What an absolute delight my 8 week old Golden Retriever is.  
BUT...... he has taken to suddenly grabbing my clothes and tugging at them. It can be when we are playing, or when I am making a gentle fuss of, him or walking around the garden trying to get him to do his business but he just wants to play. He has torn some trousers - they are old ones. I have tried lots of different ways to discourage this activity which work at the time and I am persistant. He also jumps up at me when I am sitting on the sofa and barks and barks for attention. And "NO" I dont give it to him except to set him down on the floor.
I would be interested to see if anyone has any new ideas or if I need to persist even more with what I have been trying?

He IS VERY cute when asleep!!! AAAHHH!

Lyn

OOh, a puppy behaving as it should. Oh goody ;) And an owner that understands this, too :D Well done. :) As for his biting, he just sees you as a substitute to his litter mates and is treating you the same. You must be doing something right then :D Just carry on as you are, letting him know that biting is not allowed. And that you are willing to play with him when you are ready. But it goes both ways. If he doesn't want to play you have to be prepared to leave him alone, too ;)

Thanks...I appreciate being thought of as a litter mate. I just wish I had thick skin like a pup. My thumb is bleeding at this moment and I have retreated upstairs!  I still love him.
I have bought him a "Kong" chew today and some stuff you can spray on to stop them chewing, allegedly. You forget what hard work they are as pups... I think I might take up the sleeping pattern too. :rolleyes:
At least he goes through the night no trouble.
Keep posting suggestions for coping with the biting.

Hi.  I also have a GR puppy who is now 13 weeks old.  I have the same problem with Misty!  It even got the stage that as I walked away ignoring her, she would nip my backside .  She is getting slightly better now thank goodness!  If you look at my previous posts/threads hopefully you might find something that helps.  It does get easier - we are getting there now, even more so because we altered her food so it wasn't so high in protein and are also going to puppy classes which is helping.

It goes really quickly - I can't believe she has been here for 5 weeks now!!! :D :D

I have bought him a "Kong" chew today

Has he got lots of other toys? Don't forget Goldens live to retrieve, and will always want to carry something  around in their mouth, and that could make a big difference. :)

This is very normal puppy behaviour, everything you describe, and to a certain extent you just have to grin and bear it as part and parcel of having a puppy.  He will grow out of these behaviours, to a large extent.

The best thing to do when he bites your clothes is to distract him and get him to play with something else.  It's important to have lots of toys around that he can play with, so he will "choose" to play with those and not with your clothes.  When he bites your clothes, just reach for the nearest toy and distract him and have a little game with that.  Always have a toy when you play with him - never try to play without a toy because he will just bite your clothes and hands. 

When he jumps up at you and barks, I would turn your back and do not give him any attention - I know you say that the only attention you give is to pick him up and put him back on the floor - well, that's attention of some kind - it's physical contact with you, it's an interaction with you.  So - it's best not even to pick him up and put him back.  Just completely ignore him and keep your back turned to him.  When, through boredom, he eventually jumps down on the floor again, you should immediately turn around and praise him calmly. 

Oh he sounds wonderful, my GR used to bite me when he was a puppy - but when it got too much I rubbed lemon juice over my hands and wrists - which stopped it pretty quickly!
Maria

lemon's a great idea, I will try that.  Our 9 week old Welsh Springer does all of the above, except that he is particularly fond of my 4 year olds clothes, especially when he is in them!  My son has bites and scratches on his tummy as we have had an especially bad day today... glad to know it eases with time. We are perservering with 'No' and ignoring treatment, I wouldnt change him for anything though... 

My labrador puppy was doing this a few weeks back - she's 19 weeks now and is slowing down.  I had bruises and nip weals all over my arms and ankles.  I found wearing wellies around theh house helped the ankles and not wearing clothes with big sleeves or anything she could get hold of.  She still does it a bit but it's definitely calming down.  I never found that 'no' or yelping has had any impact - but the ignoring stops her jumping up, particularly if I see her launching and turn round in time, she just gives up.  Good luck!

Can just see wellies with the dressing gown...nice!
I would like to think it is still early days and we will get through it?!
Thanks all for replies......we are trying all out. "Off" and "no" etc. doesnt work for long.Turning away has helped. Thing is when you go to praise him he starts up again as you are in mid-praise!
One suggestion a friend made was to take him by the scruff and give him a shake but I do not want to scold him. Any thoughts on that one?
He does get a bit hyperactive at play and over excited especially when my partner plays with him. I think men get a bit boisterous which winds things up. Last night his little heart was racing and he would not settle down. He was jumping up to me on the sofa and barking and barking. I tried ignoring him and put my feet up but he jumped more so I eventually put him in the kitchen behind the baby gate where he cried out for a while then started to settle. Unfortunately my partner let him out after only five minutes so he started again. To calm him down I eventually picked him up and cuddled him which DID stop him racing and he settled down.

scruffing is likely to have negative effects that will do little to improve things since the dog could well start fearing you and certainly this sort of physical contact is likely to make him all the more excitable so no, i wouldn't recommend it!

your comments about the interaction your partner and the dog are having may well be assisting the unwanted behaviour though. because pups are just like babies and small children in needing lots of sleep and quiet times to recharge their batteries. any pup who is constantly over-stimulated, specially towards the end of the day, is going to get increasingly hyperactive and unable to listen to any reasoned commands. i suggest discouraging the sort of play that winds the pup up and encouraging your partner to give the little lad some peaceful quiet and sleepy time.

Thanks Roz

Think I will print that off and give it to my partner!!

Sometimes it is as confusing to me as to my pup with all the different advise but I like to have options incase one works where another does not.
Read my other dilemma about the "humping" in my reply to Dill ....I would be glad of any advise on that one too!: :rolleyes:

Lyn

I have a 14 week old RR pup who has just started to pull at sleeves and nip at peoples hands.  Yelping at him works to a certain extent, but the most effective thing I have found is excluding him.  If he bites at us or our clothes I tell him No and take him into our kitchen and shut the door.  I only leave him for about 20 seconds the I open the door and walk away without looking at him.  The whole family ignores him when he comes back into the room, and he tends to go and sit on his beanbag 'thinking' about things for a while.  Once he's settled and it quiet I give him a gentle fuss.

My 2yo daughter is funny, she quickly caught on that when Earl (who is the same height as her now) tries to bite at her sleeves, she folds her arms, turns her back and says (in a really deep voice), "No Earl, bad dog" :-D  He kind of shrugs his shoulders and goes off to find something more interesting.......

There is a wonderful article here http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm
which will help you train your pup to be more gentle, it really works :D :D  and is very kind to the pup and its owners :D :D

You will need the whole family to treat him in exactly the same way for anything to work effectively tho ;)

Hope this helps
Dill

My dog trainer suggested that we use compressed air in a can.  Basically if Poj jumps up we spray this can behind our backs (so it's nowhere near her but she can hear the noise)  She doesn't like it but isn't scared of it - it's more like a shock to her, where's this strange noise coming from?  So far we've used it a couple of times only and she's definitely jumping up less.  Immediately after using it we've called her to us and given her a treat so she doesn't just think we make a horrid noise and are scared of her.  I prefer this approach to other ones like scruffing her or squirting water in her face as it doesn't harm her at all and sounds a lot like the noise the cat makes when he pesters her so he knows the noise means 'back off.' It has stopped Poj jumping ay our elderly neighbour, she now sits when they approach and gets lots of fuss for doing so.  Maybe this would help you?

Emma
Where did you get the can?

Lyn

Thanks Dill
I have printed it off and will read and absorb.

The next challenge is that at only 9 weeks I think my pup is getting raging hormones! When he decides to jump up he is now grabbing my leg in a typical "humping" grab. If I am able I walk away quickly and turn my back with arms folded. If he has already grabbed I either have to sharply pull my leg away or I have to take my trousers out of his mouth and push him off. I am quite disturbed by this behaviour.
Who has any suggestions on THIS one!? 

Lyn

Hi Lyn, I have a GR too who is now 12 months.  He did the humping thing on the leg when very young but I just said NO and pulled him off and he soon stopped doing it.  Pretty sure it isn't sexual behaviour at that age. :)

Hi :)

Don't forget your pup is still very young at just over 8 weeks, they do often continue mouthing etc until about 20-22 weeks but with consistent, kind, fair and firm training do improve - remember it is natural behaviour and your pup will be hopefully learning bite inhibition too which is so important - if it stopped tomorrow, you'd be relieved but the bite inhibition would be questionable.

Keep telling yourself "It's not for ever, it's not forever...."  :P :P

Lindsay
x

Phew thanks Annie.
Tell me more of any bad experiences...I feel a need for so much reassurance at the moment.
I just so want to make things right for him and have him turn out a nicely behaved dog too.

Do you know, I can't think of a lot that was bad now Lyn, although I was shattered most of the time when he was very young :).  I remember ringing up a friend and saying 'someone has taken my lovely little puppy away in the night and left me this terrorist' so he must have driven me round the bend at times!! :D :D  I'm sure we all make mistakes rearing our dogs no matter how much we know in theory so try not to worry and enjoy his puppy behaviour as much as possible - it goes so fast.  Can't believe mine is a year already.  As for the training, expect to go two steps forward and five back - it is usually just when you think you're getting there that they throw a spanner in the works! :p

I love you Annie!!!
It was such a relief. I have been feeling exhausted since getting Pepper:rolleyes: I am glad to hear that it is not just me.
I really do want to enjoy him and he does make me laugh most of the time with his antics. He is calender photo cute a fair amount too. Just when he goes into what will now be known as "Terrorist mode" I want to tear my hair out.
By the way how old was your GR when he found he could bark? I read somewhere that most dogs did not find their bark for several months yet Pepper started barking at 8 to 9 weeks.
Problem with this barking lark is that he is meant to be training later for Working Trials and they are meant to be quiet in competition!?!
Lets hope we can move onward and upward.
Anyway Thanks again.

Mr GR pup now 14 weeks old barked at around 9 weeks old - she saw her reflection in the glass doors of our TV cabinet and gave a low gruff which promptly scared her and she ran off  :D :D!!!  Since then, Misty has only barked on a few occassions when my young 2 yo son gets out one of his little wind up toy cars and she starts pouncing on it and playing with it.  Apart from that she doesn't bark. 

She also nips and mouths us but ignoring her is slowly starting to work!!! :D :D

Ooo, nice to be loved on a Monday morning! :D  Don't worry, the exhaustion does wear off!!  I can't remember when Angus started barking but I bet it was early as he still loves the sound of his own voice!  Don't mind when it's someone at the door but he also thinks he owns the road I live in and will bark at anyone daring to walk past, anyone with a nerve enough to park outside or even in their own drive!  Sometimes I can't see any possible reason for him barking.  I have a very low barking tolerance (and don't want to upset my nice neighbours) so have tried various methods of dealing with this.  I find if it is someone coming to the door, the best way is to thank him for telling me and treat him then he generally stops.  Pointless barking I either ignore or in extreme cases, squirt him with a water spray to show I don't appreciate it!  The only advice I would give is to try to train Pepper not to bark when you leave him alone as this can drive neighbours round the bend   The way I did this was to get Angus used to being in another room where he couldn't see me and only returned to him when he was quiet.  Left him for short periods at first and then gradually extended it.

nips started giving his bed a thoroughly good "bothering" at 8 weeks old and i don't think hormones had a lot to do with it. he's currently at an age where the testosterone is raging through his entire little loins and the bed is rarely slept in but does get a super-strength nightly humping. however, humping isn't a behaviour confined to chaps because bitches will hump, as will castrated dogs. indeed, one of nips's best doggie mates is both castrated AND known throughout the area as a humper extraordinaire.

the best way to deal with unwanted humping is to immediately, verbally discourage the dog and remove the object of desire from him. if that's your leg, for example, get up and walk away and use a toy to distract him. nips, for example now knows that any bed bothering must be done in the privacy of the kitchen since we had a long chat about my refusal to watch the 10 o'clock news in the company of a small dog furiously humping his bed in my sitting room.

We were in "Terrorist" mode this morning. I have another bleeding finger! He was hyper excited and running madly around the garden. I tried to keep out of his way sitting on the garden swing but he kept running up to me and jumping up and barking or digging at the stones underneath. If I tried to stop him he ran at me and grabbed my hand or arm. I got up and walked away so he followed and tried to grab my trousers. I shook him off and firmly said "no" which just got him more excited so he ran around me. I just walked back into the house and left him. When I came out a bit later I tried to get down and fuss him but that is when he grabbed my hand and made my finger bleed so I "Ouched" loudly and stormed off again.   This time when I came back he had gone into his crate and laid down. I had to go into the garden so he got up and followed me and started digging. This time I left him to it until I had finished what I was doing and went in. He eventually came in and went in his crate again.
This is the condensed version....it probably went on for about 45 mins in all!!
I left him looking cute asleep in his crate a went to work for a few hours. 
Better go and give him lunch....Bless.

Sometimes they do seem to turn into little monsters don't they?  I went through all this with Angus - most of it he has grown out of now except for the digging!!  Unfortunately, now he is bigger and stronger I just get covered in bruises (instead of bites!) when he crashes against me.  If he doesn't respond to you telling him no, or the 'ouches' or won't leave your clothes alone, you could try putting him in a safe room alone for a short while so that he realises if he behaves that way, he will be deprived of your company which I'm sure he desperately wants. :)  It's also a good way of giving yourself time out to cool down for a few minutes! :p  He is just being a normal puppy and has to learn what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't. 

We actually had/have great success with growling at our pup (who is now 7 months) when she is being the terror.  (Advice from our trainer.)
Another thing I've done is to redirect her behaviour to doing something else, like a down position, a sit stay.  Something to take her mind off what she was doing in the first place.