# 11 week old Golden



## Golden Lover 33 (Mar 1, 2018)

Hi everyone. I have an 11 week old male GR. His name is Bentley. He is adorable beyond words. Right now he’s been displaying some alpha behaviour. Nipping hard, lunging and barking at us, showing his teeth on occasion. Any tips on how to address this before it becomes more of a problem?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Congratulations on Bentley, looking forward to seeing pictures. 

What he's displaying sounds like typical puppy behavior- he's playing.


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## davmar77 (May 5, 2017)

hopefully you have some puppy classes coming up.


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## Neeko13 (Jul 10, 2010)

Hello, and welcome to you and Bentley....yup puppy phase....and hopefully you can get him into classes...


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Golden Lover 33 said:


> Hi everyone. I have an 11 week old male GR. His name is Bentley. He is adorable beyond words. Right now he’s been displaying some alpha behaviour. Nipping hard, lunging and barking at us, showing his teeth on occasion. Any tips on how to address this before it becomes more of a problem?


Yep, he's a puppy.

Puppies do not come from the womb already trained and socialized, that's your job. Find a good training center and sign up for some classes to teach you about that little furball at the end of your leash.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

It's not "alpha" behaviour. He's being a brat because he can - nobody has taught him how to behave in a way that's acceptable to humans. You need to train him. Find a good training school that will teach you how to train your dog, and you'll be fine.


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## Golden Lover 33 (Mar 1, 2018)

We’ve had a private trainer. Who suggested he was most likely alpha of his litter. He is treating us like litter mates. It’s not just regular puppy nipping and behaviours. He snarls, not during play, shows his teeth, and lunges abs bites, he’s drawn blood on me twice..ouch! Goldens puppy teeth are like swords! Lol We do correct him, we don’t allow that type of behaviour. He is getting better, we’ve been following our trainers advice and with consistency. Iv always had dogs, Iv just usually had rescue dogs that were a year or more, so the whole puppy thing from the beginning is a little new. Thanks for all the connects. &#55357;&#56382;&#55357;&#56841;


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

Perhaps a new trainer is in order. The idea that a trainer would be using that terminology for normal hooligan puppy behavior this young is concerning to me. 

Here is a great article, well worth the read. https://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/08/30/its-a-puppy-not-a-problem/


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

LJack said:


> Perhaps a new trainer is in order. The idea that a trainer would be using that terminology for normal hooligan puppy behavior this young is concerning to me.
> 
> Here is a great article, well worth the read. https://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/08/30/its-a-puppy-not-a-problem/


I agree. He sounds like a normal untrained Golden Retriever not an alpha dog. I would not want to use dominating behavior on a puppy. We found positive training works really well.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

You need a different trainer. 

An 11 week old puppy is NOT showing alpha behavior, he's a baby playing with you the way he would play with his littermates. "Alpha" terminology is a bunch of bunk. Dogs do not try to dominate people. 

You need to use POSITIVE methods to redirect him to acceptable play with you, but he is not aggressive, he is not alpha. He's a baby dog behaving 100% normal for his species and age.


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## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

Our new puppy, Casey, is also 11-12 weeks. There’s no doubt that his mouthy-ness, jumping, barking, etc is growing puppy behavior. We’ve worked with him since day 1 at home and it’s amazing what he’s learned and how gentle and calm he can be. But, on the flip side, it’s also amazing at the level of uncontrollable crazy he can exhibit too! Search the forum for puppy biting, nipping, etc and you’ll find you’re not the only one dealing with these type behaviors.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

He just wants to play, here is a picture guide.
Let's say he is alpha, he is 11 weeks old. All you need to do is be consistent with training and follow thru with what you say. A example is if you say crate or bedtime and he doesn't go towards the crate you be considtant and make sure he does. Also many people will disagree with this one but you eat first, if he is showing alpha behavior with you eating first he will understand you are alpha not him. Another trick is when you are outside with him and you are going inside the house you go first he comes second. Unless you have yourself a extremely alpha puppy which I would be surprised those little tricks will get him thinking I am not the alpha.


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## pandamonium (Apr 18, 2012)

If you don't mind me asking...What did your trainer say to do when this behavior happens? (I don't want the trainers name!) Going to a class that has other dogs is really important in terms of socializing. You'll be ok...!


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## Joanne & Asia (Jul 23, 2007)

It sounds like normal puppy behaviour and working on impulse control will help.Our pup is 6 months old now and we found that doing basic obedience training calmed him down. To build up his impulse control try making him wait before you feed him for a few seconds initially and make him wait before you throw a toy, open the door etc... You can build up time and I can attest that is really does work over time. You can always put him in a time out in his crate if he gets too crazy nippy and can't calm himself. I found with our boy that he needed this to relax at times and even now we have to do this at times. He relaxes right away and seems to enjoy the break as do we lol


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

It doesn't matter who eats first or who goes through the door first. If you want your puppy to wait for your permission to go out the door, that is a great idea because it's a safety issue, but going out the door first is not going to make your puppy think you are the boss. That's old school information that has been debunked and apologized for. Eleven week old puppies are not alpha. They are learning human rules which they are not born understanding. Yes, you can be a good leader to your puppy by being consistent, fair and kind. By teaching him the rules and training him. 


Not sure what the trainer is telling you, but alpha roles, scruff shakes and similar methods teach dogs to bite at the worst and at the best, to not trust you. Even collar grabbing can result in some pretty serious issues and behavior problems. Hard to say, but some of the behaviors you are explaining sound like they could be defensive behavior. If you have scruff shaken the dog or done anything similar, when you reach for him, he could be fearful and defensive. We'd have to see a video to know for sure what is going on. 


If you and the trainer truly believe the puppy is aggressive then you should discuss this with your breeder and bring the puppy to a certified veterinary behaviorist.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

FosterGolden said:


> It doesn't matter who eats first .


 You would be 100% incorrect on this. Dogs or pack animals and the alpha of a pack will eat first.


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## Cooper Golden (Jan 11, 2018)

Even the scientist who popularized the concept of alpha in relation to wolves has stated that he notion is outdated and has made multiple pleas to the publisher to stop publishing the book.

http://www.davemech.org/news.html

Positive reinforcement is the way to go. Your puppy is displaying puppy behaviours  Keep reinforcing positive behaviours, lots and lots of exercise and time


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Found this to be an informative read, 

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-...-and-pack-leadership-what-does-it-really-mean


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Eating first does work, also it is not a negative training tool. Everyone says the family is the pack to the dog well guess what a pack has a leader and that leader eats first. As i had said before lots of people will disagree


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

' By the way, wolves in packs do not display a meal time hierarchy: in times of plenty; everyone eats together and in times of scarcity the parent wolves make certain their offspring are fed first.'

from the article referenced above.

If we are to be true 'leaders' as parent wolves would be, we would feed the dog first!


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

FosterGolden said:


> It doesn't matter who eats first or who goes through the door first. If you want your puppy to wait for your permission to go out the door, that is a great idea because it's a safety issue, but going out the door first is not going to make your puppy think you are the boss. That's old school information that has been debunked and apologized for. Eleven week old puppies are not alpha. They are learning human rules which they are not born understanding. Yes, you can be a good leader to your puppy by being consistent, fair and kind. By teaching him the rules and training him.
> 
> 
> Not sure what the trainer is telling you, but alpha roles, scruff shakes and similar methods teach dogs to bite at the worst and at the best, to not trust you. Even collar grabbing can result in some pretty serious issues and behavior problems. Hard to say, but some of the behaviors you are explaining sound like they could be defensive behavior. If you have scruff shaken the dog or done anything similar, when you reach for him, he could be fearful and defensive. We'd have to see a video to know for sure what is going on.


This is spot on.

The "alpha" stuff has long been debunked _by the person who proposed the theory in the first place. _His subsequent publications clearly state that his initial thinking was wrong.

Here's an interesting article on the whole "alpha" thing. Anyone who thinks the theory still carries water should at least read the first half.

Why Won't Dominance Die? | Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

I've had dogs all my life - for many, many decades. I've done a lot of training. Two of our family's last three dogs have become Canadian national agility champions in their respective categories, and the third has the potential to follow suit (he's still young). These are working dogs with strong personalities - it's what you need for a great agility dog. And you know what? I've always fed my dogs first. They get their meals before the humans eat. It's just easier - for them and for us. They eat, then settle down quietly during our meal, because they're not hungry. And my dogs often go out of the door before me because sometimes it's just more convenient to send them first. They sleep on the bed with the humans. They're allowed on the furniture. And believe me when I say that none of our dogs has ever had the slightest doubt about who's the leader in our home.

As the above article says, the term "dominance" is often used (wrongly) to describe behaviour that doesn't meet human expectations. But it's not dominance - it's lack of training. Your dog jumps up on you? If it bothers you, train him not to do it. Your dog pushes you out of the way to go through the door? Teach him some manners. He doesn't spontaneously _know _that what he's doing is "wrong". In his mind, it's just how the world is. Calling it "alpha" or "dominance" is, IMHO, a cop-out. If you want the dog to do things your way, you have to train him. Show him what you want, reward him for doing it, put a verbal command on it, practise it a couple of hundred times in a variety of different places, and make sure it's fun.

Anyway.

Best of luck with the pup. You'll be amazed at what a difference a bit of training will make!


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

Nate83 said:


> You would be 100% incorrect on this. Dogs or pack animals and the alpha of a pack will eat first.



Sorry to tell you, but the information you have is very old, very outdated and even dangerous. The guy who conducted the study (L. David Mech) is trying to get it out of print because it's untrue. Basically, the wolves that were studied were in captivity, which is comparative to humans in a refugee camp. Animals in captivity, forced to be together, like humans who are forced to be together, do not interact like families or how they would in the wild. I'm not being a smart-aleck when I say this, but you might look into new information. There are lots of books that can help you understand why the initial studies were wrong and what modern and progressive science (the dominance theory paper is from the 70s) has discovered in the past 40+ years.


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## Gwen_Dandridge (Jul 14, 2012)

Golden Lover 33 said:


> We’ve had a private trainer. Who suggested he was most likely alpha of his litter. He is treating us like litter mates. It’s not just regular puppy nipping and behaviours. He snarls, not during play, shows his teeth, and lunges abs bites, he’s drawn blood on me twice..ouch! Goldens puppy teeth are like swords! Lol We do correct him, we don’t allow that type of behaviour. He is getting better, we’ve been following our trainers advice and with consistency. Iv always had dogs, Iv just usually had rescue dogs that were a year or more, so the whole puppy thing from the beginning is a little new. Thanks for all the connects. ����


We called Maddie Hellbitch for the first few months. Her first night home with us she ripped my husband's nose top to bottom with her little golden teeth. Two weeks later we were just exhausted with her (and she was crate trained). She was our second golden and we thought we had made a huge mistake. 

She is now an awfully good dog but it sure took awhile. I put her in puppy training early and she was amazing. Way smarter and quicker to learn than the other pups a month older. It helped a lot.


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## Golden Lover 33 (Mar 1, 2018)

He said to put him down on the floor and make him submit to me with a firm no. Also said to hold his muzzle when he’s biting with a firm no. Honestly it’s not working, so Iv stopped doing it. I don’t want him to fear me. I just want him to respect us. Iv taught him to sit, give a paw, laydown for his treat. He’s still learning to do these things without a treat though, it’s like the movements wereroutine rather than knowing the command. He does know sit on command though. I just don’t know how to get him to stop barking and growling and biting us! Iv been trying to calmly correct him and if he doesn’t stop the behaviour which he never does, I put him in his crate for a time out. Not more than 3-5 minutes. I want to be a good pet owner, I’m doing my best. He’s just not listening.


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## Cooper Golden (Jan 11, 2018)

This was the approach I took with Cooper. Everyone at home was laughing at me - they arent laughing anymore because even when Cooper is teething Im the only one he doesn't bite/mouth  

1) Approach this as a training session. Be in a fun "Im awesome to play with" mindset - puppies can sense when you're frustrated and tend not to listen
2) Play with puppy, when he mouths you move your hands away, say "no biting" in a firm voice and stomp away to where the puppy can see you but not reach you - I was extra dramatic with this part mostly to make it fun for me but also to keep the puppy's attention. I used to sit at the top part of the couch and because I was just SO FUN Cooper would try to follow me and get at me but couldn't reach me (this was back when he was a fuzzy little puppy and couldn't climb on the couch)
3) Puppy will give up shortly (usually takes less than a minute) and go away to play. Give him another half a minute to forget about you and then go back to play with you and be fun again. 
4) Repeat steps 1 to 3 EVERYTIME the puppy mouths you over a span of 10-15 minutes. Because Cooper would initially mouth every 5-10 seconds I must have done this 30 times in a row each session. Dont be frustrated - remember this is a scheduled 15 min training session. It gets better.

What you're trying to do is tell the puppy that you love them and want to play with them, but the play stops when they bite. By day 3 (or training session 8/10) I didn't have to move away anymore and we'd just progressed to moving my hands away and Cooper would stop biting (he'd usually pretend he was trying to clean his fur instead of bite me - silly little pup pup). Then I introduced toys and the concept of 'chew your chew' toy which allowed me to keep petting him even when he was all bitey as long as he was biting on his toy. Cooper is still a big bitey face but he now brings a toy with him when he wants pets - its the cutest


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Golden Lover 33 said:


> He said to put him down on the floor and make him submit to me with a firm no. Also said to hold his muzzle when he’s biting with a firm no. Honestly it’s not working, so Iv stopped doing it. I don’t want him to fear me. I just want him to respect us. Iv taught him to sit, give a paw, laydown for his treat. He’s still learning to do these things without a treat though, it’s like the movements wereroutine rather than knowing the command. He does know sit on command though. I just don’t know how to get him to stop barking and growling and biting us! Iv been trying to calmly correct him and if he doesn’t stop the behaviour which he never does, I put him in his crate for a time out. Not more than 3-5 minutes. I want to be a good pet owner, I’m doing my best. He’s just not listening.


I'm glad you are not holding his muzzle anymore, you will only make him fear your hands or make it fight harder to get lose and bite. It's the wrong approach, so good for you stopping it.

You are expecting too much too soon, he is just a tiny baby, he doesn't have the mental capacity to understand everything you want. Put a toy in his mouth when he goes to bite skin, actually in his mouth and encourage him to bit it instead, praise him when he does.

Be patient, and try to lower your expectations a little right now.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

I do not subscribe to the whole "alpha behavior thing" necessarily. Your dog is doing this because thats the only way he knows how to behave, because he's a puppy. He's acting like a puppy, they all have personalities. I have the most submissive, absolute most "beta" dog in the world, and she did things that were not appropriate as a puppy. So did my last dog, who was much more confident and challenged me a little bit more. Both accidentally drew blood (their teeth are like needles at that age), one cut a hole in my jeans. I don't know what kind of bleeding you're talking about, but there is a difference between drawing blood, a bad scratch, and a deep puncture wound that sends you to the doctor. Obviously, I am not there to see exactly what this is like. What I do know is that usually actual aggressive behavior in dogs tends to come out later than 11 weeks. 

I'm a fan of absolutely ignoring bad behavior, and rewarding positive behavior. I'm not saying that behavior is acceptable, its not. But its not surprising. If my puppy did that, and were not able to settle down, they would get a firm but confident "Uh UH be removed from the situation and put in their crate to calm down. Every single time. Sometimes saying "no no" and telling them to stop, can actually make them do it more, because they are wanting your attention. And when they act out, they get it. 

For the record, all dogs look for someone to be the "leader" of the pack. Every dog try to make their own rules. They do it differently, depending on personality. They will all display "alpha" behavior sometimes. But then, show me a child who hasn't thrown a tantrum.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Oh I just saw your reply. I'm not a fan of the whole laying a dog on their side and holding them down until they relax. For 1, thats very intimidating to a dog. You're essentially pinning a dog down by their neck, which is what a dog would do that is trying to attack another dog. It could also be interpreted as play. I don't advocate the holding the muzzle thing. For one, it can make them afraid of having their faces touched, and you also increase the risk that you will accidentally get a real bite. 

I want to say, ever more so, to immediately reprimand the dog and ignore him. You can also yelp "ouch." Literally turn your body away from him. No more interaction until he is calm. Then reward. (Sometimes it gets a little worse before better, so you want to be really consistent and not give in. My confident dog did this crap on a leash outside for 5 whole minutes once, and then immediately again. She DID stop doing it though. I only wore one pair of jeans when walking her, because it was the pair she bit a hole into and wrecked). You can also turn those things into immediate training sessions, where you start making him do a lot of things for you instead. If that doesn't work, immediately to the crate. Its not as punishment, its giving your dog time to calm down and for you to calm down. 

The biggest key is consistency. Do it every. Single. Time. You're doing an awesome thing by training your dog. Its the best thing you can do! And its obviously that you want to do best for him. People run into trouble when they give in on a training method. 

Interestingly, if you accidentally reward a behavior you REALLY don't want inconsistently (like, by ignoring, ignoring, ignoring, and then getting frustrated and pinning your dog down--which he interprets as YES, Im getting attention now!), you can actually made it harder to un-train than if you always rewarded in that way. It literally primes the brain--causes a change chemically. Its also why people love gambling. That "no no no no no no no no no no OK YES," can be immensely rewarding.


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## Golden Lover 33 (Mar 1, 2018)

Thank you for all your comments and advice. I appreciate every single one of them. Iv decided to do the ignore bad behaviour and reward good behaviour. If he doesn’t listen to my Firm no and continues with the behaviour I don’t want such as constant growling, barking and biting, or trying to each the couch right in front of me then I put him in his crate for a 3-5 minute time out and let him calm down. I will continue to do this. He is improving a bit with the biting. But he literally just bite the whole time we try and play. Or if he found something he shouldn’t have like a tissue or a sock and you try and take it from him he would bare his teeth grown and jerk his head quickly and snap biting me and breaking the skin. Iv always adopted older dogs, so having a puppy right from the get go is new. Iv never had a golden either. My other dogs were a Pug, and Bull Mastiff.


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## Sadiesmom2018! (Apr 12, 2018)

My 11 week old is acting the exact same way. We have puppy orientation this Saturday and start 6 week training the following week. I am really looking forward to it!


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

You need to learn to distract him with something else when he is doing something Ike trying to eat the couch. Do not try to physically remove him. When he is doing something he shouldnt find a treat that is high value. Distract him with it. Before you give it to him make him go through some commands. For instance distract him then make him sit then lay down. Or teach him to shake.

Also making him sit and teaching him to wait when you feed him. You get him to sit. Then put his food down and say wait. He cant eat until you give him a release word. It can be the word OK or anything he responds to.


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## AGirlNamedScout (Apr 3, 2018)

Charliethree said:


> Found this to be an informative read,
> 
> https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-...-and-pack-leadership-what-does-it-really-mean


 Interesting information there.


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## PattyMcN123! (Oct 15, 2017)

Thanks for all the valuable info! It’s nice to know that these behaviors are all normal and age appropriate. Piper is 12 weeks old and the most challenging is that everything goes in the mouth; the good part about that is that she loves to have her teeth brushed hehe


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

My pup, Zoey, (10 weeks today), bit me hard enough the other day I yelped out loud without even thinking about it. She immediately rolled onto her back and lay there looking at me. That drove home two points. 1. She is so sensitive ... not a landshark seeking prey, but a baby. 2. There is definitely something to all I’d been reading about how bite inhibition works. She has been nipping me more gently ever since.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Izziebeth said:


> My pup, Zoey, (10 weeks today), bit me hard enough the other day I yelped out loud without even thinking about it. She immediately rolled onto her back and lay there looking at me. That drove home two points. 1. She is so sensitive ... not a landshark seeking prey, but a baby. 2. There is definitely something to all I’d been reading about how bite inhibition works. She has been nipping me more gently ever since.


For the most part, puppies don't know how to play with humans and they are like babies, everything goes in the mouth. Also, their littermates have fur protecting their bodies. 

But developing good bite inhibition is so important. Piper is so tender, even with taking treats when she's very exited. 

Its pretty cool when they pass the raw egg test. Piper did..except then she dropped the egg on the floor at my feet like she does balls and it broke right on my shoe :wink2:

I'm glad to hear that you are having a good time with Zoey!


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## ThatBrandonGuy (Apr 4, 2018)

My 15 week old, Sully, also gets a little aggressive at times but I have found that it is consistently related to his energy levels. He never acts up after expending some of that pent up puppy energy. When I don't allow him to burn off some of that young puppy energy, he can sometimes get a little mouthy. The best solution I have found is to just make sure he is getting enough exercise every day. This also helps with training as well since he is much more receptive when he is at least wore out a little than when he is full of energy and ready to just run and play. It is darn near impossible to train Sully to learn ANYTHING when he is like that.


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## Dixiedoo (May 6, 2018)

My golden girl is six months and does the jumping and lunging and biting and barking. It was frustrating for me at first but I realized quickly that she just has tons of energy to get out and needs/wants to play. Telling her no just didn't work...seemed to ramp her up even more. So.... I get the leash and take her outside for a brisk walk, throw balls, find a puddle, fill the kiddie pool, etc.  it works every time. She comes back in tired and happy. Normally golden puppy behavior. It will pass so enjoy the bonding time while you can.


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## hondoo (Feb 16, 2018)

mylissyk said:


> I'm glad you are not holding his muzzle anymore, you will only make him fear your hands or make it fight harder to get lose and bite. It's the wrong approach, so good for you stopping it.
> 
> You are expecting too much too soon, he is just a tiny baby, he doesn't have the mental capacity to understand everything you want. Put a toy in his mouth when he goes to bite skin, actually in his mouth and encourage him to bit it instead, praise him when he does.
> 
> Be patient, and try to lower your expectations a little right now.




+1 This works but takes time, have patients. Have lots of toys/chews everywhere in the house and even carry some in your pocket. This way when he bites, immediately substituted with a toy/chew. You taught him to give paw (raising paw = treat), this is no different (biting = toy/chew). You also said he can't do paw on command without treat. This again is no different, he's not understanding to get a toy/chew when he wants to bite, but he will. Keep going, don't get mad and continue to play with him.


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## Zeke1 (Nov 20, 2015)

LJack said:


> Perhaps a new trainer is in order. The idea that a trainer would be using that terminology for normal hooligan puppy behavior this young is concerning to me.
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a great article, well worth the read. https://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/08/30/its-a-puppy-not-a-problem/




Well I just signed up for her email blogs. She words everything perfectly and it is so true. Just like with our own children, we must show what the house rules are right from the beginning and stick with it and be consistent. Overtime it’ll all come together. I’m going to take my own advice ha ha as we are dealing with a very mouthy but beautiful and fun loving 10 week old golden girl!!! Patience pays off!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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