I have a 3 month old golden retriever called Sion. He is a lovely natured dog, apart from the odd half hour where he becomes agressive until he tires himself out. He bites hard lately
I have tried putting him into an empty room until he calms down, but he comes out and does it all over again! :rolleyes: I have also tried taking him outside, which cures the problem to some extent, but isn't always practical in Brithish weather

Another problem I'm having is with toilet training. Sion is great at night, he sleeps in the utility room from approx 10pm until 6.30am and is bone dry all night! However, in the day, I let him out for about 20 mins in the morning, and he jumps inside and promptly wees on the lino, and poos on the carpet :rolleyes: This is the same routine all day! He seems to have a problem with mucking outside.

Any help and advice would be gratefully appreciated!!!!!! Thanks x

I doubt very much that at 12 wks old your dog is being "aggressive".  True aggression is rare in puppies and this is more likely just over enthusiastic play. 

What is he doing when you say he is being aggressive? 

Puppies bite and they need to bite, and it is actually GOOD that they bite, and here is a link which explains why and how to deal with it: http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

From what you describe it sounds like he is very understimulated, mentally.  Are you taking him to training classes and doing some training every day with him at home?

As for the toilet training - you should count your blessings he is ok at night - that's usually where most people have problems!  What are you doing when he goes outside?  You need to be giving him a treat within 1 second of him toileting outside, every time.  That will help him to learn - I toilet outside, a treat appears - I toilet inside - nothing happens.  Soon he will be saving it up and wanting to go outside, to earn that treat. 

Here is a link on toilet training: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/housetrain.htm

He doesnt know that outside isnt just play time it is also  toilet time the best way to teach him the difference is take him on a lead about 10 mins after eating let him do his business then praise him get really excited let him off the lead and throw a ball or play with some rope with him you need to play with him though.

As for biting he needs to be taught that it isnt acceptable to play bite you but it is ok to play and chew his own toys. Buy him some kongs, ropes, some stuffed toys, balls and whatever else he likes every time he bites you give him a time out then when he comes back give him a toy to chew and play with. Dont ever smack him or point your finger at him these methods never work they just make the dog worse. Get him into a good training class and get him into a routine maybe one short walk in the morning and a longer one of a late after noon but remember not to over excercise him while on the walk let him meat other dogs and owners.

i meant meet other dogsits getting late at night in australia so my mind isnt fully there

Hi, thank you for your advice!
Yes, I agree that he is probably understimulated actually. By aggression, I mean that he growls, barks and attacks! He will go for my hand, even if it isn't near him, he will launch from afar for it Maybe it's just his way of getting attention then. I will be more mindful in future to mentally stimulate him, as it has been worrying me that he maybe bored even though he has loads of toys! I will get him a Kong too as many people have recommended them to me.
Training classes is a no no at the moment as he is extremely car sick, and as we live rurally, it's a half hour drive along windy and bumpy roads to get to the nearest one. I rang the trainer and she advised that I get him more accustomed to cars first, which I'm working hard at, and he actually managed 10 mins last night without being sick, bless him.
I praise him when he does his business outside, but like Emma said on her post, I haven't been giving him a food treat, so I'm going to try that from now on and cross my fingers!

I feel like a bad owner now :-(

I'm sure no-one thinks you're a bad owner :) Bad owners don't tend to ask for advice. Good luck with your Goldie, and welcome to Champdogs :D

It sounds as if he may also be having a "mad half hour" which is not uncommon :)

I found the best way if the dog decides to grab at you or jump at you is to re-direct onto a satisfying toy such as a large tuggie, and/or teach an excellent Sit with huge rewards (for a while the pup will go from Sit straight back intothe grabbing so you would need to be patient..:P ) and after a time you can see the pup actually making the decision to chooose the toy and not the owner :D It's kind of, teaching self control, in a way.

That's the basics anyway, good luck

Lindsay
x

You are definetly not a bad owner you are asking for help and advise that makes you a good owner some would not bother asking and would let the dog carry on until he is out of control you are not doing that. You are obviously trying and thats what it takes alot of time and patience and asking.

Nobody can know everything i have been a dog owner and breeder for 25 years and i still occasionally have to ask a question because every dog is different and not everything works for every dog

Overzellous play is a part of being a puppy but is something that with patience and consistency will improve :)  Our 9 month old Sheltie little girl seems to know little in the way of bite inhibition but we've been working on it since we got her and she's making slow but steady progress

I'm sure nobody thinks you're a bad owner at all!  I'm sure you're totally exhausted looking after your ever increasing bundle of fluff and just aren't able to see how much he's progressed since you got him which is all down to you :)

With regards the toileting outside - do you stay with him when he's outside?  This is very important.  In my experience no matter how long it takes for him to do his 'first business' outside you've got to stay out - this was between 30 minutes and 2.5 hours when we first got out girl who was nearly 7 months old!  As soon as he 'performs' put a word to it like "toilet"/"poo's"/"wee's" or whatever you're comfortable saying.  The second he's 'finished' give him a food treat (a small piece of something very tasty!).  Some posters on here have recommended small pieces of hotdog sausages or cheese but I personally feel these have too much salt in.  For treats I use Nautres:Menu Chicke/Beef Natural Treats as they are a compact size, moist and very tasty according to our pup :)  I had to do the whole 'staying outside for hours on end' thing consistently for a fortnight several times throughout the day and night before she understood that it was ok to relieve herself in our garden but with a very young puppy it will probably take longer for the 'penny to drop' so to speak :)

As for the play biting have you tried distracting him from your hand with toy?  I know the link thats been posted before regarding biting is very good.  Its just a case of consistency but you'll get there :)

Good luck!

I wouldn't worry about the aggression - it still sounds to me like he's play fighting.  If you follow the advice in that link I posted you'll be able to help with this.

I WOULD be very concerned about getting him into a training class.  He is 12 wks old now and the socialisation window is known to close at between 12-18wks.  That means that anything he has not been exposed to below that age, he is likely to be afraid of and as a result possibly aggressive to, in later life.  That includes other dogs, people of various ages, sexes, sizes, ethnic backgrounds, traffic, and so on. 

Here is a link about socialisation, why it is important and the programme your dog should be following at the moment: http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/dogsocialization.pdf

It is unfortunate that he gets car sick, but I wouldn't allow this to hinder his development at an impressionable time in his life.  Arrive at training class 20 mins early, get him and your car cleaned up, give him a walk to let him get some fresh air and stop feeling sick and then have a good class.  Training class tires dogs out and perhaps he will be so tired on the way back, he won't even get sick.

If you want more choice in training class, have a look here: www.puppyschool.co.uk  or at www.apdt.co.uk

Hi there,
We have a four month old puppy (terrier) it all sounds very familiar, So take some reassurance that all is well and normal and it will all come together. I have posted about similar things and found most people to be very helpful with good advise. 

Hi there,
If you think thats aggressive, you need to see my walking coat.... it's ripped to shreds! The pockets are hanging off, the stuffing flaps in the wind through the tears around my wrists. It's coverd in mud and total destruction. I look like a tramp! Yes she is a dobermann and she was a puppy when most of the damage was done, but I really thought at the time that I had been attack by a tiger in disguise, intent only on ripping me to shreds.

Phew things are a lot better now, though I'm hanging nto the coat!

Hi there, I am intrigued by your post, I also have a Doberman (6 months old bitch), and lately she has been also trying to rip my coat on walks, I wonder why she does that. She also grabs a hold of my trousers and rips...
How old is your Dobe and did he/she outgrow it or did you do something to distract, etc?
Katie

Hi Katie,
My girl was about 6 months when she started all that stuff. I would dread the off lead excersise across the fields as she found it just to hilarious to use me as the stoolpigeon and target area even if I stood still. She would tear through knee high mud going flat out, then bash me full on grabbing at whatever clothing she could get hold of, but almost always my sleeves I was being picked on and bullied even pushed over and she was loving it. It was the same time as she decided that I was not to be listened to and that she could do whatever she wanted. Not recalling, refusing to get in the car, playing to rough and chomping on my hands, in all a bit of a nightmare. I guess I fought fire with fire. I walked close to the hedge and made myself big and loud, lunging at her too. I hid behind trees so she would watch me and learn to recall or loose me. Then I drove off in the car and left her behind to chase me She had a season which helped and then by accident I discovered the majic HARNESS which I'd kept from a prev Dobe but not used.That day Rowan had chewed up her dogmatic and she could pull like a train, so I thought, just to get her to the field I would use this thingy(if I could work out how to get it on???) but as soon as I had, she seem calmer. I guess it's the working uniform of her ancestors, who knows? I use it as a saftey belt in the car now, (a lead clip attached via ring to the belt) and to hold her when I need to without restricking her. Shes easy to spot in the woods, as it's red,she's grabbable and she pulls me up the steep hills with it too!,bliss. It's a perfect tool that we are both happy with. Whenever we go out for good long walks or day trips, she wears it even if she's being collar led. I have just ordered a fancy one from America as it's getting to small for her now that she's getting a chest.
And with a little more age and some maturity, she's lovely, my pal not my nightmare and as for the attacks they have been replaced with the chicken run  Zooooooooooooooommmm.

Aww, Viv, looks like I am in for some fun, hee hee :)
I am glad you were able to work it out with her.
Katie

Don't let the puppy biting get you down - although I know it's difficult! If you are consistent about dealing with it, which includes recognising that pups are usually at their most bitey when overtired, it does actually pass. And I speak as someone with an 8 month old dog who could have nipped for his country at 3 months.

I always think consistency in the treatment biting of works , i have warned my gang,hubby and 4 kids not to encourage biting as a game or highly excitable behaviour in puppys as funny. Once a pup gets a reaction from it with laughing or rough play they seem to do it all the more .
I have 4 cockers at various ages and none of them ever played the biting game on flesh as we always gave them a toy or chew when it first occurred .
I looked after a "naughty agressive" pup for a friend once as a favour . The pup in question was used to rough and tumbling with a teen boy and this produced what they saw as aggressive behaviour .After a couple of weeks she went home , well behaved , but returned to her previous behaviour within days .
Try to treat the pup like you would a baby ,hands are for cuddling and stroking, toys are for biting .

Awww guys, I can't thank you enough! 24 hours has gone by and I've seen an improvement already! I've been taking Sion outside with treats in my pocket, saying 'Wee now' over and over again until he does, and as he does then treating him immediately. Okay, while he isn't exactly crying at the door to go out yet, i'm on the road to success already I can feel it!
As for his agression, I have linked it to tiredness, so last night we took him for a walk at 7.30pm (usual bite time) and let him play with my partner's kid brothers for a while and he showed no aggression, just cute playfulness!. We bought him home at 9pm ish, and he promptly went to bed and slept like a log until 8.30am! He was also dry, which is normal for him at night anyway strangely enough

Ive been out and bought him a Puppy Kong today, and stuffed a Bonio inside it somehow! He loves it, so hopefully will also reduce the need to bite at my hands :rolleyes: