# Please Help! Miley Won't Leave My Kids Alone



## 3kidsandagoldenpuppy (Aug 16, 2008)

I know puppies mouth and bite because they are teething. However providing her with umpteen chew toys, stuffies, bones, treats, etc doesn't seem to work. I TRY and tire her out every day but she constantly tries to bite my 2.5 year old twins. They're becoming scared of her and I do not want that. Bitter apple won't work, or so I've been told. I've tried tapping her on her nose(not hard) and saying NO firmly. She comes right back. Putting bones in her mouth to chew won't work. She's back 2 mins later. My kids now have scratches on them from her mouth. I can take her as I'm much bigger and more grown up. I know she's a puppy and cannot help it but how do we curb this? She does the same thing to my 5 yr old. Just now I was giving the twins a bath and she heard them and came running to try and jump in. I know it seems funny but they were terrified she was going to hurt them. We are NOT getting rid of her. I know what I signed up for when I took this on. Just need to know how to safely get through this phase. Thanks!


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## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

Baby gates???


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

X pen and crate is the answer. That way, she only has access to the kids when an adult has her on a leash and can help set everyone up for success. The rest of the time, she can be in the room with the family, but when confined, can't ambush them with her mouth.

Praise her like crazy any time she carries a toy. If you teach her to like keeping her face full of toy, it's harder to mouth humans 'cuz the mouth is full of toy.

Also, make sure she's getting adequate exercise. A tired pup is a good pup!


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## 3kidsandagoldenpuppy (Aug 16, 2008)

Yes I have heard a tired pup is a good pup. No matter HIOW much exercise she gets though, she STILL has energy for more lol. As far as baby gates, I am a single mom and my house is very open, i.e. living room and dining room. That's where we spend the majority of our time. Her crate is in my room, next to my bed. She's a GOOD dog, really. Just the biting thing isn't so great. Might a spray bottle of water work or vinegar? My neighbor just suggested that but she doesn't own a golden, she has a shepard. I don't want to liock Miley away from our family. She's part of us and has to know that. I don't want my kids to be afraid of her. She's so quick though, with the mouth that it takes less than 2 seconds for her to mouth my kids.


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

I will second what Quiz said- though my son was older when we got Sienna-around 7, she was always running after him, grabbing his clothing or whatever he had in his hands.

We had a crate and a large X pen that she stayed in unless we could supervise. We also, even now, keep a baby gate across my son's bedroom door so she can't go in there and grab a toy to destroy or worse, choke on. I do get tired of always keeping doors shut, but all this has saved us!

When she is out, have her on a leash so you can control her. Maybe get her to sit before they come up to her... have the leash under your foot so she can't jump up... and yes, stuff a toy in her mouth- this still works for us now and Sienna is 19 months- I find when she is real excited she goes hunting for something to put in her mouth and I have to keep detering her from it being my hand if there is not a toy/bone nearby!!

Good luck!!!
Yes, a spray bottle of water is a very good deterent for Sienna. We also use the Bitter Apple- it works great in that now we only have to threaten to use it and she stops what she is doing. Set up the X pen in your living room so she is in the middle of the "action" and then you can have her out for controlled play.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Xpen will do the trick. You can make it an actual ring or open it up and stretch it across large openings. And get the top for it so she can't jump on the sides and move it across the floor or climb out.

Like this one:
http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/product_10001_10001_41279_-1_Pro+Exercise+Pen%2C+48+inches_13313_13973_


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## GRyan (Sep 13, 2008)

3Kids,
We are having the same problems. I use gates and try to supervise as best as I can but Griffin (11 week old pup) seems to be so quick to get after my two kids. This is by far the worst thing about having a young puppy. I am hoping with some training and serious follow through that things will get considerably better.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

My breeder would not sell to anybody with kids under 4. My kids were 4, 8, & 9, nothing worked. Taking him to puppy kindergarten helped a little. It is an endless cycle, the puppy bites the kids, the kids scream, the puppy thinks the kids are playing, and bites even more. Nothing worked.

The biting is also more so when the puppy needs a nap. 

My best solution was to keep Brady on leash in the house, either tied to my waist or loose, so I could grab it.

Shaking a soda can with about 10 pennies in it also helps. 

It going to be a long few months, but trust me, it does get better.


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

Our Brady brought tears to my eyes more than once with the biting and jumping. He was worse with me than he was with my husband. I was prepared for a lot of things but not the biting. We tried spray bottles with water (and vinegar), generic bitter apple, and also the can of pennies and nothing worked. 

He started to calm down at around 5 months, but we soon learned that he likes to trade one bad habit for another, and by 7 months he was jumping and biting me again. We hired a private trainer who recommended Bitter Apple--the real stuff. It works like a charm! But we have to be quick and give a little squirt right in his mouth. The trainer also suggested spraying our hands with it prior to approaching him. 

Also, you mentioned your house is pretty open indoors. We have installed an indoor invisible fence to keep him in the living room and dining room and also prevent him from getting on the sofa. This worked great for us. It might not be possible for you but I thought I'd suggest it. (Ours is installed in our crawlspace but I hear there are portable units as well.)


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