Reaching end of tether with puppy...help

Richard571

Hi All,

Looking for any advice....

We got a golden retriever puppy 4 months ago (she is now 6 months) and we have a real 'nipping' problem which is really diificlut to manage with kids (we have 3 between 3 & 7).

We cannot pay her any attention or she starts nipping - any attempt to stroke or show any affection and she nips at hand/arm/leg.....

She lives in the house with us and we are tring to treat her as part of the family. When she nips like this we say no, have tried 'yelping' and put her out to a different room for time out (a couple of mins usually). This has had zero impact and her knipping has got no better and the kids are now afraid of her and don't want to be in the same room.

All other aspects are fine - great on walks, eats/chews toys as a puppy would.

Any advice appreciated as we now have to essentially live in different room as her...

ABajaninCork

Do your kids play rough with her? As she's only a baby, she has no idea of boundaries, and might think the nipping is acceptable. When you give her the 'time outs' are you consistent? In other words, every time she does it, give a yelp, and put her in her bed/corner/next room and ignore her?

Try giving her treats every time she behaves well.

That's all I can think of for now. Someone else will be along soon with other ideas. But stick at it. Don't give up on her.

Good luck!

angry kitten

Richard571 wrote: »

Hi All,

Looking for any advice....

We got a golden retriever puppy 4 months ago (she is now 6 months) and we have a real 'nipping' problem which is really diificlut to manage with kids (we have 3 between 3 & 7).

We cannot pay her any attention or she starts nipping - any attempt to stroke or show any affection and she nips at hand/arm/leg.....

She lives in the house with us and we are tring to treat her as part of the family. When she nips like this we say no, have tried 'yelping' and put her out to a different room for time out (a couple of mins usually). This has had zero impact and her knipping has got no better and the kids are now afraid of her and don't want to be in the same room.

All other aspects are fine - great on walks, eats/chews toys as a puppy would.

Any advice appreciated as we now have to essentially live in different room as her...

It might be worth having a vet check her in case she's in pain. If she's sore anywhere it might explain it. Just a thought. Hope it all works out well.

bannermaf

Nipping is a natural puppy phase for a lot of dogs. One of our girls went through this for ages. Her nips weren't dangerous, but whenever there are children in the picture you can't help but worry.

You need to scold here with a firm voice "Eh Eh" or something whenever she does it and ignore her (turn away and remove eye contact) until she stops. ASK EHR to do something ELSE, like "sit" or "down" and then reward her with praise or a treat. She'll soon learn that nipping gets her no love, but doing something civilised like sitting gets her a treat. If you are consistant, you'll find her nipping stop in no time. Make sure everyone in the family is always consistant with this routine or else it will not work.

If this doesn't work for you, have a trainer visit to meet her and for further advice. Puppies are a full-time job whether they nip or not, it will take commitment and follow-through. Good luck!

kelly0

At six months she no longer a puppy, she's a pup and at this stage she should not be getting away with biting the kids. It sounds like you've tried all that was suggested above so I think its time to be a lot firmer with her. Yelping etc when she nips is fine for some pups, other's enjoy it far to much to give it up.

If she wants your hand in her mouth, let her have it but make it uncomfortable for her. Present your hand to her and allow your fingers into her mouth. Using your nails, apply pressure to the upper pallet. Not enough to draw blood or anything, just an uncomfortable amount. Hold for about 10 seconds and release. Try to do it again, if she lets your hand into her mouth repeat the process. After two or three goes you'll find she will not want any part of you between her teeth. I've done this with my own dogs and taught my friends how to do it with their's with 100% success. Let me know how you get on.

tk123

kelly0 wrote: »

At six months she no longer a puppy, she's a pup and at this stage she should not be getting away with biting the kids. It sounds like you've tried all that was suggested above so I think its time to be a lot firmer with her. Yelping etc when she nips is fine for some pups, other's enjoy it far to much to give it up.

If she wants your hand in her mouth, let her have it but make it uncomfortable for her. Present your hand to her and allow your fingers into her mouth. Using your nails, apply pressure to the upper pallet. Not enough to draw blood or anything, just an uncomfortable amount. Hold for about 10 seconds and release. Try to do it again, if she lets your hand into her mouth repeat the process. After two or three goes you'll find she will not want any part of you between her teeth. I've done this with my own dogs and taught my friends how to do it with their's with 100% success. Let me know how you get on.

This seems a bit extreme to me tbh? What happens when the vet want's to examine her mouth/teeth - surely she'll associate discomfort with her mouth being handled?

Anyhoos OP retrievers are mouthy - my guy will hold your hand in his mouth when he's very excited and soak you with slime lol. What you need is another pup or dog around the same age - when she nips them they'll cry and she'll learn what's acceptable. Is there a park near you where owners meet or a doggy daycare you could take her to - she just needs some other dogs to learn from imo - this is what worked for my guy.

andreac

kelly0 wrote: »

At six months she no longer a puppy, she's a pup and at this stage she should not be getting away with biting the kids. It sounds like you've tried all that was suggested above so I think its time to be a lot firmer with her. Yelping etc when she nips is fine for some pups, other's enjoy it far to much to give it up.

If she wants your hand in her mouth, let her have it but make it uncomfortable for her. Present your hand to her and allow your fingers into her mouth. Using your nails, apply pressure to the upper pallet. Not enough to draw blood or anything, just an uncomfortable amount. Hold for about 10 seconds and release. Try to do it again, if she lets your hand into her mouth repeat the process. After two or three goes you'll find she will not want any part of you between her teeth. I've done this with my own dogs and taught my friends how to do it with their's with 100% success. Let me know how you get on.

Omg do not do this at all under any circumstances!!! That is cruel and unnecessary. At 6 months your dog is absolutely still a puppy and still learning. I suggest going to some basic obedience puppy classes and get expert advice, but do not do what kellyo said...

RubyGirl

OP, are ye feeding your dog from your hand. Is she associating hand's = food?

Richard571

RubyGirl wrote: »

OP, are ye feeding your dog from your hand. Is she associating hand's = food?

Hi, no she normally has dry food from her bowl - we ask her to sit before she gets it and she always does now. Only training treats by hand when we try and encourage good behaviour.

Richard571

andreac wrote: »

kelly0 wrote: »

At six months she no longer a puppy, she's a pup and at this stage she should not be getting away with biting the kids. It sounds like you've tried all that was suggested above so I think its time to be a lot firmer with her. Yelping etc when she nips is fine for some pups, other's enjoy it far to much to give it up.

If she wants your hand in her mouth, let her have it but make it uncomfortable for her. Present your hand to her and allow your fingers into her mouth. Using your nails, apply pressure to the upper pallet. Not enough to draw blood or anything, just an uncomfortable amount. Hold for about 10 seconds and release. Try to do it again, if she lets your hand into her mouth repeat the process. After two or three goes you'll find she will not want any part of you between her teeth. I've done this with my own dogs and taught my friends how to do it with their's with 100% success. Let me know how you get on.

Omg do not do this at all under any circumstances!!! That is cruel and unnecessary. At 6 months your dog is absolutely still a puppy and still learning. I suggest going to some basic obedience puppy classes and get expert advice, but do not do what kellyo said...

Thanks for advice - I would be reticent about doing this too. Have obedience classes booked for beginning of march and really hoping this helps as we really want this to work out as when she is good we have a lovely time!

_LilyRose_

Hi, I have a nine month old male golden retriever, and he went through a similar phase, although he was more obsessed with chewing everything he came into contact with! This will pass, because six months is definitely still a baby, but in the mean time make sure the whole family do the same thing when it happens- cry out as if in pain or make an angry noise, get up and walk off making sure to ignore your puppy until she is relaxed. And everytime she doesnt bite your hands make sure to do lots of positive reinforcement!