# My puppy has a biting agression issue...



## The Magic of Macy (Oct 7, 2010)

My puppy Macy is 3 1/2 months old, And I currently have her in obedience training. When i notified the instructor of her biting issue, she said to stop playing with her, and leave the room. However, when I try to walk away from her she runs after me and bites at my legs/ankles and it reallly hurts! She is even baring her teeth when she does this. Someone told me it is normal puppy behavior and that it will eventually stop, but So far I feel like its getting worse. Anyone have any other solutions?! I've also tried grabbing her mouth, (the top half right behind her canines which is what a breeder told me) But she wiggles out of it and bites my hands. Please note that she is not like this alll the time, only when she is playing. But then it turns into agression. Im wondering any other training techniques for this issue....!??


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## The Magic of Macy (Oct 7, 2010)

ANd I do feel like she views me as her Master and understands that I am in charge the rest of the time. She obeys me with pretty much anything else, just not this! ...............


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

It's not about dominance:
http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/dominance statement.pdf

And you should stop the punishment. We want your puppy to like hands near his face and like interacting with people:
http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonl...Statements/Combined_Punishment_Statements.pdf

Do as your trainer recommended. Every. Time. Yes it hurts, yes he still might be annoying as you leave. But this will get better as he grows older and as you continue training and he learns how to interact with you.

It's not likely aggression, just normal annoying puppyness!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Your puppy is a brat, not aggressive, but what your breeder told you may be making it worse. Look at RedDogs links and listen to the advice about consistency and preventing reinforcement for undesired behavior.


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## The Magic of Macy (Oct 7, 2010)

Thank you very much for the advice! I will definately not punish and I will continue to just get up and leave the room and ignore her until she settles down. The links were very helpful! Thanks RedDogs!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I totally agree with Reddogs information. Also puppies are just like toddlers and when they get overtired, it is ok to put them in the crate to make them take a nap. They sometimes just dont know when to stop. Someone told me it is like a cranky baby pitching a fit. I can remember those days well and dont miss them.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Do a search through the puppy forum, you will find A LOT of good advice for dealing with mouthy puppies. You will also find hundreds of threads exactly like yours! It really is normal puppy behavior, and she is NOT being aggressive.


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## diana_D (Jan 27, 2008)

that is not aggression, it is rough play, puppies are mouthy, goldens even more and a puppy does not have bite inhibition. 

Even when growing up you will see your Golden will be mouthy while playing, they always carry something in their mouths  

Just turn around and leave, if she follows you (following is a normal behaviour, it should never be punished) turn into a statue.


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## harry'smum (Oct 17, 2010)

*new member with the same problem*

Hi there,
I live in England and we have a boy Golden Retriver called Harry who is 9 months old this week. He goes to obedience classes and can sit, stay, recall, finish etc, and he seems pretty smart. He has a good temperament but he is VERY bitey. I am covered in bruises and scratches and am not enjoying him at all, and nor is my 10 year old son.

He was neutered last week which we were told will help in the medium term.

What happens is that he wraps his front legs around my leg and starts humping, I pull my leg out ( or drag him along until I can) and then he starts to launch himself at me, locking his jaws onto anywhere he can, clothes but usually flesh. I am screaming at this point, and have recently started to push or hit his nose. This does not seem to help and he looks a bit wild eyed.

Also he has recently started to launch himself at me whilst I am walking him and he bites (mouths ) me which is very unnerving.

I have tried walking away and keeping still, but he does not stop. Screaming or silence also don't help. Bitter apple doesn't help. Can you experts over there help, please?


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

Another thing you can try is redirecting her biting to a chew toy (nylabone, kong, etc.). Especially since she's in the teething stage right now, her mouth is going to be in pain and she'll want to chew on stuff even more than in the past!


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## diana_D (Jan 27, 2008)

harry'smum said:


> Hi there,
> I live in England and we have a boy Golden Retriver called Harry who is 9 months old this week. He goes to obedience classes and can sit, stay, recall, finish etc, and he seems pretty smart. He has a good temperament but he is VERY bitey. I am covered in bruises and scratches and am not enjoying him at all, and nor is my 10 year old son.
> 
> He was neutered last week which we were told will help in the medium term.
> ...


Welcome to the forum Harry's mom! 
You must be very consistent with this, and don't give up. Have you tried to turn yourself into a statue, hands crossed, head pointing towards ceiling? 

Have you tried to ask him to stop(sit,stay, or off) or redirect his behaviour towards a toy? It may not work at the beginning, but in short while you might see an improvement.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

It is so much harder when they are 9 months old and so big. 
Here are a few articles from Clicker Solutions. You don't need to use a clicker, you can use a voice marker when training but this just shows that we all go through this and usually more than once during the dogs stages toward maturity.

ClickerSolutions Training Articles --

Some of the really important things to remember are......

Prevention - when does my puppy do this? What happens before he/she starts acting out. Make a journal of when, how, why you think it happens etc and become more aware and change things to catch it before it happens.

Manage - When the puppy is getting overly excited, tired or you cannot give total supervision contain the puppy in a safe zone/ a crate/ an x-pen / a room gated off from the excitement.

Training - step up your training. Use those behaviors (asking for them) before your dog goes over the threshold on excitement. When a dog has to think he cannot be using his emotions. Decide on what behaviors you want when you see things may be going to your disadvantage before this happens and then use those behaviors to help settle the pup down. Then happily put the puppy in a safe place to rest and calm him/her down.

Be consistent - every time you slack off on your training or let the dog do things that are not the best you are accidently teaching the dog that sometimes you will let them act inappropriately.

They really aren't smarter than we are... We just get caught up and unaware and then because of the emotions we can't always think straight. We have to think ahead and have plans ready and available to implement before the pup gets over threshold.

Once the puppy has gotten away with unacceptable behavior (the dog has learned) he/she just needs to act out and he/she probably will get its way. So now training takes longer for the pup to get the idea that it isn't going to work and he/she truly has to listen.

All of this can be done with out any harshness from us. 

I know all the above just doesn't sound like it will help when your dog is jumping, biting, pulling and dragging you around by the leash but if you are constant and first train without distractions and then very slowly add in distractions you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.


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## harry'smum (Oct 17, 2010)

thank you so much for your prompt help. This afternoon I have tried asking him to sit when he starts this behaviour, the given him a treat, and this has worked somewhat.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I don't know how much you can control your screaming, but I really suggest stopping that. When Flora was a puppy she used to "attack" my mom a lot, i.e. jump on her and nip at her, etc. My mom shouted and screamed a lot and it only made things worse. My brother, father, and myself all reacted a lot more calmly to Flora's antics, and as a result she usually left us alone fairly quickly. But since she garnered a much more "enthusiastic" response from my mother, Flora found that interesting and would continue to harass her.

Good luck!


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## The Magic of Macy (Oct 7, 2010)

hEY ALL! Since I last posted, Macy has somewhat improved! I have been giving her teething specific puppy toys and make a point to give them to her right when she is biting me, it usually distracts her! Also, standing like a statue works after a few moments, however I am also covered in cuts and bruises on my legs... I also will give her a "time out" and take her over to her pen (not her crate). Then I let her out 5 minutes later when she has calmed down. 

HArry'sMum----> I never got around to trying this yet... because my other methods seem to be working.. but Someone had suggested I try placing pennies in a glass jar and shaking it vigorously any time she is biting!!!!!! Apparently this is the only thing that worked for their dog.. so may be worth a shot for you to try on HArry!!?? (however I do imagine it'd be harsh on his little ears.......) ??

Other wise I guess it's just a matter of playing the waiting game and hope that he grows out of it...!? 

My mom also told me that our last golden ( I was about 10 years old when she was a puppy so I vaguely remember this..) but she said that she would BITE LIKE CRAZZZY and us kids would scream and cry and run away! Well, I'll have you know, that dog turned out to be the most gentle, loving golden Ive ever known and my mom said she just "grew out of it"... so I think it's safe to say there is definately hope for Harry to grow out of this biting stage! 

Thanks again everyone for the replies!!


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Please -don't put pennies in a glass jar and shake it vigorously - it could shatter the glass and cause injury to you or your dog. Put the pennies or even small rocks in a pop can and tape it shut. The noise will provide a brief distraction - use that time to let the dog know what you WANT him to do ie: sit, down, leave it.


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## Abby (Aug 17, 2010)

Oh boy i'm in the EXACT same position as you. Biting, and when you stop to go for the door, lunges and legs, biting the pants, teeth bared and growling. I just leave anyway. Open the door and be out of site for a good 60 seconds.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

I'm not a fan of making startling, loud noises to distract. Your pup can develop an association between loud noise and punishment, making him afraid. And possibly noise phobic. 

We put pebbles in a plastic water bottle and used it as a toy. We'd throw it (away from her, NOT AT HER) and Penny would go get it, shaking it and making it rattle. It was her favorite toy until she got old enough to chew up the caps. After that she was not allowed to idly chew on it, but still played with it.


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## Solas Goldens (Nov 10, 2007)

I agree with everyone else. All dogs are different, and there facial expressions and play can be misinterpreted.Bella has always made awful faces when she is playing;she crinkles up her nose and snorts.If you didn't know her you may think she is being aggressive.That was not the case when she was younger, she would run my youngest down and rip his shirts and mouth him hard. The bigger problem I had in correcting this was teaching my son how to not elicit the behavior and how to correct it.


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## sanibel (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi,

I am experiencing the same dog biting issue, we leave the room, have a gate to block the dog from leaving the room, and give her a time out...Another thing to try regarding the excessive chewing and biting is taking a greeny ,freezing it and giving it to the dog at the times they start getting mouthy before the craziness starts, it will occupy them for at least a half hour and they chew it really hard and can eat it. It seems to help the teething and biting...remember to freeze it...it helps the gums.


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