# Puppy biting and tug o war



## Finn's Fan

First, I'm sorry you got nailed by your little land shark. Golden puppies use their mouths for everything, and they're not too discriminating about whether flesh is included. The tugging and growling at the leash is perfectly normal puppy behavior. Spraying Bitter Apple on the leash (or buying a chain leash for training) may help. Use high value treats when you're training (tiny pieces of turkey or steak, cheese, Natural Balance rolls cut up), and if you can tell when he's getting too amped up, start putting him through his paces. Sit, down (in sequence, these are called puppy sit-ups), wait. If he's already in nuts mode, turn around and go the other way so he'll have to follow. Use treats to lure, don't drag him. If you have an enclose ball field or somewhere he can't escape, take him there for some off leash time, throwing a tennis ball or a squeaky toy. Sometimes, the little ones just have too much pent up energy and need to expend it before they can cooperate. Don't worry....this phase will pass!!!


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## Dash

Thank you for your advice. I having been feeling terrible about the puppy all day. My family is counting on me to make this work out and truthfully I was feeling a little bit defeated. Tonight I worked on the down command with him with treats, it went very well. I will apply your techniques as well and see where we are in a few days. The picture your golden Cody when he was a pup resembles Dash very much. I am sorry for your loss. I look forward to this forum, I believe it will provide a wealth of information I cannot read in any of the many "how to" books I purchased.


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## mdoats

I absolutely hated it when Rookie went through the phase of trying to tug on the leash. It was really hard for me to keep my calm. 

What worked with Rookie was carrying a small spray bottle of water with some bitter apple mixed in. (For some dogs, just water would probably work.) If Rookie tried to grab the leash, I would spray the area of the leash near his mouth with the water, bitter apple mix. I only had to do that a couple of times. After that, if he saw me take the spray bottle out of my pocket, he stopped grabbing the leash immediately. I think I got the tip from someone on this forum and it was the ONLY thing that worked with Rookie.


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## Oaklys Dad

Hang in there it does get better. Golden puppies and juveniles experience their world through their mouths. Those sharp puppy teeth just make it worse. I have a two year old who still fairly gently mouths everyone he meets. Dog people get it but sometimes others do not. Best to keep up the practice and teach the pup it is not wanted.


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## Finn's Fan

Dash, every puppy owner on earth has felt a bit defeated from time to time or even lots of the time Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is creating an obedient, joyful, well-mannered adult dog. Do your training in small increments multiple times a day. A puppy doesn't have a long attention span and you can sour them on training by doing too much at once. Glad to hear the training went well today....that's always an encouragement to the person doing the training. Thanks for the condolences about Cody; he was my heart and a once-in-a-lifetime companion.


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## Dash

Thank you all for your support. Dash and I had a much better day today. I spoke with my trainer and she agreed that I may have been trying to tackle a few to many techniques all in a day. Additionally, I had was giving him treats as we were walking. Today was much, much better. I did try putting vicks vapor rub on the leash and he really does not like that at all so no tug o war today! No nipping either. We keep you posted on our progress - have a wonderful evening!


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom

Good for you for getting him in training...you should get tons of great suggestions, and it is great motivation for you to work with him. They are a "mouthy" breed, mostly in fun or ignorance of the harm they sometimes cause. One suggestion that Dr. Ian Dunbar has for mouthing is to shriek out an exaggerated "OUCH" etc. at the very mildest of bites. Your puppy will learn that you are a very delicate and fragile creature who cannot be bitten without this response. They really do not want to hurt you, and learn to inhibit their biting. Good luck with your puppy. This will pass, and you will have a wonderful, loving family member.


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## Willow52

mdoats said:


> I absolutely hated it when Rookie went through the phase of trying to tug on the leash. It was really hard for me to keep my calm.
> 
> What worked with Rookie was carrying a small spray bottle of water with some bitter apple mixed in. (For some dogs, just water would probably work.) If Rookie tried to grab the leash, I would spray the area of the leash near his mouth with the water, bitter apple mix. I only had to do that a couple of times. After that, if he saw me take the spray bottle out of my pocket, he stopped grabbing the leash immediately. I think I got the tip from someone on this forum and it was the ONLY thing that worked with Rookie.


This is a great idea, I'm going to try this with Hank. He's really bad about grabbing the leash and pulling. :crossfing


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## jaxdaddy

Dash said:


> New to the dog world i have a 4 month old puppy - Dash - he has been with us for about 6 weeks now. After our morning walk he usually grabs the leash and plays tug o war. This morning, after he finished his business and we were walking home, he jumped up and bit my arm and then grabbed the leash and starting pulling and growling. I was not able to handle this calmly because i was hurt and got caught off gaurd. I am began training classes and a trainer said try to use vicks vapor rub on the leash and to try leash training with snacks - i am feeling a bit frustrated and this is not the first time he has bit me either. Any suggestions


i also do that with my 5 mth old jax he wont go to sleep unless we play the great tug o war but i wrap my hand and fingers in a towel and let him go to town some times i might not be watching and hell go for skin its not his fault 
he loves it and gets worn out after 20 min


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## HudsensMama9

Dash, I'm having the SAME exact problem. Hudsen will be 4 months on Weds. and I got him six weeks ago. He plays tug-o-war on the leash and he jumps up to bite my hands and my legs while we are walking. He is getting much better, but he still does it and it is unbelievably frustrating. As soon as he starts to tug, I stop walking immediately and look away from him/ignore him so I don't give him attention. If he doesn't stop, I tell him to sit- when he does I give him a treat. Sometimes once we start walking again, he will start tugging again, but he is getting MUCH better. I even started carrying a small spray bottle with just water in it and when he is completing out-of-control with the tugging and biting, I spray him in the face with the water just a little bit and tell him no, this gets him to stop IMMEDIATELY every time- I then give him a treat. The water bottle has helped sooo much!! Also, I've begun bringing a nylabone or one of his toys with us and let him carry it in his mouth while we are walking. This helps to keep him focused (and keep his mouth busy)- sometimes he just wants to lie down and chew it though, but most of the time he walks with is in his mouth and it does help . I've tried spraying his leash with bitter apple spray but it doesn't seem to work at all. Please let me know if you find anything else that works.


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## ElvisnHenry'sMom55

I'm still having this problem and we're almost 6 months. Sometimes turning around and ignoring him works. Other times, he's just relentless and nothing gets him refocused. Going to start carrying a little water/vinegar mix and puppy treats.


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## wizo

haha! looks like everyone's having the same problem! I thought I was the only one. Yea, getting them to sit makes them calm down. I'll bring one of his chewing toys so that he'll chew that instead of the leash when he does that.


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## Ivyacres

I feel so much better, my Honey isn't broken, she's a golden. I laugh at many post cuz I've had the same thing happen with her. Now I'm convinced she's found re-runs of Lassie to watch the few times she's home alone. Her newest 'trick' is to stand or sit and bark at me. She's telling me a great tale. She also takes hold of my arm like Lassie did to little Timmy. I wonder what's next!


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