# He keeps biting!



## Phil&Julia (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi our golden is 10 weeks old today. He is beautiful apart from the fact that he keeps biting us. At first he licks and "nibbles" and then he tries to take a chunk out of us. We tell him "bad dog!" and praise him for being nice when he just licks us. I know he is only a puppy who is learning, but now when he takes a bite out of us he is drawing blood! When we tell him he is being bad, he just jumps back up at us snapping at us at the same time and growling. I'm very worried that this will continue . He is growing so fast that I'm sure his teeth will be able to do us grave harm soon if we cannot get him out of this terrible habit. Having him is now stressful rather than pleasurable. I have had pups before that were initially naughty and destructive during the early stages so I was expecting naughty puppy behaviour but they never turned on me like Boris is doing.


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

You have an absolutely normal golden retriever puppy...he has only recently left his brothers and sister where this sort of game was a great deal of fun and really this is the only way he knows how to play, he is probably thinking what a wuss you are in comparison to his rough and tumble buddies! (have you watched littermates play before, they are seriously rough with each other!) but anyway, it is all about teaching him a new way to play with you that is acceptable. I think at this age I would just try either stop interacting with him when he starts getting rough, just either stand still and dont touch him (as in ALL fun and games stop when he gets too much) and walk away from him, he will soon learn that play stops when he bites too hard, just as it would with his littermates. Possibly a quicker way to curb the behaviour is if he gets really bad just very calmly deposit him behind a baby gate for a few minutes until he has calmed down and then let him back in for some nice gentle play. Keep doing this everytime he gets too rough, he will learn very quickly. I think at this age a few minutes separation would work as you are his whole world right now and even though it seems he just wants to bite you he really is treating you in the only way he knows how, it is NOT any signs of aggression or ANYTHING like that...absolutely normal puppy behaviour, infact a very crucial learning experience for him. There is absolutely no need to shout, grab the muzzle of or be harsh in anyway to a puppy this age (or of any age for that matter) to stop them from biting you...

This article may be an interesting read for you...there are some other suggestions/explanations of what to do...
The Bite Stops Here

Good luck, he will get better I promise!


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

*Don't worry...it's normal*

I have a 9 wk old golden _pirahna_ (sp?) HAHAHAHA...it is totally normal for a pup that age to try and take a chunk out of you :. Try this site:

Westie Behavior & Training - Bites, Nips, Bite Inhibition & Puppy Mouths

I'm lucky enough to have a female black lab that is helping teach my pup all about "bite inhibition" LOL. My lab, Vanilla, allows Sasha to bite, jump, pull her tail and ears, etc but when Sasha gets too rough Vanilla will slap a paw on top of her or give her a nudge with her nose...sending her rolling. It's really wonderful to watch how a dog teaches a pup.

Here is another site:

Simply Sarah Inc. - Frequently Asked Questions to Sarah

Enjoy your pup, they grow up w-a-y too fast.


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## justmejanis (Feb 25, 2007)

Welcome to the forum. Boris in not aggressive, he is being an assertive puppy. I am sure the above mentioned threads will help you work on this problem. 

I am sure you will work through this and begin to enjoy your baby!! We are always here to help, so please ask any time.


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Well, i'm not one to totally take that bite away since I do believe in bite inhibition. But, one thing I have used that has helped me tremendously when kode was going through this was a small spray bottle of water in my back pocket, and used along side the NO Bite command.

Also, when this pup is mouthing on you...do not pull away, since this just makes them think your playing so they move into rough play. This sometimes is what happens and the owners don't realize there the ones that are actually causing the skin breaking do too quick movement. Keep the bottle hid, they catch on quickly if they see it and won't mouth you, you want them too mouth you in order to stop this.

Another method is the lip curl, the bottom lip is just turned over the bottom teeth and whent he pup bites down on you he is actually biting down on his own lip when makes them stop and get the point biting down hurts on humans too. It just depends on how bad this pup is, as too what method you choose to use, and try. Sometimes you have to go through a few methods before you find the one that works.


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

These are are wonderful suggestions to help you. If you've been following the thread that Ant started about the General then you'll see that your puppy is displaying normal characteristics of a GoldenChild and steps need to be taken to correct it. It's just time to let Boris know who's the alpha in the house and I'm sure you'll find steps to do this in the posts above.


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## goldencity (May 26, 2005)

I have used the bite inhibition method recommended in the article posted by emma and tilly with all our dogs- it really works!
You do have to be consistant, its no good yelling "ouch" one time, then allowing play biting the next. You also have to get all the family and friends in on the act, so pups learns really quickly that biting = no more fun.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

I agree with what the others have said. He's not a bad dog, and it's not a terrible habit. He's a puppy, and doing what puppies do naturally. 

Say a loud OUCH when he nips, re-direct him to an appropriate chew toy, and invest in a big bottle of Bitter Apple to spray on anything you want to preserve (including your hands, the hems of your pants, shoelaces, etc.) The Bitter Apple (available at pet stores) must be re-applied daily but it does help.


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## bwoz (Jul 12, 2007)

gold'nchocolate said:


> I'm lucky enough to have a female black lab that is helping teach my pup all about "bite inhibition" LOL. My lab, Vanilla, allows Sasha to bite, jump, pull her tail and ears, etc but when Sasha gets too rough Vanilla will slap a paw on top of her or give her a nudge with her nose...sending her rolling. It's really wonderful to watch how a dog teaches a pup.


we have a land shark here too, can i borrow Vanilla for a few months? :


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## bwoz (Jul 12, 2007)

we have a 9 wk old that does similar things. i think you've gotten some good advice, maybe if theres also a puppy class around that could help you out as well and be fund for you and Boris.


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