Rehoming puppy

[Hellin301]

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

I also think you should give him back. The biting goes on for weeks. I don't think you have properly done your research if you were not aware puppies bite. With one of mine we had to wear wellingtons for about two months. The dog needs to be trained not to bite hard. If you are not able to do this take the dog back. There is nothing wrong with the dog they are all like that

Retriever puppies are especially mouthy (because adult retrievers are mouthy dogs, not bitey but very big users of their mouths as a way of exploring the world). They are ‘soft mouthed’ dogs but in order to get to that point, they have to realise what is gentle and what isn’t. I have a lab and he was the same as a young ‘un. It is normal but can be shocking when you actually experience it. If you genuinely can’t cope, return him to the breeder. If you feel able to keep going, do some more reading, avoid anything “dominance theory” related, it was debunked a while ago. Look for ‘positive reinforcement’ methods. This is a normal puppy phase though and learning to manage it calmly and safely is important for all involved.

@gottakeeponmovin

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.

This is good advice

Thanks for the support guys.

Clearly got the puppy to abuse him, treat him like crap, didn’t research and am a terrible person. Great advice.

He wasn’t 7 weeks when I got him. Try reading the posts! He’s 9 weeks tomorrow.

Ok so imagine you are removed from your surroundings and given instructions in a Language that you don’t understand. Would you be able to do what is being asked of you? No!! Your puppy has the same problem- no matter how loud you shout or cross you get he does not understand you. He needs to be taught by being shown what to do and that there is a negative consequence for his behaviour. Only the. Will he start to understand the behaviour that you don’t want and stop doing it ( but bear in mind that this can take time). If you give him mixed signals then he will be confused and won’t do what you are wanting. He needs clear boundaries and consequences for crossing the line- be that removal behind a baby gate or you leaving the room or whatever else you decide, you need to do it consistently and so do all those who look after him. Having a puppy is hard work and I understand your feelings to some extent- I sat crying to DH after 2 wks with ours saying ‘what have we done?’ ‘Why did we think this was a good idea?!’

I’m sitting on my hands.

Yelping as a human isn’t great advice. It can excite some dogs and make them bite more. When they start biting, say nothing and put them in a quiet, safe time-out with a calming toy like a stuffed Kong or lickimat. Reward and praise for good behaviour, remove the opportunity for unwanted behaviours.

@Hellin301, people have been supportive and have offered helpful advice

You clearly haven’t done your research if you are quoting dominance and don’t know that puppies bite.
Get onto dog training advice and support on FB.
Sitting on the floor makes pup think you’ve come to play. Which puppies do with their teeth. So pup plays and you shout at it. Poor little pup.

If you've done your research you'll know that dominance in dogs is an outdated concept from the 1940s, so it's strange you're using it as a reason for this behaviour?

Puppies do mouth and bite. They learn bite inhibition from their littermates which is why it's important they stay with their littermates until 8-9 weeks of age.

The behaviour you describe is pretty normal - puppies chew everything and have needle sharp teeth which can easily pierce.

I'd usually suggest various constructive ways of addressing this but I think if you've had the pup for a week and already want to rehome then you should return him to the breeder. It sounds like you aren't cut out for dog ownership if you want to ditch him at the first problem.

You need to give him back now whilst he is still so young.

Puppies bite and continue to do so for months. If you can't cope with this then return him.

I have spent £87 on chew toys, so hardly as if I’m leaving him with nothing to play with or chew on.

The family members ARE members of the household that he was left with.

Yes, he is my first dog. I knew he would be like a crocodile but I didn’t know just how bad it would be. I didn’t realise he would draw blood quite so easily. I just wanted to know if I’m doing something wrong that is provoking him to bite like this. It’s not the same biting he does the rest of the day - it’s on another level when he gets like that.

Saying I make people sick is just horrible. I am spending every waking moment with him. Training him, being patient, cuddling him, and have bought him the best of stuff.

Jesus, you lot can be really cruel.

An eight week pup will bite, Pups bite. Its too young to be away from its Mum, 12 weeks is the right age. Why did you leave it with family, he’s confused an anxious.

A firm no and withdraw attention for a few minutes. No flapping about being dramatic, just a clear communication that biting isn't good. Don't encourage him to chew toys or play tug of war he needs to use his mouth to eat. If you don't know how to train a puppy you should educate yourself quickly!

OP, you've had loads of helpful advice from people, but you seem to have ignored all those posts, only to jump down everyone's throats.

Your opening post wasn't clear and it sounded like you'd got the dog at 7 weeks of age, which is bound to worry people.

Take on board what people are saying. It's hard but there are ways to make it easier.

I have a golden puppy and he draws blood sometimes and it hurts! Fortunately I know from past experience that they grow out of it and it isn't aggression - nor is the play growling. Sometimes mine side eyes me with a glint in his eye and I know he is going to pounce! I have had other breeds and they weren't as bad. Yours will get better - but that mad half hour is a horrible and all I really try to do is survive. It is awful when it happens as it feels malicious but it isn't - it's just a golden puppy being a golden puppy. I have a trainer coming soon as although I know it is "normal" I find it really hard to deal with and want some help to make it easier.

OP what you are describing is normal.

Puppies become even worse when they get tired and over stimulated so expect periods where they seem like the worst bitey fuckers ever.

Feeling regret at getting a puppy is normal. Feeling overwhelmed at how bitey they are is normal. But you need to realise that a 8-9 week old is not being dominant so you do need to get your information from reputable sources hence why I think a 1-1 trainer would be so useful here because it sounds like you don't have the right information and you do need that to move forward in training.

I have got helpful advice from a few people! Yes. And thank you to those people

There’s a lot of people telling me to take him back, I make them sick, I shouldn’t have any animal let alone a dog, and that I’m a terrible person. Really? How is that constructive to helping in this situation

I didn’t come on here to get flamed

I got my first puppy in June, he was over a year in the planning, so I was as prepared as I could be, but obviously you can only plan to expect certain things, experiencing them is completely different.

His biting was awful for the first three weeks, as it was summer we had sun tans, so even now you can see on our forearms and legs where he bit us. I one day made the mistake of laying on the sofa with my face near the edge, puppy teeth and human noses are not a good combination.

When he just to bite us I would put him in his puppy pen and completely ignore him, he was often over tired, so after a few minutes of running about he would be in his pen. We did have help with his biting, he bit our cat and she takes no shit, so she bit him back hard and clawed him. He never hassled the cat after that.

We have lots of chewy toys and we encourage him to use them, we found if we managed to get him to chew when he was calm, when he was excited he was less likely to bite.

He now rarely bites, but we are well aware he may get bitey again when he hits his teenage months.

We made sure we wore long thick socks and lobe sleeves in the house, so when he did bite generally it didn’t hurt as much/draw blood.

@Hellin301 if I remember correctly, my puppies were crocodiles first thing in the morning and for some reason around 7pm. whether it be overtired or just super excited to be up and awake I don't know, but perfectly normal and has happened with different breeds. have a big toy at hand ready to shove in his mouth rather than your body, and if he's going over the top just stop play for a bit while he calms down.

OP ignore a lot of these comments.

I understand that it can be hard. Our first dog was really mouthy with sharp teeth, and it was a real pain (pun intended😃) . Fast forward many years and she is a gentle darling.

I think it is ok for you to interact however you want, both humans and dogs are resilient. But what can catch you unaware is how much they intuit about how you are actually feeling, things you may not even be consciously aware of.

They totally get love and boundaries. And will be less likely to be insecure and hyper if these are consistent and clear. If you feel fear because of sharp teeth, they will intuit that too and feel worried that there is something to fear and that no one is in charge. So just remember that humans can cause damage too, but we don’t fear our children when they tantrum. Same for dogs, they are just learning their place in their family and want to feel secure and loved.

OP I would contact a trainer in rl to help settle your puppy in. A 1-2-1 on zoom or face to face will help you so much.

They can give you a plan that fits into your livestyle and see the situation in rl.

It is normal behaviour but as a first time dog owner a bit of a shock to deal with - get some support. IMDT or APDT will be good trainers who can help you. The money will be worth it and save you a lot of heartache.

You will find a lot of "experts" in the doghouse but a rl trainer will give you better advice

Puppies bite and rough and tumble with siblings.

We yelped and put him in his crate -every single time. A good 20 minutes of being ignored EVERY single time and a massive yelp.

Puppy 2 -we already had adult dog and there was no biting as the older dog pinned him down not hard but enough to show him biting wasn't on. He never bit anyone as a result.

Op, getting a puppy is hard. You can buy all the books and toys and read all the websites and advice, and then you get the puppy home and it’s awful!

Nothing works, the puppy doesn’t act like the books told you, you have the defective, aggressive puppy.

Completely normal. They bite and it’s way harder and scarier than you think. They growl which you think means aggression. Really it’s just over excitement and play.

When he does it, feel free to make a loud noise ‘no’ ‘ah’ etc which you probably will instinctively anyway.
Then give the puppy a toy and see if he will play with you with that. If not, just walk away.
Wait for puppy to get distracted or calm down and come back.

Make a routine for the day, with wake up times, toilet time, play time, walks etc and then add in scheduled naps.
An overtired puppy is a monster.

You are not alone. There are hundreds of threads exactly like this. It does get better.
You are panicking because you have just committed to years of this furry monster. He will calm down. I promise. You can do this.

@Loveyourideas - thank you.

As long as I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary. That half an hour of madness is just that. And it’s that half an hour that I really struggle with. He’s manic, and yes I think it’s probably over tiredness or over excitement. I’ll work harder on withdrawing attention for a few minutes and see how that goes over the next number of weeks/ months.