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The doghouse

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Original poster

Rehoming puppy

219 replies

Hellin301 · 13/12/2020 17:45

Please help me.

My puppy is 8 weeks (golden retriever) and I’ve came home today after family were minding him. He was calm enough with them but perhaps overly tired. I was just sitting on the floor beside him - not playing. He came running over and bit the side of my chest; hard. I was in a lot of pain and shouted at him to leave. I wouldn’t have shouted at him if it wasn’t really bloody painful. He wouldn’t listen, I then went to stand up and he grabbed my arm. Again, biting very hard. Harder than he has done before.

I’m covered in bites, which are actually bleeding. I have been working on telling him to leave which he can do, with shoes and clothes but for some reason if he gets a hold of an arm, foot, hand or another body part he will bite very hard and refuses to listen when I tell him to leave.

Someone please help me as that biting is beyond what should be tolerated. I can’t have a puppy that is actively and in my opinion aggressively chewing me to bits. I wouldn’t be so worried if I thought it was play but I actually thought it was aggression as he was growling so loudly.

If this is going to continue to happen I think I need to hold my hands up and say I’m not the right owner for him which will break my heart

OP posts:

gottakeeponmovin · 13/12/2020 17:48

Puppy's bite - you need to teach the puppy to mouth and not bite hard. The puppy's mother usually does this but when they are taken away it's your responsibility. You need to Yelp loudly and then ignore the puppy or put it in its crate. They also need chew toys to teeth on. I have had lots of dogs big and small they all bite as puppies. They don't as adults. If you can't cope with it don't get another fog because it will do the same again.

Original poster

Hellin301 · 13/12/2020 17:52

He has chew toys. So many. I am trying to replace my fingers with toys when he is mouthing.

I feel like I’m doing everything right. I don’t need advice on not getting another dog, I need advice on how to deal with this one

OP posts:

puppygalore · 13/12/2020 17:52

I've found keeping to a strict nap schedule helped eliminate lots of unwanted biting. Have you thought about trying that if you don't already? We found after 1 hour awake she was ready for a sleep. If we pushed her beyond and kept on over stimulating her she'd get very rough. I had bruises and scabs all up my arms and legs. She's 5 months now and will go to about 1.5 hours awake, but sometimes overtired nipping creeps in if Ive taken my eye off the clock, but nothing like she used to be. We also redirected her to chewing on appropriate toys, and I allowed her to mouth on my hands when she was first awake from naps as she was much more gentle then. She doesn't do this now, in fact when she wakes up now she actually gets a toy first then comes over to fuss around me so if you are consistent it will click.

PenelopePiper · 13/12/2020 17:53

He's only 8 weeks old? And you left him with other family members?

He seems very, very young.

And YY to PP that says the mum teaches the puppy not to bite. That's your job now.

8 weeks seems incredibly young for you to have brought him home, and decided you want to rehome him already....! When did you get him?

Santaisironingwrappingpaper · 13/12/2020 17:54

Did you not realise your dpuppy came with teeth?

puppygalore · 13/12/2020 17:55

Btw I don't mean to sound smug, we don't have a perfect pup by any means, and I'm not saying you're not consistent already. It took us weeks of keeping to the same pattern of naps, toys and mouthing. It was awful when it was bad but it's so much better now.

The other thing that helped was as she got bigger, she found chewing yak bars and pizzle sticks so much more interesting than my hands.

BiteyShark · 13/12/2020 17:55

Puppies mouth and this can be for weeks. They have needle like teeth so they are sharp and hurt.

Look on the puppy survival threads to give you an idea of what the puppy months are like.

Shouting won't help. Saying he won't listen is not really the right approach. He won't listen because he is 8 weeks old. You need to minimise the behaviour like redirection or stopping play when they are over tired or over stimulated e.g. remove yourself (baby gates are good for this).

I recommend a 1-1 trainer to give you the tools you need.

SimonJT · 13/12/2020 17:57

Puppies bite and they often bite hard, we got ours in June, he still occasionally bites, usually when he is over stimulated.

What have you tried so far? I don’t want to say we did x y z if its things you have already had a go at.

edin16 · 13/12/2020 17:57

It seems like you haven't read up on having a puppy at all. You need to do this ASAP and get to some puppy classes. If you're not willing to put in the work then I think you should rehome it soon before you have an untrained adult dog that won't be adopted.
Biting will not be the only issue you have while raising it and if you're not willing to put in the work then you shouldn't keep it.

Original poster

Hellin301 · 13/12/2020 17:57

The family members aren’t the issue. He has been doing this all week since we got him home. I’m not sure if it’s a dominance thing?

The nap schedule might help. I do think he’s more prone to doing it when he’s tired

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 13/12/2020 17:58

@Hellin301

The family members aren’t the issue. He has been doing this all week since we got him home. I’m not sure if it’s a dominance thing?

The nap schedule might help. I do think he’s more prone to doing it when he’s tired

Sorry OP but if you are taking about dominance then I really think you need to get in a professional 1-1 trainer to teach you that it's just normal puppy behaviour.

Original poster

Hellin301 · 13/12/2020 17:59

Also; I have done my homework. ALOT of it. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to bring him into my life. I am prepared to put work in and have been doing everything I can regarding training and treats. I’ve bought him so many chew toys. I knew his teeth were sharp but he is grabbing bits of skin and pulling like mad, shaking his head from side to side and growling while doing it.

OP posts:

Flowersandtea · 13/12/2020 18:00

I think at 8 weeks you should return him to his breeder now. You’ve not given him a chance but luckily enough he is young enough to be very successfully rehomed he isn’t aggressive just a puppy and this is what they do! It would be fairer for him and better for you too.

Floralnomad · 13/12/2020 18:01

Puppies bite and you shouting ( and likely waving your limbs about) will only make him more excited and more likely to carry on as to him it’s a game . I do wonder if you are actually cut out for puppy ownership as biting is perfectly normal and it’s not normal to leave a pup that you can only have had for a matter of days with other people even family - unless I’ve misunderstood and they live with you . Goldies are large powerful dogs that can retain puppy behaviour for a fairly long time so it may be better to send this pup back to its breeder .

vanillandhoney · 13/12/2020 18:01

It's nothing to do with dominance and everything to do with your puppy behaving like a puppy.

Puppies bite and it can last for months. Yes, it hurts and it's unpleasant but that's part of puppy ownership. Mine bit and mouthed until all his adult teeth were in when he was about seven months old.

Please don't shout at your puppy though. I know it hurts and it's frustrating but it really won't help and will likely just wind him up even more.

FestiveChristmasLights · 13/12/2020 18:02

Where did he come from? Eight weeks (and you’ve had him for a week!) seems very young for a reputable breeder to have sold him.

vanillandhoney · 13/12/2020 18:02

@Hellin301

That's normal.

You say he's eight weeks - how long have you had him?

Roselilly36 · 13/12/2020 18:05

Doesn’t sound typical of a GR’s nature IMHO, have you sought help from a behaviourist? Please don’t just give up or rehome. Owning a pet is such a huge responsibility. It can be tough as I know from experience. But every pet we have owned has had a home for life. Wishing you good luck for the future.

nextdoorshush · 13/12/2020 18:06

at what age did you get him? if he's 8 weeks he should only just be leaving his litter now.

he will bite you/everything for maybe the next 3-6 months (and then its almost more difficult through the teenage phase) so if you aren't prepared for the intensity of puppy training, send him back to his breeder ASAP so he can be rehomed whilst he is still trainable.

Derbee · 13/12/2020 18:13

Your puppy is 8 weeks old, and you’ve already had him for a week. Therefore you bought irresponsibly and illegally.

You sound totally ignorant about looking after a puppy. And you sound like you’re not cut out for a pet, never mind a dog, if you’re considering Rehoming after a week.

So yes. Rehome. And NEVER consider a pet again.

People like you boil my piss, as they say.

AuntyPasta · 13/12/2020 18:16

’I wouldn’t have shouted at him if it wasn’t really bloody painful. He wouldn’t listen’

He does not understand what you’re asking him to do/not do.

It’s nothing to do with dominance.

He’s a baby in canine terms. He’s not being deliberately ‘bad’ or trying to hurt you. He doesn’t know how to interact with you yet. He doesn’t understand the words you’re saying. He needs patience and understanding and easing into a routine. You need to show him the behaviour you want by redirecting his teeth to toys, understanding when he’s overtired or overstimulated and calmly repeating the positive reinforcement every time he does what you want.

Having a puppy is exhausting. They’re very demanding of your time and attention. They’re bitey and messy and you’ll spend hours in the freezing cold in a dressing gown desperately trying to get them to wee only for them to pee on the floor as soon as they go back inside. If you feel you don’t have the time and patience needed to deal with him then please look into rehoming him sooner rather than later. It would be easier on the dog to do it now when he’s still so young.

throughmylens · 13/12/2020 18:16

Our golden retriever is 9 months old and he was exactly like your puppy for the first few months. Golden puppies are nicknamed land sharks for a reason what you described is a normal puppy behavior. I didn't enjoy the puppy stage (cried many times ), but it does get better. There are tons of YouTube videos that address this issue. Look up Zak George.
Goldens are very mouthy puppies, but it will get better. If he keeps biting you and replacing your hands with chew toys doesn't work, remove yourself from the situation. We have a baby gate and when he got very bitey we would leave and come back after a few minutes. You have to prepare yourself though that this will not stop overnight, he is still a very tiny puppy and has a lot to l was learn.

Wolfiefan · 13/12/2020 18:19

You’ve had the 8 week old puppy for a week?
It’s not dominant (that’s bollocks by the way.) it’s tired and teething and likely overwhelmed.
Have a look at dog training advice and support on FB.

petrocellihouse · 13/12/2020 18:23

Have you owned a dog before OP?

Original poster

Hellin301 · 13/12/2020 18:25

I haven’t shouted at him before - this is a first. I just wanted him to stop biting. People are acting like I’ve hit him or done some act of cruelty.

There’s nothing I can do about the age of him. He’ll be 9 weeks tomorrow

OP posts:

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