4 1/2 month old puppy won't stop biting

[loveyourbrother221]

I have a 4 1/2 month old (golden retriever) puppy, who won't stop biting when he doesn't get what he wants. We got him at 8 weeks old, from a reputable breeder, who is certified by the AKC (American Kennel Club). When he decides he's done playing or training, he jumps on the couch, and when I tell him to get off, he growls, barks, and snaps at me. I have tried enticing him with a treat and saying "off!" in a stern voice, but he doesn't obey, which is odd because he will do basically anything else for a treat. I can't ignore it, because then he will learn it's OK to be on the couch. He sometimes does the same thing when I try to put his leash on. I yelp like a puppy to show him it hurts, but he doesn't seem to care. When I yelp when we're playing, and he accidentally bites me, he stops immediately and makes sure I'm OK though.

I have tried picking him up, holding him to show dominance, and carrying him to another room. He calms down while I'm holding him, but goes right back to biting as soon as I put him down. I've tried gently pulling him by his collar, which gets him down, but he tries to bite me the whole time. I even tried firmly grabbing him by his scruff, (which I hated doing and regret) but that just made him madder. I have been trying putting him in his kennel for a timeout, but I don't want him to associate his kennel with a punishment.

He doesn't do this behavior with my wife, or try to bite her. She has had a more dominance oriented training method than me (she firmly grabs his scruff when he jumps on the couch, or bites her) and he has learned not to do these things when she's around. But when it's just me and him, he doesn't want to listen. I am looking for ANY suggestions that can help me stop this biting behavior! I am at my whits end, and don't know what else to do. I know he's teething, and that is making him irritable. But I'm worried that if I don't stop this behavior soon, it's going to become a permanent thing. I just don't want him to bite someone else, especially someone we don't know, later on. Because I know what will happen then.

 

[lilymaid]

@loveyourbrother221

We got him at 8 weeks old, from a reputable breeder, who is certified by the AKC (American Kennel Club).

Be careful with this. AKC certification or registration doesn't necessarily mean reputable or ethical.

holding him to show dominance

I even tried firmly grabbing him by his scruff

She has had a more dominance oriented training method than me (she firmly grabs his scruff when he jumps on the couch, or bites her) and he has learned not to do these things when she's around.

Take a moment to read our resources on dominance. It's not something that you need to be concerned about because the Alpha theory is a myth that has long been debunked. Dogs don't respond to humans trying to "assert dominance" for the reason that people think they do. If your dog is behaving around your wife because she uses more aggressive methods, it's because he's legitimately afraid that if he exhibits certain behaviors around her, she's going to hurt or frighten him. It's not a good way to learn or develop a bond with your dog.

In fact, there's a lot of research that correlates punishments/aversives with aggressive behaviors.

he doesn't want to listen.

I yelp like a puppy to show him it hurts, but he doesn't seem to care.

He's a puppy. A baby. He's no different than a human child. Frankly, puppies bite. They may be teething and therefore in pain/discomfort, but puppies explore the world through their mouths. If your puppy wants to chew on something, give him something to chew. Getting frustrated or upset that he's biting doesn't change the fact that he has a biological need that requires addressing. You will likely need to work on consistent redirection for months before he stops.

Here are some resources that might help you with the biting. The yelping technique is falling out of favor because it sometimes riles up pups. Really, though, I think you might need to revisit your expectations. Head over to r/puppy101 for other tips and tricks, and to hear the stories of other puppy owners.

When he decides he's done playing or training, he jumps on the couch, and when I tell him to get off, he growls, barks, and snaps at me

Again, expectations. If you don't want your pup on the couch, you must provide a better alternative. It's not so wrong or inconceivable that the pup wants to rest somewhere comfortable. You can work on "place" training. Getting off the couch shouldn't be a punishment for the dog--you should offer something better in exchange. Incentivize him to get off the couch. Make him want to get off the couch. Make it a game.

I highly recommend that you look for a force-free trainer to help you. They can observe and provide feedback about what you can do differently to get the behaviors you want out of your pup.

 

[loveyourbrother221]

@lilymaid I know the dominance theory is iffy. Some sources say it works, other say it doesn't. I don't like the grabbing his scruff technique. Like I said, I regret doing it. I noticed he slightly regressed with his touch exercises after (touch ear - give treat, touch neck - give treat, etc), but we're working on it.
I didn't think of making a game out of getting him off the couch. I will have to try to do that. Maybe use one of his toys.
Thanks for the advice, and I will have to read some of those articles.

 

[grace93]

@loveyourbrother221 You've seen first hand the failure of dominance based methods.

I think the other commenter did a great job giving you some ideas, but I just want to reiterate the idea of alternatives. Think less about saying "no" and more about saying "yes." Show them what you want. I'm still using "enough," occasionally, but mostly I try and find something else.

If you're getting chewed on, give a chew toy. When the mouth makes contact, that's a "yes!" They like good things, and that's innately good. Meaning they already want to do it, so it's somewhat easy to reinforce with praise. They will still chew on you, but a hundred more of those redirections and you'll be almost done haha.

Dogs bite. It's in their nature. That said, bite inhibition is a good phrase to search. Another sort of game to play. You tell them when and where to bite, and it can help with how hard, as well. Their mouths and noses are like our fingers and hands after all.

It's all tough because one of the things they want is your attention, so even when we get annoyed at them for certain behaviors, they are still getting it. Ignore things you can that you don't like, but remember to praise things they do on their own that you do like. For example, if they look at you on a walk. That's good! Praise em! If they go to their bed on their own. Praise em! This is called capturing, I believe. It's a way to to train without having a whole session, and it can help the process.

It gets easier as they start to understand what you like in genera. They'll try and guess almost haha. So keep an eye out and "capture" those moments with treats and/or praise.

 

[tabler]

@loveyourbrother221 we gave ours ice cubs to gnaw on a lot when he was that age. little messy but it seemed to help.

that and pretending "ouch" like it hurt and as an adult (now senior) dog he's still super gentle with his mouth.

but it's a teething puppy. you guys are both treating it like dominance exists. you should be more gearing toward your dog wanting to listen to you. it's a golden retriever. not a shepherd tied to a stake to guard the trailer. do you want your dog to be scared of you or obedient. because there's a huge difference and scared means aggressive.

 

[loveyourbrother221]

@tabler We give him ice cubes too, and he loves them.

We use treats all the time for his training, but like I said, it doesn't seem to work with him jumping on the couch. I understand that he's teething, and that is a painful process. I don't like grabbing him by his scruff, and I hate that I did that. Someone else mentioned making a game out of getting off the couch, so I will try that.

 

[psychohare0]

@tabler The ouch thing doesn’t work for me. She just bites more and thinks it’s a game

 

[tabler]

@psychohare0 you gotta sell it.

say ouch and walk away. no more playing. it hurt you. make it feel bad about that by teaching it empathy and consequences. your dog should be craving your attention. but sometimes that means just outright silent treatment for a bit when it does something bad.

but never scare a dog. scared dogs are dangerous dogs.