# Please help! Naught puppy!!



## xxsaiwahxx (Aug 21, 2014)

Hi all,
I'm new to all this and this is my first golden retriever puppy (I've had a Westie and lab before) 
My puppy is 10 weeks old, 11 on Sunday and she is so naughty. All she wants to do is bite mine and my daughter (3 years) hands and feet. We can't even sit at the table without her biting at our feet. 
She also barks at everything in the garden. I've researched it online and watch videos on YouTube which say to yelp like a puppy does, growl, say no, ignore them, spray a little bit if water in their face, give then time out and nothing works. She just carries on biting us. The biting is the worse as it's all the time when me or my daughter is in the room. She doesn't do it much to my partner which is strange. We both feed her, so it can't be that. 
Not sure what to do anymore as can't go in the kitchen without being bitten. 
Thanks in advance. 

Ps she has had her first injection and second one is next week so then she can burn of energy by walking.


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## Danielle926 (Nov 9, 2013)

Try putting a toy in her mouth as soon as she starts biting you. You can also try this..which Im sure some will disagree with but even though its "only puppy" biting it can become very serious. You can try spraying just a small amount of bitter apple on her mouth and it will deter her very quickly. Good luck!


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## Doug (Jul 17, 2010)

Congrats on your new pup 

Your puppy is perfectly normal. She is trying to release some of her puppy energy by playing with you. This is how pups play with other dogs and litter mates. You are her special friend so she is trying to play with you. Consider it a compliment  Unfortunately she has no idea how much it can hurt My guess is that your partner does not want to play with her or fuss over her as much.

The key is to redirect her with something she can do that will release this puppy energy and then praise her as soon as she stops biting. This takes a lot of time and patience, there are no short cuts. Many people don't realise that raising a pup is a full time job, the good news is that this shark phase does not last forever and you will be left with a truly golden companion.

The big mistake that some people make is locking their pup away. The sooner you show the correct way to behave the sooner that she can be a normal part of the family. Locking pups away only stores the energy and there is a missed opportunity for practice and learning to take place. The more consistent the whole family is the sooner the pup will learn.

Think of the biting as your pup crying out for some positive mental stimulus. Then praise her every time she is being good so she knows what you do want to see from her.

Good luck, they never said it would be easy but they said that it would be worth it


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

Congrats on the new pup. They are loads of fun but equal amounts of work. At just 10 weeks old you have a baby on your hands and she is acting exactly like a puppy should. Like your daugher, it takes time for her to learn proper behavior and you have just started.

First off - start with training for 10 minutes at at time. Do this 2 or 3 times a day and set the timer so you don't go over the 10 minutes. Make it happy and reward filled and work on "sit" and "come or here" primarily. This will give your pup your undivided attention (which she wants) and some mental stimulation. Add the kennel up command, down, off, and any tricks you want as she masters the obedience commands.

Second - get her some exercise and not just putting her in the yard by herself!!! Go out and toss a toy for her everytime she is outside. Yes, this means several times a day for 10 to 15 minutes at this stage. Get her to burn some of that excess energy.

After you consistently do both of the above, you can start to work on the biting. If she bites you, give her a stern no and then redirect her with a toy. If she is uninterested in the toy AND circles around to have another bite at you, then it is time for a nap in her crate. Think of a 2 year old having a melt down. It is not that they are bad but they need some down time. Like a 2 year old, this is not a quick fix and will take time for your pup to grow up a learn to control her own behavior.

Do not let her bite with the hope that she will out grow it or that if you ignore it long enough that it will go away. With every bite, you need to have a swift, firm, and consistent response.


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## xxsaiwahxx (Aug 21, 2014)

Thank you for your replies. I do offer her toys when she is in the biting stage but she isn't interested in them, she just wants to bite me. I will take on board everything that's been said and do it. I know GR are such clever dogs and love to learn so will focus on doing tricks and positive play. She can sit as learnt that quickly and comes when called. Trying to teach her paw and lay down but it doesn't work she just jumps at me! Might play with her to wear her out a bit first as she has a lot of energy. I know she is acting like a puppy but want to make sure I'm doing the correct things to train her properly. Any tips on training them? Can you give them treats, as I've noticed she gets soft poo (thought id put it nicely) if she eats anything else then her puppy food. Thank you for your help.


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## Doug (Jul 17, 2010)

Food can be a strong motivator. Even giving them some extra normal food works for most pups.

Yes, you will need to find a toy that really engages your pup and then put it away after play is over. Every pup is different and loves their favourite. Plastic bottles can be fun but take them away once they get to the chewing stage.

Have you searched the forum for "biting" and "favorite toys" for more ideas? 

They really are like having another child in the house.


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## EmmaUK (Jan 19, 2014)

Try a tin with small stones in, when she nips rattle the tin where she cannot see it (so she doesn't associate it with you) hopefully she will stop and be startled and soon realise that nipping skin means bad noise!
we also used to take ours out of the room for a few seconds, so she knew that misbaving means no play.
One thing we didn't do was enforce the dominance rules enough, at 1 yr old she now thinks shes pack leader and can do what she wants, when we stop her she will have a tantrum! We're still working on that!


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