I have a 10 week old golden retriever puppy who is typically well behaved - a couple times a day though he snarls and growls and won't stop biting my husband and I. He is not play biting at this time but actually has his lips curled back growling and will bite anywhere he can reach (legs, arms etc) and does draw blood at times. We have tried showing him we are his masters but are running out of ideas and do not want to hit him as we've read this will only make the problem worse. My husband was recently told to growl back and show his teeth which seems to work. Does anyone have any other ideas? I know puppies bite but this is aggressive biting and we know we need to stop this behaviour as early as possible. If it matters often after he does this he will fall asleep right after. He will start when we are playing with him or not so I don't believe its caused by boredom ... and golden retrievers aren't typically aggressive dogs. Is it something he will grow out of?
Golden Retriever Puppy (10 weeks) - biting and growling?
Just treat him as his mother would do when he was in the litter. She shakes him by the scruff of the neck and growls at him. You don't have to be rough with him, just let him know that what he is doing is unacceptable. Always have a toy or a bone to offer him instead to take his mind of biting you.
Don't forget that puppies are like children. They can get very wound up very quickly and it is not a bad idea when he gets like this to give him 'time out' and put him either in his crate or another room for a short time until he has calmed down.
He will grow out of this behaviour, don't worry, but in the meantime perhaps you could enrol him at Puppy Training Class to teach him the basics.
I kept two puppies from my last litter (now 4 months old) and they are manic at times. I have the bitten arms and bruises to prove it. When they get wound up like that I try and take their mind off this bad behaviour by putting them in another room for a short time with a bone each to gnaw on or a Kong filled with some kibble to take their minds off biting each other (or me!)
I have 9 Goldens and they have all been through this puppy stage but not one of them is aggressive so take heart.
They grow up too quickly in my opinion.
Reply:Its probably genetics wich make your dog aggressive. Does he have a chew toy? If not he should get one. If the problem worsens, get him to the vet for a checkup.
Reply:Aggression is extremely rare in goldens and especially puppies this young. I'd get him into obedience training early even if it means working with a professional trainer in your home because he is too young for a group class. Call your vet or humane society to get a recommendation and find a trainer and start working with him one on one. As soon as he is old enough for group classes, get him enrolled in one too. Socialization with other people and dogs can help head this off early.
Reply:Are you, or your husband rough-housing with the puppy?
This causes the puppy to be confused, and become defensive. You may not be 'playing' anymore, but if your puppy thinks you are, and doesn't want to, he will lash out at you the only way he knows how; by snarling and biting.
This is him telling you that he doesn't want to 'play' and that he's frightened or upset.
Learn to watch for the signs that your puppy is finished 'playing' and wants to sleep or be left alone, and he will not lash out at you.
You also need to realize that 'playing rough' with the puppy, although cute as a harmless pup, is not so funny when that puppy grows up. It's not too late to undo the damage; start playing a bit more gently!
If you are not the one who taught him this habit, the only way to really undo it is to be more gentle in your play.
When he does lash out, stop the playing immediately, put the toy away and calmly tell the dog "No." or "Not okay." in a firm but gentle voice, and then shake your head and keep eye contact. (do not do eye contact on a full grown, untrained dog, or he will bite you; puppies however, are generally submissive in this manner)
Your puppy will 'feel badly' because he knows you are upset at him, and will approach you, tail down. Gently rub his ears or spine and tell him to 'be nice...no biting."
If he starts to play bite, gently cup beneath his chin and tell him firmly, No. Then grab a chew toy or tugging rope and direct him to that instead, shooing his mouth away from your hand if he persists. If this continues, scold him gently again and simply turn away from him. He will alter his behaivor to retain your attention.
Aggression will not solve your dog's problem when he is no longer a puppy, especially since this sort of 'biting' is from fear, not anger. You're only going to encourage attacks with the teeth baring when he becomes frightened enough to stop being 'afraid'.
Reply:he's probablyl just playing, i know when i had my 6 week old puppy he was biting growling barking doing everything.
Reply:Puppies usually fight and bite their other puppy siblings to show whose boss. They do that when playing. Somehow, it doesn't seem to bite you. How did you show that you are at the top? Your dog may be just playing, but if you really want it stopped, you can ask a dog trainer. And you are right, hitting your dog is not only illegal, but it can make your dog act worse.
Reply:Well,I think i know becouse i have an 8 months chocolate lab and goldens and labs are like cousins.sometimes that is normal but other times if they sleep outside with no light if they see something they get very scared becouse goldens and labs a dog of company.Labradors and Goldens sometimes do that but try to calm.Lab and Goldens don't bite they sostain.
Reply:Don't worry! My beagle puppy did the same when he was that young. He is trying to show his dominance that most male puppies do. Also, if you are the one who feeds him, he is probably trying to "protect" you! I guess you could call it jealousy. Just find a way to show dominance and he will stop by at least 4 months. Some ways to show dominance are making sure you are eating dinner before him, making him sit for whatever he wants, and making sure he knos that you are in control on walks.
Reply:We had this type of trouble with a GoldenDoodle we got last year. A couple of things to try. Get him a crate and when he starts this biting thing, put him in the crate...not so much as punishment but as a time out. For one, if a dog is in a confined environment, their energy level naturally drops producing a certain amount of calm. With the Doodle, it used take about 20-30 mins.
Another thing to try is a shaker can. Drain a can of soda. Rinse it out. Put about 6-10 coins in it (nickels work best because they're heavy). Put tape over the opening. Every time the pup starts to growl and bite, shake the can hard. It scares them because it's a loud noise, but it also disrupts their train of thought. After a while, all you'll need to do is pick up the can.
I had to do this with the Doodle because the only place we could confine her was our kitchen and she'd literally latch only my ankles when I crossed the floor. Trying to move through the kitchen was like walking through a mine field until a trianer told us about the shaker can. Boy...that made her stop that fast.
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