pup was growing up, I felt like he needed several hours of boisterous play a day. He gets about 2-3 hours of walk/outdoor fetch on week days. On Saturdays, I take him out for a long day at the beach or hiking (usually 7 hours but with breaks).


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

graepian0 said:


> I know that the standard message is 30 minutes of activity a day, but I honestly think that this is way way too low for an adolescent puppy. In addition to your walks, can you give 30 minute sessions of off-leash play outside to run around in the morning, afternoon, and night? When my pup was growing up, I felt like he needed several hours of boisterous play a day. He gets about 2-3 hours of walk/outdoor fetch on week days. On Saturdays, I take him out for a long day at the beach or hiking (usually 7 hours but with breaks).


There's no way that I could have devoted an entire day - which is pretty much what you're doing with a 7 hour hike) to Max and gotten anything else done - like working, laundry, cleaning, daily life stuff.

That kind of time commitment isn't feasible for most people. Even 2 to 3 hours a day would be more than I could do. That's a huge chunk of the day for a person who has a full time job, or has kids, or a home to care for.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

graepian0 said:


> I know that the standard message is 30 minutes of activity a day, but I honestly think that this is way way too low for an adolescent puppy. In addition to your walks, can you give 30 minute sessions of off-leash play outside to run around in the morning, afternoon, and night? When my pup was growing up, I felt like he needed several hours of boisterous play a day. He gets about 2-3 hours of walk/outdoor fetch on week days. On Saturdays, I take him out for a long day at the beach or hiking (usually 7 hours but with breaks).



I think the key is AEROBIC exercise. Not just 30 minutes of movement. Exercise strenuous enough to get the heart rate up and to get the dog panting. 

10 mins of fetch over 100 feet each way is enough for my 3 year old (almost) so it's entirely feasible that 30 mins (3x what my 3 year old gets) is enough for an adolescent.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

Thanks for the quote Kristy, I don't mind at all - anything that helps.

If I could add one thing it is how you react and particularly how quickly you react to a mouthy, nippy, bratty dog matters. I tend to watch my dogs out of the corners of my eyes and I jump on behaviors early with a correction. It is a mild correction but it prevents escalation of bad behavior.

The longer the dog is able to grab at you hands, rip at you clothes, and generally throw a fit the more firmly she is setting the habit of this very bad behavior. Think of it as a toddler who is throwing a temper tantrum. They want something and mom and dad said no. Arms and legs are flaying and the kid is wailing. This is what your pup is doing in puppy fashion except it involves teeth. We all hate to see the parent who just stands there and trys to reason with the toddler in the middle of this ugly tantrum. The best reaction is usualy to pick up the kid and carry them directly to their crib or bed for a nap. The same is true with you dog. Pick up the leash and GO directly to the crate. 

The OP had a big problem on a walk and the quick trip to the crate is not so easy if you are on a walk so here are a few options for you to try if you are not at home when your dog has a melt down.

1. Stand on the leash with the dog only having about 6-10 inches of leash. Usually the dog will want to stand up and pull away. If she goes for your ankle use your other foot to step/tap on one of her front paws (lightly) and give her a harsh NO! everytime she approaches your ankle. You might be standing here for a long time as the dog must give up and accept this position before you can move on.

2. Power walk home as fast as you can on as short a lead as possible, with your arm (holding the leash) extended to your side - think of walking a horse. Often times the increased speed will change the mood and make the dog think about keeping up with you and not about biting.

3. If your dog is really going for you, make it to a bench, tree, etc and tie her up! Get just outside of the range of her leash and sit down. Do not look at her and I would have my back to her. Give her 15 minutes to calm down. Then go to the leash and untie her. If she jumps and bites as you approach back out and give her more time. Wait until you can untie her without a bite or jump. Be cautious about giving happy talk on the walk home as it could trigger a return to to bitting. 

Good Luck!!


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## BrittanyCo (Jul 6, 2015)

Thanks everyone I am trying my best but she still seems to have her outbursts. My arms are covered in bruises and it is getting frustrating as when she gets in these moods I cannot move because it only makes things worse but I will keep trying everything that is offered. Thank You so much.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

BrittanyCo said:


> Thanks everyone I am trying my best but she still seems to have her outbursts. My arms are covered in bruises and it is getting frustrating as when she gets in these moods I cannot move because it only makes things worse but I will keep trying everything that is offered. Thank You so much.


It will get better. Slowly but surely it will get better as long as you stick to your plan and try not to get too frustrated.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

BrittanyCo said:


> Thanks everyone I am trying my best but she still seems to have her outbursts. My arms are covered in bruises and it is getting frustrating as when she gets in these moods I cannot move because it only makes things worse but I will keep trying everything that is offered. Thank You so much.


While it seems like the best solution to stand still and let her get bored with beating you up, it is a poor solution in the long term. In the first place, it is telling her that she is in charge of you and your family. From experience I can tell you that I have seen a number of dogs increase their demands on the family when they believe they are in charge. Time might decrease the zoomie biting behavior but it will do nothing to let her know you run the roost. 

So, keep a journal and note what is happening just before the outbursts. Note date and time of outbursts. Is it just after she is fed? Just before bedtime or naptime? Then you can work on getting her into her crate before the outbursts happen. See if there is some early warning signs that your dog gives like pacing or a certain look in the eye. Jump on that look and in the crate she goes. Work on the kennel up command so she will go in the crate regardless of what is going on in the household. 

I also suggest some good obedience classes. Keep at it, you can do tjis and you will be amazed at how much you enjoy her when you solve this problem. You will also have a much happier dog. They seldom really want to be in charge.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Your not alone in this. Chloe still does this a couple times a day. Most of the time it's in the evening when my mom takes her out to play after dinner. Or she bites my dad while he sits and reads the paper. We have been consistent and nothing seems to work. When she does it in the evening inside we grab her collar and take her directly to the kitchen for a timeout. When she does it outside my mom quits playing and comes inside and leaves her outside. We have a hard tim getting her to do something active during the day and then it all comes out in the evening.

Just know your not alone and be consistant and it will get better.


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