# Constantly Biting



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Chain mail clothing? Just kidding. It sounds like you have a very normal golden puppy. It sounds like you are doing every thing right. Just make sure you have plenty of appropriate chews available to keep trying to redirect him with. Make sure everyone in the household is using the same methods to stop the nipping so he will not be confused. Stay strong as this phase will pass.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Welcome to the land shark age. It is really one of the hardest with a puppy. One thing that worked for me with the bitter apple was to open Bama's mouth and spray the bitter apple right on his tongue. As you can see from my thread that i am posting it is one of the biggest thing we hear here. 
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=45572&highlight=puppy+biting


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi - it sounds like you got the puppy at six weeks. When they're taken that early from their mother and littermates, they don't necessarily learn "bite inhibition," so it can be more difficult to train them out of the nippiness.

Whatever you do, don't hit the puppy or use any kind of pain as the deterrent. That can make the dog fearful or more aggressive. You can use something like bitter apple the way BeauShel suggested, though some dogs seem totally immune to it.

The best way I know is to patiently redirect the dog to an appropriate object for those mouthy feelings, like a nylabone. When he puts his teeth on your hand, say "no" quietly and then give him the toy as an alternative (you can wiggle the toy a little to make it more interesting). If he takes the toy, give him praise and pets. It may take dozens of repetitions of this process before he starts to grasp it, but he'll eventually begin to associate biting the hand with a quiet, boring person and begin to associate the bone with a positive chewing experience.

It's really important during this process that he gets either a quiet "no" (definitely not yelling) or nothing at all for biting. Family members who yelp or jerk their hands away may just encourage him because they're responding in an exciting fashion. Goldens hate it when we become suddenly boring or ignore them, so they'll usually do whatever behaviors they think will make us play and pay attention. The toe biting was probably exactly that kind of play for attention by a little guy who doesn't understand how hard he's biting.

Oaklys Dad is exactly right that all family members need to be totally consistent in their approach or they'll delay his learning. Good luck!


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## JDandBigAm (Aug 25, 2008)

I have a 6 month old who was just like your puppy. Then he finally got all his adult teeth and the crazy biting on my hands and arms slowed down. I've still got the scars to show it but they are gradually fading since he doesn't shred me to pieces now. He is a hard chewer so I usually have a supply of "bully sticks" on hand so he can chew. Good Luck


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

We went through the same thing with Benny. We all had cuts and scars from him. We sprayed the bitter apple in his mouth, and said, "no bite!" firmly, but not yelling. It does lessen, and it is very typical of goldens.


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## cmichele (Jan 16, 2009)

I always put a toy in Leila's mouth. I tell her "no" then "toy". It works!


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Welcome to the forum :wavey:
Three things will fix this problem, I promise.
1) Consistency - Chose one of the methods and stick with it. Don't keep changing because he is still doing it
2) Patience - It can be very frustrating! Just remain patient and if you know you at your end of patience with him, put him in his crate for a little while, but do not do it as punishment or that will create another problem
3) Time - Duke is just 10 weeks old and this will NOT get fixed in a week. It will take time, just don't give up on it!


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## Asellgren (Feb 24, 2009)

I just started Cooper in training and, while not always a biter, he does have his momments where he forgets. The trainer told me to say "bahh" at him like a bark. It's how dogs communicate so using the "bahh" should at least focus him long enough for you to redirect. Again, we just started classes...


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