My 16 week old Goldie (a very excitable boy) is still jumping up, biting and ripping my clothes.  Believe me I have tried everything suggested in training manuals, You Tube videos etc but nothing seems to work.  I have never had a puppy behave like this before.  None of my others ever did it.  Its getting to the point where although I love him, I dont really like him much anymore.  I know he is still a baby and am trying to be consistent and patient.  Just need to know that others have had the same problem and that it will pass.

i was watching its you or dog other day victora stilwill had dog on .she would turn away and ignore or remove dog form roim
really hope you find something that works
my liver n white bit of jumper when i was pregnat i did the turn away and ignore him i really hated doing it but it was very high risk pregancy he still bit jumpy around people but we do turn round arms foled and ignore with him its hard but has to be done
hector 9yr in augest

Not uncommon behaviour in lots of breeds, when does he do it ie: playing, greeting you or demanding attention and what have you tried?

Does it with all of those things.  Worse when excited, but can also be just out of the blue.  I have tried,  a loud "ouch" ,  turning my back on him with arms folded, leaving the room,  Pet Corrector spray, rewarding him when he stops, etc.

How about carrying a treat or toy in your pocket and asking him to sit for it the instant he starts, if he keeps bothering your pockets then teach him a hand signal meaning "sit and you get a treat/toy", do you think he views you as a playmate or a pack leader, sorry if this sounds rude and you are obviously not a newbie with dogs. I had a large breed which was like this and had to make it quite clear that I was the boss and only played when I felt like it, mine had to go to his bed until allowed to get out and join the family, in the end I used to just make a throat clearing noise and he would leave the room. You might find that you have to exercise dominance over him in every aspect of his life if he is unwilling to treat you as you would like, being quite lazy I never like doing that but it does work

> My 16 week old Goldie (a very excitable boy)

Things will get better.

Firstly, chat to your breeder, its what we are here for.
Secondly, is he still on the food that your breeder fed or has he changed?
Thirdly, get his brain engaged in something constructive then he will be much more manageable, obviously you cant do too much walking with him, but plenty of training can be done at home, and find a training class with a good reputation.

Hope this helps.

Have you been taking him to training/puppy classes? I'd be looking at talking to an A.P.D.T. trainer, I've had dogs all my life, have 8 dogs here at various ages and still attend classes as it helps to focus on problems before they get out of hand.

Another vote for the APDT trainer/classes, all mine have been, but it's as much for me as the dog! It's easy to get out of good habits and it's great to have a refresher. More people should do it!

Have a go at some clicker training, if you haven't already. Check out the Kikopup videos online. She trains with a clicker very kindly and has lots of videos giving tips and ideas. I'm pretty certain she has one on pups that jump up

Your pup is probably a bit bored and needs more to entertain him which is why training works so well as it tires the brain.

I think it's got to the stage of leaving the room rather then bothering with anything else and it has to be very consistent. The moment he jumps up and bites leave the room immediately for a minute or two. Unless you do it every single time, he's not going to learn that he gets left on his own when he behaves badly. Don't use a pet corrector spray as he will begin to distrust you.

Have you tried giving him a long lasting tasty chew to munch on? i used to give my GR pup cow hooves from Zooplu to chew on (not the filled ones). They are somewhat smelly but last ages and hold a pups interest for quite a while and will give him something to do rather then jumping and biting you.

Work on his 'sit' -  he can't jump and sit at the same time and you can then praise - calmly! for the sit.
Keep a bunch of ragger type toys everywhere and swap 'you' for a ragger if he is being gobby - little tuggy game is reward for changing his focus.

Think he does view me as a plaything.  Every time he gets a toy or ragger he straight away brings it round my feet and legs and then starts biting me.  Its difficult to do the leave the room thing when we are out in the garden!  Unfortunatley the nearest APDT training classes are 50 miles away.  We have been to a small local class but the trainer tells you to do something and then chats to her friend instead of watching what you are doing!  Training at home is going well.  He does sit, lie down, wait, stay there, settle, by me, roll over.
by the way he only jumps up and bites me and not my husband.

If he can sit and down etc. what happens when you ask for those when he starts on you?

Can you use a clicker to teach him to keep all four paws on the ground? Or maybe that you will only play a ragging toy game if he drops it and sits and waits? I must add my recommendation for the kikopup videos on YouTube, there's one about teaching a positive interrupter I started on and now I'm watching the rest! He sounds very bright, I'm sure you'll crack this.

bitter apple spray all over your clothes and bits of you that he is targeting. Did that with my old dog when she was a pup as she seemed unstoppable when in leap and nip moods. Also meant I didn't have to keep nagging or distracting her as she got the message herself . It meant I was not inadvertently increasing the behaviour by paying attention when she kicked off.  I did use rather a lot of bitter apple for a few days but it worked.

He's 16 weeks old & you have tried everything in the 8 or so weeks you have had him, which means he's had little consistency in training

How long did you give each method you tried ? A day, a week, just once ?

He is being a puppy & puppies jump up, .nip, grip, tug etc instinctively. He needs to learn bite inhibition & to learn that he needs consistency in training. Telling him off will not work as he doesn't speak our verbal language nor does calling out "Ouch"

Up to the age of 6 months adult dogs will allow puppies a lot of licence with their behaviour & when they have had enough they will move away, sometimes giving a low grump ss they do so & they ignore the puppy.

You obviously need guidance & surely it is worth travelling to get good help ?

Any nearby kennel club good citizen classes? I always rate them

I think you may have pinpointed the problem when you say he doesn't do it to your husband, I think you need to be a bit tougher in a constructive way

Thanks for your suggestions.  I am now using "positive dominance" ,  going through doors first, making him sit and wait while till I put his food down, andmaking him settle on his bed when I want to get on with something by myself.  Probably these are things I should have done from day one, but not having had a puppy for 13 years you forget.  (And never had one quite like this)!!

Most of your answers have covered what I'd suggest.  Just to add this lad has yet to learn that there will be consequences for (unwanted) actions.   Reward the good, correct the unwanted.   If he does this when he gets over-excited indoors or outside, end the contact - if he does this outside, bring him in.   Consequences for actions.   He is still very young, especially for the breed which I think you'll find, never really calms down until he's over 2 years!!   So you are in this for the long-haul I'm afraid.   Once he can start to get out for more exercise, he should improve - right now he has a lot of energy and not much opportunity to get rid of it.   And there's no doubt a tired dog is usually easier to live with.

Good luck - oh and the comment about involving the breeder is a good one.   We are usually keen to make our homes work!   Plus the suggestion about a structured day - a time for him, and a time not for him.

Thanks for your suggestions.  I am now using "positive dominance" ,  going through doors first, ......

There is no such thing as positive dominance, what does going through doors first teach you dog ?

Dominance methods are based on erroneous studies on captive wolves living in zoos & wildlife parks, these wolves were not natural packs, which consist of two parents & their direct offspring from their annual litters, but groups of wolves from multiple sources which may or may not be related, in these packs there are fights over food, breeding rights, multiple bitches having litters, etc

Dogs have no desire to "dominant"humans, they are NOT pack animals, they are social animals that can live in groups of two or more dogs or as a solo pet. They are aware that humans are not dogs & the relationship between owner & dog should be based on mutual respect & trust.

Your puppy doesn't need any form of domination, he needs consistency & to learn boundaries by being rewarded for accepted behaviours.

Just adding on the bottom here.

I've never heard such rubbish as positive dominance.  I have never in my Border Collies life shown him dominance in any way shape or form.  When I let him out first thing in the morning he is out of that door like a bolt out of a gun.  He's dying for a wee.  Why would I make him wait until I went outside?  I would be mad if you stopped me from getting to the loo.

Normal puppy behaviour can be channelled without dominance of any kind.  I could go on and on but I think explanation has already been given.

Ok perhaps I used the wrongwords!  I dont mean dominance in that way, just being a little more assertive in teaching some manners.  And OF COURSE I would never stop his from dashing out for a wee. Im not stupid.

teaching what you want praising the good usually with treats for most dogs, toys and verbal praise may do it more for others. As you have a lab I would guess that food is his delight.
The trouble with this idea that you must walk through doors first eat first etc is firstly dogs arnt plotting to take over the world and secondly as you have pointed out yourself you wouldn't stop him going out quickly for a we. Trouble is once you start the" I go through the door first "even allowing him to dash out for we is going to be a difference he would struggle to understand . Pick some really basic things that are important for you and get those in place. I find learning bed is good, sit , stay is also and because I don't allow my bigger dogs on the furniture they learn off very early on. after all when you think about it a dog that has a good solid sit can use that action on  command for many things. sit before food , sit don't jump up . sit before I or anyone else acknowledges you and so on . The same with other commands its amazing when you get down to it how many commands are useful for all sorts of situations . The other one to start right from day one is recall with a nice treat oh giver of all things nice :)

My goldie went through a stage of jumping up and lead grabbing when she was coming up to puberty, so older then your dog is now. She would take exception to things I stopped her doing when we were out on a walk like preventing her going over to another dog, going this way instead of that way, stopping her grabbing something nasty looking off the pavement and so on. She would jump up and grab the lead and pull, very out of character. I tried turning away and ignoring, but she just continued to jump up and lead grab and generally be obnoxious. I found the best way was to try and pre-empt what was about to happen and it was a matter of me spotting the changes in her prior to one of her 'tantrums'. As soon as I could see the signs or expected her to take offence, I would make her sit and just wait it out. If she went to get up it was a quick 'ah, ah' and back to the sit. As she calmed I would get her to go and find something, like a treat I had quietly chucked into the grass without her noticing, or to seek out a seat (a word she knew) or to head for home. It worked much better before she got worked up and she would calm down and forget what she was going to get into such a huff about

It might well be worth having your pup on a longish lightweight lead when out in the garden and trying to see if you can spot clues before he starts jumping up and grabbing bits of you. At his age he's less likely to respond positively to you getting him to sit like I could with the older dog, but you may be able to get him interested in something else, or take him inside to wherever it is you can leave him safely for a minute or so.
I never bothered with making my dogs go behind me when going through a doorway, however I've noticed she will automatically wait whilst I go in first unless I direct her in first, not taught her to do it.

It's hard work with your pup now and he will begin to calm down as he gets older. I take it he is being taken for walks now? Does he get any time offlead roaming around a field and trotting along after you?
All I can say is that the ones that seem to be difficult to manage as pups often grow up to be intelligent intuitive dogs.

> I found the best way was to try and pre-empt what was about to happen

        A true dog person.

its amazing when you get down to it how many commands are useful for all sorts of situations

In our house 'leave' has always meant 'whatever you are thinking of grabbing/chewing/doing' forget it cause its not going to happen

Exactly  tatty head. It took me awhile to work out its only us humans who need commands for everything .A dog can do very week if you are looking for basic obedience with very few. After those you are in place you can fun teaching other things

Don't know if you ever came across Roy Hunter - Met dog handler/instructor, I did a couple of his courses. He didn't like the 'wait' if you are doing a recall and 'stay' if you are returning etc - his attitude was .........I tell the dog to sit......it sits in that place until I tell it to do something else.
Makes a lot of sense really

I haven't but I have seen people use that idea
and yes it makes sense. unless of course you are doing competive obedience which is a whole different ball game

Roy Hunter DID teach competitive obedience and was very well respected as THE authority.

Just wondering what area you live? I would be pleased to help with your Golden if you are East Dorset.

Thank you G Rets that is really kind of you, but I live in a small village in Lincolnshire.
thanks also to all others who made helpful suggestions.

Both the clubs I've been to long term have usually done it like that, but I know what you mean, it doesn't quite make sense that 'stay' means 'sit and I will come back' and 'wait' means 'sit and I will call you'. What happens in rally with the 'sit walk around dog' signs - I use wait because it's not a formal stay and we continue on with heelwork after, but it's all a bit vague in my mind let alone the dogs!

I still have a number of his 'Working Happiness' quarterly magazine/newsletters. I have a browse through now and again and think - oh yes, i had forgotten about trying that.
He was one of the people responsible for introducing Agility into this country, and also had the attitude that every dog is different and different dogs need different methods rather than 'one size/way fits all.

> - I use wait because it's not a formal stay

Same here. 

Hello when i got my first rhodesian ridgeback many moons ago she did this, my others after not as much as they had each other to pull about ! my first was awful jumping up holes in my clothes really was bad ! they do grow out if it but do need a firm NO each time  also chew toys and safe teething bones are good positive distraction it feels like a endless cycle but they do go past the stage

Thanks for that.  He is getting slightly better, so maybe light at the end of the tunnel.  My previous Goldie also had another dog to pull about so this has all been new to me.  We will get there!