I HAVE A 4 MONTH OLD GOLDEN RETRIEVER WHO IS USUALLY A FAIRLY GOOD PUPPY... BUT, ON OCCASION... IF I PET HER AND THEN STOP... OR PLAY WITH HER AND THEN STOP.. SHE WILL ACTUALLY GRAB MY WHOLE UPPER ARM IN HER MOUTH AND BITE DOWN... OR SHE WILL BITE ME IN THE BACK... OR THE LEG.... I AM ONLY 5'1 ... NOT SURE IF SHE THINKS SHE CAN GET THE UPPER HAND BECAUSE I AM NOT THAT THREATENING TO HER.... BUT, THIS BEHAVIOR IS DOWN RIGHT... SCARY!
THIS IS MY FIRST DOG.... I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO "THROW A BLANKET" ON HER... OR "SMACK HER WITH THE PAPER"... OR TO YELL AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE....
I WANT TO KEEP HER... SHE IS A GEORGEOUS DOG... BUT, IF THIS CONTINUES... SHE WILL EITHER GROW UP TO VIEW THIS AS ACCEPTABLE... AND ATTACK ME... OR BITE SOMEONE ELSE... (WHICH I DREADFULLY FEAR)...
ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTION? IF SO, I GREATLY APPRECIATE IT!
THANKS!

hi goldengirly.......................you must be careful that your 'petting' is not being intrepeted by her as a signal to play....because thats how puppies play with their litter mates.............there is a right way to pet a dog a right time too...........the mouthing and biting are the symptom not the disease..............

First of all, take your Caps lock off, as it's considered to be shouting on the Board, and also makes your post difficult to read.

Don't feel too downhearted, Golden Retrievers are just that ....Retrievers, so putting things into her mouth is second nature, she's also still young, and 'mouthing' is a part of puppy-hood, albeit, one that should be discouraged.

My suggestion would be, the next time she nips you, say 'OUCH' very loudly, then ignore her for a few minutes. This is what their litter mates do, and pups hate to be ignored, she will soon associate this bad behaviour with lack of the all important attention.

I have a Golden and Flatcoated Retriever, and both mouthed when pups, they soon grew out of it into gorgeous dogs, who are much more interested in giving big sloppy kisses!!:D :D

liberty

hey,
i have the same EXACT problem with my 4 month old golden retriever! i think its just teething and will grow out of it, but we need to tell our pup's that its bad to bite.. so what i do is take a squirt bottle and fill it up with water... and whenever he bites squirt him in his face... after the first week or so the water stopped working, and i heard that half vinagear and half water works... so i tried it and it works like magic! hopefully this shall help for you!

Winky, get someone to squirt a vinegar-and-water solution into your face, and see if it hurts your eyes before you try doing it to a dog.

Ive trained my 14wk old pup not to bite simply by yelling "ouch!" whenever he bit me and withdrawing whatever limb he had bitten. The act of me yelping and suspending play was enough for him to get the message and stop biting - he now just licks or nibbles gently on my nails!

Saying 'ouch' firmly will have an effect - but be careful that you don't snatch your affected bit away so quickly it becomes a game of a different sort.....

winky - stop giving out irresponsible, and downright cruel advice. i trust anyone with a brain will ignore such rubbish :rolleyes:

Water AND vinegar? what if it went in his eyes?

Winky - poor puppy! Surely if she got a squirt of water and vinegar in her eyes, which would make her eyes sting, she would associate interaction with you as a precursor to pain? I'm sure it probably worked, but as others have said other less painful methods would work just as well. I have a 4 month golden retriever and she is at such an important stage training should be nothing but positive. (i.e., if she jumps and bites scream ouch loudly turn away and ignore. When she calms down praise her or click and treat.) Who gave you the advice about the water and vinegar anyway?

I think that the water squirt isnt' working anyway, as that sort of punishment should work fairly quickly and if you are now having to switch from just water to vineger and water, you are suggesting that your dog needs a more severe punishment. Next week, what then?

Lindsay

Just to add, I don't say 'ouch' because we tend to shout it which can frighten (or excite) dogs. Also the word 'ouch' is culture specific, so it isn't likely to transcend species!

It's very embarrassing to do, but try squealing instead, the noise puppies make if they hurt themselves. The dog will stop, but probably only for a second before it resumes chomping on you again. Have a toy handy, and in that second before it starts again, whip it out and let the dog play with that instead!

My rescue dog doesn't play bite, but he does snatch food and I applied the same method to him. He looks at me as though I'm some kind of pathetic wimp, but does make a special effort to be careful!

Jo

no no no, i think you guys have the wrong idea about the water and vinegear thing! i spray it near the puppy and he doesnt like the smell so he stops, im sorry that you guys had the wrong idea

I still think it's wicked to spray acid anywhere near a dog.

winky - just don't do it please. mouthing is all part of puppy ownership... please don't spray anything at your dog.

Thank you everyone for the advice. To date she is still on occasion biting me.. In fact tonight she actually caused bruising on the back of my leg... (when I try to walk away and ignore her)... The other night when she was "making a meal" lol of my hand I just happened to make the "whimpering noises" (mentioned in one of the posts) to see if that would play on her sympathies... and she actually stopped for a few seconds and looked stunned.. then she returned to biting me... UGH! I hope this stops... I had always heard that Goldens are fairly docile dogs.. I know that she is still a puppy.. but, has anyone heard of these dogs continuing this behavior into their adulthood? If so, I guess I will be dinner! lol

Thanks again everyone!

When she stopped and looked stunned, what did you do? Gave her lots of praise, I hope? Because she was doing the right thing at that instant. If, however, you let your moment pass, you must be quicker with the praise next time.
:)