# Bitey Snappy Puppy Please Go Away



## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

Bridget, who I believe just turned 9 mos today, is finally, ALMOST over this stage. She is still jumping on ppl, but I will not let anyone pet her unless she is in a sit.
But she has stopped biting me, and for that I give thanks...and my bitten scarred arms give thanks...lol

Bridget is walked 2 times a day inbetween swimming and running.
Is your dog's frustration due to lack of exercise?

I found out pretty quick...a tired pup is a good pup.

It does go away, really.
And I'm sure you're pup will turn out to be a wonderful grown dog. 
It's these crazy puppy times that never seem to end!

How about a day of puppy daycare?


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

You are SO CLOSE to getting past this stage. Hang in there another few weeks and she'll be a whole 'nuther dog. Be watchful of her play. Penny was very excited by play/exercise and THAT made it worse. If you can wear her out with long walks or games of fetch with long runs, it might work better. Swimming is also a good occupation for them. They get so focused on the water that they don't bite. Be sure to keep her on a leash or long line.


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

She is actually good during any type of play. Fetch, tug, etc. she is fine and is not bitey. Lack of exercise? Maybe but working during the day we can only do so much. I get up over an hour earlier each morning so she can play and romp for at least an hour before I have to get ready. I come home every day for lunch so she gets about 35 minutes to play and I'm home by 4:45 each afternoon and from then on it's either a walk, dog class, games of fetch, tug, obedience, nose work practice or something similar. She snaps when frustrated or over excited. Part of the problem is that my husband just shuts down when he is around her. He can't deal with her when she is like that and she is like that all the time with him. He has given up and I'm playing referee all the time. I'm happiest, unfortunately, when he isn't home and I don't have the added pressure. I never thought getting a puppy would be this much of a disaster.


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## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

Hang in the best is yet to come.

I know when we first had Bridget my hubby said she either stops biting you, and jumping, and grabbing....(and I mean I was getting ripped apart) or she will have to go back to the breeder. But, I'm a determined personality, and persevered....although with a loss of blood for awhile.

And I also hired a personal trainer, (who gave bad advice)

so stick with it, she'll just end up loving you all the more...


Keep us updated


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Just a guess but she is probably like that with him BECAUSE he shuts down. Puppies want to play with everybody; I'm sure she's trying to engage him in play. 

If you could get him to take her out to play when she's like that, she would probably start to play nicer with him. She is frustrated that he won't play. Puppies view everyone in the world as playmates.


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

Rick says when he takes her out she won't bring whatever he tosses back. Yeah, I know she isn't great at retrieving so I always have lots of things to toss. At lunch we tossed two bumpers, a frisbee and a tug toy. Sometimes she brings them half way back and sometimes not that. I just keep retrieving them and tossing them. She had about 12 minutes outside at lunch and at 90 deg. plus 90% humidity that was more than enough for my doesn't like the heat dog. She came in laid on the tile floor for the rest of the time I was home. I know someday she will be an incredible dog because of all the time and effort I'm putting into her. I just hope it won't be too late for her and my husband to have some kind of relationship.


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

mooselips said:


> Hang in the best is yet to come.
> 
> I know when we first had Bridget my hubby said she either stops biting you, and jumping, and grabbing....(and I mean I was getting ripped apart) or she will have to go back to the breeder. But, I'm a determined personality, and persevered....although with a loss of blood for awhile.
> 
> ...


I, too, won't give up. It's just not in me. If she were vicious that might be a different thing, but she's not. She is just over the top.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Don't worry, she will never hold a grudge against her 'dad'. She will be the dog he wants, their time just isn't right now.

Penny doesn't retrieve. Our son in law calls her a Golden Bring it to Me! lol She doesn't feel the need to enable our disability re: constantly having to throw things!


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I am going to go out on a limb here and tell you that in all probability, Tayla would be the dog agility and obedience folks would line up for. Seriously, the calm puppies and dogs that seem so tempting at times are not the same dogs we who compete look for.

So.. Tayla starts acting out, have her heel. Have her come. Have her find things. Teach her rear end awareness. Teach her left, right, sit pretty, roll over etc teach her, teach her, teach her ; wherever you think your interests might lie. Give her a job and let her earn honest and sincere praise for a job well done. Dogs do what works .. and if nipping gets your attention, more fun for her although she probably is getting frustrated because she doesn't KNOW what pleases you. If heeling with you earns praise, treats and one on one time it is a win-win situation.

Engaging her mind as well as her body is your smoothest (and most enjoyable) path to the adult dog you want. You don't ever need to compete but you might just find the two of you becoming more than you've dreamed of.


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

Sunrise said:


> I am going to go out on a limb here and tell you that in all probability, Tayla would be the dog agility and obedience folks would line up for. Seriously, the calm puppies and dogs that seem so tempting at times are not the same dogs we who compete look for.
> 
> So.. Tayla starts acting out, have her heel. Have her come. Have her find things. Teach her rear end awareness. Teach her left, right, sit pretty, roll over etc teach her, teach her, teach her ; wherever you think your interests might lie. Give her a job and let her earn honest and sincere praise for a job well done. Dogs do what works .. and if nipping gets your attention, more fun for her although she probably is getting frustrated because she doesn't KNOW what pleases you. If heeling with you earns praise, treats and one on one time it is a win-win situation.
> 
> Engaging her mind as well as her body is your smoothest (and most enjoyable) path to the adult dog you want. You don't ever need to compete but you might just find the two of you becoming more than you've dreamed of.


Her behavior to get attention is sit. She is on a Nothing in Life Is Free for most things. Playing she must sit, going in and out sit and wait. Feeding is a sit, but she is not the most enthuastic eater so it's not hard for her. She knows sit, down, touch, working on stays. She is in puppy obedience where she sometimes acts out the worst, but I have a great trainer and small classes so she helps me not get frustrated and helps Tayla redirect off me. She is in a K9 Nose Work class where she is incredible and there lies our partnership. She will probably never do agility as she has bad hips, but at some point I may get her into some non-AKC agility like Hoopers, of which I know absolutely nothing. In the fall I'm going to try tracking with her since she is good with Nose Work. Just too hot right now.


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## ms_summer (Mar 23, 2012)

All I can tell you is that I understand your frustration. I, too, am tired, but like you won't give up on my puppy... Just wish we all could have "easy" puppies, lol


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

Your situation reminds me of Zeke, our first Golden, he was from high performance field lines. When we got him as a puppy, I had no idea what that meant. He was very mouthy through the first year, very high energy and really a handful until he was about 3 yrs. old. In the first 2 yrs. my husband told me a number of times "You have to get rid of that dog." Well we hung in there and he turned out to be "the best dog ever." Over time he won my husband over. Zeke was able to read a room full of people and know where everyone was coming from. I'm guessing your Tayla is trying to get your husband's attention the only way she knows and picking up on the tension that's developed. If there's any way to get your husband to participate in a training class that might help develop a bond between them and take a little pressure off you. A good training class helps the person understand where the dogs coming from and how to train the dog. Sounds like you are doing lots of training and I'd second the recommendation of keeping it up.


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## my4goldens (Jan 21, 2009)

Like others have said, I think the secret is to keep her busy. My 8 month old pup was very very bitey early on, thankfully he grew out most of it, but he is still very bitey with my other two dogs, so bad at times that they cry when he gets too rough. And they only take a certain amount and then remind him in their own way that enough is enough. And they also wear him out in the back yard with their constant play. It is very frustrating to have a pup like this. I also saw where you mentioned she had bad hips. Do you think that her hips are painful at times? I'm just guessing, maybe some of her behavior could be from some discomfort she is feeling? It has to be difficult that your pups activity is limited, it would definitely help if she could run some of her energy off.


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

Unfortunately while I love training my husband is, and always has been, bad at it. He can't remember what to do when. I actually think he can, but chooses not to. So, until the time when he can reap what I've sewn, I'm on my own. I'm okay with that I just wish she wasn't so mouthy with him and could at least sit next to him for 30 seconds without grabbing his hands. Sigh....if I had a dollar for every wish I made on that I'd be rich.

I really appreciate knowing others have had this issue and came out of it with good dogs. I will just have to put in my time and training and dream of the time she is a less mouthy girl. Moral of the story is know what you are getting when you adopt a puppy from someone. Field lines are more than I bargained for, but that's my fault not Tayla's.


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

my4goldens, I don't think her hips are a problem at this time. She runs fast and corners well - LOL. I know when she gets the zooms she is not in any pain. She plays hard and I wish she did have a dog at home to play with. We have an old Golden who at 14.5 wants nothing to do with play. My husband would love to get another dog that was older and calmer and would just sit and let him pet her/him, but until I have these issues under control I don't want to add more to my mix because I know I'd be training the next one too and there are not enough hours in the day or valium in the cabnet!


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## my4goldens (Jan 21, 2009)

Tayla's Mom said:


> my4goldens, I don't think her hips are a problem at this time. She runs fast and corners well - LOL. I know when she gets the zooms she is not in any pain. She plays hard and I wish she did have a dog at home to play with. We have an old Golden who at 14.5 wants nothing to do with play. My husband would love to get another dog that was older and calmer and would just sit and let him pet her/him, but until I have these issues under control I don't want to add more to my mix because I know I'd be training the next one too and there are not enough hours in the day or valium in the cabnet!


Okay, thats good to know then. Does she pester your older golden? My two older ones are almost 11 and almost 8, still young enough to play hard, but there are times, like yesterday, when Tugg made the oldest one literally cry out. She did retaliate some, I give her credit, poor girl, she tries so hard to be patient with him. I wish you luck with your pup, hang in there, it will get better. But I do understand your frustrations.


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

my4goldens said:


> Okay, thats good to know then. Does she pester your older golden? My two older ones are almost 11 and almost 8, still young enough to play hard, but there are times, like yesterday, when Tugg made the oldest one literally cry out. She did retaliate some, I give her credit, poor girl, she tries so hard to be patient with him. I wish you luck with your pup, hang in there, it will get better. But I do understand your frustrations.


She does, but she has gotten better and Jesse doesn't give her the ugly face as often. What Tayla usually does is the play bow, wriggle, wriggle, bark, bark, thing and then when she gets no response she just comes to me for play time. They have at least gotten to the point where they can lay next to each other on the floor and eat bully sticks or pb kongs together. A couple months ago that wasn't happening, so there is some improvement there.


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## jaxdepo (Jun 21, 2012)

you, your husband and your pup sound exactly like my household.

Jax is 4 months and he sometimes is SO mean!!! I do the exact same thing as you do, I come home at lunch and am home fairly soon after as is my husband. We go for long walks and play but my goodness does Jax have a temper! out of nowhere he snaps at us with a angry growly nose and bites. Barks, growls and has the most devious look in his eyes it's almost scarey.

He gets most pissed when I have to put him in his crate to leave for work in the morning or at lunch. 
At night time when he starts to get really bad I put him to bed. Once he is in his crate he doesn't make another peep he just sleeps until morning so I wonder if he is just over tired some days. 
I do believe that like children, they will force themselves awake for as long as they can even if they are exhausted.
Otherwise I hope he is only testing the limits right now. 
I am ready to snap somedays too and same as you, my husband has a short fuse and doesn't deal well with him that often. 
Mornings though, they are THE BEST!!! I get up a couple hours before I have to leave and we cuddle for a bit, go for a long walk. Then he follows me around and makes me laugh while I get ready.
maybe they are just pissed that we leave them. I find myself explaining to him that if I don't work then we can't have him and I would rather be home then be at work any day of the week lol!! he isn't catching on I just sound crazy LOL!!!

We start obedience class in a month so hopefully this will help. I hope your life calms down a bit too sooner then later!!


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

I can sympathize. My 4.5 y/o golden Axl was a HANDFUL and then some. Ultra high energy, unruly, mouthy, and he used to maul my wife on a daily basis. His favorite thing to do (when he wasn't busy alternating between biting and humping my wife) was GALLOPING around the house knocking furniture over. I literally could not STAND him for the first 6 months we had him (he was 14 weeks when we brought him home). Shortly thereafter, I unfortunately was laid off from my job and suddenly had a lot of time on my hands that I spent taking him to the park, on hikes through the woods etc. Long story short, we bonded and he has become, as far as I'm concerned, a 'once in a lifetime dog'. I cannot even imagine life without him. The most important thing with a high energy golden is to drain that energy in a constructive manner. They NEED a job to do. In Axl's case it turned out to be catching discs. A REALLY TIRED golden puppy is a well behaved golden puppy. Tell your husband not to give up, a year from now, they'll be best friends.


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

I appreciate all the positive feedback about your experiences and how things have gotten better for you. Last night Tayla grabbed Rick's shirt 3 times and after an "out" command by me she released each time after a couple seconds. That is a first and maybe a glimmer of the dog she will be. This morning she was bitey with my hands, but I was actually able to distract her a few times. While I see a long road ahead with these issues I see a speck of light at the end of that road.


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## Tucker's mommy (Nov 9, 2011)

Hey there! You're doing all the right things - sounds like there's a very large club of us out there with goldens like this! One tip for your husband - when he plays fetch with your pup or attempts to, if he's not already, try having him reward a return or a drop of the toy with a treat. Our Tucker LOVES fetch - and loves it even MORE when he gets a treat for the drop of the ball. And I don't mean a big treat. I give a crumb-sized piece of pupperoni for each return (one jerky can last a day playing this way). That little added incentive is enough to get Tucker really into the game. And we need it - especially those days he's being super dooper annoyingly high-energy with us or when we have young kids over visiting and we need to drain the energy to keep things at a safe level for all. Good luck - like I've said, we've finally rounded a corner, and our Tucker is almost 16 months. Took forever!


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

It was a mixed bag weekend. She was good at points, but really bitey at others. No broken skin which is good, just some bruises. I just hate it when she jumps up and catches me in the underside of my upper arm. Got me twice this weekend. Saturday it rained all day so it was an inside day and that's always a problem. She has also stopped playing fetch which burned off some energy. Now when I toss something she just stares at it like....huh, who's going to get that. After a few minutes she may walk over and find it and bring it back, but she seems to have lost interest for the moment. Oh well I am teaching her a new "trick". We are woking on circle right. We are adding that to sit, down, stay, touch, come, wait, etc.


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

Having Tayla has certainly made me appreciate Jesse, who wants to do nothing more than sleep or walk slowly from one spot to another. Spent part of my lunch hour in shorts running around my yard with Tayla running after me so she would get all excited and jumpy/bitey so I could work on developing an "off switch". Probably got a few more bruises but she did pretty well. It’s something I want to work on a few times a day, but would be much nicer at 70 instead of 90.


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