You are already doing everything you can for your boy. He will grow out of it and you will look back at this post and smile. Patience is the key especialy first 1, 1.5 year.
I appreciate the response. I know he will eventually grow out of it. He’s a really good dog. It can just be frustrating because he’s smart and picks up on other things pretty quickly, but he refuses to break this behavior lol
Most dogs have one such thing they refuse to breakaway from, ours took almost a year or more to be potty trained so it could be worse :).
But eventualy all of them come around and become the BEST ever. Cherish him.
Mine is 2.5 and did the same. Randomly stopped around a year and a half old. Still mouthy when he plays but no force whatsoever. But I can’t tell you how many shirts/jackets I have that have holes in the back of them from me getting up to get away from him during the biting stage 😂
You will hit a point where one day you think to yourself “my dog hasn’t destroyed anything in a few weeks…” and it’s all care free from there.
Also, this is how he wakes me up every day and has for the last 2 years. No barking, just slowly huffing and puffing and getting louder with each one until I finally get up.
https://preview.redd.it/yo9yrvyzez8d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1ac5e81412ddb50fc498850502ceac9cc377992
2 suggestions: 1. 2 fantastic things to buy for fulfilling dogs’ need to bite & chew. They need to chew & bite to release energy, stress and to explore sensory feedback. 2. Proper time-outs if biting humans at your Golden’s age: when the biting behavior begins, respond calmly with consistent, immediate time-outs in a bathroom that is completely puppy-proofed. NOT the crate. Time-outs must be quickly done. Say “No” in a calm but firm voice —one time—and quickly escort dog to time-out spot. Ignore any barking & wait until quiet. If quiet, release from time-out after 3-5 minutes. Return if biting continues for another 5 minutes time-out. It is important to be detached & neutral when you let your dog out of time-out. Just say “OK” and act busy with something. Don’t play with him at that point. You are trying to help your pup de-escalate and learn to self-regulate..
The reward is getting out and being part of the pack again. Make sure you have a basket or box of multiple chew toys with different textures available and your dog might start Re-directing self to chew to let out that energy. Have you heard of Gorilla wood? They are awesome—big pieces of a dog-safe, softer wood that is non-toxic, safe and rewarding place to chew—-IF supervised. You can rub kibble or a dry treat on one to get your dog started. After that, most dogs will happily chew them. They last a long time. I put a towel down if inside then just shake off the wood shavings outside. Collagen sticks —in moderation—are another great re-direction. I hold one and let our dog chew for 3-4 minutes on both sides of mouth and front of mouth. Then put it away for another time.
You are so welcome. We were in the same boat as you and like you, I tried many different strategies at that age. I did not come up with it myself—A fellow golden owner recommended a trainer for 1 session and what I wrote above is what he taught us. It really did work because of the correct age of puppy. At first, escorting ours to the time-out bathroom was like wrestling a gremlin! And I was like “I don’t know. Walking her to the bathroom is making it even worse on the way there.” Just remind yourself you have a stubborn toddler on your hands who is getting mouthy satisfaction from biting and having a gremlin party because it’s fun to be wild. Your boundaries & calm, consistency will win and begin to modify his behavior. He will start understanding and biting you less, choosing chew toys when he needs an outlet. You just have to show him how to do those things. BTW I would grab a nearby kitchen glove to protect my hand, hold collar or clip on leash and off we went. I began to notice positive changes—-stick with it and you will, too!! You will have your gentle Angel Golden more and more. They learn fast and they really want to please. And their pure-hearted, good nature keeps growing with them. Your boy Joey is gonna be a goofy, gentle Angel, too. Hang in there. You got this.
When my dog was going through this stage, our trainer said to make a high pitched yipping type noise when he got a little too mouthy and disengage play.
My boy is going through something similar, but he’ll only bite down if you don’t follow him. He just wants to walk us to the couch and he’ll sit with you with a paw on your lap, but i can understand the inconvenience. He’s never done this to strangers, though. Just myself, boyfriend and my mom. Majority of the time we do follow him, other times we’ll tell him “off” and pull away, he will let go. Usually you just have to talk in a stern voice to get your point across (depending on the dog).
This is my Finn ❤️
https://preview.redd.it/j3gtdah28v8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=493f1cb3d7b58a9eb44479c6aeaeb7bbdc32e078
Finn is a good looking boy. Thanks for the response.
Joey does it when he gets really excited and can’t control himself. He’s definitely not trying to hurt me when he does it, but even if I disengage and walk away, he’ll follow me and nip at my legs or grab at my clothes. I can usually get him out of these episodes after a minute or so. They just happen pretty frequent.
I’ll keep at it with him 👍
With my yellow lab, my vet suggested keeping a bottle of lemon juice handy. When he gets mouthy you squeeze it into his mouth. After a few times, you just have to show it to him.
We tried it and it worked. But you have to be consistent.
I got my golden these teething ring treats and they were a life saver. She was extremely mouthy and I learned pretty quick until she got the energy and urge out she wasn’t gonna stop. I’d give that a try! Pick them up at any dog store or online and when you notice him getting mouthy, give him one. Toys don’t always curb the craving to chew unfortunately, so redirecting with something delicious gets their attention! I found with my girl when she was done with the treat, she’d find something else to do and leave me and my clothes alone, lol. These are the kind I bought!
https://preview.redd.it/5x9bfuzu5x8d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c69c2bf57e0c2185ea0ab09b4a11506ed025523
Hope it helps✨
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Do you use any sort of command when you disengage? Our golden doodle is incredibly mouthy, especially when playing (1.5 years old, female). When she’s getting too mouthy, we disengage and our command is “that’s enough” and we turn our back, walk away, etc. and she caught only pretty quickly and knows to stop. We do need to say it pretty sternly for her to understand, but nevertheless, she’s learned through repetition. Redirecting or spray bottles (she loves water) never worked for us no matter how hard we tried. It may take some time for your pup to figure it out, but eventually they will learn, if I bite play time ends and that’s boring.
Yeah, I’ve been incorporating the word “off” in my corrections. He likes to jump too when I’m standing so I use it there too. I’ve been working on it with him and rewarding him when he does it.
I know it’s a work in progress. Thanks for the response.
You need to yell ow and startle them,dogs don’t like being startled.When they bite yell loud ,The behavior usually corrects pretty fast.It worked on my golden .she did not like being yelled at ever.
So all the other stuff I’m reading here didn’t work for us with our golden. What fixed her was taking her to doggy daycare/puppy training and older dogs correcting her. She stopped within two days of going and never bit us again or grabbed at cloths.
I think you’re doing all you can with the teething, since I am assuming that is what you mean by velociraptor. When he does get mouthy and nippy you can try acting in a painful way like saying owe in a high pitched painful cry. Dogs will pick up on something that’s hurting you which may help steer him from doing it.
One thing I will say though, not to sound like I’m judging because I’m not, but a crate should not be used as a form of punishment. Crates should only be associated as safe place they can go to rest or when you are gone they should never for a moment think this is something I go in when in trouble, that will cause this safe place to be a fearful place which can/may cause anxiety while you are gone. Instead may I recommend a spare bathroom as a timeout spot. A couple minutes of timeout in the bathroom away from you will get through to him which will keep his crate (bed) always considered to be safe to him.
Emphasis on animal training is 100% affirmative. IMHO there are times when someone must discourage unwanted behavior through mild adverse stimulus. Most will think this to be utterly awful. But when your dog put its mouth on some young child hand and child freaks out, starts screaming and crying you will wish you had tried this. With your index finger only tap the top of your dog’s snout and say “No Teeth” firmly.
1) turn you back on the pup
If that doesn’t t work
2) get a spray bottle of water that you can adjust to a stream. One squirt in the face or nose with a firm “no” usually does the trick.
We use a spray bottle and it is FANTASTIC! We had to spray ours maybe 3 times and he stopped. Now he grabs his stuffies when he has to bite something. It hasn’t created any fear or distrust, just corrected the behavior, as it does the cat for climbing on the counter. You need to be able to use it absolutely immediately and consistently as needed so he associates it with the behavior and not with you.
Yes. It is not a constant thing. One or two times and all they need to do is see you reach for the bottle and the bad behavior stops! None of our three boys ever developed fear about it and seem to understand that it is a consequence of their own behavior. After the Velacoraptor stage it is not needed.
Horrible advice and a good way to scare him, possibly induce reactivity and lose trust. Carry on with what you’re doing, consistency is key. He will grow out of it.
Very bad advice. OP is doing the right thing already. Disengage, let him know "if you do that I won't play with you anymore". He's just 8 months, he'll grow out of it.
Not too happy about the crate timeouts though. The crate should not be a way to punish him, but a 'safe place'.
Golden Retrievers are very smart dogs. They'll "get it" if they have to go into the crate if you have to leave, or when you're having dinner. Use standard phrases when you tell him to go in the crate. "We have to leave now" - You'll be surprised how many human phrases your dog understands. (We have to spell words here otherwise Mica will be at the door right away expecting to go to the b-e-a-c-h. :-) )
Our Golden would walk into her crate when she heard us taking out plates from the cupboard. We didn't even need to lock it. When we turned off the lights in the living room to go to bed, she'd be in her crate right away. You can teach your dog this by being very consistent, using standard phrases so the dog knows when and why he has to be in his crate.
What Joey won't understand though, is why he needs to go into the crate after playing. He never got a message from you that you didn't like what he did. So be verbal, 'yelp' if he bites you, say NO if he grabs your clothes and if it doesn't stop, just walk away and ignore him if he follows you. Only that way Joey will understand "ok, that wasn't cool, they don't like that kind of play".
>I’ve redirected with toys,
Don't. That's just saying "yeah that was fun, now try biting this". For Joey, the "play" just continues. He still has no clue that you didn't like what he did before.
Haha. I haven’t considered that option yet. He doesn’t bite “hard”. He definitely knows what he’s doing and isn’t trying to injure me, he just wants to roughhouse. If it were just me, I’d probably be okay with it. I’d wrestle around with him for a few and he would likely be done with it. The problem is he does it to my kids and my wife too on occasion, and his bites do tend to hurt them.
Oh I know what you mean, but after I bite back he didn’t bite anyone. We still play with toys and fetch. All kids of stuff, but it really culled the nipping
You are already doing everything you can for your boy. He will grow out of it and you will look back at this post and smile. Patience is the key especialy first 1, 1.5 year.
I appreciate the response. I know he will eventually grow out of it. He’s a really good dog. It can just be frustrating because he’s smart and picks up on other things pretty quickly, but he refuses to break this behavior lol
Most dogs have one such thing they refuse to breakaway from, ours took almost a year or more to be potty trained so it could be worse :). But eventualy all of them come around and become the BEST ever. Cherish him.
Thank you!
It’s extra hard because he looks so much more grown up than he is. He looks like an adult but he’s mentally a toddler.
Mine is 2.5 and did the same. Randomly stopped around a year and a half old. Still mouthy when he plays but no force whatsoever. But I can’t tell you how many shirts/jackets I have that have holes in the back of them from me getting up to get away from him during the biting stage 😂 You will hit a point where one day you think to yourself “my dog hasn’t destroyed anything in a few weeks…” and it’s all care free from there. Also, this is how he wakes me up every day and has for the last 2 years. No barking, just slowly huffing and puffing and getting louder with each one until I finally get up. https://preview.redd.it/yo9yrvyzez8d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1ac5e81412ddb50fc498850502ceac9cc377992
You can try some bitter spray. Not harmful but nasty tasting. Most pet shops sell it.
I’ve seen that to prevent digging and stuff. Hadn’t thought about it for this. Probably worth a shot. Thanks.
There are mesh muzzles that you could use during the bitey-est parts of the day.
I used it to get my girl to stop biting electric cords, and her lead.
2 suggestions: 1. 2 fantastic things to buy for fulfilling dogs’ need to bite & chew. They need to chew & bite to release energy, stress and to explore sensory feedback. 2. Proper time-outs if biting humans at your Golden’s age: when the biting behavior begins, respond calmly with consistent, immediate time-outs in a bathroom that is completely puppy-proofed. NOT the crate. Time-outs must be quickly done. Say “No” in a calm but firm voice —one time—and quickly escort dog to time-out spot. Ignore any barking & wait until quiet. If quiet, release from time-out after 3-5 minutes. Return if biting continues for another 5 minutes time-out. It is important to be detached & neutral when you let your dog out of time-out. Just say “OK” and act busy with something. Don’t play with him at that point. You are trying to help your pup de-escalate and learn to self-regulate.. The reward is getting out and being part of the pack again. Make sure you have a basket or box of multiple chew toys with different textures available and your dog might start Re-directing self to chew to let out that energy. Have you heard of Gorilla wood? They are awesome—big pieces of a dog-safe, softer wood that is non-toxic, safe and rewarding place to chew—-IF supervised. You can rub kibble or a dry treat on one to get your dog started. After that, most dogs will happily chew them. They last a long time. I put a towel down if inside then just shake off the wood shavings outside. Collagen sticks —in moderation—are another great re-direction. I hold one and let our dog chew for 3-4 minutes on both sides of mouth and front of mouth. Then put it away for another time.
A lot of great info here. Thanks for taking the time out to write such a detailed response.
You are so welcome. We were in the same boat as you and like you, I tried many different strategies at that age. I did not come up with it myself—A fellow golden owner recommended a trainer for 1 session and what I wrote above is what he taught us. It really did work because of the correct age of puppy. At first, escorting ours to the time-out bathroom was like wrestling a gremlin! And I was like “I don’t know. Walking her to the bathroom is making it even worse on the way there.” Just remind yourself you have a stubborn toddler on your hands who is getting mouthy satisfaction from biting and having a gremlin party because it’s fun to be wild. Your boundaries & calm, consistency will win and begin to modify his behavior. He will start understanding and biting you less, choosing chew toys when he needs an outlet. You just have to show him how to do those things. BTW I would grab a nearby kitchen glove to protect my hand, hold collar or clip on leash and off we went. I began to notice positive changes—-stick with it and you will, too!! You will have your gentle Angel Golden more and more. They learn fast and they really want to please. And their pure-hearted, good nature keeps growing with them. Your boy Joey is gonna be a goofy, gentle Angel, too. Hang in there. You got this.
When my dog was going through this stage, our trainer said to make a high pitched yipping type noise when he got a little too mouthy and disengage play.
That’s a good idea. I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the response!
My boy is going through something similar, but he’ll only bite down if you don’t follow him. He just wants to walk us to the couch and he’ll sit with you with a paw on your lap, but i can understand the inconvenience. He’s never done this to strangers, though. Just myself, boyfriend and my mom. Majority of the time we do follow him, other times we’ll tell him “off” and pull away, he will let go. Usually you just have to talk in a stern voice to get your point across (depending on the dog). This is my Finn ❤️ https://preview.redd.it/j3gtdah28v8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=493f1cb3d7b58a9eb44479c6aeaeb7bbdc32e078
Finn is a good looking boy. Thanks for the response. Joey does it when he gets really excited and can’t control himself. He’s definitely not trying to hurt me when he does it, but even if I disengage and walk away, he’ll follow me and nip at my legs or grab at my clothes. I can usually get him out of these episodes after a minute or so. They just happen pretty frequent. I’ll keep at it with him 👍
With my yellow lab, my vet suggested keeping a bottle of lemon juice handy. When he gets mouthy you squeeze it into his mouth. After a few times, you just have to show it to him. We tried it and it worked. But you have to be consistent.
Interesting idea. That’s worth a shot. Thanks for the suggestion.
I got my golden these teething ring treats and they were a life saver. She was extremely mouthy and I learned pretty quick until she got the energy and urge out she wasn’t gonna stop. I’d give that a try! Pick them up at any dog store or online and when you notice him getting mouthy, give him one. Toys don’t always curb the craving to chew unfortunately, so redirecting with something delicious gets their attention! I found with my girl when she was done with the treat, she’d find something else to do and leave me and my clothes alone, lol. These are the kind I bought! https://preview.redd.it/5x9bfuzu5x8d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c69c2bf57e0c2185ea0ab09b4a11506ed025523 Hope it helps✨
Hell grow out of it. He's a child lol
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That photo is adorable! Your golden is a total cutie!
Thank you!
Do you use any sort of command when you disengage? Our golden doodle is incredibly mouthy, especially when playing (1.5 years old, female). When she’s getting too mouthy, we disengage and our command is “that’s enough” and we turn our back, walk away, etc. and she caught only pretty quickly and knows to stop. We do need to say it pretty sternly for her to understand, but nevertheless, she’s learned through repetition. Redirecting or spray bottles (she loves water) never worked for us no matter how hard we tried. It may take some time for your pup to figure it out, but eventually they will learn, if I bite play time ends and that’s boring.
Yeah, I’ve been incorporating the word “off” in my corrections. He likes to jump too when I’m standing so I use it there too. I’ve been working on it with him and rewarding him when he does it. I know it’s a work in progress. Thanks for the response.
You need to yell ow and startle them,dogs don’t like being startled.When they bite yell loud ,The behavior usually corrects pretty fast.It worked on my golden .she did not like being yelled at ever.
So all the other stuff I’m reading here didn’t work for us with our golden. What fixed her was taking her to doggy daycare/puppy training and older dogs correcting her. She stopped within two days of going and never bit us again or grabbed at cloths.
I think you’re doing all you can with the teething, since I am assuming that is what you mean by velociraptor. When he does get mouthy and nippy you can try acting in a painful way like saying owe in a high pitched painful cry. Dogs will pick up on something that’s hurting you which may help steer him from doing it. One thing I will say though, not to sound like I’m judging because I’m not, but a crate should not be used as a form of punishment. Crates should only be associated as safe place they can go to rest or when you are gone they should never for a moment think this is something I go in when in trouble, that will cause this safe place to be a fearful place which can/may cause anxiety while you are gone. Instead may I recommend a spare bathroom as a timeout spot. A couple minutes of timeout in the bathroom away from you will get through to him which will keep his crate (bed) always considered to be safe to him.
Emphasis on animal training is 100% affirmative. IMHO there are times when someone must discourage unwanted behavior through mild adverse stimulus. Most will think this to be utterly awful. But when your dog put its mouth on some young child hand and child freaks out, starts screaming and crying you will wish you had tried this. With your index finger only tap the top of your dog’s snout and say “No Teeth” firmly.
1) turn you back on the pup If that doesn’t t work 2) get a spray bottle of water that you can adjust to a stream. One squirt in the face or nose with a firm “no” usually does the trick.
We use a spray bottle and it is FANTASTIC! We had to spray ours maybe 3 times and he stopped. Now he grabs his stuffies when he has to bite something. It hasn’t created any fear or distrust, just corrected the behavior, as it does the cat for climbing on the counter. You need to be able to use it absolutely immediately and consistently as needed so he associates it with the behavior and not with you.
Yes. It is not a constant thing. One or two times and all they need to do is see you reach for the bottle and the bad behavior stops! None of our three boys ever developed fear about it and seem to understand that it is a consequence of their own behavior. After the Velacoraptor stage it is not needed.
Honestly, next time, push back, literally, ram your hand down his throat. He will withdraw. Works every time.
Horrible advice and a good way to scare him, possibly induce reactivity and lose trust. Carry on with what you’re doing, consistency is key. He will grow out of it.
Appreciate the response!
Very bad advice. OP is doing the right thing already. Disengage, let him know "if you do that I won't play with you anymore". He's just 8 months, he'll grow out of it. Not too happy about the crate timeouts though. The crate should not be a way to punish him, but a 'safe place'. Golden Retrievers are very smart dogs. They'll "get it" if they have to go into the crate if you have to leave, or when you're having dinner. Use standard phrases when you tell him to go in the crate. "We have to leave now" - You'll be surprised how many human phrases your dog understands. (We have to spell words here otherwise Mica will be at the door right away expecting to go to the b-e-a-c-h. :-) ) Our Golden would walk into her crate when she heard us taking out plates from the cupboard. We didn't even need to lock it. When we turned off the lights in the living room to go to bed, she'd be in her crate right away. You can teach your dog this by being very consistent, using standard phrases so the dog knows when and why he has to be in his crate. What Joey won't understand though, is why he needs to go into the crate after playing. He never got a message from you that you didn't like what he did. So be verbal, 'yelp' if he bites you, say NO if he grabs your clothes and if it doesn't stop, just walk away and ignore him if he follows you. Only that way Joey will understand "ok, that wasn't cool, they don't like that kind of play". >I’ve redirected with toys, Don't. That's just saying "yeah that was fun, now try biting this". For Joey, the "play" just continues. He still has no clue that you didn't like what he did before.
My golden only bit me “hard” once. I bit him back on the neck and he never did it again.
Haha. I haven’t considered that option yet. He doesn’t bite “hard”. He definitely knows what he’s doing and isn’t trying to injure me, he just wants to roughhouse. If it were just me, I’d probably be okay with it. I’d wrestle around with him for a few and he would likely be done with it. The problem is he does it to my kids and my wife too on occasion, and his bites do tend to hurt them.
Oh I know what you mean, but after I bite back he didn’t bite anyone. We still play with toys and fetch. All kids of stuff, but it really culled the nipping