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How To Stop Your Golden Retriever Puppy From Biting

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Difficulty Walking On Leash

Puppy Biting: How To Train Your Golden Retriever Puppy To Stop Biting

Some Goldens either never really got the hang of leash training, werent ever trained, or have regressed due to poor reinforcement. Either way, its important to correct this behavior as soon as possible. While on a walk, if your pup goes wild, stop.

Wait until your pup calms down. Once they do, continue the walk. You will literally repeat this repeatedly. Granted, youll need ample amounts of time to make this successful. Try walking three times a day this way for a few weeks to see if the behavior improves.

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Golden Retriever Jumping Up And Biting

Tom Thorpe Blog

Golden retrievers are renowned because of their friendly personality. However, their eagerness to please their human owners may come in the form of jumping on them. It is not a pleasant experience. You should also factor in that food is the reason your Golden retriever wants to jump on you. In all cases, a Golden retriever jumping up and biting is not something an owner wants. Fortunately, this behavior is easy to train out of them. It would help if you investigated why your dog does it in the first place. The following article teaches your Golden retriever to behave properly and stop jumping on people.

How To Stop Your Golden Retriever From Biting Itself

Below are some options you have when getting your Golden Retriever to stop biting itself.

Take it to a vet

If your Golden Retriever has been doing it excessively or you canât get it to stop, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored towards your specific Golden Retriever and to rule out medical causes.

Remove fleas

It would also help to eradicate fleas from your home by doing things such as:

  • Washing the bedding with hot soapy water
  • Vacuuming the carpets and throwing the bad
  • Applying an environmental flee control
  • Applying a spray, pellet or non-toxic treatment for the yard
  • Treating your Golden Retriever with a monthly preventative

Give it exercise

If your Golden Retriever is a healthy adult, it would help to make sure that it is able to get daily exercise. Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day as healthy adults. If it is a puppy it is generally recommended to limit it to 5 minutes of exercise per month of age.

Avoid encouraging the behavior

Instead of giving your Golden Retriever things that it wants when it bites itself, try to redirect its focus when it is about to do it and to reward it when it behaves the way that you want it to.

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How To Get It To Stop Biting You

Below are some options you have when getting it to stop biting you.

Positive reinforcement training

One option would be to use positive reinforcement training to get it to learn not to nip or bite you. Positive reinforcement training is where you encourage good behaviors by rewarding them and not rewarding bad ones.

You can do this to get your Golden Retriever to stop nipping or biting you:

  • Stop giving your Golden Retriever attention whenever it nips you by hiding your hands or temporarily leaving the room if necessary
  • Start giving it attention again until it starts nipping and then stop giving it attention again.
  • Repeat the above, rewarding with a treat it each time it doesnt nip you when it normally would.

Alternatively, you would withdraw your hands, feet or ankles as soon as it shows signs of being about to nip. Each time it doesnt nip when it normally would you would reward it with a treat.

You can watch the video below to see how its done.

Avoid negative reinforcement training

Negative reinforcement training is where you inadvertently encourage bad behaviors by giving it things it wants when it displays them. Instead, of rewarding it when it nips, try to redirect its behavior when it is about to do it and to reward it when it is being well behaved.

Give it things to chew on

It would also help to give it other things to chew on so that it is less likely to want to chew on you and so that it can soothe its gums. Things you can give it would be chew toys and bones.

How Stop Golden Retriever From Biting

How to stop Golden Retriever puppy from biting?

Now the big question is how to train a golden retriever puppy not to bite? and how to stop golden retriever from biting?. The most basic thing that you may do is to pretend to be their mother dog, meaning you teach them when they are really hard in their bites. The point is how you teach them. Well, you could yell at them, and yell loudly, every time they bite. In your yells, you could mention NO, STOP, or DONT BITE. Gradually, they would realize that biting doesnt go well you and they must stop doing that. Besides, you could always assert on your Golden retriever that you are the master. This assertion could be through sudden removal of your Golden retrievers food so as to startle them. They would realize that to get food, they have to obey you.

To stop biting behavior in your Golden retrievers, you should take care of one very important aspect never pull back when they bite you. It gives them the impression that they dominate. Rather when they bite, you should move forward towards them as if to intimidate them, making a fierce eye connection and scaring them. If they rip you clothes, just roll them over their body and pin them there for few minutes to embezzle them as to what happened. They would take care not to repeat that.

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Is Your Puppy Biting

You are bound to want to know when your biting puppy will grow out of this phase and how you can speed that process up. Biting, as you will have discovered is usually accompanied by lots of noise!

And if you are like many other puppy owners you will also want to reassured that your puppy isnt turning mean or aggressive.

Why Your Golden Retriever Bites Your Feet

Below are some common reasons why Golden Retrievers do it and what would make them more likely to be the reason why yours has been doing it.

It wants attention

The cause could be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely if it does it when you have not been giving it much attention, it would normally get something like a walk or you tend to give it attention when it does it.

In this case, it would help to avoid rewarding it with attention when it does it, to reward it when it is being well behaved and to redirect its focus when it is about to bite your feet.

It is teething

The reason might also be that it is teething. This would be more likely if it is still a puppy and if it has started chewing on other things as well.

In this case, it would be important to start training it to behave the way that you want it to behave now. It would also help to give it lots of toys to chew on.

It wasnt trained not to as a puppy

If you did not train your Golden Retriever as a puppy, it might have never learned that it is not ok to bite. If your Golden Retriever doesnt receive any training then it wont know how it is meant to behave and it will behave the way that it feels like behaving. The way that it feels like behaving is unlikely to be the way that you want it to behave.

In this case, it would be important to start giving it training now by following the tips below.

You have inadvertently been reinforcing the behavior

Excitement

It is exploring

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Why Do Golden Retrievers Bite

To start with, all dogs have the chance to bite. However, Golden Retrievers are very reactive and highly intelligent dogs. This means that they are very sensitive to you and your family and can grow anxious and fearful easily if not given the right kind of supportive home environment.

Golden Retriever puppy nipping and biting are also normal behaviors for this breed. Both of these behaviors should be discouraged especially when you have small children at your home. You need to exhibit care around strangers as well as your little Golden retrievers can hurt an unsuspecting stranger or a passer-by with the intention of not to hurt them but to get their attention to play after all Golden retrievers are the most playful of all dog breeds.

Other reasons why do Golden Retrievers bite, it usually stems from fear. Fear biting occurs when a Golden retriever dog grows so fearful and anxious of their position in a situation that they will lash out with a bite, hoping to protect themselves from a strange person or dog.

Additionally, fear can develop for your golden retriever dog when they do not have a strong, stable home environment. Many dog owners think they are being supportive of their dogs by providing everything they need and want.

Some source of fear could also include early life abuse and mistreatment. If you have adopted your golden retriever dog, youll need to be very wary of any potential fear based behaviours.

You Must Also Have Your Puppy Examined By A Veterinarian

How to Train your Golden Retriever Puppy to Stop Biting

If you can’t know why do golden retrievers bite and this is accompanied by an alarming growling and aggression, then it will be best for you to contact a behaviorist who can better understand what is causing this dangerous display. You must also have your puppy examined by a veterinarian. The biting may be your puppys way of telling you that it does not feel well.

At the same time, educate your children on how to treat the puppy well. They must never startle any puppy or dog. A scared puppy will bite. They must not tease or hurt the puppy. Even the most loyal and tolerant puppy may retaliate if it cannot stand the abuse anymore.

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Factors Contributing To A Golden Retriever Puppy Biting

Well, this is not easy to explain as biting is a huge part of your puppies growth. It is how he learns how everything works. And just like a human baby, puppies are also quite curious beings. This means that they want to figure out everything around the household. However, they do not understand what is acceptable and that is not. This is where you come in. There are several reasons why Golden Retriever puppies may bite

How To Train A Golden Retriever Puppy Not To Bite Top 3 Methods

METHOD No. 1: Talk to the Back

Keep Your Nose Open: Youll need to note down all those times when your puppy attempts to bite you and see if he does repeatedly around those times.

No Means No: If your little golden gets to you to bite you should tell him NO loud and clear. Your voice must be loud enough to send a clear message. Maybe he wont catch up with your expression in the first place but itll work over time.

Your Body Language is Important: If he bites or nips back at you you should immediately turn your back to him with cross arms so your puppy understands that his owner has stopped playing. He might get the idea that biting is ruining his playtime.

Be Gentle and Kind: You cant be rude to your puppy all the time. Youve got to use the stick and carrot method. When he calms down, you must give him the attention he needs and start playing with him the way you did before.

METHOD No. 2: Bitter Taste

Note Down His Habits: You need to take note of those times when your puppy bites you every time he wants to eat something. Youve got to tell your golden that this is not the way to ask for food. You also need to remember the time when he gets mouthy even during playtime.

Buy a Bitter Tasting Spray: You can buy a bitter spray from any nearby store. However, that spray should be safe for your dog to ingest.

Spray on your Skin: Now youd probably be aware of the moment precisely when your dog bites you. Now is the time to spray your skin just before he bites you.

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Should I Stop My Golden Retriever Puppy From Biting

Quite often, homeowners punish a puppy for play biting. After all, their sharp puppy piranha teeth hurt human skin, and an exuberant puppy has not yet learned what is appropriate. However, punishing the puppy for play biting is a mistake.

Do NOT stop your Golden Retriever puppy from biting. Biting is normal and natural for puppies. When puppy biting stops, so does the opportunity for bite inhibition training. The more your Golden Retriever puppy play bites, and receives appropriate feedback, the safer its jaws will be in adulthood.

Consider an adult dog that has not been taught bite inhibition as a puppy. It seems friendly and has never bitten anyone. However, when this friendly dog is threatened, startled, or injured , it may react by biting without the necessary skill to control its bite pressure.

A well-socialized dog with good bite inhibition often does not bite at all when startled, threatened, or injured, and even if the teeth do make skin contact, it does not break the skin.

In his book After You Get Your Puppy, animal behaviorist, veterinarian, and legendary dog trainer Dr. Ian Dunbar says punishing a puppy to stop biting is a big mistake. With no opportunities to play-bite, the puppy never learns how to inhibit bite force or frequency.

All is fine until someone accidentally treads on the dogs foot or shuts the car door on his tail, whereupon the dog bites and the bite punctures the skin because there has been insufficient bite inhibition, says Dr. Dunbar.

Socialize Your Puppy With Other Dogs

How To Stop Your Golden Retriever Puppy From Biting &  Nipping

Socializing your puppy is an important step in your puppys development. A well-socialized puppy will be less likely to exhibit any unwanted behaviours later on. Enrolling your pup in puppy kindergarten or arranging some play dates with other dogs who are friendly and vaccinated is a great way for your pup to learn social skills.

Other dogs are sometimes the best teachers for a puppy because they will let your puppy know what is okay for play and what is not okay, in terms of biting and nipping. Always supervise your puppy while playing with other dogs.

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Train Puppy To Be Gentle

Everything that an adult dog does, he learned it from his puppyhood. This means these are some of the things that you have taught him. For instance, if you are used to playing roughly with your puppy, you might have issues trying to control your puppy. This is because your puppy will always play rough with you and with everyone else.

Since play will involve chasing, barking, and even touching, your puppy will be tempted to bite on you or other people. Therefore, it is advisable to practice safe and gentle play with your puppy. This includes everyone else in your family. To train your puppy how to be gentle, you will have to be very patient. This is because he might not be able to grasp it all at the same time.

This process will begin with teaching him the be gentle command. For instance, when your puppy is mouthing your hand, pause, and look at him sternly. Then calmly tell him to be gentle with your hands. You will have to do this until he learns that mouthing is not acceptable.

Offer him a treat or praise each time he stops mouthing. Luckily for you, it wont take long before he understands what you mean and thus you will be able to stop your Golden Retriever puppy from biting

Why Do Golden Retriever Puppies Bite So Much

There are two main reasons why golden retriever puppies bite so much:

  • Theyre puppies and all puppies do it
  • Theyre golden retrievers and they were bred to put things in their mouths
  • Its pretty self-explanatory why the golden retriever breed bites so muchthey were bred to be mouthy!

    But why do puppies bite so much?

    This is incredibly important if you dont want your puppy to grow up to be a dangerous adult dog, so lets unpack this a bit

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    What Are Some Problems That Can Arise From Having A Hyper Golden Retriever

    If you have a hyper dog, then chances are that the problem has already arisen. As weve established, all dogs have a lot of energy when theyre young and some breeds have more than others. The Golden Retriever is one such breed.

    Hyperactivity is the name we give to energy thats unchanneled, and this is where youll find problems that wont just go away. A hyper dog is a frustrated one and will demonstrate lots of unwanted behaviors that are harder to stop the longer they go on.

    Chewing, barking , scratching, moulting and even biting and other aggressive behaviors can all be the result of a frustrated dog with too much energy to burn off. But a lot of the time its not just excess energy but boredom, too.

    Dogs need more than just physical exercise. All the long walks in the world can still result in a hyper dog if theres no mental stimulation to go along with those walks.

    Golden Retrievers are incredibly intelligent, and they love to use their brains.

    It means that training and learning games and tricks are ways to channel your Golden Retrievers energy, and you dont always even have to leave the house to do it.

    Once your dogs mental needs are met, youll find his physical energy levels arent quite so demanding.

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