# Do Golden Retrievers REALLY have "soft mouths" ?



## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

The reason I ask... well... I was used to Mojo mouthing ALL over my hands from day one. He would bite down but it never really hurt THAT bad. If anything it hurt more when he would accidentally scrap a sharp tooth against my hand or arm.

A couple days ago my friend brought over her little 10 week old mix. (Mix of pretty much EVERYTHING I guess.)

He was EXTREMELY mouthy with her, and I figured if I played with him he would be with me too. I wasn't worried, I survived Mojo.

HOLY MOLY. 

It REALLY hurt! The little bugger would clamp down on my finger and wouldn't let go! He'd clamp down HARD. 

So I was wondering, did we just get lucky with Mojo? I was talking to DH. He said goldens just have soft mouths... and they could carry an egg without breaking it. 

True or... luck?

(Oh yeah, and in the picture... that's him. He has two different colored eyes. )


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## LuckyPup (Sep 9, 2009)

From everything I hear true. Although Luck can get us sometimes and it hurts! Mainly when he is trying to get out shirt and play tug! GOOD LORD WHEN DOES THAT END?


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I think a lot of it depends on when they are taken from their litter. If they are left there until they are about 8 weeks old, they seem to have very soft mouths. Mine do.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

LuckyPup said:


> From everything I hear true. Although Luck can get us sometimes and it hurts! Mainly when he is trying to get out shirt and play tug! GOOD LORD WHEN DOES THAT END?


Oh MY LORD. I haaaaaaaaated when Mojo would do that. It was our shorts though. I don't know HOW he stopped, but he just did. It stopped when he stopped mouthing us, too. And when he was finished teething.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> I think a lot of it depends on when they are taken from their litter. If they are left there until they are about 8 weeks old, they seem to have very soft mouths. Mine do.


Ahhhh, he was a Craigslist puppy. 5 weeks old when she got him.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

LOL as a young teething puppy I don't think Sam's mouth was the slightest bit soft... I suppose if those puppy teeth weren't razor sharp it would've felt a little softer.. but I was always covered in scratches and puncture wounds on my hands from him lol

But after Sam wasn't majorly teething anymore, and when we'd get him riled up during playtime, he'd put his teeth around our hands and like chatter his mouth without actually touching teeth to skin. It was so funny!! It was like he WANTED to mouth on us, but knew he wasn't allowed and was trying SOOO hard to be gentle so playtime wouldn't end lol It was very cute! He has a very soft mouth now.. pretty much as soon as his adult teeth came in and he wasn't such a landshark the change was remarkable!


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## cinnamonteal (May 16, 2008)

Yup. The soft mouth is real. Caleb can carry a ripe tomato in his mouth without puncturing it or even bruising it. However, when he's playing sometimes he forgets to be gentle and yes, those teeth can hurt. Especially when they still have those sharp little puppy teeth!


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## LuckyPup (Sep 9, 2009)

Mssjnnfer said:


> Oh MY LORD. I haaaaaaaaated when Mojo would do that. It was our shorts though. I don't know HOW he stopped, but he just did. It stopped when he stopped mouthing us, too. And when he was finished teething.


Well, we are working really hard on stopping this! Drives me bonkers! My poor kids look out their doors in the morning and when they see he is not around they book it to the kitchen! The big problem is he was not taught any commands besides sit and lay. So we are at square one! 

The two different eye color is crazy! I have never seen a dog like that.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Goldens *should* have a soft mouth. I've met some who certainly don't - ever! I think it depends in part on when they leave the litter, how they're raised and the genes they were born with.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> I think a lot of it depends on when they are taken from their litter. If they are left there until they are about 8 weeks old, they seem to have very soft mouths. Mine do.


Not always, Hank was given to me at 5 1/2 weeks (I know, I know...but he was a gift) and he has a soft mouth. His puppy teeth are razor sharp though. Better to leave a hand inside his mouth than pull it away. I will be glad when those are gone.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Jasper was with his litter until he was 4 1/2 months old and he has a very, very soft mouth. I think Danny was sold when he was 8 weeks old and he has an okay mouth, but not really soft. I do think a lot of it has to do with training. My dogs won't put their mouths on me (especially Jasper, he would be mortified if he put his mouth on me, lol) because I always used "no bite" when I played with them. Play stopped if they did bite me and I left the room.

Jasmine (lab/golden mix) never had a really soft mouth and she was sold to us when she was 6 weeks old. But as she got older, her favorite way of greeting people was to gently take their hand into her mouth and walk next to them, while wiggling happily. Kind of surprised some people. LOL


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## ilovemydogs (Jan 22, 2009)

I believe it that goldens have soft mouths. Bailey had an aggression problem when I got her at 15 months old. Even in her fits of rage, she never drew blood.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

My five goldens have all had soft mouths. They could hold a live pigeon in their mouth and not injure it. and yes, the pigeon lived also.


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## AlanK (Jun 28, 2008)

My boy has an extremely soft mouth when it comes to taking food or a treat. Sometimes when we get playing rough he will get somewhat aggressive.....a sharp "BE NICE" will keep him in line.


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

What I'd like to know is why is it necessary for pups to have such *SHARPE* *TEETH???*

Pete


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

FeatherRiverSam said:


> What I'd like to know is why is it necessary for pups to have such *SHARPE* *TEETH???*
> 
> Pete


B/c when you're a tiny little puppy, it's the only defense system you have!


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## booklady (Mar 3, 2009)

Every golden I've had has carried my hand in their mouth when we walked. I guess it was their idea of a leash on me! My bridge golden, Tasha, would bring small (and very physically unhurt - who knows emotionally) animals such as birds, shrews snakes, rabbits to me.

My current goldens? Who knows how soft their mouth is. They both had most of their teeth pulled in their rescue dental. They still want to carry my hand and I have a feeling they would carry a live bird just as well. Even with teeth!


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## oktay (Feb 14, 2009)

ilovemydogs said:


> I believe it that goldens have soft mouths. Bailey had an aggression problem when I got her at 15 months old. Even in her fits of rage, she never drew blood.


I have a few marks on my hands that remind me that Puf's soft mouth is entirely by his own choice and is not to be taken for granted.


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## Olddog (Mar 24, 2009)

I agree, there are a few times I have caught Riley with the WHOLE head of Squiggy (my cat) in his mouth. Squiggy never seemed to mind. He would just have that wet gooey look for a while.


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## clairer (Dec 27, 2008)

I have not been on in a while but Lola is doing well. She has adjusted well in the 10 months. I have to tell about a experience I had with her which I guess would be considered soft mouth. One day a few months back Lola found a live baby bird and put it in her mouth I was so upset and when I told her to open her mouth so I could take the baby bird out the bird just popped out and started running away. Lola never bit down on the baby bird and I was totally amazed at the whole experience and relieved. Claire & Lola


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## twinny41 (Feb 13, 2008)

I thought Goldens were bred soft mouthed to carry birds without damaging them during hunting! Therefore isnt it natural for them?


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## Wannam (Sep 24, 2009)

"The two different eye color is crazy! I have never seen a dog like that."

It's common among some breeds. Here is our Australian Shepherd "Tillie":


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## DBrothers (Jul 6, 2009)

Runner was taken at 8 weeks and NOW has a very soft mouth. Not so much when she had the sharp puppy teeth, but is very gentle now at 6 months. We've never been able to get her to understand "no bite" no matter what we tired, but at least now when she chews on us it she does it very gently and carefully. To her credit she has never been mouthy with anyone else but us (even hyper little kids). I think she sees me and to some extent by wife as litter mates instead of pack leaders. Not sure if its a failure of our training, her willfulness or the fact that we're with her almost 24/7.


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## LuckyPup (Sep 9, 2009)

Wannam said:


> "The two different eye color is crazy! I have never seen a dog like that."
> 
> It's common among some breeds. Here is our Australian Shepherd "Tillie":


I did not know that! Learn something everday! Tillie is very cute!


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## mm03gn (Sep 24, 2008)

I think they definitely do have soft mouths...and you don't truly understand this until they ACCIDENTALLY bite down on you while playing...OUCH!! It goes to show that when they are "biting" you - they are not really biting you. 

Burg would never ever open her mouth with my hand in the way - she will lick it, but never even let her teeth near my hand... Bailey will play fight, but WILL NOT close her mouth onto my hand...she gets all excited and then starts licking my hand! I think it was the billion times I said "no bite" when she was a puppy! 

Burg doesn't even play bite with Bailey if I am too close by, I think she is afraid that I will get accidentally bitten...she is very protective of me!


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

Having a soft mouth is something Goldens were selectively bred for, so as not to damage birds when retrieving them. However, as with all the other traits that make our Goldens unique and wonderful, breeders need to constantly select for them, i.e. soft mouthed parents will most likely have soft mouthed puppies.

My Dexy would wrestle with me and bite my forearms with enough force to leave bruises, but when taking treats he would take my whole hand into his mouth and do something like suck the treat out of my fingers. He also carried baby bunnies and birds around in his mouth with out any physical harm. Ahhh, I miss him.


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## tennisball (Oct 14, 2009)

I read most retrievers can carry an egg in their mouth without breaking it, so I had to try it out on my golden, Rocky. He carried it around for about ten minutes, carefully setting it down on the floor afterward. Aside from the slobber on it, you couldn't even tell it had been in a dogs' mouth.


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## AtticusJordie (Aug 15, 2006)

I believe it. Atticus has the softest mouth I've ever seen (felt). Has been that way since birth. Jordie is almost as good.

Scout, our newest rescue, never learned the soft mouth concept. She was a puppy mill dog--used, abused, then thrown away. While she is very timid, she will bite onto your hand when rough-housing--not in a mean way, but if she is too wound up, it will hurt a bit. When you correct her, she'll become very submissive. It's a constant battle--but we love her.

SJ


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## oktay (Feb 14, 2009)

Wannam said:


> "The two different eye color is crazy! I have never seen a dog like that."
> 
> It's common among some breeds. Here is our Australian Shepherd "Tillie":


Some breeds -Dalmatians is one of them I think- are deaf when they have two different colored eyes. Does your dog have anything like that? It's a genetic condition that goes hand-in-hand. I think some cats also have it.


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## Wannam (Sep 24, 2009)

The last time we had Tillie at the vet, I asked her about that very thing. She said her cursory examination did not indicate deafness. I know from experience that she can hear things before I can.

Blue-Merle Aussies, like Tillie often have one blue eye. It is not a fault in the show-ring.


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## justmejanis (Feb 25, 2007)

I think they have soft mouths compared to most breeds. One summer day Spencer followed our cat out into a thicket of deep weeds. I thought the cat caught a mouse, I watched Spencer and the cat appear to tangle over it. Awhile later Spence appeared on the deck, walking around with a strange look on his face. His mouth was closed but he had that Spencer "look". I asked what he had in his mouth. I knew he wanted to share, but Spencer needed coaxing. After three or four times I asked him to drop it, and he released a baby bunny! He had taken it from the cat, it was completely unharmed. Slightly damp but otherwise perfectly fine. 

We kept in in a cage for several weeks and when it got a little larger it was safely released back into the wild.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

> I think they have soft mouths compared to most breeds. One summer day Spencer followed our cat out into a thicket of deep weeds. I thought the cat caught a mouse, I watched Spencer and the cat appear to tangle over it. Awhile later Spence appeared on the deck, walking around with a strange look on his face. His mouth was closed but he had that Spencer "look". I asked what he had in his mouth. I knew he wanted to share, but Spencer needed coaxing. After three or four times I asked him to drop it, and he released a baby bunny! He had taken it from the cat, it was completely unharmed. Slightly damp but otherwise perfectly fine.
> 
> We kept in in a cage for several weeks and when it got a little larger it was safely released back into the wild.


AHHHHHHH! How sweet!


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