# Growling & biting at 12 weeks--advice needed!



## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Sounds like a 3 month old puppy to me. It will get better. He is testing his boundaries like any kid does. Goldens are land shark puppies but with consistency grow out of it.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

It probably is a phase and with consistent bite inhibition training he'll get through it. In meantime do NOT let your children give or take anything high value from him. And no rough play. Please search this site for bite inhibition info--lots on here. Also look for "nothing is life is free", a training approach that might help. I agree With Mika and think he's testing his boundaries and needs to have the structure that NIlF gives. Good luck. He's probably a really good dog--just different from your last one. You may need a private trainer. Would say more but am typing on cell phone. Not fun.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

When do you plan to start puppy classes with him? They will really help!


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## Heatherjfitz (May 4, 2012)

oliver30 said:


> Our 12 week old boy has started becoming very aggressive with us when we try to take away something that he has, such as his bully stick or even mulch or a stick from outside. He growls and then actually bites us. He's also done this when I go to pick him up sometimes.
> 
> He hasn't always done this--it started just about 1-1.5 weeks ago. This is different than the normal puppy biting/teething thing they do when playing. It's like he's very mad when he acts out aggressively.
> 
> ...


 
Our Golden girl does this too. (Almost 18 weeks). She started at about 12/14 weeks. She ONLY did this when she had something of value to her. (Bully stick etc). We are still working with her on this. I think that it *is* a normal golden retriever thing. I know a lot people have posted very similar stories on here. Right now, if I have a high value treat, I NEVER let her have it to herself. She has to eat it out of my hand. It's a pain in the butt, but it's worth it. She also gets really freaked out about her kong of peanut butter I had been giving her. Now I only give her stuff like that when she is tired and also crated. (I have small children). I can't take the risk that she will bite one of my kids. She is different with the small kids then she is with me. She is more "protective" around the kids. I have told the kids not to go around her at all when she has food or treat in her mouth. I truly believe she will grow out of this, but I will always be cautious when giving her treats. We also adopted the "nothing is free" program. She is showing improvement, but nothing is fool proof. Other things we are doing is: Making her sit and stay until we say "okay" for her meals. I randomly drop peices of yummy chicken into her food bowl when she is eating. I say "wait" in the middle of her meal to make her stop eating so I can drop in a treat. The idea is that, I always have something better for her. There is no reason to guard or protect her treats, because we only have better stuff waiting. It seems to be working, but I can't let my little kids do this right now, (because she nips too instantly at their fingers), so I still make the small kids stay away. Eventually they will help me out with dropping in yummy treats to her bowl. My golden girl growls all the time though, it is mostly just in fun. She growls when she plays, and when she's upset. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes, but I thought I'd mention since your last golden wasn't a growler that sometimes growling isn't an angry thing. (although sometimes it is). You just have to learn your dogs body language very well. I can tell when Isla is feeling upset (stiff body, tail tucked between her legs), or when she is just growling for fun, (Tail wagging, playful pounces etc). 

Good luck! I know it is scary, and in NO MEANS do I think that nipping or resource guarding is acceptable. I think it's normal DOG behavior, but so is pooping and peeing all over the place. We have to TRAIN our dogs to know what is acceptable behavior in our HOME. And I've learned it's not easy. We are taking things one day at a time. And we are seeing great strides in our girl, and I love her more every day! It will get better, but it does take work. Just pick some training methods and stick with them. I think consistency is the best training tip no matter the method.


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## edgard409 (Jul 12, 2012)

I also have the same problem with my puppy, and asked the same question. Some people told me it was resource guarding(Your pup thinks that you will take something away from her that she enjoys and thinks she will never get it back). If your want to take a look at my post I got some really good help.http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-puppy-up-1-year/117629-puppy-very-possessive-over-rawhide.html For the past week or so I have been hand feeding 1 peice of kibble at a time and I will continue to do so for a couple more weeks until she figures out that my hand is something good and not to be feared of. 

Hope this helps !


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## oliver30 (Feb 10, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your responses! They're all helpful and I appreciate them all. I do intend to take him to puppy classes, but I didn't think I could do that until he had all of his shots?

I wanted to mention that we see this behavior at other times, not just when we take away a bully stick. Last night, for example, we had a terrible experience. He got a hold of a strip of stick-on foam that we used at the base of our doorwall to prevent incoming drafts in the winter. When I tried to take it away from him, he started growling, wrinkling up his snout, and wouldn't release it. When I actually tried to take it out of his mouth, he was crazy and was aggressively trying to bite me. It scared me and I screamed. He was NOT happy that I wanted to take it away. He will also act this way sometimes when we try to pick him up. 

Without having read yet more on the topics you all suggested--resource guarding, 'nothing in life is free', etc.--what do you suggest I do when we're in that situation? I don't want to give in and let him have it because 1) it's dangerous for him and 2) I don't want to give in to him. On the other hand, I don't want to get attacked either.

This has me very concerned because, like I said originally, our other Golden NEVER growled or attacked us like this--EVER. And, our friends who have Goldens have never experienced this type of behavior either. We need to stop this behavior ASAP. It's scary and I don't like it at all.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

There is a book called Mine! that might help you if this is early resource guarding behavior. Even though your friends may have not experienced this in your Goldens there are literally hundreds of posts about this topic on this forum. It seems to be an issued in some Goldens but can be addressed early. Read some of the posts on this topic and possibly take a peek at the book Mine! by Jean Donaldson.


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## edgard409 (Jul 12, 2012)

oliver30 said:


> Thank you everyone for your responses! They're all helpful and I appreciate them all. I do intend to take him to puppy classes, but I didn't think I could do that until he had all of his shots?
> 
> I wanted to mention that we see this behavior at other times, not just when we take away a bully stick. Last night, for example, we had a terrible experience. He got a hold of a strip of stick-on foam that we used at the base of our doorwall to prevent incoming drafts in the winter. When I tried to take it away from him, he started growling, wrinkling up his snout, and wouldn't release it. When I actually tried to take it out of his mouth, he was crazy and was aggressively trying to bite me. It scared me and I screamed. He was NOT happy that I wanted to take it away. He will also act this way sometimes when we try to pick him up.
> 
> ...


Hes not exactly being agressive, just more protective. I would sugest keeping some of his favorite treats on you at all times so if he does get something dangerous you can trade. This way he wont feel that you are trying to take something away from him. Also try not to chase him around if he has something in his mouth, just try to call him to get his attention and lure him in with a treat.


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## maryt (Jun 22, 2012)

*Microchip*

I need some advice. On August 18th I am getting my pup his last set of vaccinations including rabies plus Micro chipping. My concern is I have read threads on here where the microchip moves in there body and I am wondering would this hurt him. I want to get him microchipped for safety. Also I do not know what procedure they use to do this. Can anyone give me some input there.

Much appreciated!
Mary


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## maryt (Jun 22, 2012)

maryt said:


> I need some advice. On August 18th I am getting my pup his last set of vaccinations including rabies plus Micro chipping. My concern is I have read threads on here where the microchip moves in there body and I am wondering would this hurt him. I want to get him microchipped for safety. Also I do not know what procedure they use to do this. Can anyone give me some input there.
> 
> Much appreciated!
> Mary[/QUO
> ...


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## Bunch's (Jun 15, 2012)

We to have gone through this with our 17 week old but only when it comes to high value items like bones or other long lasting treats. I have made it clear to my children if he gets something that he is not suppose to have they are to come and get me ASAP. 

He does the growling and the wrinkled snout also but when I take him by the collar and tell him to release it he still is aggressive and bites at me but doesn’t really bite if you know what I mean. I agree with the other posters statements that he is just testing to see if he puts on a little show will he get away with it.

We no longer give him long lasting treats that cause this problem as its not worth the hassle. I think the biggest thing when confronting him when he has something he is not suppose to have is to stay calm when your trying to get the item from him.


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