# Puppy being very aggresive



## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

My puppy is being very aggresive to all of us. When we play with him he bites us. When we walk past him, he bites us. When we do anything with him, he just doesn't stop biting. He also growls. He bites a face if its close to him.:doh: We have tried to teach him not to but he won't understand. We have tried saying no firmly, locking him in a room for 15 seconds, and spraying him with water, but he won't stop. Could someone please help? Thanks. I also would like to add I am new to this forum.


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## Frankie's Mommy (May 27, 2013)

If he still under 4 months its a normal phase puppies goes through, at least it was for my Frankie, as soon as he turned 5 months it went away!! He still does it when he rough plays 


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

It's not aggression, it's how puppies play. Please don't squirt him with water or lock him in a room.

How old is he? Are you crate training?


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

Even if its playing behavior, his bites are very painful. He is 7 weeks old. I am not crate training him.


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

Even if its playing behavior, his bites are very painful. He is 7 weeks old. I am not crate training him.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Yes, their teeth are very sharp. We call them "Land Sharks". lol

A crate is very useful for time outs. Puppies can get over excited just like little kids and need a place to settle down and yet not be locked away. I suggest you get a crate or an xpen so that puppy can calm down and you can get a break.

It IS very frustrating, I know, but it doesn't last too long.

Above all, please understand that it is not aggression or a mean puppy or a bad puppy. He is a normal puppy.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

You have a healthy, happy, rambunctious little landshark. Google landshark, you'll get lots of training suggestions. You'll get a lot here too.

First thing to remember -- THIS WILL PASS. May take awhile, you may have scars (LOL, I do), but you will all live through this. 

Have a lot of toys available that he will want to bite and chew on. When he bites on you, give him the toy immediately. Repeat this ad nauseum, as many times as you need to. He'll catch on eventually.

When he makes contact with your skin or clothing, yell EEEK!! Be loud, be shocking. Every time.

7 weeks old? That's very young, maybe too young to be away from his mom and littermates. They learn bite inhibition at this young age, you may have taken him too early and have made yourself his teacher in this. Lucky you  Don't fail. 

God, I wish I had my puppy back. She just died, 12-1/2 years old. I'd trade you in a heartbeat to have my Daisy back, young and brand new, good and bad.

Go the distance, and you will have the dog you want.


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

Is there a way to calm or stop this behavior?


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

Jo Ellen said:


> You have a healthy, happy, rambunctious little landshark. Google landshark, you'll get lots of training suggestions. You'll get a lot here too.
> 
> First thing to remember -- THIS WILL PASS. May take awhile, you may have scars (LOL, I do), but you will all live through this.
> 
> ...


I am very sorry for your loss. I got this puppy early because the first owner wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

er100 said:


> Is there a way to calm or stop this behavior?


time and consistency
you have to just keep doing the ouch thing, keep putting something else in his mouth, he's a BABY, he won't learn overnight
He doesn't speak your language, he has no idea what you want, he sees you as littermates and that's how they play. 
Just keep telling yourself he's a baby, and it will just take time.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

You can calm the behavior by offering a toy whenever he bits your. He's teething and that why he wants to chew on things. Plus he doesn't know you're not a puppy so he treats you the way he would play with his littermates.

This behavior is something we all have to endure and get through. Age is really the only 'cure'. They usually get a lot better at 5 or 6 months when their adult teeth come in.

Sounds like his 'breeder' didn't know much about puppies...and this guy got the short end of THAT stick. Be kind to him, redirect, give him time outs, lots of exercise and play and lots of love. He will turn into a Golden Retriever, I promise you!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Exercise can help. Is he getting enough exercise? A tired puppy is a good puppy. He probably doesn't have his vaccinations yet so you have to be careful. 

He may be teething also, that will make his mouth more sensitive and so he will want to bite down on things more. Freeze a wet washrag and let him chew on it. Look for frozen chew toys at your pet store. 

Are you able to crate train him? This will help a lot. When he gets too wound up, say "Let's Go" and lead him into his crate. Make it a fun place, feed him in there, keep toys in there. Soon he will love it. A crate can be like a den, and can be naturally quite calming for dogs. And for us too


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

Can you recommend a special toy or something to stop teething on us?


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## Sirfoulhook (Dec 2, 2011)

I agree with the others in that you cant use negative associations with the behavior. At 7 weeks he's too much of a baby to learn anything. I think all you can do is replace skin with toys.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

If you go to your local pet store the people there should be able to help you pick out some toys for puppies.

A word of caution: a puppy should never be left with a toy unsupervised. It's very easy for them to swallow pieces of the toys or rip them apart and eat the stuffing. That is a very expensive vet bill; many times requiring surgery to save the puppy's life.


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

How can I crate train him? If I put him in a crate he will make a huge tantrum and won't stop whining. I know this will happen because, if we let him outside or put him in a room he whines his heart out.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Don't put him outside by himself...he's too little and will eat something bad for him.

He whines because you're not there. He's much to young to be separated from you/his family. Do you live alone? Or is there family there?

He may not like his crate at first. You make it fun by giving him treats with the door open. Let him go in and out on his own at first. Let him make 'friends' with it. When he falls asleep, put him in his crate. When he wakes up take him outside for potty...and stay with him while he's outside.

Gradually he'll like his crate...most do, altho some never do. But you have to try. And get one big enough. you might be better off with a xpen, he might take to that better.

It's hard to know what kind of advice suits you without knowing your situation. House? Apartment? Yard? Even your age.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

I have to log off now. Spending some time reading in the puppy forum. A lot of your questions are answered in more detail there.

We all go thru it...I'm sure you'll get a lot of information there.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

you really need to lower your expectations
this is a baby you've got
would you expect a human baby to suddenly be potty trained, walking and talking, at 7 weeks old? 
this little guy wants to be with you, not stuck outside
Baby brain, baby brain - just keep telling yourself that
It doesn't sound like you have a lot of patience with the little guy


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

We do supervise him when he is outside. Its not that I don't have patience, it's just that when he bites it hurts a lot.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I could send you pictures of how bad I looked for months when Tayla was a puppy. I was embarrassed. People probably thought I was abused as I had so many bruises and band aids.


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

When did your dog get over the biting?


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Here is a link for some teething toys. 
Amazon.com: toys for teething dogs

Your puppy is very young--he senses everything with his mouth. Puppies chew. And at 7 weeks he should still be with his litter mates and mom. Puppies usually do not go to their homes until after 8 weeks. They learn bite inhibition from their litter mates. Please be patient with him. Give him something to chew. Go to a pet store and get him a couple of toys to chew on. 

It will get better, but it takes time. I had many small cuts on my hands and arms from Max when he was a puppy. But the biting did end. Others have given you good advice. Look around the puppy section of the forum and you will find more ideas on how to cope with a young pup. Good Luck!!


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

I do not remember exactly when the biting ended, but I think you a looking at several months old before it stops completely.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I think you probably have several months of training ahead of you. I want to say 5-6 months but it could be sooner, could be longer. A lot depends on what you do now and how consistent you are with effective training. Become a seeker of knowledge.

Then when the next landshark comes along on our forum, you'll be a great resource


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

Does anyone have a helpful guide to crate training or even normal training?


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

I'm not trying to be alarmist, but I think biting at faces is a bit beyond the norm. Most of the puppies are biting at hands, feet, pant legs, shirt hems. Basically stuff that's moving around at the level of their heads. I would recommend not getting your face in your puppy's face for the time being. Don't let him practice that.

As for toys, I would go the the pet shop and pick out an assortment of toys and see what kind your puppy likes. Buy good-sized toys, he's growing fast. My dog likes stuffed animals, but he doesn't destroy them like some dogs do. I don't buy the toys with squeakers in the feet, because he does gnaw on those until he gets the squeaker out. He does like squeaky toys, though, so he has some large tennis ball things that squeak.

Bully sticks are good at this age, because they last a long time when they have their baby teeth. Once the adult teeth come in, they only last 10 minutes. Expensive! The thing to watch out for with bully sticks is the puppy guarding them.


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## ilovesandwich (May 1, 2013)

It takes time. When Sandwich was really little, she didn't understand (obviously). We're two completely different species and she was in a brand new world. I agree that you need to have a consistent plan you follow. Puppies learn from cause and effect.

With Sandwich, I kept a toy within arm's reach at all times. When she got bitey, I slipped the toy into her mouth and that's all she needed --- she used to start by just kind of biting the air so I would get a toy in there before she bit ME. We also yipped when we felt teeth. Oh, and I hand fed her kibble at least one meal a day for several weeks. I really think this helped her be more gentle with her mouth and it was an important way for us to bond.

I would also turn my back on Sandwich when she bit me --- this way I wasn't leaving her alone but she was not getting my attention until she settled down. When I turned back around, we had a clean slate.


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

The Dr Ian Dunbar books are popular, so is the Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell. I will have to look at the title of another for you tomorrow. Get some books on clicker training and work on that to learn and focus on desirable behavior. We had a land shark that took months, nearly a year. But it will pass and keep your face away if she nips at that.

Kongs stuffed with peanut butter are great for calming in crates. 


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## HolDaisy (Jan 10, 2012)

You've had some really good advice so far. The biting is totally normal and even though it hurts it does get better. The adult teeth start to come in before you know it. Around 4 1/2-5 months was a big turning point for my golden regarding the biting and he almost stopped it totally. I would also recommend getting your pup signed up to a puppy training class when he's had all of the necessary vaccinations and is old enough to go.


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

From day one start teaching the puppy soft mouth by allowing him to take a treat from your hand, if he is too hard then take the treat away and say no, if he is soft then say easy and let him have the treat. Use the tone from the first video, not a hyper tone from the second video as that may actually get the puppy even more excited. 

Start from this age to teach sit, down - you will be amazed how quickly they learn.


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## ilovesandwich (May 1, 2013)

lhowemt said:


> The Dr Ian Dunbar books are popular, so is the Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell. I will have to look at the title of another for you tomorrow. Get some books on clicker training and work on that to learn and focus on desirable behavior. We had a land shark that took months, nearly a year. But it will pass and keep your face away if she nips at that.
> 
> Kongs stuffed with peanut butter are great for calming in crates.
> 
> ...


YES! We used the Ian Dunbar method to potty train Sandwich. We didn't buy the book but I believe you can find a PDF about house-breaking on his website. And we LOVE the Puppy Primer. It's AMAZING! It's an easy/quick read, easy to refer back to, and has lots of fun games for you and puppy. You should get that one, it's worth every penny.


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## Gwen_Dandridge (Jul 14, 2012)

quilter said:


> I'm not trying to be alarmist, but I think biting at faces is a bit beyond the norm. Most of the puppies are biting at hands, feet, pant legs, shirt hems. Basically stuff that's moving around at the level of their heads. I would recommend not getting your face in your puppy's face for the time being. Don't let him practice that.


Maddie, the perfect dog, at least nowadays, bit (lunged at and connected) with my husband's face twice in the first two weeks we had her. His nose was sliced right down the center. She justly deserved her name of hellbitch. She is now 16 months old and would never bite anyone. For her, it ended by month 4 or so.

Definitely crate train him immediately (I used The Art of Raising a Puppy, by the New Skete people, they even list their schedule of crating in there). Start formal puppy training as soon as possible. 

Get him lots of play time and exercise. Keep your face out of his reach!

Truly, they are wonderful dogs. And yours will be too--with a little time and a lot of work.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Congratulation on your new puppy!

The behavior you have described is very typical of Golden puppies, especially one so young. Biting is how they play with their littermates. Right now, that's you! This is not aggression.

I remember getting our first Lab (another mouthy breed) and were caught completely off-guard. But understanding the retrieving breeds helped and by the time we got our first Golden were ready and prepared for it. We still had torn clothing and scratched arms from those needle-sharp teeth but not alarmed by it. 

Keep soft toys available to redirect, used baby gates, crate or x-pen for a little time-out when things get chaotic. Yes, he'll probably whine and bark, but will learn his room/area/crate can be a quiet, comforting spot.

It will get better, hang in there


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

The focused puppy, that is the other book I was thinking of. I don' especially like all of the advice (like every kibble of their life is training) but for the most part it is very good.


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## Goldens R Great (Aug 19, 2010)

What is your pup's name?


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Gwen_Dandridge said:


> Maddie, the perfect dog, at least nowadays, bit (lunged at and connected) with my husband's face twice in the first two weeks we had her. His nose was sliced right down the center. She justly deserved her name of hellbitch. She is now 16 months old and would never bite anyone. For her, it ended by month 4 or so.
> 
> Definitely crate train him immediately (I used The Art of Raising a Puppy, by the New Skete people, they even list their schedule of crating in there). Start formal puppy training as soon as possible.
> 
> ...


Tayla was the same way. Taken from her litter too early she knew no bite inhibition. Everything was a game to her. She would crinkle up her nose and snap at hands, faces, etc. It took us a long time to work through this, but at 22 months she is much better and only does it on occasion and only when overly excited. She also doesn't make contact. She still is way to mouthy for my taste, but we are still working on that, also.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

er100 said:


> When did your dog get over the biting?


Just shy of 12 months. We didn't get her until 4 months and she had no structure or training in her first 4 months. Had we had her then, everything would have been resolved much quicker.


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## Sirfoulhook (Dec 2, 2011)

The one thing I will say is that you *MUST* get a crate! It is critical for housebreaking. Your pup must sleep in it. Take him out to go potty immediately before placing him in it. Do not use it for punishment though. I would use an x-pen for time outs. I think Kongs are good for pups. Hang in there. I wouldn't put my face near the pup for the time being. I couldn't agree more with the person who said a tired puppy is a good puppy. Fortunately at his age it won't take much to wipe him out. You must be the benevolent dictator at all times, although like I said before he's really too much of a baby to learn much now.


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

Sirfoulhook, I never used a crate with any of our dogs. We did semi-crate by using pet gates and making sure the house was puppy proofed. The pup earned access to the entire house by the time she was 6 months old with good behavior. We taught "place" by pointing to a certain area of the house without a blanket or a crate (you can be in a situation where you do not have the crate with you or the dog's bed or a blanket - so you have to point to an area and the dog will need to know that you expect him/her to stay there). While I agree that a pup likes it's own safety spot where he/she feels comfortable I also think that the safety spot is not a closed in crate with no option of getting out. For example Rose likes to go under my night stand but she was never confined under it. Since we got another dog the pet gates went back up so we can train them separately. And please do not misunderstand - under no circumstances can I say that I had a perfect pup, I still do not and it is just a matter of finding the way they learn and teaching them what you want them to do. And like human babies they do not all follow the same "instruction book" - wouldn't be nice if they all came with their OWN instruction book?!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

For the average person who doesn't have a ton of dog experience and has an energetic puppy, a crate or an ex pen is absolutely the easiest way of managing the puppy safely. It's like putting a toddler in a playpen when you have to do chores and can't watch them every second. 

The best thing for a 7 week old puppy is as much human interaction as possible when he's awake right now. But they can and will get into a lot of trouble in under 30 seconds. It's just a really nice option for making sure you have housetraining under control as well. My parents set a timer for their puppy and took her out routinely every 20 minutes whether she seemed like she had to go or not and invariably she would do something. She was housetrained in no time flat.

Do you know any other families or friends of friends with a nice young puppy that has had the recommended shots? If you can set up play dates a couple times a week you will be amazed at how good it will be for your puppy learning bite inhibition and also just wonderful exercise to take some of the wind out of his sails. My parents puppy comes over to play most days with my dogs and honestly if she misses a day they notice that she has overflowing energy. Appropriate chew items are also a huge help.

Keep checking in here. Right now your puppy is much more a baby than a dog. Although that will begin changing pretty quickly, for the next couple weeks, just enjoy having a baby. Take lots of photos (and share them with us ) she will grow so quickly you won't believe it.....


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## er100 (Sep 10, 2013)

What exactly is to crate train a puppy? Do you have to leave him in the crate all day?


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## olliversmom (Mar 13, 2013)

There are two very good books about baby dogs.
I suggest you read up a little about what is normal puppy behavior.
I have had puppies my whole life and am a pet sitter, so help raise a lot of other people's pups, but brushed up with these when I got Olliver.

The Puppy Primer: McConnell
After You Get Your Puppy: Dunbar

Olliver was a big landshark until about 5.5 months, now much better.
Frozen kongs were our best friend.
Fill a kong with small amounts of plain pumpkin or some liquefied kibble or anything that puppy digest well, and freeze. Feels good on the gums, keep them busy for quite some time and gets that chewing fix in.

We would sit with his toy box next to us and when those little razors came out, in went a toy to his mouth.

A little lemon juice or bitter apple helped on occasion.
When he became too obnoxious, he went in to "time out" for a short period which seemed to decompress him a bit.

The most important thing I found wa sthat Ollie was most rascally early a.m. and late in day. So we made sure he got lotsa exercise and fun play all day, but especially at those snarky times.
Exercise tires them out and they will sleep and not be so rambunctious.

And most of all when pup gets a bit older would be great idea for puppy kindergarten. 7 weeks is a bit young to come home and your pup would probably benefit greatly from socializing with other pups.

And please!! The following things do not help, only make things worse:
yelling, hitting, snapping, tweaking face, pinning, or locking outside or in room away for extended times. 

Your baby was taken from littermates where the routine of the day was bite me and I'll bite you. Pup has to learn that its not acceptable. But it will take time, patience and love.
Believe you me, this too shall pass. Before you know it. But try not to get too frustrated. I know its hard.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

er100 said:


> What exactly is to crate train a puppy? Do you have to leave him in the crate all day?


Crate training is teaching a puppy to willing go into his/her crate and quietly lay/sit/sleep there until let out. They accept it as their refuge or den. No, you don't leave them in the crate all day.I only used the crate at night and used baby gates to keep Hank in a 'safe area' when he couldn't be supervised.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Your little puppy is only 49 days old. Such a young little thing. I know it's frustrating. Jut keep chanting, "this too shall pass. This too shall pass...."

I highly recommend staying calm with the puppy. No high pitched voices, no exciting voices, no fast movements, no running, etc. they are so easily excited at this age. Try to enjoy the puppy because he will not be a puppy for long. We used yelping and ending play sessions when Bear got bitey. He learned that biting = end of fun. He also got more bitey as he got tired, so we would out him in his crate, drop a sheet over it and he would be asleep in a few minutes. 

Training is super easy at this age and wears puppies out quickly. But you have to do it in little increments (maybe a minute or two at a time at this age). Get a clicker from the store, then sit down with the puppy and every time the puppy looks at you, click and treat. 

Soon the puppy will look at you because it knows it gets a treat. Then you can incorporate its name. And move into other commands from there. Rope toys were a saving grace for us. And anything by Kong or chuck it. Life savers both!!!!


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## Sirfoulhook (Dec 2, 2011)

crate training is having the puppy sleep in one at night. Don't leave him all day. The reason I use it is because dogs have a natural aversion to peeing or pooping where they sleep. It also is, as someone has previously mentioned, a safe place where the pup can be away from everyone else. The basic idea is that you put the pup in his cage when he is ready to settle down for the night. When he wakes up and needs to go to the bathroom, he will cry. You take him out to the place where he is to go and let him do his business, praise him when he does well and put him back in the cage. The bad thing is that at his age he can't hold it very long, but he will start to surprise you as to how long he can hold it. When you take him to the bathroom, make sure it is in the same spot. He will very quickly associate that spot with his personal potty patch and start using that place only to go potty. The good news is that most Goldens are so smart they pick up on it very quickly. The real value, to get back to your original post, is to teach the pup that you have rules that are to be followed without exception. The easiest rules to start with are potty and feeding. When your pup learns that he needs to follow your rules or he doesn't get rewarded it is much easier to introduce new rules "no bite" to your pup. Sorry for the long answer but remember, he is still a very young baby so he won't be able to learn alot for at least a month in my opinion. But like I said he is a golden so he will learn fast once the bulb is screwed in


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