# Am I the only one?



## Sawyer13 (Jul 26, 2012)

New Golden Retriever owner here. I just got my sweet puppy Sawyer from the breeder 2 weeks ago. He is 12 weeks now. i am having a horrible time with him. i know I am supposed to enjoy this puppy hood, but it's getting very stressful. He is almost completely potty trained with minimal accidents. My problems with him are very bad biting! He won't stop chewing my legs when i walk. I say the OUCH! but he wont stop. Another problem is the sleeping... He is very active in the day. He goes on an hour long walk with me, and plays with the older dog all day. i even keep him up until Midnight every night. But always, without fail. He wakes up at 2 am. Barks and whines if he doesn't get let out. So I take him outside, he does his business, comes in, and wants to play. i put him back in his bed, and he barks again. i ignore the barking and he will finally go back to sleep at 4. He will then wake up for the day and eat at around 7. Please help me!


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## ConwayJim (Jul 12, 2011)

As hard as it is, the best thing to do is ignore the barking. Hang in there, believe it or not it gets better. You will see progress as the months go on...


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Puppyhood is way overrated


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## Sawyer13 (Jul 26, 2012)

Thank you! iv'e read many posts on here... Looks like I will have to ignore it until he ages.


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## jaxdepo (Jun 21, 2012)

You sound like me a week ago! I was at my wits end with Jax. This week he is like a whole new dog. It comes and it goes and as far as I know I have about 2 years of it LOL and so do you! Jax is almost 14 weeks now and we plan to get him in obedience class in September. I'm sure this will make a difference. 
We just need to give them time. Puppies definitely chew. I have actually noticed often when Jax gets really chewie and bad he has to poop! Or go to bed.... 
The best most genious creation is the KONG. If you aren't already using it you better start, it's life changing! 
Now we just put ice cubes in it so we can actually give it every day if we really want to . Now and then we do peanut butter but ice cubes are good enough it seems. 
You guys will find your way together, it takes time. Some days you'll love him some... not so much. Calm is your best answer, if you're excited or snappy so will puppy be!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

He is totally normal, and you are definitely not alone. Every puppy owner has exactly the same problems. Hang in there.

I would also encourage you to search through the Puppy section of the board and read through the probably hundreds of threads discussing the biting and how to teach them not to do it. 

They are nicknamed "land shark" at this age, but with redirection to toys and getting a little older he will learn not to put teeth on skin or clothing.


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## mickeychick (Jul 19, 2012)

It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Tiring him out, taking him on long walks, allowing him to play with other dogs. Just remember, NEVER let him out of the crate when he is barking or whining. ALWAYS ignore that behaviour. If you think he really may have to go pee, wait until he's quiet for a minute, then let him out. DON'T talk to him at all or even make eye contact. Let him out for his potty time and put him right back in the crate when he comes in. WE have just started having these issues with Liberty. She was angelic when we first got her and always went in the crate without a peep. She has just recently started testing us and barking. Good luck - it will get better!


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

Loisiana said:


> Puppyhood is way overrated


I live with JAWS. She is 8 months old and is better at times, but oh when she is bad, as she was last night, my hands and arms are a mass of bruises and scrapes. Puppyhood is overrated.


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## Goldens R Great (Aug 19, 2010)

You're not the only one at all! Finn is now 11 months old, but I’ll tell you the first 4 months were bad! I didn’t have issues with biting or barking, it was just the non-stop energy that wore me out and his goal to chew all my furniture up! It was quite stressful and the “oh my word what have I done” stage lasted a long time. I cried a lot, took a lot of long drives and also quit reading how wonderful everyone else’s puppies were and how they were the sweetest things that had ever graced this good earth. LOL! I started to see a glimmer of hope with Finn when he was 6 months old and it’s progressively gotten a lot better. He is a very good boy now and I don’t miss the puppy days at all. I’m quite thrilled to have those days behind me. Just hang in there because it will get better.

Regarding the biting issue, after you say ouch, make him sit and then redirect him with a toy. Don’t give him a toy right after he bites you because he’ll think he gets a great reward after he bites you. Make him work for the toy. Also, my second puppy was extremely bitey and I ended up teaching her to lick my hand instead of biting it. That worked quite well. She wanted to do something with her little mouth and I much preferred the licking over the biting. 

Good luck with your pup!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Work on reducing the biting by removing what's rewarding about it (your attention and any excitement you're helping cause). Reward the dog for mouthing appropriate objects.

Work on making the crate a calm, happy, safe place by playing mellow games in and around it. Use treats liberally during this process.

I would never recommend simply waiting out a problem behavior. Some things do naturally improve with age, but some can turn into lifelong bad habits. Inappropriate mouthing can stick around to adulthood if the dog finds it rewarding.

As far as not enjoying puppyhood, I think it looks a lot better in the rosy glow of the rearview mirror than it does during the 2AM walks, when you're fighting a bout of giardia, or when you discover that the first object your dog has chosen to inappropriately destroy is a $150 pair of sunglasses you really couldn't afford in the first place.


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## Sawyer13 (Jul 26, 2012)

Thanks guys for all your wonderful answers! I will have to wait it out, and sawyer does not sleep in the crate. He sleeps in a bed on the floor of our room. He will just bark at the door... The reason we don't crate him is because the last time he was in the crate, he scratched the wires so hard, he tore one of his pads almost completely off..


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