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6-month old Golden Retriever/Labrador mix bites me most of the time. She’s usually nice when it’s playtime or feeding time (if she’s overstimulated accidents may or may not happen). But in downtimes she just comes at me. I could be sitting quietly not bothering her and she could be lying down 1 second and the next she’s suddenly biting my arm. It doesn’t often happen to other family members. Is it because she wasn’t taught bite inhibition properly because family members don’t want to leave the room or do it nicely? Is it because they react aggressively when she bites them (i.e. they used to pinch her and step on her paw. now it’s mostly just pinning her down to the floor)?
I’m honestly tired. They think they’re doing it right, but I don’t think it’s working. But since she’s not biting them as much they think of it as working.
I’m literally the only one playing and exercising her and I think that factors in a lot. They just leave her and aside from feeding her in the morning, they really don’t do anything else.
I got a response from another site a few months back and they said I had a people problem, not a puppy problem. Is there anything I can do though? Is it something that’s wrong with me?? I don’t know anymore please help :(((((((((((
Hello, a couple months ago my home became a multi-dog household, with the newest addition being a now 10 month old GS/lab mix, and our resident dog, a 3 year old beagle/rottie mix, both males. They are both very well behaved and have never fought. However, they were not socialized properly as puppies—or at least we did not adequately socialize our beagle mix when he was a puppy, and GS mix was already 6 months old when we got him and we don’t know if or how his previous owners socialized him.
The results of their poor socialization: resident dog does not seem to recognize playful behavior from new dog and thus becomes uncomfortable, clearly cares for new dog (acts to protect new dog if anyone is playing rough with him) but won’t play with new dog, and seems to sometimes even avoid new dog.
New dog is a little better with socialization, but his main fault is that it seems he doesn’t know how to recognize resident dog’s “corrections” to him and to back off (even if most of the time he simply wants to play with resident dog), and he also has some bullying tendencies, some intentional and others not (wants to play with whoever resident dog is playing with, sometimes bugs resident dog to move if new dog wants to lay down in that spot, etc; though never has shown any physical aggression).
Resident dog is, personally, my dog, and I love him dearly, though I love new dog too, and would love to see them bond and play together, only I don’t know the best course of action to achieve that.
I would greatly appreciate any help with ideas on how to adjust these behaviors of theirs, as well as weigh in on the idea of setting up a doggie-play-date with a friend (with a stable and model dog, of course) so that maybe visitor dog can teach them how they should behave.
Hello,
Is everyone spayed or neutered? Have you seen your vet about any of this? Can you reach out to a local trainer for help? I would start with these and remember exercise and training are super important for all cases of behavioral problems. I hope this helps. Please keep us posted
Hello! I have a puppy named Chico, he’s a Japanese Spitz. He’s only 4 months old and he’s a really healthy dog. He eats a lot, he drinks a lot. However since 2 days ago, he hasn’t eaten anything. He doesn’t want to eat anything, he drinks water though. But he really doesn’t want to eat. Whenever we gave him food, after a few hours, he’ll vomit that food that he ate. We think it’s dehydration, but just like what, I’ve said awhile ago, he likes to drink a lot of water so I don’t think that he’s dehydrated. Since 2 days ago, he has lost around 4 pounds I think. We’ve tried giving him electrolyte like Gatorade, we’ve also given him metoclopramide, and dextrose also. But he always vomits his medicine after a few hours also. What should I do? Please help me, he’s really gloomy.
Hello,
Based on your puppies age I have to urge you to go to the vet immediately. Any illness or disease in a puppy this young can be and should be regarded as an emergency. I worry about parvo, parasites and a slew of other things that can be dangerous and even deadly if not addressed quickly. Dehydration kills puppies. Quick. Please see a vet immediately.
I have a 9 week old German Shephard puppy that is itching and scratching. Apparently all if them from the litter are. Ive washed him in oatmeal bath for puppies and someone suggested they were allergic to the food (blue buffalo puppy, chicken formula). Ive started to change his food, but I dont know what it could be!??
I have 2 other dogs and they don’t do this.
I would get to the vet right away, for many reasons? First and foremost, to have the puppy thoroughly checked over… this could be parasites, which are possibly contagious to your other dogs. It could also be a reaction which also needs to be treated. 9 weeks is young to be away from mom, in my opinion. Please bring your puppy to the vet right away for a thorough exam and puppy visit.
They were at the vet at 8 weeks, for their shots. They didn’t have any concerns for them being away from the Mom. She stopped nursing, seemed early to me…. where would they have gotten a parasite? The mother father are fine.
You just brought puppy home? You need to get him to YOUR vet for a wellness visit, within the first week of bringing puppy home. 8 weeks is the legal minimum for puppies to leave littermates in Maryland. If this is the beginning of mange, demodex is on every dog – it will cause rashes and skin irritations in dogs with suppressed immune systems. Seriously, get your puppy to your vet and bring this up with them. 🙂
As for the food, I would throw out Blue Buffalo entirely. There have been issues recently with lead poisoning, and in the past with melamine. I would also ask the vet about food options.
I am not a fan of blue buffalo either. I would be worried about fleas, scabies and infection. Allergies are unlikely at this age. See your vet.
16 week Golden Retriever puppy can go all night in her kennel and it is dry but during the day she pees every time I go out. I had a towel in there and I thought maybe she did it because the towel absorbed the dampness. Today I left her for 3 hours with no towel and she wet the kennel. She is still in a small kennel.Any ideas?
I agree with Dr. M – she needs to be TIRED when she goes in. Also make sure she’s empty before you put her in…and maybe get her checked for a UTI. My bitch puppy peed in the crate only once, and it was due to a UTI.
Hello,
I often wonder if these guys get bored and subsequently over excited and therefore pee in her crate. Is she going to her crate in the morning after a LOT of exercise and play and therefore tired? Have you hought about leaving a way to record what she does after you leave? Maybe that will provide the clues you need?
I just got an 8 week old puppy. I just picked him up today and took him to meet my other dogs he started acting aggressive he started growling and snapping at them. How do but an end to this aggressive behaviour before it turns into a problem?
Hello-
You’ll need to take a step back and introduce them more slowly. You may want to enlist the help of a good trainer/behaviorist. Your vet may be able to help you find a reputable one. In the mean time, I would keep the dogs separated when you cannot be there to watch them and try to slowly introduce them under supervision a little at a time. Crates in different rooms may be a helpful idea. Good luck.
I agree with Sarah.
Most likely this is fear, not aggression. He’s been taken from the only home he knows and thrown into a household with strange dogs…anyone, human or animal, would be overstressed. Introductions need to be slow and gradual, with protection of every dog in the situation as your main priority. You really, really need to contact a good trainer who can work with you AND your dogs.
When should a puppy transition from puppy food to adult dog food
This is breed-dependent. Larger breed dogs shouldn’t be on puppy food at all – they should be on All Life Stages. I would ask your vet and your breeder, if you bought from a breeder.
As a general rule I say to start transitioning at about a year old. You should spend about a month gradually transitioning.
Hi so I have a puppy staffy, But not to sure if he is a cross? Can someone help please!! If he is what is he crossed with?
If you got him from a rescue, I’d guarantee he’s a mutt of some kind. I know in the US we have DNA tests which can be somewhat accurate (but aren’t always). I’d see if your local pet shops carry something like this.
I have a 9 month old cavalier king Charles puppy. He has just started drooling a lot (enough to leave a big, very wet spot) when is is laying around or sleeping. He hasn’t done this up to now. What can cause this? Is it normal? Should he be seen by the vet?
Hello,
Drooling can be caused by many things; nausea, eating something that is caustic, or tastes bad (be careful with plants, house cleaners, etc), something stuck in the mouth, and even be a sign of impending disease or even something like a seizure. I cannot tell you which, if any, this might be, but if you are concerned, it is worsening, or persisting, it is always better to be safe than sorry and see your vet.
Potty training is fairl6 straight forward, so long as you put in the effort. Don’t allow time for accidents- in other words, puppy is with you and supervised at all possible times during training. When you see puppy posture to “go” then swiftly take puppy outside and then praise them they will learn quickly.
I like umbilical training – puppy is leashed TO a person when supervised and crated when not supervised. Go out every 20 minutes, at first. As puppy ages you can slowly increase the time between visits outside. This is a pain in the butt, so be prepared – puppies are a full time job for the first year, and the majority of that time is spent doing potty runs outside.
If possible get a pup from a breeder who used the misty method. I’ve used it for all my litters and my boy has been fully house trained since 6 weeks old. It makes life a lot easier.
You do have a “people problem”, but that “people problem” has now caused a dog problem. It sounds like the pup is bored and wanting to play, but hasn’t been taught the social niceties of the “human world”. Retrievers are very mouthy in general because that’s what they’re bred for; picking up and carrying things. But there are actually several things you can do to help.
First things first: If she comes at you and bites down on your arm, yell out, “Ow!”, in a loud and high pitched voice. As hard as it might be to do, try not to pull your arm back as this may trigger the tugging instinct. Even at six months old, she can be taught bite inhibition. It’s not too late!! Yelling out in a high pitched, loud voice may startle her into letting go. After all, her goal is not to hurt you, but to play and get some attention. Think of puppies when they play. When one yells in pain, the other usually lets go. That’s our goal here. If she does let go, offer her a toy that the two of you can interact with: a rope for tug, a squeaker for catching, a ball for chasing. Make sure, when you are with her, you have a toy that she likes with you at all times. Because once she lets go, you want to say, “Good girl!” and give her the toy immediately and then a bit of affection for doing the right thing. Most retrievers have high drives and love a game of fetch.
If the yelling doesn’t work, you can yell “Aaaanntt” and push your arm firmly into her mouth. This losens her grib by widening her jaws and most dogs don’t like how it feels. As soon as she releases you, say “Good girl” and offer the toy and your time.
If neither of the above works, you may have to try a bit of nose pressure. When she bites down yell “Ow!” and then place your hand (thumb on one side and index finger on the other) over her nose so that the meaty part between your thumb and finger are applying pressure to the top of her nose. You want to place it about a quarter of the way down her nose. Then squeeze your index finger and thumb together as if you’re trying to make them touch through her nose. You’ll have to supply a decent amount of pressure for this to work, but you don’t r ally want to harm her. The top of a dog’s nose is VERY sensitive and a. Other dog will bite a pup here with some force, when the pup has gotten out of hand. You want to mimick a mother’s technique, sans the teeth. Once she releases you,give her the toy and affection. She may yell when you do this, but I promise you are only causing a bit of discomfort and no large amount of pain.
Lastly, if all else fails you’ll have to become a bit more aggressive in your tactics. -sigh- Ehen she bites you, place your thumb behind her upper canine by the same means as applying pressure to the top of the nose, but apply no pressure. Instead, run your thumb down to her upper lip and push it into her mouth a bit. This will cause her to bite down on her own lip (we all nonhow horrible this feels!) and in most cases, she’ll let go of you almost immediately. Give you, “Good girl” and affection immediately. And bonus, she’ll get to experience her own bite strength, which promotes bite inhibition.
I wish you two a lot of luck. If you have any questions about technique, I’d be happy to send you videos. I’m a Canine Behaviorist and have worked with dogs for over 30 years. Just email me at: tishtish1975@yahoo.com