# Hyper Turning Agressive



## khaleesi (Dec 2, 2013)

I would like to get some advice from fellow Golden owners. I recently bought an 8 week old Golden female puppy. I visited her several times during a 2 week period prior to buying her. She was always very friendly and super affectionate, as well as the only puppy out of a litter of 9 to come when called. I would observe her with her siblings, as well as on her own with me. I also met both of the dog parents, who were gorgeous and super friendly, with amazing personalities. My boyfriend and I brought her home after getting to know her for 2 weeks, and began house training her. We named her Harley. 

About 90% of the time, Harley is the sweetest, most affectionate puppy, wanting to snuggle and be close to me or my boyfriend. She is extremely smart, and within 3 days she learned the SIT and DOWN commands, as well as her name, and comes immediately when called. She gets a ton of exercise every day, as well as a consistent meal schedule. She is learning to be house trained, and is doing a great job with it. 


The other 10% of the time, however, she is an absolute terror. She will start out by licking your face, and the next thing you know she has your whole chin in her mouth, or she's snapping at your hair. She lunges in people's faces, snapping her jaws so hard, you can hear her teeth clack together. She will clamp down on hands, feet, clothes, etc. Instead of tugging away (which would result in a very painful tug of war) I remove the item (or body part) from her mouth with a firm "no" and present her with one of her toys instead. She usually is uninterested in the toy and will leap at me again, snapping her jaws and swiping her front paws at me. I have so many cuts and welts from her on my face, hands, arms, and legs. Almost every time, she breaks skin. 


A few days ago, she tilted her head up to lick my face, and then grabbed my ear so hard her baby tooth went through my earing hole and ripped my earlobe in a split second. I was bleeding all down my neck.

When she bites down too hard, I yelp a high pitched "owch!" as another puppy would, and I turn away to ignore her for a few seconds, as most trainers/ books/websites urge me to do. She usually lunges at me anyway or bites a different part of me. Recently she's gotten to the point where she doesn't react to the "owch" anymore, as if it's part of the game now, and it makes her bite down even harder. 

Harley acts the same way towards other dogs when playing, even my friend's puppy, who happens to be one of her brothers. She once had him pinned to the ground, biting his lip so hard the other puppy started crying and yelping, and yet she refused to let go, and tugged harder. 


Our breeder is extremely nice and has kept all of us puppy owners in touch within group messaging and emails. Also, my three friends separately purchased three puppies from the litter as well, so I consulted all of the "puppy parents" to see how their puppies were acting/behaving. Out of a litter of 9, all 8 of the other puppies have not exhibited this hyper and aggressive behavior. In fact, all of the other puppies are extremely calm and sweet, and everyone has assured me that they have never acted out the way she does. The puppies my friends own are relaxed and extremely sweet, never even raising their mouths to bite anyone, even in play. I have heard how surprised everyone is, at how calm and well-behaved their puppies are. When my friends and I meet up for puppy play dates, strangers are always commenting on their calm demeanor. They will lay in your arms forever, or at your feet, extremely calm and submissive. I understand that this behavior is not common for puppies, but somehow all 8 of them act this way. 


I am getting desperate to find a cause and solution to Harley's aggressive and hyper behavior. It is so upsetting to hear people comment on her behavior; my friends make fun of her, calling her psycho and a demon puppy, telling me I picked the only crazy one in the litter. I've also heard people say that this is an indication that she's going to grow up to be an aggressive, super-hyper adult dog. 


While I absolutely do not expect her to be a perfect angel at all times, her snapping, lunging, and biting needs to stop. As I said earlier, she draws blood nearly every time her teeth make contact with skin, and she is almost always lunging in someone's face, the moment she decides to be "playful."


I love Harley to death, but this 10% of the time aggressive behavior is horrible and needs to stop. Her aggression and hyperactivity goes beyond normal puppy behavior, and I'm afraid she has a personality defect. I'm becoming very desperate and upset with my current situation, and welcome any advice or ideas. 


Thanks for reading my long explanation, and I look forward to hearing from everyone. 

___________________________________________________


----------



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

How old is Harley now? How long has this behavior been going on?

Golden Retrievers are very mouthy and have very sharp teeth. At least some of what you describe is normal puppy behavior. I would definitely keep Harley away from faces, to avoid serious injuries. 

When Max was a puppy, for several months my hands and forearms were covered with cuts and bruises because he chewed and bit constantly. Many on the forum experiences have been similar. After a while, the behavior stopped and the cuts disappeared. Today Max is a gentle boy and a therapy dog.

It sounds like you are doing some things to teach Harley to behave in a safer way. However, I would suggest you have a dog behaviorist, or possibly your breeder, evaluate Harley to determine whether or not Harley's behavior is normal for a Golden Retriever puppy. A behaviorist or trainer should be able to give you some ideas on how to modify Harley's behavior.


----------



## khaleesi (Dec 2, 2013)

Max's Dad said:


> How old is Harley now? How long has this behavior been going on?


Thanks for the response! Harley is 9 weeks old now. I have known her since she was 6 weeks old, but was not allowed to take her home until she was 8 weeks. This behavior started her second day home with me. I know it's been only a little over a week, but her behavior is so awful that it's already starting to make me nervous. Lunging and snapping is so dangerous!



Max's Dad said:


> When Max was a puppy, for several months my hands and forearms were covered with cuts and bruises because he chewed and bit constantly. Many on the forum experiences have been similar. After a while, the behavior stopped and the cuts disappeared. Today Max is a gentle boy and a therapy dog.


That's wonderful to hear! It makes me happy knowing that he grew to be such a good and gentle boy. That makes me hopeful for Harley. 



Max's Dad said:


> A behaviorist or trainer should be able to give you some ideas on to modify Harley's behavior.


I will definitely seek advice from a behaviorist, it seems like a wise idea. My biggest fear is that Harley will stay this way, which I definitely do not want. I'm always open to new training advice.

Thanks again


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Your puppy is not aggressive. She is 100% normal, puppies play with each other this way and it does not indicate she will be an aggressive adult dog. Just continue to replace skin and clothing with toys and chew bones, actually put them in her mouth and encourage her to chew on them rather than skin. She is very, very young, you can teach her not to use teeth on skin but a lot of that will come as she gets older.

You could also try teaching her to "Kiss" instead. Put peanut butter on your hand and while she is licking it say "good kiss", practice this a lot and eventually when you say "kiss" she will lick instead.

Don't compare her to the other puppies, they are all individuals, and I would even bet that some of the others are mouthy also, and the owners just didn't equate what their puppy does to yours.


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Also, watch and see if this happens at particular times of day, or after she has been playing. Sometimes puppies need a nap and act out because they are tired. If she is particularly mouthy/snappy, try a short time out behind a baby gate or in her crate. If she stays awake let her out in just a few minutes, but she may actually settle down and take a nap.


----------



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

Excellent advice from mylissyk!!


----------



## khaleesi (Dec 2, 2013)

Thanks for your response.

Those are some good suggestions, which I am more than happy to try. I understand she is really young, and I also have raised other puppies and am used to their behavior; I have never experienced this kind before to this extreme. In your experience, have you ever had puppies that acted exactly this way? 


I'm basically afraid to chalk it up to "normal puppy behavior" if there is a real issue here, such as a personality disorder. If there is some kind of personality or hyperactivity issue, I need to learn how I can help her before she gets older and used to acting this way. I will definitely seek advice from a trainer or behaviorist; lunging and biting the face is unsafe and seems aggressive to me.


----------



## Always51 (Feb 19, 2012)

This was normal behaviour for Napoleon until about 6 months..then we got a trainer in and now he is the worlds best dog!!..well.. no.. he's not ..but he's mighty improved!!

Remember as they say on here ..this too shall pass....


----------



## Mayve (Aug 21, 2012)

Sage was very mouthy...I had many scratches etc. Yipping, telling her no etc only ramped up the bad behaviors. I tried many of the things people suggested but found that they only made it worse. What did work was this. If Sage got into her crazy phase I totally disengaged from play with her. I folded my arms tilted my head up and to the side and refused to interact. Sometimes I had to stand up and move away and if it got really bad I gave her a time out in her crate. I let her know by my actions that I was not going to interact with her if she was going to use me as a chew toy. It got better quickly but I was consistent and even went so far as to not play with her at all for a few days and then try short periods quiting as soon as she started to ramp up. She is a year now and we haven't had an issue with her teeth on skin for a very long time....

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)




----------



## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

Yes, this is totally normal and typical retriever behavior. The breed was developed based on their desire to pick things up. Expect lots of mouthy behaviors. 

Here is a link to a page on Jackie Mertins website about biting: PLAY BITING PUPPIES

While she references having children keep their faces away from the puppy's mouth, it is good advise for adults too.


----------



## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm also wondering if this is because she is overtired when it happens.
When Kenzie was a puppy she would play with her buddies and when she would get tired and they wanted to keep playing, she would get pretty aggressive towards them.

Also, during puppy kindergarten, when we had playtime, the instructor would always separate dogs whenever things got really rambunctious. I think it was to keep things from going from play to not fun. Just for a few seconds to regroup everyone.


----------



## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Murph is now 19 months old. He was like that as a puppy. I always had scabs, lacerations or blood running down my arm. There was a time I didn't even like him. He is now a wonderful guy that loves to cuddle. He is wonderful with my young grandchildren. SO I thing you pup is normal,,,,put up with it. Get a bottle of bitter apple and when he's fresh give him a taste. Some may disagree with me but it worked wonders with Murphy.


----------



## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

The real problem with comparing notes with the other families is that you don't know their environment. It may sound like you're all doing everything the same but, trust me, you are all doing things differently. And some people take this behavior with a grain of salt; it's a given; normal puppy behavior so they don't report on it as 'unusual' or 'aggressive'. 

I sincerely doubt that you got a 'disordered' puppy out of a whole litter of angels. lol They aren't angels either. ;-) Some puppies are not cuddlers... they don't want to be held. I sure wouldn't cuddle up by your face, regardless. That didn't work out. 

Instead of wondering what is wrong with your puppy, start observing; start getting to know her signals; her personality. Is she excitable? Is she high energy? Is she independent? All of these things matter when it comes to how you treat her. 

She may need more play times. Or maybe more time outs to calm down. She may not want to be held...girls tend to be less cuddly than boys. 

And pictures, please! ;-)


----------



## Goldens R Great (Aug 19, 2010)

khaleesi said:


> Thanks for your response.
> 
> Those are some good suggestions, which I am more than happy to try. I understand she is really young, and I also have raised other puppies and am used to their behavior; I have never experienced this kind before to this extreme. *In your experience, have you ever had puppies that acted exactly this way? *
> 
> ...


*In answer to your question, yes!* Harley reminds me of my second golden puppy, Addy. My first puppy was a dream puppy and I never had any issues with her. She was easy to housebreak, was never bitey, was easy to train and so on. When she was six I decided she needed a friend so I got Addy from Topbrass. Addy was extremely bitey. *I would pick her up and she would bite my face.* *I would be on the couch and she would run up and bite my face. I felt like I had adopted a baby alligator. *It definitely wasn't a lot of fun and it was painful too! I was always covered in black and blue marks, bite marks and had a lot of ripped clothes.

I realized she needed to do something with her mouth besides bite me (obviously! ) so I taught her to lick/kiss my hand. I saw that mylissyk suggested this too. I know it really helped with Addy. 

I also found a trainer and she told me to have Addy sit for everything. I know your puppy isn't very old, but she isn't too young to learn this. Sit before a treat, sit before getting in the car, before getting out of the car, before letting her out of the crate, before going out the door, sit before getting meals, and on and on and on. This really helped with Addy and helped with her biting issues and her basic manners a lot. You need to be consistent with this.

Sometimes if a pup doesn't get enough exercise they act pretty wild, but they can also act wild if they are too tired like Jennifer1 and mylissyk mentioned. That was how my latest pup was. Finn wasn't very bitey with me (just with my older dog! ), but he would get to acting pretty wild and I kept thinking he needed more exercise. It took a little while, but I finally realized he needed a time out because he was overtired and simply needed to go in his crate for a nap.

I think everyone has given you great advice. Please believe that you have a normal golden retriever puppy! These little pups can be very challenging, but it's worth it once you get them through the biting phase.

I also think you need to try and ignore what your friends and others are saying. I know that's not always possible, but their comments aren't helping your mindset.

P.S. My bitey little Addy turned out to be a wonderful dog and yes, she did quit biting my face!


----------



## olliversmom (Mar 13, 2013)

Everyone here gave great advice.
Pennys mom really hit the mark tho with the comparison issue.
Your dog is an individual. She may be feisty now, but later she may be the calm adult, while they ramp up their quirks. 
My last pup was as mellow as they come, his sister not so much. Same with my Olliver. He was/is much more active/bouncy/feisty than Homer ever was.
I just had to learn what made him tick and work with that knowledge.
To help with his mouthiness: frozen kongs, brief time outs and ceasing play when too rough, putting in to nap when he was overtired and making sure he had proper outlets for his crazy times-first and last hours of the day.

I used to always say that my Homer was like Mary Poppins: Practically Perfect In Every Way. But no pup is all perfect. If you love her behaviors 99% of the time, that is much more than many and a great percentage to start with. It only gets better.


----------



## jackass_poet (Dec 2, 2013)

Hi. My golden puppy is about the same age as yours (about ten weeks now). I have the same problem with him as you do with yours. What makes it more crazy is that he would wake up at odd hours early in the morning and would want to play. I would normally feed him and take him out so he can relieve himself. But after doing so, he would not want to go back to sleep anymore and expect me to play with him. The problem is he exhibits somewhat of an aggressive behavior of biting when he plays. Just like you, I've lots of cuts from his bites.

I'm not really sure if its still normal but I would really love to find out how to deal with his behavior.


----------



## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

If you had a human baby clamp down on your arm, would you call it aggressive? (And yes, I've had kids bite me.) 
These are babies, they don't know HOW to be aggressive. They know to explore the world with their mouths, they know that their littermates played bitey face and it was fun, and they have no idea why these big creatures who don't smell right and make odd noises are suddenly getting upset when they're just playing and acting like they've been acting for the few short weeks of their lives.
They'll settle if you give them time, take the suggestions you've been given here, and give it time.


----------



## golden_732 (Aug 26, 2013)

As the others have said, what you are experiencing is completely normal. I have a 7 month old who went through a pretty rough playful phase. I think you need to think like a dog would, when dogs play too rough, other dogs let them know and put them in their place. If you get excitable in anyway, your puppy will think you are playing along and continue the behavior. When my puppy used to get in that unwanted state, I would very calmly walk over to his crate and tell him to go inside to give him an opportunity to calm down. He very quickly realized that if he wanted to play, getting mouthy was not acceptable. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



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

Many on here remember my first year with Tayla. It was a disaster. As puppies go she was at the extreme end of biting. You say yours is sweet 90% of the time and a terror 10%. You are lucky. Tayla's numbers were just the opposite. Half of our issues were we were inexperienced puppy owners and we didn't get Tayla until she was 4 months old. She had gotten away with everything and anything before us. The other half was the fact she was a field bred golden (high energy and prey drive) and was taken from her litter way too early due to bad breeder practice. We had her evaluated for aggression and found she just was a puppy that was easily frustrated by things. We found a great trainer/behavorist that got us into Nose Work. At 2 Tayla still has some rough edges, likes to use her mouth more than I like, but usually doesn't leave any marks and has more energy that any dog should have, but she is 97% better. Some dogs are just different than others and you will need to find the best way to handle her. They come around in the end and are the Goldens everyone loves.


----------



## Mayve (Aug 21, 2012)

I did a lot of reading and research before I got Sage...I was still surprised at how mouthy she was. I suppose when you see that small wrinkle nosed puppy lunging at you face, hands, hanging off your pants leg crocodile rolling, one who didn't know what to expect might think this is aggressive behavior. I cried a few times over her behavior and I had an idea what to expect....I think what surprised me most is she wasn't a cuddly lump who liked snuggling...sure if she was sleeping it was ok...but she didn't seek us out unless it was to bite on. Now I have to move her off my lap if I need to get up...I don't think we could over emphasize enough how mouthy these pups can be. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Mayve........you describe Murphy to a t!!!!!


----------



## Gwen_Dandridge (Jul 14, 2012)

My DH didn't think the slice straight down his nose was ever going to heal without a scar. Neither did I. It did finally. Maddie lunged at him on her second day home. It was an unpleasant few weeks. She'd lunge at our faces and we'd defend ourselves. Her name was hellbitch. 

We were lucky that it only lasted a few weeks. Our first golden was sweet as she could be. And Maddie, um, wasn't quite so much.

She is lovely now and got over her biting fairly quickly. But we were pretty desperate for a while.


----------



## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

Time, time will transform the baby pups into sweet dogs. 

We want to cuddle them when they want to play, we want to sleep when they want to run, we want to eat when they want to pee, they want to eat when we want to rest, we think they need more play when they need some rest, we use high pitched tones when they chomp on us, high pitched tones just energize them. 

They are discovering our world with all our rules and no, they don't like it all at first; they know what they want, we know what we want... it is inevitable those visions collide at times. They are not aggressive, they are trying to be assertive and it is our duty to them to both set boundaries but also try to understand where they come from. 

It is hard; we can barely communicate effectively among ourselves (even if we all speak the same language) and we are raising another species but it can be so rewarding when finally, their vision and our vision find more and more common ground.


----------



## kleintje (Jun 16, 2013)

I've seen some puppies who are play-biting and others who do more than the normal play-bite. I can't really tell unless I see the behaviour. 

I think it's a good idea to get a behaviourist to come and assess just to be sure. 

Meanwhile, you can start with some impulse control training. Sit for everything and settling on a mat. I also teach my dog to learn to calm themselves down and eventually put it on cue. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## spikekeller2010 (Dec 15, 2013)

Don't cry! It can be frustrating, but we understand what you are going through. Whenever she looks like she wants to bite give her a chewie to chew on. Play retrieve games with toys. Keep her mouth occupied. Discipline her whenever she starts ANY chewing on you or other members of your family. Every family member needs to give the same discipline for the same problem. She will learn faster what is acceptable and what isn't. Try teaching her some obedience lessons like sit stay down. This will help establish you as the leader and that she must listen to you. After she is done with teething things will get better. It also helps to remember her breed was developed for hunting and the mouthy puppy thing turns into a soft mouth needed for carrying game without destroying it. My dog's mouth was so soft he could carry an egg without breaking it. Hope this helps 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

khaleesi said:


> She was always very friendly and super affectionate, as well as the only puppy out of a litter of 9 to come when called.


I think part of the issue could be that you picked the most outgoing pup in the litter. Did the breeder allow you to pick or did he/she do puppy temperament testing and have an independent person come in and help with the puppy evaluations? What made the breeder think that this pup was the right fit for your family? You may have ended up with a pup that would be great in a performance home and more of a struggle in a pet home. Not in anyway saying your pup is defective, you just may have more work than you were expecting in helping this little one grow into the best golden she can be.


----------



## Michele4 (Oct 28, 2012)

Give her time, try walking around with a little landshark attached to your pant leg while trying to get them to go pee. I promise you she is 100% normal.


----------



## Articuno (Oct 19, 2013)

Can I just add that if you are going to ignore her when she's bitten too hard, it should be more than for a few seconds. I think a few MINUTES is best and also for you to leave the room entirely (if at all possible!).
Sounds normal to me as well I'm afraid.. although I've never had to deal with it myself as Poppy was 4 months when we got her and already had amazing bite inhibition.


----------



## Poppypuppy (Mar 11, 2014)

Hi All,

I am so glad I have stumbled across this thread, I have a 10 week old puppy called Poppy... She is the exact same, as the dog in the OP, but perhaps with a higher biting percentage. The only times she is lovely and let's me stroke her or give her a cuddle, is when she first wakes up and is a bit dozy... The rest of the time she is a complete terror.

Me and my girlfriend have never owned a puppy before, but I was beginning to think I was hopeless at bringing up a dog, My GF is away from work for a week, and I thought she hated me.... She is always snapping at me, and despite what I do nothing seems to work, infact it makes her worse. She now also growls at me when I put her in her pen / bed, and has discovered barking...

I am glad I am not the only one who is struggling, and that there is plenty of good advice from experienced golden retriever owners 

Thanks all


----------



## tine434 (Nov 24, 2013)

Oh yes, Rem scared the daylights put of me at first! I can't agree more with the advice of ignoring, leaving, time outs, and replacing hands with toys.
And puppy classes! Puppy classes all day every day if I could lol. And yes it gets better 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Poppypuppy (Mar 11, 2014)

Poppy has shown a new level of aggression today, she growled ( as she always does) when I pick her up to put her back in her pen.... but this time she snarled and showed her teeth and then bit really HARD on my arm.

I am getting so frustrated with her constant aggression.... nothing seems to be working


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

She apparently doesn't like being picked up. It's not too early to start teaching her commands, like "kennel" or "go settle" or whatever phrase you want to use to tell her to go to her pen or crate. Lure her there with toys and treats and add the phrase when she goes in on her own. Practice that and eventually she will go into her pen or crate without you needing to pick her up. 

For now, put a leash on her and lead and lure her there until you can teach her to go voluntarily.


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

You could also get the video set "Crate Games" and start teaching those games too.


----------



## tine434 (Nov 24, 2013)

Puppies have trouble expressing their feelings in an appropriate way. They go all out when happy, excited, or angry. She hasn't learned yet that it doesn't take jumping and biting to get the attention she's excited for or that telling someone she doesn't like something can be done in a much calmer way 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## tine434 (Nov 24, 2013)

Rem used to 'attack' dogs and he was only 10 weeks or so. He would lash out when they hurt him or made him upset. Now he's learned if he yelps they usually stop or that if play becomes too rough he can walk away. He's also learned to trust me and if he's uncomfortable and the dog wont stop he will come to me so that I can handle the situation. They learn with age and interaction. If you search the threads you can find a wealth of knowledge

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## ARBaumann (Dec 22, 2013)

I'm shocked any breeder would allow you to take a puppy from it's litter mates before 12 weeks of age. All the same this sounds a lot to me like a typical Golden Retriever puppy. Goldens are vert mouthy dogs by nature. What I would recommend doing is looking for a good chew toy and teach her to love it, and when she bites, put her on the floor, tell her no and give her the toy. Every no should be followed immediately by a yes or the learning process will be slower.


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

ARBaumann said:


> I'm shocked any breeder would allow you to take a puppy from it's litter mates before 12 weeks of age. All the same this sounds a lot to me like a typical Golden Retriever puppy. Goldens are vert mouthy dogs by nature. What I would recommend doing is looking for a good chew toy and teach her to love it, and when she bites, put her on the floor, tell her no and give her the toy. Every no should be followed immediately by a yes or the learning process will be slower.


7 to 9 weeks is the normal age puppies are sent home with new owners. I don't know any breeders that routinely hold puppies to 12 weeks.


----------

