# 3 Months old Bit me



## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

First of all, your dog is a dog first and a golden second  This is not uncommon behavior in a young dog with a high-value item like a bone.

I would suggest not making a power struggle out of this, like I'm going to take your bone and that's all there is to that. Offer him something else of value that he will accept and then take his bone. Then give it back. Practice Practice Practice! 

This behavior is called resource guarding. It's very manageable and it doesn't transfer to other types of aggression. My experience with my own dog is that bones are the only thing that bring about this behavior. She's good, but she's a dog. I never let her have a bone when children are around, or when other dogs are around either.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Guarding resources is common, but obviously not acceptable especially when it escalates to biting you. Did the bite break the skin?

Try teaching him to trade for something else if you need to remove something from him. Like give him a treat or a ball or toy, something he would like to have that would entice him to let go of what he already has.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I sorry you got bit, but you also need to keep in mind that ANY DOG including a golden can bite. Is he like this only with the bone or also with food. you can start hand feeding him and also hold the bone will hes chewing on it then trade him for something else.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

This type of thing is not uncommon....well...I seem to see it alot online with Golden pups. With Lucky it was an instinct thing and not a dominence thing. But I can't speak for all pups...because they do start to test boundries around that 3 or 4 month age.

Trading the rawhide with an especially yummy treat helps them "lose" the fear of losing something when a person comes around or when you take it away. Do it over and over until the instinct to guard turns into a spontaneous reaction to let go. AFter these exercises, keep in mind...just because he will let you have it doesn't mean he will let someone else.....


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Lucky's mom said:


> AFter these exercises, keep in mind...just because he will let you have it doesn't mean he will let someone else.....


Good point!


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## avincent52 (Jul 23, 2008)

Let me ask what might be a stupid question.

Why give the dog a "high value" item like a bone or pig's ear or whatever?

From what I've read on the forum, most "resource guarding" issues center around something like this, that's really yummy but takes a long time to eat (and thus can be taken away.)

Here's my practical question: can I effectively sidestep this by only treating my dog with small biscuits, carrots, celery stalks and the like?

Or will a dog start to resource guard the best thing they get, and I'll see Tessie growling at me as she gnaws on a carrot?


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Good question. I doubt it ... something about a bone brings out the dog in a dog. 

Dogs love bones. That's why I give Daisy bones. But I don't have small children around and I can let her enjoy one peacefully and without worry. I only give her a bone or chew treat when I have the time to let her enjoy it. Always supervise too, that's important. I don't give her a bone when I have to leave in 15 minutes.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I think it depends on the dog to, When mine get bones, they are crated, this way nothing or no one can bother them. I havent had any issues with there food and bones with humans, but 1 of the dogs will growl at the others if they come near there bone(not there food).


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

avincent52 said:


> Let me ask what might be a stupid question.
> 
> Why give the dog a "high value" item like a bone or pig's ear or whatever?
> 
> ...


I bought Lucky rawhides and pigs ears to help work with him on his guarding. I thought if I didn't then he'd never get trained out of it and might start the behavior with something else. But eventually I realized that it really was only with rawhides and if I lose them, I lost the problem.


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

I like the point about the dog not letting other people remove high value items... a friend was visiting a couple of months ago, and Obi was lying by her feet chewing his sterilised bone (probably his highest value treat). I don't know why she decided to suddenly reach down and try to take it off him, but she did and Obi growled! All she could say was "my dog would let us take anything off her!!!" Firstly, I would never try to take a bone off someone elses dog, secondly, this was not her dog... and he didn't even know her!!! Some people!

Needless to say, he's not had the bone since, in my house if they guard it they loose it.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

avincent52 said:


> Let me ask what might be a stupid question.
> 
> Why give the dog a "high value" item like a bone or pig's ear or whatever?
> 
> ...


The 'value' of the item is totally the dogs decision...Im sure there would be some dog that would guard a carrot! 

Because I have a guarder, I dont often give them anything bone-like, but they do get them every now and again. I make it a habit to give them items that will be consumed is a very short period of time....minutes...not enough time to guard...because it is gone...
Lexi gets hers in her crate and never with kids in the house...


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## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

I started taking the rawhides away and giving it right back to him. Once I did that, he actually would sit on me and chew knowing I wasn't going to take it right away. Some times he would get tired of it and walk away to get a drink. I would pick it up and have some kind of treat when he came back looking for it. If I end up just taking it from him, I always offer him a treat. He sometimes acts reluctant to me trying to take it but never growls or bites.


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## GoldenOwner12 (Jun 18, 2008)

Shelley my 8 month old female golden used to be same she use to growl, show teeth towards me and other dogs and lunge when she had bone. What i did is when she had a bone i would stand a few feet away and talk to her, Then the next time she had a bone i would move closer still talking to her in a happy voice. Each time move closer and closer till she/he is comfortable with you right beisde him/her. When you are standing beside him/her do not pat straight away, Bend down like you are going too if he/she growls move back. When he/she doesn't growl when you bend down pat him/her on the bottom slowly working your way to the head. The dog just has to learn that your not going to take away his/her bone. I did this with Shelley and within 2-3 weeks she was bringing me her bone. I can now touch and take her bone away without any growling, showing of the teeth and lunging. It will take time first your dog will need to get used to you being around when he has a bone. Take things slowly if he growls move back a step.


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## Lukcykstroke (Dec 31, 2008)

Wow.. thanks a lot for all the fast answers! Btw the bite did pierce myh skin but nothing too serious. As someone said before i never had this problem when he is eating. I can take away his food and he wont mind.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Lukcykstroke said:


> Wow.. thanks a lot for all the fast answers! Btw the bite did pierce myh skin but nothing too serious. As someone said before i never had this problem when he is eating. I can take away his food and he wont mind.


One of the things you might do is make an effort to teach bite inhibition while he is a puppy. This article talks about it.

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm


When Lucky was an adult my then 4 year old year old tried to ride him when he was sleeping and Lucky reacted by grabbing my son's arm and "gumming' it instead of biting......he had such a controlled and sensitive mouth by that time and instinctively knew not to bite a human.

I think bite inhibition helps prevent those types of reactive bites and I think guarding is a reactive instinct.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

avincent52 said:


> Let me ask what might be a stupid question.
> 
> Why give the dog a "high value" item like a bone or pig's ear or whatever?
> 
> ...


The definition of "high value" is the dog's opinion, not ours. Totally depends on the dog. Some guard bones, some guard stolen tissue from the trashcan. But yes, there is high incidence of guarding what we generally think of as "special" chewies.


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## Rhapsody in Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I have three Golden Retrievers, all under the age of two. They each have their own place in the kitchen to eat. When they eat, I sit in a chair and watch. One of them is a slow eater and if he doesn't finish, the other two are sooooooooo tempted to visit him. So I stay right there and they know to stay in their own place and leave each other alone. In other words, I don't give them an opportunity to disturb one another when they are eating.

The same goes with a special treat or a toy. I am there to supervise and if there is the least bit of a sign of a ruckus, I stand tall, put my hands on my hips, and take whatever it is away from all three of them and say nothing more. They get it - - - they know with one look from me, that it is over. 

We also do not allow them near the table or kitchen when we are eating or preparing food. They know that boundary. If they want to be with us, they can, but they have to lay down on the floor in the doorway. I usually reward this good behavior with a treat after we are finished eating (whatever . . .)

We have practiced this from day one with each of them. They are not perfect, and the youngest, just 10 weeks, is still trying to figure the house rules out, but she is learning and has started to fall in line with the other two. 

We learned this after having a dog years before who would beg and carryon when we would eat. I created the problem back then by always giving in. Of course with our dogs then I was a busy mom and had young children I was looking after too, so I really couldn't focus on training as I should have. 

So with our Goldens now, we knew it had to be different and we really work at this. It does work but it takes consistency and it is an every day thing. 

I probably sound holier than art thou - - - but I would never tolerate bullying, arguing, or mouthiness from my kids when they were young - - -all it would take would be a look. We use the same approach with our dogs. There is no way I would ever tolerate a growl at us or between them. Not that it has never happened or never will, but they know who is in charge and that the party is over if it does. And Goldens are people pleasers. They know when I am not happy with what is going on. Those eyes could break your heart. So I make sure the offender(s) have an opportunity to do something good (like we'll practice a sit or a stay) and then they get positive reinforcement like a hug. Its my way of saying, okay, its all over, lets have a good day : ) Just like with kids . . . .


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## MissRue (Nov 18, 2008)

Ry had issues like that. I wouldn't let her have those things b/c that was the only time I saw aggression in her. She was fine with me putting my hands in her bowl, and taking anything else. Keep in mind she was a rescue, so she came with baggage. I would work on your pup with this immediately. You have gotten some good advice so try things out and see what works for you and your baby.


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## CindyZ (Nov 29, 2008)

Ok.... I have a dumb question. If you let them growl, or bite/snap at you, aren't you letting them have alpha status?

Bailey is very protective of her food bowl and always has been with even me coming near. She growled at me ONE time when I put my hand on her back while she was eating. Ok.. so I followed something I had seen on the Dog Whisperer. I stepped carefully between her and her bowl. Showing her that the bowl was mine and I was allowing her to have it. To this day, she doesn't growl at me, but will completely stop eating when I am near her food dish (when she is eating).


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