My mother got a new puppy a few months ago. A pure bred Golden Retriever which she got for free because it had some medical problems. The medical problem in under control, but the dog is not. She's still trying to bite our limbs all the time, and chews everything up. This is nothing new to us, as we've had puppies before, but this is lasting a lot longer then it has with the others. She's house broken for the most part, but the biting is still a huge problem. My mother is thinking about getting a shock collar, since her co-worker got one for her dog and it worked. I'm not into the ideal too much. Any tips on how to get a puppy to stop biting us all the time? She was born on Christmas night, so she's 9 months old.
I broke my dog of it by pressing her tongue down to the bottom of her mouth every time she tried to bite.
Bite her back... Well sort of, if you actually bite her somebody might turn you in for animal cruelty... But the dog needs an alpha male or alpha female to set the rules, and it should be only one person at first or she will get confused. When she does this pin her down on the floor, on her side and growl loudly, you can make fake bites with your hand on her shoulder, neck, or ears. She will get the idea rather quickly that the behavior just prior to this is not something that will be tolerated in the pack... Yes dog logic is still a pack mentality.
^that I've also done it by holding their snout closed very firmly while I pin them to the ground. I like doing that better than the "fake biting" method, but for some dogs it's not as effective. If you do the bite method though, I would hold her snout anyway because some alpha dogs will try to fight at first when you claim dominance.
Have your mother try one on before purchasing and I bet she will not buy it. Bad idea. That will really mess up your dog for life. Your dog is still a puppy. Of course it is going to mouth and chew and bite. That is what training is all about. Does the dog have any chew toys? Tyrsonswood has good advice. :2thumbsup: I adopted my dog from the humane society when she was one year old and initially she had some of the same behavior. She is well past that now and I have never treated her badly. Dogs con't come with an instruction manual that tell them what you want them to do or not do. Work with them in love and you will have a loyal friend forever.
Puppies aren't supposed to be taken away from their litter too early so they can learn that biting each other hurts. Try to socialize your dog with other young dogs so they can bite each other. Also be sure to yell "ouch" and over exaggerate so the dog knows it is hurting you. Then tell it "NO!" I'm not really a dog trainer mind you but good luck!
A lot of people say this, but they're really not that bad. Unless you're using it on a 10 lb dog it is not going to "mess your dog up." Most of them have several settings for different size dogs. And yes, I've put them on myself. It's not like you're electrocuting the dog, it's more like those things you put in your hand and shock people when you shake their hand. Or putting your tongue to a 9v battery. I've used the invisible fence version, and have had large dogs actually enjoy being shocked. They would lay on top of the line and kick their hind leg like I was rubbing their belly. Although I would only reccomend using them as a las resort, they are effective and humane (when used correctly). I'm sure there are some brands that may be too strong, but I've never seen them. There is also an alternative that sprays a puff of air mixed with an unpleasant odor (unsmellable to humans) but I've found those to be largely innefective outside of the toy breeds.
Shaking a can with coins in it would probably be more effective. I would never shock my dog with one of those collars or the fences but that is just me. A water squirt bottle works too.
Actually, that sounds like very NORMAL behavor for a puppy golden to me, especially one who hasn't had a lot of dog-dog interaction due to medical stuff. Pick ONE method (I strongly recommend ignoring/short time outs, because it's very effective on highly social dogs, but a penny can will work too) and stick with it for at least 2 FULL weeks. Don't swap methods. You're confusing the puppy. You need to make it absolutely clear that it's not acceptable.
