# Bitting



## monkey (May 10, 2005)

I just got married and for my wedding present I received my BUCK. He is a Blondie. I got to pick him out. He was the largest and most lovable one out of the litter. 
We have him on a good routine .... For bedtime he is in the garage.. I let him out in the morning to say hello... then he goes out for the day until we get home from work. Then we take him for a walk and he remands in the house with us until bed time... then back out in the garage. We are doing the garage thing until he is totally Porte trained. He is know 11 weeks old. And the potty training is going well!!! 
BUT I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM>>>>>BITTING!!!!!!!! 
I know he is a puppy but he has torn my hands up. I have bought him several toys and he chews on them BUT he LOVES to chew on me also!!! For my wedding my hands and arms looked really bad!! WHAT can I do?? I Love Him but I cant take the chewing. Can anyone give some advice??? 
I have always had dogs but this is the first one to do like this. 
HELP


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## mainegirl (May 2, 2005)

Bitter apple, put it on your hands and he won't want to bite you. Keep using it and after awhile he will not be biting. It is also a stage they go through with puppy teeth, etc.


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## me2 (May 13, 2005)

When he starts biting say "no" in a firm voice and walk away. This will show him that biting is not acceptable.


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## Goldenluv (Apr 13, 2005)

Just like a baby he's teething and this will continue until his adult teeth have finally "set", the urge to chew is normal through 18 months of age or so. 
The easiest and simplest thing to do when a puppy's needle-sharp teeth touch your skin is let out a high-pitched OW-W! and then, immediately, STOP
PLAYING WITH THE PUPPY. No scruff shake, no "bad dog," just a shriek of
anguish and a cessation of interaction. This is the human analog of what the other pups in the litter would do when one of them decides to chew on a tender ear. 
And try to give the puppy alternative 'toys' to chew on!


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## timberwolfe (Apr 15, 2005)

It is a stage that will pass, but it is important to try to control it now. Lous OUCH, turning your back and stopping play.

Give them lots of interesting toys. While teething you can freeze a wet cloth and give them that to chew on.


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## monkey (May 10, 2005)

Thank everyone for their advice. 

He is getting better with time and I do stop playing with him, and I do talk in a stern voice and say ouch, and tell him NO!!! I think I have bought him every toy at WallMart. He uses them, so that is a good thing. If anymore advice I am all ears!!!


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## Cellia (Apr 15, 2005)

Just be persistent and patient in your training. Good luck
Cellia


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

Goldenluv said:


> ... The easiest and simplest thing to do when a puppy's needle-sharp teeth touch your skin is let out a high-pitched OW-W! and then, immediately, STOP
> PLAYING WITH THE PUPPY. No scruff shake, no "bad dog," just a shriek of
> anguish and a cessation of interaction. This is the human analog of what the other pups in the litter would do when one of them decides to chew on a tender ear...


... err, well not exactly... another litter-mate will give the offender a nip to go along with that yelp and then the cessation of playing. I think this is an important distinction because the nip suggests there are consequences beyond just an "Ouch!"

Monkey: How you chose to "nip" back is up to you... I gave a suggestion in another thread on biting if you care to do a search. Also I gave, what I believe, are very valid reasons behind the actions and included some very specific instructions. Bottom-line here is that these retriever breeds are very mouthy and will be very slow in developing the self-control necessary to curb the biting... I maintain the time frame is about week 14 for the first real improvements to be noticed and from that point on it will only get better, I promise. However you should be using this time to teach your puppy bite inhibition... I believe this is very important... again refer to my posting in the other biting thread if you are interested...

and, as always, Good Luck...


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## monkey (May 10, 2005)

Thank you so much!!!

I have noticed already that he is getting better. He now nips when he gets real excited. I have what I tell him is the bad paper. It is a paper that I rolled up and place near me when he starts to nip. I tell him in a stern voice NO.. then I place the paper by me. 
This works well "Most of the Time" He looks at it then at me and starts to BARK. He then calms down and stops the nipping. He sits back and just gives me this look like "MAN" your no fun!!! And lets me hear about it. 
Then I pet him and love on him!!! All then is well!!! Thanks for you input as well!!! Im all ears for anyting else!!!!


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## Jude's Mom (May 19, 2005)

*I also have a biting problem*

I got Jude this year for mother's day. I absolutely love him. But he also has a biting problem and not only bites my hands, but my daughter and our 5lb older dog. I always give him a chew toy to distract him, but he seems to think that the dog is the best chew toy. Does anyone have experience with this?


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## Pepe Gardner (Apr 11, 2005)

What does he do? Jumps at his back and neck, growls, barks and pulls at his fur?
Or is he really biting the older dog?


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## Jude's Mom (May 19, 2005)

He bites the neck, ears and tail. I think that he is trying to play with her and does not realize that he is hurting her.


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## Boogity (Apr 23, 2005)

How old is Jude? Is that his pic in your avitar? If so, he's beautiful.

Golden Retrievers, like many other breeds, have a long history of being trained to use their mouth for lots of things. So much training over the years that it has become a natural thing in all Goldens. I really do not think that Jude intends to hurt the other dog (especially if he's only 2 to 6 months old) and only wants to play. Yup, they play very hard sometimes - yup they hurt each other sometimes - but they very seldom mean any harm. That's how puppies are.

Our two new "children" are almost 10 weeks old now and they romp and bite each other almost constantly when it's playtime. They usually go for the ears, neck, and tail just like you described.


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## Tracy (May 15, 2005)

My golden has been chewing on just about everything the past two days, I'm beginning to think he chews on carpets and newspapers and shoes because he wants attention. Or can this be signs of seperation anxiety.. we only leave the room when we see him fall asleep and we check back every now and then, if he's awake we go back to play with him, but he just nips us so we say "no" and if he keeps doing that we walk away from the room until he's more calm, which usually just ends up as him sleeping.


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## mojosmum (May 20, 2005)

Have you thought about crate training?


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## Tracy (May 15, 2005)

mojosmum said:


> Have you thought about crate training?


I'm trying but he doesn't seem to like going into his crate, I give him some treats, he goes inside then once he's finished he leaves, I feed him in the crate he goes in eats and leaves right away. However last night he actually went in the crate 2 times all by himself, only for a minute or two but it's a good start. He also went into his crate in the middle of the night and slept in there for two hours.


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