# My dominant puppy



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Take a deep breath and join the ranks of people who thought they had a piranha puppy. Try feeding every bite of food by hand for a month or two. This will help your boy learn that you are pack leader. I'm sure you have read that a good loud OUCH!!! when the puppy bites helps too. Good luck to you. Time will mellow your boy.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Six months is a terrible age! I feel for you. We also have a very bossy puppy, and despite three different classes I was still getting jumped on, bitten, and having my clothes pulled daily. This lasted at least a month while Brady was between 7 and 8 months old. We finally hired a private trainer to come by for 1.5 hours in our home and help us with these issues. It's been two weeks and he's so much better! I hope you can find a good trainer in your area who can help. It really makes a different to have him or her come to your home and see first-hand what's going on.


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## Shoobdo (Jul 6, 2008)

*my dominant puppy*

Thanks for some of the suggestions. We have also had a private trainer from a nationwide company come to our home to help with some of these behavior issues. That was a failure. All of the tools we were instructed to use by the trainer didn't deter him at all. Even the trainer was having difficulty with him. The bad part about all of this is when he is being sweet and calm, he is the perfect dog. When he snaps, we call him "Cujo" and we wonder where our cute little pup went. I am so discouraged. We got a Golden because I grew up with them and knew their temperment. My parents had one, my brother raised them and I owned one in the 80's. I never saw this kind of behavior in a Golden, so I am completely dumbfounded. Thanks for the tips though.


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

Don't get discouraged they all go though a time where they want to see who is boss, be consistent with him tell him no and put him in his crate when he starts to bite. Leave him in there for a while and see how he does. A firm no, like you mean it also helps. But I would try the crate.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Could it be that he has a lot of extra energy? I know that my Danny can and will still bite (I know he is playing) when he has not had an opportunity to work off his excess energy. He will literally walk over to whoever is closest and bite them on the belly or leg or arm or butt. Whatever is available. He is the reason why I walk them every day!


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## Shoobdo (Jul 6, 2008)

*My dominant dog*

"Mac" gets two 30-45 minute walks a day. My husband takes him to the field at the corner and lets him off leash for a few minutes to get some good runs in and that seems to tucker him out. I love this guy too much now and we are in too deep emotionally to think about taking him back to the breeder, but I also don't want to get hurt as he continues to grow. He's already 60 pounds and he's only 6 months. His Father is a show dog with very nice credentials and awards, but this apple is not falling close to that tree.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

It does sound like exercise, exercise, exercise will make your life easier. I read somewhere that 2 hours of exercise is just a warm up for most pups. I know that's all it is for Danny, but he is 1 1/2 now and is getting mellower. Keep that in mind. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I did take him to training classes and then agility classes and that made him a happy boy! Mental and physical stimulation is awesome.


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## Shoobdo (Jul 6, 2008)

Thanks Fostermom. I appreciate your input and the others I received tonight. It helps to be able to vent with others in the same position. I will continue to work hard with him and try to be patient and just hope for the best. I'll be back to keep you all posted. Thanks.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 20, 2007)

If it helps, here is what our trainer taught us:

--He needs daily aerobic exercise. Walking on a leash doesn't cut it. He needs a good half hour of running. We do this by taking him to playdates and playing frisbee in the back yard. 

--For the biting and jumping, what works best for us is wearing heavy shoes and stomping/shuffling on the floor (hardwood works great if you have it). This startles Brady enough that he stops his approach. This works EVERY time for us. 

--To deal with biting, the trainer taught us to say "Noooooooo" in a really low voice with a stern face. This works great--my high-pitched, very short "No!" was more like a rally cry that got him worked up. The "noooooo" works every time, I swear. You have to follow these up with "Good boy!!!!" when he does the right thing. Praise is just as important as corrections and something we weren't doing enough of. 

--You might also try spraying bitter apple on your hands before you greet your puppy. Having a bottle nearby for a quick squirt in the mouth also works. Don't buy the generic stuff like we did (at first)--it doesn't work. Gotta get the real stuff. 

I hope these help you. It really helps to see these techniques demonstated in person. We hired a trainer who came highly recommended...maybe there is someone independent in your area who has a good reputation? Might be worth investigating


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## AmbersDad (Dec 25, 2007)

I agree that bitter apple spray works WONDERS for that problem as we went through a few months of nipping hell and I have the old wardrobe to prove it! I have more shirts with holes or rips on them b/c she wanted to grab at my shirts. A few things that worked. 1. I lef ta very short leash on her so I could either grab it when she started that nonsense or step on it to keep her from jumping to nip at me or my clothing. 2. Immediately put her into a command such as sit, down, wait, paw, roll-over using a treat. That worked 80% of the time to get her into a different mindset and teach her what is acceptable. 3. Using bitter apple spray, I would transfer it into a smaller pocket sized spray container to make sure I could hit her mouth and tongue from a short distance. That worked very well and would cease the behavior instantly. Now she knows what the container looks like and just showing it to her makes her stop. 4. I trained her with a remote E-collar for off leash work and backpacking. It gives me abit more control as a young puppers when we go backpacking off trail in case she gets ahead of me or goes off after an animal(has never happened). So When things got extremely bad with hernipping at clothing constantly during walks and nipping hands bad I simply put the collar on her for walks. She knew what the collar was and all I had to do was beep the collar(I've rarely ever had to use the static discharge) and she would instantly cease whatever behavior she was doing and look to me for direction. Now, 6 months after first getting the collar to proof training and take her off leash backpacking, I still put it on her for long hikes off lead(more as a safety precaution and as a legal safety so while off leash I would still be able to vouch that I have direct control over her if there is a problem). I wish you luck and patience. Stick with it and keep up the training and she'll get better. I know Amber is now 1 year and 1 month old and still has bouts of the nipping, usually while playing but still. So as long as you're being consistant and keeping up the training the pup will improve.


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