# about to loose my pup, need some help



## Llidisky (Dec 8, 2011)

Ok, 

So my 9 week old little boy is bipolar, he is either sleeping and nice or hyper and destorying and biting everything. He chews on everything! I have taken the stuff he is not suppose to chew on away and replaced it with his toys probably a hundred times. He has a very poor attention span, and goes right back to my kids toys. He has chewed up some wires to my little girls innotab charger. When he is not sleepy all he wants to do is bite. You try to pet him and he bites, he knocked my 2 year old down to get her food jumping all over her acting as if he had never been fed before. I just need some help calming him. When it is just me and him, I can get him to listen, but when others are around he can be very stubborn. My wife is about to ship him out. He didn't have an accident in the house at all the first 5 days, now we find him running to the back and pooping in my daughters room. I crate him by our bed at night because he is going to kill himself in the crate if i put it anywhere away from us. I would like to crate during the day but he will literally bark for hours. We have every toy and chew imaginable. bully sticks, lamb sticks, pig ears, hard squeaky toys, plush toys, balls, everything. I work with him for periods of 15 minutes or so 3-4 times a day trying to train sit, down, come, off, and others. I can get him to sit for a split second with treats, down with treats only, come most of the time, off and leave it are a joke right now. i just gotta find a way for him not to bite humans, and to quit chewing on non doggy toys


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

You can try spraying bitter apple- antichew spray- on things you don't want him to chew especially wires or your hands. Puppies at this age explore with their mouths primarily and have shirt attention spans. Puppies have to learn appropriate play. My brother's hands were covered with teeth scraps when Lucky was a puppy because he let him do it. Goldens tend to be mouthy puppies. 

You could put a leash on him and teeter him to yourself so he can't run to poop in your daughters room, chew things he should not chew without you seeing to immediately correcting him, or knocking your 2 year old over to steal her food. They are a lot of work at this age but the work you put into him now you will reap the rewards later.

Take a deep breath and try to relax.


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## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

Go to our puppies section and scroll down and you will find all kinds of help. I went there and found this from one of our members. 

Ten products to help survive puppyhood - Los Angeles Dogs | Examiner.com


All this is normal but as the prior member stated, "puppies are a lot of work, but the work will be rewarding later."


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

That sounds like a typical 9 week old golden. He is a toddler right now! You said he has a very short attention span. All puppies do! He's a baby! I'm sorry, but you should have known this was exactly what you were signing up for when you got a puppy. He needs exercise, and LOTS of it. Barking wise, you are just going to have to wait him out, just like you would with a baby crying. Mouthing is normal. He's a golden. They put everything in their mouths. You're not going to be able to really stop him from mouthing. It's more something they have to grow out of. A short "time out" when they mouth is sometimes effective. Put up your kids toys, or keep him in a separate area where he can't get to them. He has NO idea there is a difference between his and the kid's toys. Again, I can't stress it enough... HE IS A BABY!!!! If this isn't something you can deal with, you should return him to his breeder. Sorry to be harsh, but this is the reality.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Have you tried working on some crate training? I have heard that Crate Games is a good resource:
Welcome to Dogwise.com

Puppies need to get used to the crate, so they can go in there when they get worked up. 

It is difficult with children, I know! But, remain calm and you will get through this. By the time your pup is a year old, you will really appreciate all the hard work that you invested in him.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

He sounds like a perfectly normal active curious puppy and you and your wife tired parents and frustrated puppy owners!

He goes back to your children's rooms and to their toys because he can! Management is going to save your sanity! Please use baby gates and ex-pens to keep him from getting into mischief....mischief that is not only destructive, but could be very dangerous.

When the pup and children are in the same room...someone has to have their hands on the pup at all times...A happy, healthy, playful pup will rejoice and play with his little people with the same enthusiasm he would with another puppy.

IMHO...it is going to be worth all the time and energy to teach your pup to accept being crated or to tolerate separation in some other puppy-proof safe place...you have young children and at times during the day you and your wife are going to need to be able to focus on the children for family mealtimes, doctors appointments, school functions etc...


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

You and your wife need to be on the same page when it comes to how you handle the mouthing, jumping, chewing, barking, potty training, and "blowing off steam" outings outside (with you or the wife out there monitoring). 

During meals, if he can't be crated - you need to put him on leash and hook it to your chair, away from the kids. Or you can start eating in shifts and use the time that the kids are eating to go outside or in another room _with_ the puppy so he's not aware there is food in the dining room. 

The other thing is whether you use crates or not, a puppy younger than 7 months should not have complete run of the house. You need to invest in a baby gate and use it to keep the pup in the same rooms as you, preferably rooms that have been both baby proofed and puppy proofed. 

When your baby is down on the floor, the puppy needs to be on leash and under complete control. And this until the puppy settles down and your daughter gets a bit more stable on her feet. Meaning that until your daughter is 4 or 5 or even older, you need to be on the ball and monitoring the two.

The mouthing, biting, chewing, fussing, barking - a lot of this comes from a combination of your puppy "settling" in your home and investigating his world with his mouth and he's also probably teething.

The training will have to continue for the next 2 years. Your dog will be constantly learning good behaviors from you, while also trying out all those other behaviors to see "what works" to get what he wants. <- I would recommend finding a good trainer, get them on speed dial, and sign up for some form of classes for at least the next year. 

The downside of owning goldens (that I've observed from my dogs) is that you either get a barker or a biter. And when that dog gets hyped up or uber excited, he loses control of that mouth. That's where you need to be patient and have a good "settle" technique ready. 

Good luck.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

It is very difficult to have a golden puppy with young children. My breeder would not sell to a family with children under 4. My daughters were 4,8 & 9 - and the first few months were very hard. You kids are going to lose toys, have ripped clothes and chewed up hands.

To make life easier, and to get through these first few months, I had Brady leashed to me at all times. It helped with house breaking and it helped with him being a "landshark".

Get him into puppy kindergarten. It will be very stimulating and exhausting for him. It will help you with the bonding experience and it will also help you learn what you should be expecting from him.

Try to tire him out. A puppy that young can not go for long walks, but play with him in the yard. I used to fill the bathtub and play with him in there. He would have a blast.

Puppyhood is very long and trying for a golden retriever owner - especially one with young kids, but I can tell you now, my goldens have become the best dogs I have ever own - although no stuffed animals are safe in my house.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Everyone has given great advice. The pup is ONLY 9 WEEKS OLD. He should not have the run of the house. Just like a baby everything goes in the mouth. I would suggest an x pen with lots of puppy toys right in the middle of all the family action. 

And honestly it is going to get worse before it gets better. But in the end if you are anything like most of us here you will look back and laugh about it. You don't see it now, but it will get better and you will be glad you stuck with him thru the oh so ugly puppy stage


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## gardn198 (Jan 7, 2011)

that sounds exactly like my 8 week old golden- have you ever owned a dog before? this isn't out of the ordinary. I guarantee that in a few weeks he will calm down, but you have to establish your dominance. Puppies are HARD WORK! I was up til 415 am last night trying to get Holly to sleep. She was wild and hyper and I tried EVERYTHING but she just wouldn't calm down. Finally I put her in her crate and walked away, she cried for 5 minutes so I went and laid down next to her crate. She finally fell asleep. If you can get through these tough first few months you will have the most loving, loyal dog there is. We had our last golden for 12 years and she was the sweetest dog I ever knew, but boy was she a terror when she was little! This is not a sample of what his behavior will be like as an adult. He's just a baby, he hasn't learned what's right and wrong yet. PLEASE keep him and give him the love and attention he needs to learn how to be a good boy!


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Also, I wanted to add that Ian Dunbar has a really good (and free!) online textbook titled "Raising a Puppy". 

Raising A Puppy | Dog Star Daily

There is lots of training information on that website, and I think you will really be able to benefit from it. I know I did.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

I would definitely stress that you need to keep the puppy and your child separated unless they are under strict supervision - do not allow them alone together, or even together when not being carefully watched. Both are delicate and a child could hurt a puppy or a puppy could hurt a child very easily, without even meaning to. Separate them with a gate and teach your child how to handle the puppy properly and gently.

As for the puppy, I pretty much second what everyone else is saying. At nine weeks a puppy is just a baby and does not know how to behave or what is expected of it. Supervision, management, and training should start as soon as possible, but remember that it would be a long road ahead. Consider enrolling in puppy kindergarten as soon as possible!


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Another good book is "My Smart Puppy".


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## Golden999 (Jun 29, 2010)

I think a lot of people don't realize how difficult raising a puppy is. They just think of the older already-trained dogs that they've had in the past or seen other people with. When you're dealing with a young puppy, though, you are literally at square one- they are essentially wild animals with no training. You've got to teach him how to be civilized, often against his strongest most basic instincts, and that's going to take time. It's like raising a child in a lot of ways (Remember the terrible twos with your children?).

The fact that he won't poop in front of you inside and runs to a different room to do it, at nine weeks, is actually a good sign. It means he's starting to understand the basic concept that you don't want him to poop in the house. Otherwise, he wouldn't be running to do it where you can't see him. Either that, or he assumes you just don't want him to poop in the main rooms.  But it means in a week you've already got him a decent amount of the way towards house training, which is a big accomplishment. For some people and dogs it can take like six months to house train a puppy. I did it in three weeks, but I was very happy and pleasantly surprised with that, and I think he still would have been having accidents had he free roam of the apartment in the early months (He'd still occasionally have an accident for the next couple months when I took him to visit relatives with a large house).

Honestly, that young, I just wouldn't let him out of your sight for long. If you're in, say, the living room for a while and you can close doors or put up little child-proof gates so he stays in there with you, that's a plus. For the first year I had my dog, when I was in the living room, I shut the door so he'd stay in there with me. I couldn't do that when I was in the kitchen, but I kept my eye on him and called him back if he wandered out of the kitchen while I was in it. The only time I really left him unsupervised to wander was when I used the bathroom real quick. If I showered, he was put in his kennel until I got out and got dressed.

Of course, eventually, he got the freedom to roam through the apartment at will, when I thought I could trust him with it.

One thing to keep in mind with the biting is that usually when goldens do that, they are trying to play. If you've ever watched puppies or dog friends frolic with each other, there's a lot of biting. It's like how human boys do some wrestling with each other and play tag and stuff in good fun. The dog probably is trying to play with you guys, not hurt you. Of course, you want to train him that we don't bite when we play, but sometimes that is tough- my dog mostly gets it with people who aren't me, but when he's hanging out with me, he'll still sometimes playful bite at nearly two years old, because he's like "Listen pal, you're in my pack, therefore I can playfully bite you". Some dogs are just naturally very bitey and it may take time to teach them that that's not acceptable in the human world.

Goldens are just very oral in general. I got the golden I have now to stop chewing on wires and furniture pretty quick, but the golden I had as a kid would naw on the furniture until he was 2 or 3 years old. My father almost gave away my childhood dog several times due to chewing. Even though my current one stopped chewing wires and stuff in a few weeks, he still went through a phase before that where he drug toys over to wires, chewed on the wires, and then when I looked over, he'd quickly switch to chewing the toy as if that's what he had been doing all along.  I took that as a sign that he was beginning to understand my expectations, though, and also that he was really smart to be able to figure out how to try to fool me.  All dogs are different and learn on different schedules and grasp some things easier than others. 

The jumping you're seeing is the way wolf cubs greet their leaders when they return from hunting. The puppy is essentially just really excited to see you and expressing it by jumping. Again, you probably want to try to train that out of him, but he's not actually trying to hurt you. Just like with the play biting, it's instinctual behavior that's considered friendly in the dog world.


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## Tucker's mommy (Nov 9, 2011)

I know what you're going through. We have a seven month golden, and three kids - ages 2, 6 and 7. The first few months would have been a nightmare for us if we hadn't used baby gates. I think our friends thought we were crazy - we had them up all over the house so we could easily remove our pup/kids from each other when things got crazy. It worked very well for us. Now, at seven months, we still have a room in the downstairs that is off limits to the pup where all the kids' small toys are. And we watch Tucker like a hawk if the older two boys have the video game things out where he could grab something. But over time, he seems to have learned what's his and what's not (with a few setbacks). Good luck - it does get better, and the baby gates really do help.


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## Golden999 (Jun 29, 2010)

Also, one thing I found, and your experience may vary, is that as a young puppy my dog wasn't really that interested in licking people's hands or being petted. Nowadays he practically begs to be petted constantly, though. At some point there's a shift from "play, play, play" to "love me and play with me". Just like you've got stages of childhood development in humans, there are stages of puppy development in dogs. Just keep working with him and training him and give him some time to grow up and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

It does take a lot of hard work, though, and it does get frustrating in the early going. I was close to a nervous breakdown caring for my puppy all by myself, but I did get through it and now he's my buddy.


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## Tucker's mommy (Nov 9, 2011)

I forgot to add - Tucker will be eight months old at the end of January, and he is FINALLY starting to calm down with his mouthiness. It has taken THIS LONG, even with our constant training and consistent treatment. Up until this past month, we would dread going outside with him because we knew his shark-like tendencies were just waiting to surface! He is really turning into a gentle soul - but boy has it taken a long time! Good luck!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Golden999 said:


> Also, one thing I found, and your experience may vary, is that as a young puppy my dog wasn't really that interested in licking people's hands or being petted. Nowadays he practically begs to be petted constantly, though. At some point there's a shift from "play, play, play" to "love me and play with me". Just like you've got stages of childhood development in humans, there are stages of puppy development in dogs. Just keep working with him and training him and give him some time to grow up and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
> 
> It does take a lot of hard work, though, and it does get frustrating in the early going. I was close to a nervous breakdown caring for my puppy all by myself, but I did get through it and now he's my buddy.


Very good point. Brady did not start cuddling until he was 8 months, and MacKenzie about 18 months. Now I can't get Brady off my lap and MacKenzie has her snuggly times too.


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## Tucker's mommy (Nov 9, 2011)

All the comments about the lack of licking at a young age are dead-on. It seems like these furballs go from land shark to love bug overnight! And boy, is it a nice feeling when those behaviours start to show (seems like 7-8 months is a common time for this). I'm sure they will for you -but you have to suffer through those tough puppy moments, unfortunately! I still have a few scars on my hands! Give it time - it gets so much easier - and this is coming from a mom with three little people under 7!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Llidisky said:


> Ok,
> 
> So my 9 week old little boy is bipolar, he is either sleeping and nice or hyper and destorying and biting everything. He chews on everything! I have taken the stuff he is not suppose to chew on away and replaced it with his toys probably a hundred times. He has a very poor attention span, and goes right back to my kids toys. He has chewed up some wires to my little girls innotab charger. When he is not sleepy all he wants to do is bite. You try to pet him and he bites, he knocked my 2 year old down to get her food jumping all over her acting as if he had never been fed before. I just need some help calming him. When it is just me and him, I can get him to listen, but when others are around he can be very stubborn. My wife is about to ship him out. He didn't have an accident in the house at all the first 5 days, now we find him running to the back and pooping in my daughters room. I crate him by our bed at night because he is going to kill himself in the crate if i put it anywhere away from us. I would like to crate during the day but he will literally bark for hours. We have every toy and chew imaginable. bully sticks, lamb sticks, pig ears, hard squeaky toys, plush toys, balls, everything. I work with him for periods of 15 minutes or so 3-4 times a day trying to train sit, down, come, off, and others. I can get him to sit for a split second with treats, down with treats only, come most of the time, off and leave it are a joke right now. i just gotta find a way for him not to bite humans, and to quit chewing on non doggy toys


I think you need to adjust your expectations too. He is just a baby, you can't expect him to be calm like an adult dog. 

He is NOT house trained, you have months of repeating the house training routine before you can say he is reliably trained. Make your potty trips outside more frequent, at 9 weeks old he needs to be taken out every 20 to 30 minutes, or even less.

He has way too much freedom, yes you should be crating him more, any time you can not have both eyes on him he needs to be crated. You could also try leashing him to you so he can't run off to another part of the house. Or get a puppy pen if you want him to have more play room than the crate, and use it a lot.

Chewing on everything in his path is totally normal for a puppy, you just have to keep redirecting to toys he can chew on, and again crate or pen or leash to keep him in your sight or confined so he can't get to things he shouldn't.

Scroll through the Puppy Under 1 Year section of the board, there are hundreds of threads covering all of this that have great advice for working with puppies.


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## Ada's Mom (Aug 24, 2011)

I second what everyone else has said about this being normal. Ada had me extremely stressed out at times in the first 2 months or so because of all the biting. At 5 months now though, the biting is much better (not perfect by any means...but the frequency is tolerable now and she's starting to listen when we tell her not to bite).

And I STRONGLY suggest baby gates. He shouldn't be able to run away and poop somewhere and it's easier to keep eyes on the puppy if he can't roam the entire house. You either need to have your eyes on him (baby gates make it easier) or he needs to be in a crate. Ada is 5 months and I still don't really let her out of my sight.


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## Llidisky (Dec 8, 2011)

Ok. It's great. For those ofyou telling me this is normal and asking if I have ever owned a dog and to read the puppy forum. I have read a ton before I got Chester and I didn't see any about the biting being constant. I have owned several dogs that all have lives full wonderful lives and all I which I got as a puppy. Non have acted this aggressive. I am not an uneducated person. I understand he is a baby and untrained. I am not looking for everyone to tell me oh that is perfectly normal. I'm asking for advice on how to train not to bite skin and destroy. What tricks did you use? What didn't work? Don't state the obvious about he's a baby because I have seen goldens around 10 weeks that do listen. I'm asking for help on training. Not smarta$$ haha he's normal. He doesn't have run of the house. He is quarentined to our family room and kitchen. But if we don't get the hall gate up in time bam he runs to a room. On the crating and barking. Should I crate him in the same room as we all are or seclude him till he gets used to being crated during the day


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

When my first born was 5 he couldn't tie his own shoes...yet other little boys could...

Your pup is an individual - try your best not to compare him to other pups youve owned in the past or seen out in public....his behavior is falling within the normal limits.


If your pup is nipping and mouthing then put something else in his mouth to distract him and give him an opportunity to use his teeth on something appropriate, or try yelping and walking off.... However if he is nipping and mouthing your child...then IMHO there is not enough management going on...because he should never be near enough to your little one to be able to make contact.

Yes I would crate in the same room....please search the site for crate training ideas....there are tons..

Have you been in contact with your breeder? If yes, have they offered any advice?
Does your breeder offer to take the puppy back if you feel you can not cope?


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

One thing I noticed with Brady was that when he was at his worst was when he was due for a nap. When he became uncontrollable, I would put him in his crate and he would be asleep in minutes. 

Also, my kids brought the worst out in him when they screeched or screamed. Now this is becomes a catch-22 because when they scream, he bites, they scream louder. Again the puppy mentality of the children being other puppies. I was able to get the youngest to stop, but the oldest kids, it was a battle.

None of the training tricks worked for Brady. One thing that did work was I had empty soda cans in various places around the house with about 8 -10 pennies in it. If he was about to be a landshark, I would shake the can and say "NO". This is important for a woman, because usually when a woman screams "NO" he voice becomes more of a high pitch than a low pitch of a man.

Don't be offended, but this was one of the best books I read - Golden Retrievers for Dummies:








http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Retrievers-Dummies-Kilgore-Bauer/dp/0764552678

The leash was my best friend at that age. Both my puppies had their leashes on them in the house at least five months old. It is the only way you will have control of him until he learns his commands and house rules.

I also found that a golden puppy was different from any other breed I had previously raised ( GSD, Great Pyrenees, Shih Tzu).


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

My breeder also recommended that we keep the crate someplace in the house where the puppy can still see what is going on but yet is off to the side for privacy. I kept him in the dining area off the kitchen, that seemed to work very well.

You can then have another crate for the bedroom or move it in there at night.


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## NapaValleyGolden (Mar 24, 2008)

Cody was very "bitey" as a puppy, one thing that helped was to turn my back and stand still, ignoring him, whenever he started the jumping and biting. Keeping him tethered to me on a leash was helpful when I needed to move around but couldn't let him loose. 

As far as crating I kept a crate in the kitchen and would put him in it for 30-40 minutes and then take him out for potty break, play and then back in the crate for awhile. That really helped with the potty training and getting him on a schedule. When he did have an accident in the house (of which there were many!) I used Nature's Miracle to clean.

I was fortunate that my kitchen can be closed off, for awhile I didn't think he would ever be able to join us in the rest of the house!

For toys, he still destroys anything soft or stuffed (he's almost 3) so we have lots of nylabone-type chew toys. When he was teething a frozen washcloth helped, also large carrots. Bitter Apple helped with those things I didn't want him to chew.

Cody was a much more challenging puppy than my first golden, I do remember feeling very frustrated at times. He wasn't a barker so I can't help you with that. 

Good luck, and we'd love to see pictures of your puppy!


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## Bella's Mama (Jun 12, 2011)

Bella was a biting wild woman. I found that when she was in her crazy moods (and even still now at 8 months), I hold a toy in my hand and let her chew that. It keeps her from chewing other things. She loves for me to hold her toys. It's a pain sometimes, but it helps her stay concentrated on that toy.


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## Tucker's mommy (Nov 9, 2011)

Our crate is just off of our kitchen, in the corner, where he has a bit of privacy, but is still in the middle of the action, as he likes it that way. When we were housebreaking him, we kept the crate in the kitchen near the front door, and before he started showing any signs of a pattern, he was in the crate A LOT. He never seemed to mind the crate, so we were very lucky in that regard. As for the biting, we really did struggle, and as I mentioned, there are still times when he gets over- excited and nips. But what helped us with that more than anything was TONS of excercise. We walked him even as a small puppy - and we ran him around on a line in our yard from the beginning, too, playing games of fetch. He slept a ton, but we didn't mind - at least he couldn't bite us that way! We also taught him the basic commands very early, and worked on them every day for very short periods. This seemed to tire him as well. Tired puppies are sooo much easier to deal with. But as I said, there were still times when it was just plain awful. I know you don't want to hear this again, but time really does help. Someone else mentioned putting appropriate things in his mouth when he bites - we did that with some success, but really, he was awful with the mouthing till about five months of age, when we started to see improvement, and then just recently he seems to be really getting it that it's just not appropriate (almost 8 months old).


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Llidisky said:


> Ok. It's great. For those ofyou telling me this is normal and asking if I have ever owned a dog and to read the puppy forum. I have read a ton before I got Chester and I didn't see any about the biting being constant.





Llidisky said:


> Every puppy is different, some are really bad about chewing on everything others don't do it as much.​I have owned several dogs that all have lives full wonderful lives and all I which I got as a puppy. Non have acted this aggressive.
> Please don't call your puppy aggressive. He isn't, he is just doing what puppies do. ​I am not an uneducated person. I understand he is a baby and untrained. I am not looking for everyone to tell me oh that is perfectly normal. I'm asking for advice on how to train not to bite skin and destroy. What tricks did you use? What didn't work?
> Several methods you can try:
> 
> ...


Unfortunately there are no tricks for keeping household items safe from chewing, that part is a matter of management and prevention. Cover cords, block areas like under desks, behind tvs, etc., so he can't get to cables and cords. 

I know it's frustrating and exhausting, but it really will get better. And every week he will be a little older and better able to understand and do the things you are trying to teach him.


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

It looks like no one has mentioned EXERCISE. A tired puppy is a good puppy. We had a hellion, and she got three 45 minute walks a day. We came home in the middle of the day to walk her. She didn't calm down until 3 years old. 

Take pup on walks. Take him in the backyard and play ball (if he doesn't bring the ball back, just put a long line on him and reel him in). Play hide and seek with treats. Then when you are done playing, pup goes in the crate. If he barks, ignore it. He will eventually sleep. 

I would also recommend not being so defensive in your replies. We are trying to help. TONS have stated that you need to supervise, use a leash, crate, play pen, baby gates, whatever. Using these will prevent the issues you are having. Puppies are destructive if left with things in the house. Fact of puppyhood. Mouthing (he isn't being aggressive!) is, as I said earlier, something that takes time for them to grow out of. 

Where did you get your puppy? Is the breeder available to help? 

Good luck.


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## Llidisky (Dec 8, 2011)

Every post on this page is what I was looking for and I thank you. Also. For it hurt to let them roam outside? My 10 year old shitzu love to go lounge on our deck I have let Chester sit out there with him for a while free then take him out in the yard and have him go potty. Then bring him in for play. Just wondering of this hurts or not


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## YippieKya (Jan 3, 2012)

New pup is always a 24/7 commitment, and if you put the time in, the rewards will be for a lifetime. I do think if you're overwhelmed within your family unit or at your wits end, it would be a good idea to find a local trainer and enroll in puppy pre-school right away. Just having an outside professional to turn to and consult with will help take some of the edge off. Many of them will offer in-home training as well as off-site socialization so they can help you within your own environment and and become an ongoing resource if needed. 
But if your heart isn't in it and you're not willing to make the full commitment, return to breeder. As others have said, puppyhood is a LOT OF WORK!!


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

He does sound like he is within the normal range--likely on the active and intelligent end of it! When they are this little their brains are so incredibly pastic that they can learn so much, so quickly. They key is going to be that the entire family must be consistent--if the children are to young to abide by this they need to be kept separated from the pup unless under direct supervision. Use the training opportunities that present themselves as part of normal routines like feeding times (pup must work for food!), and when the adults are doing chores like cooking dinner or doing dishes (tethering the pup to you starts to build focus and attention, as well as providing control). Do not get angry--the pup does not understand that, and once you are angry, you are less likely to approach the undesired behaviour in a systematic way.

Here are links to some of the materials I send home with my puppies:
Training Tips 
Housebreaking Schedule


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## Deb_Bayne (Mar 18, 2011)

Llidisky said:


> Ok. It's great. For those ofyou telling me this is normal and asking if I have ever owned a dog and to read the puppy forum. I have read a ton before I got Chester and I didn't see any about the biting being constant. I have owned several dogs that all have lives full wonderful lives and all I which I got as a puppy. Non have acted this aggressive. I am not an uneducated person. I understand he is a baby and untrained. I am not looking for everyone to tell me oh that is perfectly normal. I'm asking for advice on how to train not to bite skin and destroy. What tricks did you use? What didn't work? Don't state the obvious about he's a baby because I have seen goldens around 10 weeks that do listen. I'm asking for help on training. Not smarta$$ haha he's normal. He doesn't have run of the house. He is quarentined to our family room and kitchen. But if we don't get the hall gate up in time bam he runs to a room. On the crating and barking. Should I crate him in the same room as we all are or seclude him till he gets used to being crated during the day


wow,,, that was rude. 

There is lots of advice in the posts here about how to train and also go read the puppy forum, there's tons in there about the horrors of puppyhood and yes training advice also. If you continue this rudeness good luck at getting some niceness back.  And YES THIS IS NORMAL!!!


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## luverofpeanuts (Jun 9, 2011)

Deb_Bayne said:


> wow,,, that was rude.


I agree. It's not very nice to respond so rudely to advice you asked for. You are new, and your post was short; to expect people to make assumptions about your experience and then call it smart a$$ is not a good way to get to the specific advice you are looking for. And, IMHO, if you've read as much as you claim to, you'd know that Golden's are very mouthy and orally fixated like everyone has been saying... and regardless of how much it is happening, it should not be a surprise to you.


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## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

Pls be a little more courteous when seeking advice from fellow forum folks. We understand your frustration but that is how a puppy behaves at that age. A tired puppy is a good puppy. Try to exercise him a bit more or teach him some tricks to tire him mentally. He can easily learn the basic sit, stay, roll, hand shake, high 5 etc. at that age. Most of us here have gone through this puppy phase, felt frustrated at some point but we all get through that. Lucca is almost 1 yr old and sometimes he still tries to nip the cloth when I wipe him down after he goes out.


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Llidisky said:


> Every post on this page is what I was looking for and I thank you. Also. For it hurt to let them roam outside? My 10 year old shitzu love to go lounge on our deck I have let Chester sit out there with him for a while free then take him out in the yard and have him go potty. Then bring him in for play. Just wondering of this hurts or not


He should be supervised at all times while he is out there. You could play with him outside as well.


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## Llidisky (Dec 8, 2011)

I'm sorry for being rude. But I asked for tips on training. Not 5 posts saying on that's normal. Stickies would be an awesome addition for this section aside from the 10 things to survive puppyhood. I have read lots and I took certain things different in meaning I'm guessing than what they really were. I'm sorry for snipping back but the posts after my snip gave me what I was looking for which was direction and tips not sounds like a golden to me... But. Anyway. I am going to do longer walks and more leash time to try to tire him more because I think after reading more and more. I think he isn't getting enough exercise by training and playing fetch inside. We start puppy class next week. I know he will come through this and be a great dog. I just needed some advice on training the word no.


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## Bentley's Mom (May 19, 2011)

We tried training NO with very little success. What worked for us was teaching him what we did want him to do. Started biting and nipping, we got up turned our back and ignored him. When he stopped we would click (we used clicker training obviously) and treated. Pretty soon he realized jumping and biting=not fun, down and no bitiing=treats. We served all meals from Kong or Kong wobbler, makes their brains tired. We did little training sessions everytime we went outside. Potty first, then without fail he would pick up something he shouldn't have. I would show him the treat, he would drop whatever it was. I would say good drop it. That's just one example. As far the crate put him in for a few minutes at a time. If he's barking he doesn't come out. As soon as he stops for just a second let him out. Pretty soon he'll realize the sooner I relax the sooner I come out. Hang in there.


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## Jakemyboy (Jan 4, 2012)

This is something I have dealt with a few times with previous puppies I have rescued and rehomed -- I had a boxer puppy (male) and he sound exactly like your little golden. I really just had to use the tether method -- he was on a leash with me everywhere we went, outside, in the house...and we would do this for about a month teaching him the things that he was not supposed to do and making to reward HUGE for the things he can do, or that he does correctly. This really helped him understand the rules....I am a firm believe in what Ceasar Milan teaches...if you can pick up one of his book on raising a well behaved puppy and you might be surprised to see that crazy puppy turn into a well behaved dog. This is totally normal for puppy behavior they need rules and discipline just like real babies and toddlers. Good luck!! I know all too well how hard it is to be patient with an unruly puppy...but the really trick is training the owners


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Personally, I find a puppy from eight weeks until one year is a challenge. At the beginning , every time you sit down, the pup needs to go out....and it goes on...they are a lot of work . But then it gets better...


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I am a fan of squirting breath spray in the mouth for biting. Worked with my guys... Interrupts things...


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Please understand that we say it's normal because most of us have been in the same boat. You will even find posts on this forum from people saying "OMG Ive had golden puppies before and I just plain forgot how much work they are!". 

My only experience raising puppies during my adult years has been with goldens and I am now raising a collie. He is so much easier I am shocked. Yes, he is mouthy sometimes, jumps on kids and tortures me if he needs more exercise, but it is just not to the nth degree that goldens seem to carry it to.

Yes we can feel your frustration in your words, it can be overwhelming. Please go thru the suggestions and make a list of the things you haven't tried yet and also the things that you've only been doing half heartedly. Just as with human kids it won't be fixed overnight. Ex. He should be crated in the main living sees of the house during day time so he can see you all, but he is probably going to fuss and it is probably going to be a few weeks till he accepts it regularly without pitching a fit. Don't give in. It will come. My puppy is always crated during mealtime with his own food bowl or a frozen stuffed kong so he doesn't cause trouble. We have had many meals in the past where he cried for the entire 20 minutes. . But we stuck with it and eventually he came around. 

Please use the search feature and look for other posts,you will see that you aren't the only one and see what has been suggested to others. There is so much good information on this forum. Please don't get frustrated and give up. There's always more to learn.


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## jpajinag (Nov 25, 2010)

We have 4 children and have raised a golden puppy with an infant and toddler. This can definately make things more difficult but in my opinion it also is more rewarding in the end. My 3 year old is "best friends" with our 1 yr old! Somep[eople find it easier to have the puppy crated in the bedroom because you can comfort the pup if he gets upset at night BUT I have found everyone gets more rest if the pup is in an unoccupied room. He won't wake you with his cries and you will not wake him and remind him he is in his crate and you on a bed. Also the "comforting" can extend the crate breaking time- you can't sit by his crate during the day and when you leave the house. At this young age I have found the puppy barking tanturms will last a week or less if you just stick with it. This means he does NOT come out while barking. You do NOT talk to him, saying "no" or "quiet" while in his cvrate and do NOT make eye contact. When the pups are young we keep them on a leash when out of the crate, the leash is tied to a bely or looped around my ankle. At this age they are babies and sleep a lot too, this is perfect crate time. My rule of thumb- if an adult is not holding the leash and feeding, playing, brushing, potting, or training, then pup is kenneled. Good luck- it does get better.


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## Thegoldenclaa (Dec 16, 2011)

cubbysan said:


> Don't be offended, but this was one of the best books I read - Golden Retrievers for Dummies:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm glad you said that. I just ordered this book! Now I can't wait to start looking at it


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Thegoldenclaa said:


> I'm glad you said that. I just ordered this book! Now I can't wait to start looking at it


I bought that book right after we put the deposit down on Max. (I'm one of those bad people who didn't do any research first, just saw a cute puppy and wanted him, and then went "What have I gotten myself into?") It really was a good resource, I recommend it.

And I've never regretted my spur of the moment, falling totally in love with the fur ball, decision.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

We found that a schedule helped a lot. It took a month or so to develop. Not that our pup wasn't still a lot of work, but at least we had some expectation of what might be going on at any given time. 7am - breakfast, 9 am - probably asleeep, 11 am - ready for a morning walk, 1 pm - lunch, 3pm, afternoon walk then maybe nap, 6pm - predinner nap, 8pm - dinner then walk, 9 pm - crazy obnoxious, 10 pm - bedtime. At least we always know peace is at 10pm.

Also, are you sure your puppy is getting enough sleep? When our puppy is tired, he bites, runs, chews. My sons were back from college the last two weeks and my 5-month-old puppy was exhausted. He naps in the kitchen. Every time he fell asleep, one of the kids would come tromping through the kitchen and wake him up. Friends dropped by randomly, ringing the doorbell, staying for hours. On the one hand, great socialization opportunities, but on the other hand, the puppy was exhausted. After one busy day (Christmas?), the puppy had breakfast and then slept the entire morning! These days I think he gets about 3 1-1.5 hour naps between morning and bedtime. He often goes to sleep at 9:30pm for the day. We wake him up for one last potty break, then bed at 10-10:30. He slept more often but shorter naps when he was younger.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

It could be he is feeding off your frustration and chaos with young kids in the house. Kids can make puppies spastic with excitement. It doesn't help that the wife wants to ship him out......is she not involved with him
I applaud you for getting a puppy with such young children......personally I would have never even considered it......
I am one of those that said.......I forgot what it was like to raise a puppy.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

" I just needed some advice on training the word no. "

The word no is really hard for a young puppy to understand. Think of it this way...
It doesn't tell the puppy what you really want it to do.
Actively train the pup to sit and down. When the pup is doing something you don't want them to do ask them to do a sit or down and reward for them doing something.

It really takes about 300 solid repetitions of practice for a pup to get a particular concept. Everyone being totally consistant. They also don't generalize so if they get a particular behavior down good in the kitchen they may not get it in the living room or the back yard. Puppies need to start learning without a lot of distractions. This would mean that you or your wife need to train the pup without a lot of other things going on (no kids around) then add in the kids for each behavior once the pup is actively giving the correct response at least 80% of the time. Measure of some of the pups daily food (kibble) to use to train inside the home. When training in other places you can use higher value treats. When starting a new behavior it is okay to use the treat as a lure. After you see that the pup has the actual mechanics of the behavior then the treats do not show up until after the pup has actually done the behavior asked for.
Puppies are little sponges.
Good things to start teaching pups are
Sit (pup only gets up with a released word) starts with a one or two second sit and move slowly with longer duration. 
Down (again pup only gets up with a released word adding in longer duration over time)
Give
Trade
Leave it
go to your mat (this can be a great game which will lead to a pup that will stay where you want him or her until released) The rug or mat can be taken anywhere. 
Crate games Teaching the pup to really love the crate.

X-pens can be really great especially when the owner has very young children. The x-pen can be set up anywhere. The pup then has a safe area to play and still be in the room with the family but cannot grab the childrens toys or learn to snatch food from very young children if they are walking around with it. When mom and dad need to just chill out in front of the tv and the kids are playing with toys on the floor the pup can play with his or her own toys in the x-pen and not interrupt the childrens games. The pup cannot learn inappropriate behavior while contained but everyone can interact in the same area. Puppies are constantly learning even when we are not actively teaching so they can pick up tons of inappropriate behaviors if we don't have both eyes on them at all times when they are out and about. It can be very stressful to not be able to blink or sit down with such an active home. The x-pen may give some sanity. You can then make up a schedule so that the pup still gets a lot of active training (a few minutes at a time) and just normal house manners where the pup learns to interact within his/her home where no matter what you are doing both eyes are on the pup. 

Having a young pup with young children is extremely hard work. All adults need to train consistently the same. Children should be taught to also use the same cues and commands over time.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

The best thing anyone with a young pup can do is get into a training program. That way you have someone in person that will know you and your pup and can offer spot on advice for things that pop up. I believe you said you were already signed up. 

There is a trainer that offers online courses that are really excellent. The course is pricey but she does offer free videos from time to time that are pretty good. If you sign up for her face book page and newsletter you would be able to take advantage of these videos even though part of the videos are her advertisement for her program. The trainer is Susan Garrett. I believe some of her videos are on you tube. She also is the author of Crate Games.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

I think you're going to find that it is much more helpful to teach a pup to do 'something' (like sit, down, off or wait) then to give a very generic 'no'...

For example in the case of taking toys...simply telling a puppy 'no' could mean LOTS of things to him -- dont put it in your mouth, dont chew it, dont carry it, dont lay down with it - where as if you cheerfully told the puppy to 'come' and 'out' then you have a puppy who is complying, not being destructive and learning good manners without all the frustration for him or for you....

If a puppy is jumping and you want him to stop...giving him a specific thing 'to do' that doesn't physically allow for jumping (like telling him to sit or down) it much more effective...and especially so when you have an active young puppy.





Llidisky said:


> We start puppy class next week. I know he will come through this and be a great dog. *I just needed some advice on training the word no*.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I know my earlier advice was one of the bad### ones that you referred to that did not help, since it came before your comment...  

But I meant what I said about sitting down with your wife and getting on the same page as far as how the puppy is going to be handled, trained, and controlled. You can't be home 24/7 to keep the puppy out of trouble, so she (the other adult in the home) needs to be responsible as well. 

The other thing you need to think about is that the mouthing, biting... bad behavior... is not going to stop with just 1 round of puppy classes. In fact, it might even get worse as your puppy gets bigger and more difficult to control. You need to make a committment to working with this puppy for the next year at least. 

**** You have to keep a leash on your puppy around your child. That's the first thing. 

**** You have to put up baby gates or shut doors to keep the puppy directly underfoot so you can watch that puppy for any signals that he has to go outside. This made a big difference in our success in quickly potty training our Jacks. He never had an accident in the house, but that was mainly because we contained him and watched him. There was one room in the house where we'd put him when there was nobody able to watch him. This room was completely puppy proof (no carpet, no plugs, no cords, etc). The rest of the time he was babygated in rooms with people and/or on leash.

^ This will also prevent chewing on inappropriate things, because you and your wife will SEE what he's doing.

*** Talk to your vet about finding a good trainer who would come out to the house and help you one-on-one with mouthing and chewing and other such behaviors. This is in addition to puppy class, and at least two rounds of obedience class beyond puppy class. 

*** Mouthing/biting - these are things you need to work on in person with a trainer. I don't necessarily like offering corrective advice online to people, because the degree of pressure and timing they use makes a difference between something that's going to gently fix a problem or going to exasperate the situation. 

Meaning that if I tell you to pinch your puppy's tongue when he bites your hand - if you do not do it correctly, your puppy is either going to be afraid of you or he's going to think you are playing the coolest nip-and-dodge-the-pinch game. 

Meaning that if somebody tells you to spray your puppy in the face, again that puppy can turn it into a big game if it's not done correctly. My mom found this out with Jacks when he was a puppy. She'd spray him to get him to stop chewing on our old dog. This turned into a game where he'd go charging at her so she would squirt water at him. He'd playbow-zoomie around and go charging back for another round. And then when she stopped, he'd go back to chewing on his brother. 

There are other methods I know of that also work, _if applied properly_.

Online, the best I can say is -

- If he's extra mouthy, he gets to go outside. With our guys, they usually got extra obnoxious when they had to go outside to poop. 

- Learn to walk away. Sometimes when they get really hyped up with playing, a correction is not going to work to stop the mouthing and nipping. 

- Learn to deflect/distract. When you see he is really starting to hype up, that's the time you distract him with a toy or take him over to do some training (sit, down, praise, treat).

- Learn to be calm. When we get shrill and erratic, they either do not take you seriously or are confused about what you want. 

*** Exercise - will help (daily 10-20 minute walks), but I would not be taking a 9 week old puppy on _major_ walks or any running, because that can exasperate any existing issues with their developing bones. 

What would be best is making sure that every hour or two he gets to go outside and run around and play for at least ten minutes. It's great you have another dog for him to run around with. 

Again, good luck...

Please keep in mind that none of the things you listed are out of the ordinary for golden puppies. Do not take your frustration or anger out on the puppy or assume you got a lemon. He's a very normal golden puppy and they do grow up to be nice dogs if you can survive puppyhood. 

My mom gave me daily complaint phone calls about Jacks. Even though he never had an accident in the house, he was... a challenge... for her to handle after many years of just having two senior goldens. 

For the past 2 years the phone calls I get now are all about how much she loves him. He's her company during the day when I'm not home. 

I'm saying these things work out... but you need to really be patient and be consistent with the training.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Congrats on your new family member and for sure it will all work out! Working on bite inhibition,one thing that I found works for some pups, is to growl, as soon has he latches on, say a firm 'uhuh' hold still, give him a low growl, if he doesn't let go,increase the intensity (deepness and volume)of the growl, until he stops, the second he does, give him a treat or praise and redirect to a toy, toss it away from you, or wag it in his face.(Reward the behavior you do want.) Repeat repeat! For some pups an high pitched "Yipe" works, 'yipe', stand up, ignore him, reward immediately when he stops, even briefly. If he is still very persistent, leave the room, briefly,close the door between you or calmly pick him up and place him behind the door. Try to keep all your interactions with him calm and low key - the more wound up (even frustrated) you get the more excited he will get. 
Something that can help 'teach' bite inhibition is to set up playtimes with other vaccinated puppies or a calm and 'puppy tolerant' adult dog. My adult dogs do an amazing job with this, and it does 'generalize' fairly easily.
I keep a loud,sharp 'NO' for emergencies, when I want the dog to stop NOW."No' is a word that comes up very often in our daily language, and if it is said often enough in the presence of the dog, but not meant for the dog, it becomes meaningless to them. For a 'normal' verbal correction, a firm uhuh or 'ack' is often enough to interrupt the behavior, momentarily, and give you a chance to redirect.


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## penparson (Sep 19, 2010)

Keep in mind that you might have to try many different strategies until you find a few things that work! Wakefield was tethered to me, or a piece of furniture, most of last winter. And that was with very few distractions! An x-pen would be a great way to go with small children, as both the pup and the kids would be safe. You can teach the kids not to poke their fingers, hands etc. through the grate. You might also take a look at the NLIF program online - it was very helpful with Wake.


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## coffenut (Jan 3, 2012)

It has been many, many years since I have had a puppy (although hopefully one will be joining my family in the near future). One of the best puppy books I have ever read is by the Monks of New Skete called "The Art of Raising a Puppy" http://amzn.to/ADm4Cc


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## ozzy'smom (Jun 18, 2011)

I can't tell you how many times when Ozzy was a puppy that I googled "bite inhibition". I read articles, watched videos, read books, etc. but honestly, not a ton helped. The whole "yelping" thing didn't work at all. He thought it was a game. The best thing for us was I would tether him to something like a table and sit and play with him and if he started to bite I would say, "no bite" and give him something else. If he instead came at me and bit again (which he normally did) I would say "NO" really firmly and leave the room. I'd come back when he was calm and/or playing with something else. Other things that worked for us was LOTS of exercise and working in short bursts on basic commands. Sometimes if I could tell he was getting worked up I would give him a command and try to distract him. For a month or two I simply avoided getting down on the floor when he was playful because I KNEW he'd end up biting. I also realized that evenings were his bad time so I would give him a frozen stuffed Kong at night to keep him busy. BUT, honestly, I think what caused the situation to improve the most was time. At about 4 months he got a lot better and a few months after I noticed he could still get mouthy but would stop with a firm "no".

My previous Golden was NOT as mouthy as Ozzy and it came as a surprise. My husband was convinced he was aggressive and he REALLY hurt my daughter a couple of times. I have several shirts/pants/gloves with holes and rips in them. So, when we all say it's normal, it is normal, but that doesn't mean it's OK or that it's fun. I think what we're all trying to say is that your dog is not aggressive and it WILL get better. Hang in there.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I think the reason why so many people came on and said "this is normal" is because we have so many threads of new owners who are shocked and actually think something is wrong with their puppy.


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## coffenut (Jan 3, 2012)

LOL ... I remember getting really frustrated with Mazlon. Nothing seemed to work until I bit her back one day. This is NOT a method I would recommend but it sure go her attention. <G> The biting issue got a lot better.



ozzy'smom said:


> <<snipped>>
> My previous Golden was NOT as mouthy as Ozzy and it came as a surprise. My husband was convinced he was aggressive and he REALLY hurt my daughter a couple of times. I have several shirts/pants/gloves with holes and rips in them. So, when we all say it's normal, it is normal, but that doesn't mean it's OK or that it's fun. I think what we're all trying to say is that your dog is not aggressive and it WILL get better. Hang in there.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

coffenut said:


> LOL ... I remember getting really frustrated with Mazlon. Nothing seemed to work until I bit her back one day. This is NOT a method I would recommend but it sure go her attention. <G> The biting issue got a lot better.


This made me snort my coffee.... I'd have loved to have seen this...


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

coffenut said:


> It has been many, many years since I have had a puppy (although hopefully one will be joining my family in the near future). One of the best puppy books I have ever read is by the Monks of New Skete called "The Art of Raising a Puppy" Amazon.com: The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) (9780316083270): Monks of New Skete: Books


This book was the key to my sanity. I know it's older - and that some of what the monks do with their German Shepherds is irrelevant to Golden owners (just ignore those parts!) - but it offers incredible insight into how dogs think and why they do the things they do. 

Solinvictus beat me to the punch about not relying on "no." Imagine if you were doing something and someone started yelling a word at you in a language you don't speak. You'd have no idea what that person was saying. It's more helpful to teach your pup what you DO want him to do. Remember, he has arrived in your family with no idea how to do anything. It's up to you to teach him. I don't mean at all to sound like I am speaking down to you - someone had to actually say that to me when I first got my puppy. I didn't understand why she was SO bitey and crazy. Well, no one (ie, me!) had taught her that wasn't acceptable behavior. 

The Monks' book also had a great housetraining schedule that saved my sanity. It provides structure, and saves you from guessing and second guessing. I started to follow it about 3 days after my puppy came home, and she was trained within 7 days. And I didn't throw her off my balcony!


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

coffenut said:


> LOL ... I remember getting really frustrated with Mazlon. Nothing seemed to work until I bit her back one day. This is NOT a method I would recommend but it sure go her attention. <G> The biting issue got a lot better.


just so everyone knows...i too have bit my previous golden pup Saya when she was being very aggressive. that was like 3 yrs ago i kinda lost my cool and bit her then she stopped biting me. seriously i dont recommend anyone to do it. 

my current pup Yuki is not as mouthy and aggressive as my previous pup Saya. Yuki is like an angel if i have compare them both. i dont have any tips to share  sorry. just want to let you know that i have had a similar experience as you are having with your pup. 

when i first got Saya, i remember having numerous tiny bruises on my arms and legs, scratches, sometimes she would try to rip my skin off resulting in a little bleeding. even the vet was surprised when he saw my arms covered in bruises. luckily i took care to keep things out of her reach, gave her toys and exercised her until she got tired. 

some golden pups are really hard to deal with than others. sometimes it gets very frustrating. truth is no matter what i tried Saya didnt stop biting completely until she was 9 months old. i had a really hard time with her. i used to keep her on a leash and monitor her behavior. it did help a bit. after i started training her, her behavior got better. it takes time for such pups.


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## darbysdad (Dec 23, 2011)

Sorry to echo others here, but she is just a pup. Mine is 8 weeks old too and full of energy. You need to CRATE train her at this age. Pooping in your daughters room tells me she has free reign of the house or at least some of it. Plan on spending plenty of time letting her outside every 20 minutes or so, and after her business is done with you need to play with her and tire her out. Their energy needs to be channeled somewhere, and if it's not through play they will find other ways. I have had Darby for 2 weeks now and have litterally had to drop ALL my hobbies and daily routines to "follow her around" all day. It is just a puppy phase and it will pass but, any issues or problems not dealt with now will compound themselves later. I cant express it enough....Crate Crate Crate and supervised playtime and monitering when out of the crate. Crying in the crate is normal and you need to ignore it. Stay close to the crate when she is in there so she has you in her visual but again ignore the crying. She will stop eventually especially if she is fully potty eliminated and tired from play. Darby sleeps through the night already without a wimper. The first 2 nights she cried for an hour. Tire her out and you will see a big difference.


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## Tailer'sFolks (Feb 27, 2007)

Ahhhh...puppyhood...I remember Hubby saying he was going to die of 1,000,000 puppy bites...we survived, but the first bunch of months were really trying! Keep at it, you will have a great buddy for life!


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## Jean_NJ (Dec 15, 2010)

Well it sounds like you have a very normal puppy. My kids were both 8 when our Duncan came home to us, and at times he was too rambunctious even form them. We used a crate and also gated him in the kitchen so we were all close, but could have a break if needed. Hind sight I probably would have been better of waiting a year or two for my kids to have been a little older. It was always a challenge making sure he didn't get the kids toys, because I didn't want him getting hurt. Make sure you are spending plenty of time with an adult only with the puppy, training, and exercising. A tired puppy will be less inclined to destructive, and perhaps be a bit calmer with the kids. The breed tends to stay young a while, and I can tell you I had plenty of bruises on my arms from our dog. However the end result was a dog that loved our kids and visa versa. The first year can be a challenge, and I know as a tired parent it makes it a little bit more difficult. Good Luck and keep at it, it will be well worth it.


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## Mom of Maizie (Nov 11, 2011)

*My 2 cents worth*

My golden is just 5 months old today. We have a large open family room we're in most of the time and her crate is in an area near between the outside door and the dining table, away from the TV area. It didn't work for us to have her crate far from us. We have never let her sleep in our bedroom, her crate doesn't move, and it seems to work best so her sleep and ours isn't interrupted at night. She has a tendency to moan and groan when we won't let her out, but that just lasts a couple minutes then she settles down.
The biting and mouthing and jumping up really does change over time. We have a play area for her that consists of several sections of plastic gate-like things and I had to learn the hard way that I needed to stay out of it, I couldn't just go into it and play with her. Once she learned to sit, I never go near it until she sits and I back away if she starts to jump or nip again. That's working pretty well for us. Once her baby teeth fell out, the biting has been less, however, she nailed me pretty good this morning while she was overly excited and playing. Managing excitement is important. 
Distracting her with other toys helps, getting her to focus her attention by doing things like throwing her treats (this works GREAT once she learned it), giving her lots of exercise wears her down and she's so much better, and just giving her time in her crate to settle. When she gets tired and acts "bratty," I know she needs a nap. 
The other thing I will say is that I read TONS of information to help me decide on a golden (our first) and even more during the time I was waiting to bring her home. None of it prepared me for what a golden puppy is like. I swear I read it but I just didn't get it. I had that preconceived notion of what I've seen adult goldens to be I guess, never really taking it seriously about what the puppy characteristics were. 

Keep combing the forums, they're a goldmine of information (no pun intended  ) and puppy classes also yield some great tips. Keep trying things and some will work. 

Mom of Maizie


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## Jean_NJ (Dec 15, 2010)

I have read all the responses and I just have to echo each dog is an individual. When our golden was 5 we welcomed a cocker spaniel puppy in our home. I was geared up and dreading the expected behavior, and guess what it never happened. He barely chewed, learned very quickly, but housebreaking proved more challenging than with Duncan. 

When we would spray bitter apple, Duncan would lick it off, and then proceed to chew. My kids beanie babies were pretty much gone by the time he was 6 months... 

I tried tethering and it didn't work as well as just plain tiring him out. Challenge his mind with training, and if possible take him on short trips to the pet store or parks (weather permitting). I know as parents of young kids this is challenging but in the end he will be a great family pet. My kids even into high school would be in the yard practicing soccer or lacrosse and Duncan would be involved in the practice. When we lost Duncan this year it was terrible, but the years of love with the family couldn't be beat.


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

When Dakota was little I used a puppy pen in the livingroom. She had a crate for at night. When I wasn't able to watch/guide her behavior, she was in the puppy pen. She had her food, water, toys and bed. Since I work, it also meant she didn't have an accident in her crate. She was taken out by someone at least one time while I was gone during the day. Puppies are puppies. They play, eat, sleep and make messes, just like human babies do. They have no idea of right and wrong. If it's there where they can reach it, it's theirs until they learn different. And learning takes mulitple times of demonstration. You wouldn't expect your toddler to learn not to touch something on the coffee table the first couple of times you tell them no, well, a puppy is the same. Just as with a toddler, you take away what you don't want them to have. If you have toddlers already in a house and add a puppy, you are doubling your work. And it will feel like tripling it. A puppy will demand as much attention as your toddler. If everyone in the house is not on the same page with the puppy, you may need to decide what is best for the puppy.


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## Llidisky (Dec 8, 2011)

sadly winchester is getting returned to the breeder. my two year old walked by him while he was sitting by me in the floor chewing on a lamb stick. he raised his hair, showed his teeth and started growling and started to go for her. I knocked him away from her and crated him. I can't even have this as a possibility. I can handle puppy nipping, but an aggressive action like that, he's gone. I have been talking with the breeder about him through this entire thing. she told me to bring him back as she has never had this problem in her 7 litters. he was double the size of the other puppies in the litter so we are wondering if his genes are different. I have done nothing but work with this dog for 2 weeks, and while he is learning, the biting and aggressiveness has gotten worse. purely positive reinforcement i dont' think is going to work with this one


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## SandyK (Mar 20, 2011)

I am glad your breeder will take Winchester back. IMO I think it is best. Reading through your posts, I just don't think you are ready for raising a puppy. This is ok, some people are not cut out for it. Better you realized this early, so someone else can get this boy properly trained. My 1 yr old was very food aggressive when I first got her. I could not believe a cute little puppy would or could look and act so ugly.(the breeder just free fed the puppies with one bowl so she had to fight for her food) I worked with her and w/in 3 days I was able to put my hand in her bowl. This could be why Winchester growled at your daughter. He had food and he was protecting it. Anyway good luck to you and good luck to Winchester!!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Llidisky said:


> sadly winchester is getting returned to the breeder. my two year old walked by him while he was sitting by me in the floor chewing on a lamb stick. he raised his hair, showed his teeth and started growling and started to go for her. I knocked him away from her and crated him. I can't even have this as a possibility. I can handle puppy nipping, but an aggressive action like that, he's gone. I have been talking with the breeder about him through this entire thing. she told me to bring him back as she has never had this problem in her 7 litters. he was double the size of the other puppies in the litter so we are wondering if his genes are different. I have done nothing but work with this dog for 2 weeks, and while he is learning, the biting and aggressiveness has gotten worse. purely positive reinforcement i dont' think is going to work with this one


I'm sorry... 

I hope he goes to a good home that can handle him. Please think twice before bringing another golden retriever home. They are active dogs. Mouthy. Bitey. And yes, they DO learn to resource guard.


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## Ada's Mom (Aug 24, 2011)

SandyK said:


> I am glad your breeder will take Winchester back. IMO I think it is best. Reading through your posts, I just don't think you are ready for raising a puppy. This is ok, some people are not cut out for it. Better you realized this early, so someone else can get this boy properly trained. My 1 yr old was very food aggressive when I first got her. I could not believe a cute little puppy would or could look and act so ugly.(the breeder just free fed the puppies with one bowl so she had to fight for her food) I worked with her and w/in 3 days I was able to put my hand in her bowl. This could be why Winchester growled at your daughter. He had food and he was protecting it. Anyway good luck to you and good luck to Winchester!!



I second this post. My pup started resource guarding and after working with her for a couple days she stopped. I'm not saying it'll be that easy with any dog, but it's sad you have to give him up without being able to try and train him out of it. 

I know the OP doesn't want to hear this, but again your pup seemed to be a typical golden puppy (some are calmer and some are more "aggressive"/mouthy...your pup didnt' seem to be abnormally "aggressive"/mouthy) and I say that because honestly in the first couple of months no matter how much work you do with them it doesn't seem like it makes a difference. As they get older it gets better and they listen better, but for the first couple months it's just a TON of management (if not in crate, watch like a hawk) and correcting the same thing over and over. This is why you got a lot of "it's normal" responses IMO...because honestly other than what you mentioned about redirecting (with better management...not giving him the ability to run to another room and poop), my experience with my pup is you have to just wait this phase out.

Ada sounds similar to this pup and at 5 months now I can finally really pet her without her wanting to bite all the time...the past 3 months or so...not so much. Her desire to chew things other than her toys is getting noticeably better too and I would bet your pup would have started calming down in a few months as well.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

I am also glad the breeder took him back. I think because of your family dynamics it is just the wrong time in your life for a puppy. Hopefully he will get the love and training from his new family.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

I am sorry Winchester didn't work out for your family. I am so glad the breeder is willing to take him back. Sometimes we have to make hard decisions for the safety of all involved. Thanks for letting us know.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Thank goodness the breeder is able to take him back. You are doing the right thing.

A lot of golden puppies will challenge a high value item with a growl and bite ( my Brady did this over a bully stick as a puppy ). It can be fixed in a very short time with the right training and management, unfortunately when there are young children it can be a dangerous situation.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I too am glad his breeder has taken him back. Hopefully she will find a right fit for him while he is still young .. you did the correct thing for Winchester, hopefully he can get the training that he needs and turn into the awesome dog he is undoubtedly meant to be.


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