# Can't get my golden puppy to stop biting!!



## Ngault (Jun 27, 2012)

He's 9 weeks old I've tried saying oww & walking away but it doesn't seem to work for him. He gets mad & starts barking and crying and jumping. PLEASE help!!!


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## crazy daisy (Jul 3, 2011)

puppies are supposed to be pretty mouthy.... that's why it's referred to the "Shark Dog" stage.

When you see "oww"... they have no sense of what that means... they are dogs, not humans.

when you see puppies playing with each other, they are rough-housing & mouthing each other.. it's how they play.

so, what can you do? Direct their mouthing at something else... ie a suitable chew-toy


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## jaxdepo (Jun 21, 2012)

we have the same issue. We are constantly putting toys in his mouth. Do you have a rope toy?? Jax loves playing tugawar , it has been a saving grace for us. I have also heard to wet it and freeze it. If you have a KOng that would be great too, it keeps them busy forever! we were told to bring their top lip down under their teeth and say NO BITE. ... doesn't really work but I think in time it will. Ours is almost 10 weeks too, surely they will grow out of it and you will have the scars to prove they went through it I'm sure!!


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## dezymond (May 3, 2012)

Remain consistent with walking away, he will learn. If you turn around as soon as he starts jumping and everything he'll learn that by doing so he gets more attention from you.


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

I have the scars. It will get better.


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## The_Artful_Dodger (Mar 26, 2009)

At nine weeks he is still a baby. It will take some time for him to learn. When he is playing too rough, stand up and turn away and be a statue for 30 seconds. Give him lots of attention when he is playing without biting - sticking a toy in his mouth will help you have more opportunity to do this. But as soon as he drops the toy and starts biting - he loses all the attention (briefly). Eventually, he will learn that when he bites the fun ends. I also said "oww" really high pitched. They say it mimics a dogs yelp, but I think maybe it also helps mark the behaviour (biting) that is making you turn away.


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## Ngault (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks for all the help guys!!! I have been turning his attention to his toys every time he tries to bite but hes only interested for a second then starts trying to bite again. I have been praising him when he chews his toys & when he plays without biting. Hopefully he will get better in time...i do have a few bite marks already im sure more to come!!!


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## maryt (Jun 22, 2012)

Hi There:

My boy is the same age and doing the same thing. What I have done, is redirect this biting by giving him a chew toy, and as soon as he tries to bite me again I say a stern "NO". We have a family meeting every night so all in our household are aware of what they should be saying, because we do not want to confuse him. The last two days he is listening more to the "No".

I have also walked away after saying No if he didn't respond to it, and that really bothers him and he comes running and licks me. lol

It is a work in progress but if you keep doing the same thing, they will eventually get the idea, (I HOPE) lol.

Mary T


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## HamsterHuey (Jul 3, 2012)

Been lurking here for a while and decided to finally register (getting a puppy in a couple of weeks ). To the OP - You should definitely read the section on Bite Inhibition in Ian Dunbar's "After you get a Puppy" book. He makes it freely available here: http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/AFTER%20You%20Get%20Your%20Puppy.pdf . Look up the chapter on bite inhibition starting on Page 79.

Your puppy is still very young. You might want to first teach it to develop a soft bite before beginning to discourage it from biting altogether. If you discourage biting from the very beginning, you risk having a dog that was never taught the appropriate bite force that he can apply on humans. In the long run it is safer to have a mouthy 1-2 year old dog, than a well behaved, non-mouthy dog that has not developed a soft mouth and good bite-inhibition.

While chew toys are excellent and should definitely be a part of a growing puppies life, they should not be exclusively relegated to chewing on chew toys. In that case, they will never get any feedback regarding appropriate amounts of force for mouthing and will never develop a soft mouth.


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