# We dont know what to do



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

No, your puppy is not showing aggression. He is behaving normally for an 8 week old puppy, as he would with his litter mates. Golden Retrievers are very mouthy dogs, they are bred to carry things in their mouths, and it is totally natural for them to use their mouths on everything when they are puppies. It is totally normal for puppies to bite on things that WE think are inappropriate, they simply need to be taught what IS appropriate to bite. 

When he tries to bite you, tell him NO BITE firmly, then replace your hand or whatever he's biting with a toy he can bite. You have to be consistent, and very, very patient. The biting stage can last for months, but hopefully your puppy will quickly begin to learn not to bite you. 

You can also just stand up and move away, or put your puppy in his crate for a few moments if he is biting and out of control. As far as growling when you pick him up, I do believe again it is just puppy behaviour and not aggression. A time out in his crate is good when he is too wound up and acting that way.

There are already hundreds of threads about this very subject, and dozens of people with new puppies asking the same questions. There is an abundant wealth of information and advise to be found here. 

Please ask your parents to come here to the forum and "talk" with us. They will receive so much help raising your puppy.


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

I second the advice above. There are lots of threads in this and the 'golden retriever puppy' sections about the very issues you are facing with your puppy. IMO, he was removed from his littermates and mother too early, but everything you are dealing with is normal and can be dealt with over time.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Please go to the first thread you posted about this problem, there is tons of information and suggestions posted there already.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Yup! Very normal golden you have there. Those puppy teeth are killers but you will survive, I promise. Keep the faith.


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

I agree with everyone, Chloe is 11 weeks old and we been working on the NO every time she wants to cling on our legs or hands. Rewards work really good. Also try a empty can with some coins in it. Shake it when he is getting to rowdy, it works wonders.


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## tay (Dec 24, 2008)

Thank you for the advice in both threads. I know I posted this twice but its very hard for us to understand why a new puppy would be seemingly so aggressive. We just want as much advice as we can get, he's going for more shots on jan 10th so we will be taking to the vet about it as well. We don't get why he would be so snarly with us.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

If you have ever watched a litter of puppies play with each other you would see that they snarl, snap, and bite in play. It is not aggression, and he is reacting to your and your parents the way he would with his littermates. 

It is up to you and your family to teach him what is acceptable play with humans. Please believe me, this is not aggression.


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

tay said:


> Thank you for the advice in both threads. I know I posted this twice but its very hard for us to understand why a new puppy would be seemingly so aggressive. We just want as much advice as we can get, he's going for more shots on jan 10th so we will be taking to the vet about it as well. We don't get why he would be so snarly with us.


Forgot to mention Chloe tried the biting in the beginning when we picked her up, she now is to the point where she wants to snuggle when picked up. Just keep working on the NO bite command it will work. Good luck!


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## GRZ (Dec 4, 2008)

Having a puppy of any breed is a LOT of hard work. Puppies don't come automatically programmed to understand the human language or the human way of life. They are dogs and will act like dogs. Yours sounds completely normal, just like mine (although mine's a bit older).

Golden Retrievers THRIVE on positive training. Screaming NO! at a Golden puppy without helping it understand what you're screaming about is just not going to work. The dog does not know what NO means. You have to catch the good behaviors and reward them consistently. Like someone else mentioned and what I do for example, if the puppy is biting on your toes you can say no bite and redirect to a chew toy and then PRAISE the puppy for chewing of the right thing. You should have lots of chew toys around!

I can guarantee you that negative attention will just beget negative behavior. Mostly because the puppy is getting attention even if it's negative. They will never learn between right and wrong this way. If you praise when they do what you want, then they will learn what's right and will do that MUCH more often than what is wrong.

Just my opinion on my limited experience with my own puppy.


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## tay (Dec 24, 2008)

He used to love to snuggle with us when we first brought him home, and wanted our attention all the time. Now he's either chewing or playing with us, or lying alone by himself. He used to fall asleep in my arms now I can barely get him to sit still while he's sitting with us. Could he be having trust issues? He has NO problems whatsoever when it comes to feeding. He was chewing on a rawhide when I realized I hadn't taken the sticker off, so I took it from him, removed the sticker and returned it, and he did nothing. You can take anything out of his mouth without him making a fuss. He'll eat from our hands and he does not get mean when somebody comes near his dish. This behaviour simply occurs when we pick him up to interrupt or stop his chewing on something (like our leather couch).


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

tay said:


> He used to love to snuggle with us when we first brought him home, and wanted our attention all the time. Now he's either chewing or playing with us, or lying alone by himself. He used to fall asleep in my arms now I can barely get him to sit still while he's sitting with us. Could he be having trust issues? He has NO problems whatsoever when it comes to feeding. He was chewing on a rawhide when I realized I hadn't taken the sticker off, so I took it from him, removed the sticker and returned it, and he did nothing. You can take anything out of his mouth without him making a fuss. He'll eat from our hands and he does not get mean when somebody comes near his dish. This behaviour simply occurs when we pick him up to interrupt or stop his chewing on something (like our leather couch).


He is just a typical, mouthy golden puppy and it will get better.
I don't think you have a problem with aggression, there all the same, well some are more then others..LOL


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

I posted some advice in your other thread - I'd suggest going back and re-reading it, there was a lot of really good advice that forum members gave you.

One other thing that no one else mentioned was that puppies between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks learn a lot about bite inhibition from their dam and littermates. Your puppy hasn't had those experiences, so to some extent you've got to be helping him understand that biting hurts! I'm not advocating hurting him or inflicting pain when he bites you - but he needs to learn that teeth are not part of your relationship! 

Six week old puppies sleep A LOT! They still need a lot of sleep at 8 weeks too - but they are going to need a LOT less sleep as they get older. So it's very normal that he was sleeping more at that age - his little bitty brain was developing! You've got a lot of tough puppy behaviors coming up in the next few weeks and months that you're going to have to work through. I really think you need to seek out a trainer to help you guys get started...There's only so much advice we can give you in a forum (or that you can get from a book) without seeing what your puppy is doing and how you are handling "the puppy naughties".

Erica


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

My Lucky was the toughest puppy to raise...mouthy, playbiting....but he's the bestest dog now. It gets soooo much better at about 14 weeks (but is by no means over..just better)

That mouthiness helps them learn a soft and gentle mouth. A blessing in disguise.......


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Everyone has given you excellent advisce. Your dog is NOT showing signs of aggression, but is only acting like a normal puppy because he has not had any training with positive reinforcement. As other people have suggested, when your puppy goes to bite you, give the pup a stern "NO" and give him a toy or a bone to chew on and then praise him when he chews on this instead of you. Screaming and yelling at a puppy will get you absolutely nowhere. You have already been given lots of great advice in your previous post about this. I also highly recommend browsing the puppy forum for more advice and training tips.

Also, as I said in my reply to your last post, I believe that your pup was taken away from his mother WAY too early.


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## Kirby'sMom (Feb 26, 2007)

I agree, he was taken away from his Mom and littermates too soon, before he could learn this from them, so now you and your parents are the Mom and littermates and will have to teach him. He doesn't sound aggressive at all. Especially if you can take his rawhide away and things out of his mouth. He's just a baby and needs to learn. Be patient with him and love him!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

He is a growing puppy, before he was a baby baby, now he is full of energy and will not want to be held, just like any growing baby. He wants to explore and play, not be held.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

One of the things that worked with Max when he would bite me was to sort of yelp - loudly - and then tell him "nice kisses!" and smooch on him. He still gets rowdy because he thinks I'm a dog and his bestest chew toy but when I tell him "nice kisses" he starts to lick my hand, face, neck, whatever's close, instead of biting.


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## GoldenLover1 (Dec 28, 2008)

He's just a puppy. He'll grow out of it.


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## IloveGQ (Nov 15, 2008)

I agree, he's just a little baby - I just got a new puppy like a month ago - and you just wait, you will see a BIG difference in just that short time if you are patient and consistent with training.....

Definetely get one good chew toy that you can put in his mouth every time he is biting so he can associate that with what to chew on....and not you, your shoes, remote controls, etc.....although I never could get any of my goldens to NOT chew on shoes, or atleast the laces....hmm


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I just want to add that self-fulfilling prophecies are really sad. This is an infant, not your formerly aggressive dog. If you react to the baby puppy like he is a vicious/aggressive being, you're going to create problems. There is an old cliche for horses and dogs pertaining to positive training:" You raise what your praise". Yes, help this puppy understand "no bite". But also, be extremely gentle with the baby pup through all his stages and pay attention to whne he is good, and then you'll have a better chance of a gentle older dog. F


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## sasha's mum (Nov 24, 2008)

Hi
I do know exactly where you are coming from with the biting, Sasha was a monster when it came to that, the teeth as you know are like needles and one day i had just had enough , nothing i did or said made any difference, so i got hold of her at the back of the neck like her mum would and made eye contact and said in a very stern voice Sasha no bite , no bite, it only took 3 goes at doing this and now no biting ever, if she goes to open her mouth at me at any time i just have to say sasha no bite and she doesnt, ok im not saying its the best or nicest way to solve this but i worked for me, and she still loves me and i love the bones of her, 
As everyone else has said she is so young still she will be so eager to learn for you, i found it hard as my old dog is 14 so its years since we have had a pup but from all the reading and advise on this site we are progressing very well, still a couple of issues i need to sort but im onto then and and most importantly as a couple of people have mentioned, ENJOY HER BEING A PUPPY AS THEY GROW SO FAST, LET HER LEARN BUT ALSO BE A PUP


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

Firstly, Eric, that video is priceless! I loved your other clips with her wrestling with the other dog! Its funny how when there's another canine to keep them occupied, the humans fade into the background!!!

On the puppy subject, try not to respond with negative actions on your part. This can lead to negative behaviours all round. That isn't to say a well placed correction isn't a good thing, but redirection, and never ever back off from a snap, also ignoring is a very good tool. In other words, you only give attention when the pup is acting appropriately.

Don't forget she's just a baby, she will learn very quickly, but the things you do wrong at this stage will be harder to correct later on.

Anyone who has raised pups before might know what to do, but to ask for advice if you don't know is the next best thing...

ENJOY THE PUP!!! is my best advice, they are so precious and all have their different personalities, just like us!


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## Calli'smom (Dec 26, 2008)

I think everyone has the same issues with a pup - when we got Calli she had the same biting episodes and as someone said previously, she did not know her limits in biting. We found another puppy and let them have a "play date" they will learn how hard to bite/not to bite. This is normal behavior but they do not realize how hard they are biting. When you allow them to interact with their "peers" they learn the boundaries

Another note - we never use the word "NO" it is either "leave it" or "gentle". No tends to be negative and is a word that is used a lot throughout the day in normal conversation. It took awhile but Calli knows "leave it" very well, we use it for anything she is not suppose to touch. 

Good luck, be persistent and it will pay off in the long run


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