Guest Anonymous Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 We recently purchased a pure bred Golden and have had him home 4 days now. The pup is very mellow, but gets aggressive in some of his play (as expected). The problem we have is that our 2 yr old daughter doesn't understand that the pup is just playing. He nips at her and pulls her shoelaces & pant legs and she gets very upset. When she runs, he chases, as most dogs will, but I'm concerned that he might get her to where she is afraid of dogs altogether. Even though he's caught her a few times in the legs and hands, she still wants to pet him and give him treats, so I think she's ok, but I need to know how to stop the mouthing/biting ASAP. My wife is very afraid that our child will do something to cause the pup to bit her and cause a major problem. We are also working on crate training him and he's doing ok. He's up at 11pm, 3am and 5am to do his business. He does whine when he goes back into the crate at night, but he eventually goes down. Questions...can anyone tell me how long before the pup knows not to bite? Also, in crate training, should we always have the door closed at night? If he is out of the crate, he doesn't whine to go out to potty, when does that start? We give him "no" when we catch him in the act, and praise him enormously when he goes outside, but I'm just curious as to how long it takes for him to get it and "want" to go outside? I know this is a long posting, and I would appreciate any help. My wife is at wits end after only 4 days and doesn't know what to do with the dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullygirl29532 Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 okay if you just brought him home he should be at least 8wks old. right? please let me know in the next post how old he is. Don't let him bite or tug on her shoe laces and pants. period. everytime he nips or chases you must put your foot down with a firm NO. get yourself a water bottle and put some lemon juice concentret mixed with water. it has to be bitter or you can try hot sauce but some people think that is cruel and give him a squirt in his mouth when you catch him in the bad behavior. I have a daughter that will soon be 3 and i've found if you let the child help with the training of the dog, it will help to establish a rank with the dog on the low end of the totem pole. which is what you will want later in life. it's never to soon for a puppy to learn sit, which is the command we use so our human baby can help. as for crate training you might want to look at the crate as good place for a time out for the pup. when he gets all worked up and is running wild place him in the crate so he can calm down and relax. it's easy for a puppy to get over stimulated. which will lead to him not responding to commands. i only crate my dog when i'm not around so he can't get into unsupervised trouble. plus i've never owned a puppy, my dogs are older when i get them and usually come house broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullygirl29532 Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 another thing and i can't stress this enough. Don't allow the dog to believe that chasing and nipping ANYONE is acceptable behavior. just because the dog is a baby, or a golden, or a small dog or any reason you can come up with to make this OKAY. it isn't. because if you allow it today, before you know it you'll have an 80lb dog that won't listen and may really hurt someone, including you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 Thanks for your quick response(s). The pup is 7 weeks today. The breeder told us that she normally waits until 8 weeks before having them taken, but this group was very mature for their age. She felt that they were ready for family socialization. (Maybe not?) As for the nipping, the pup does the shoelace thing with myself and my wife as well. He doesn't want to take no for an answer. I know he's playing but we don't know how to make him stop. We do scold him and tell him NO firmly....I also will grab his mouth and tell him to "DROP" so that he releases. This sometimes works, but by daughter is too little for this. As for the squirt bottle, should I see an immediate reaction by the pup when he gets squirted? Will he yelp or shake his head or something. I just want to make sure the concentrate is enough and doesn't make him think he's getting a drink of lemonade. :) As for the crate thing. I've been reading that I shouldn't use the crate as a punishment. Does putting him in there when he's rambuncious count as punishment? We're working on making it a positive place by giving him treats & praise when he goes in there, I hate to make it a bad place for him. Also, when he's in there a yelps or whines, what's the best thing to do? Ignore it? Reprimand him? I hate to hear him whine and yelp, but I know if I respond by letting him out, we let him win. Thanks again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullygirl29532 Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 1) spray bottle: he should have the same reaction that you or I would have from a sour drink. 2) i don't use my crate often. my dog has full run of the house at night unless mommy and daddy are having a "moment" or marathon. i'm not saying you should use it a punishment. but before he does something to warrant being punished. a place all his own to relax away from what ever is getting him all wound up. 3) ask yourself how much time is he actually spending in the crate?remember 5 days ago he had his mother and siblings around all the time. in the only home he's ever known. now he's by himself, in a new place and he's scared. when he does get to interact he just gets so excited, i surprized he doesn't pee on the floor. are you using the crate just at night? you might want to switch to keeping him gated in the kitchen with some weewee pads laid down till he masters bladder control. Do you keep him in the crate while at work? there isn't anyset rules to raising a puppy just like with human children. you just have to try what works best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullygirl29532 Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 you have to give him Good outlets to work off all that puppy energy. maybe he needs more organized play time so that biting shoelaces isn't a game. how many toys does he have? or approved chews? like i said it's never to early to start teaching basic commands. most dogs find it to be great play time, plus they learn the behavior you want them too early on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosebud Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 :D First we need pictures! Just because we want them. What was successful for me and my RR's was to give them a very authoritive NO! whenever they were chewing on something they were not supposed to be chewing on regardless of what it was, next I would take it from them and replace it with something that was approved to chew on when they would take it I would praise them. If they nipped at me I would do the same thing. The puppy is going to chew on something pretty much for the rest of his life; you need to teach him what is approved to chew on. I agree with bullygirl on pretty much every point. A spray bottle is pretty much the best deterrent for nipping and mouthing at a child, and never let a child that young play with a dog unsupervised. I crate trained my RR's. If they were getting out of hand I would tell them to go to their crate, they would sleep in it at night and whenever I was out of the house. They accepted it as their den and a place for them to have quiet time, my RR's will head straight to the crate if I'm upset with them or if they just want to be left alone. :angel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 Thanks again for response. My wife is home with the puppy and my 2yo during the day. He is in the crate during the day only when he sleeps. He doesn't care to go in there to sleep, but we put him in there after he falls asleep and he doesn't care. When he wakes up, (or shortly after) we let him out and take him outside to do his business. He's actually getting pretty good about that. He only went pee in his crate once, and I think it's because I was outside and couldn't hear him wake up. As for toys and playing....we take him outside to play (and play inside as well) quite often. He tires out quickly and just sleeps a lot, but he has his moments where you can see that he's all wound up. We have squeaky toys, cloth chew toys, nylabones, some rawhides, balls, etc strewn around the house/yard, so I think he has toys, but sometimes he is more drawn to pulling our pant legs/shoelaces or sleeves. I'm going to try the spray with him on the biting. I know he is just playing, but it really scares my wife when she sees my 2yo getting scared. The other wildcard in this is that my 2yo doesn't like it when we reprimand the dog and say "NO BITE". When we yell for any reason, or even talk seriously (like when I try to get my 9yo to do her homework)she puts her little hand up at us and says "NO NO STOP". :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullygirl29532 Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 my daughter does the same thing. :lol: when i try to reprimand him for something, she yells stop mama and goes to comfort him with a 'good boy." of course he does the same thing if i tell her to go sit on the couch for a time out he takes his place right next to her and won't move till her 3 minutes are up. the really funny stuff comes when they both cram into his crate or when she kicks him out of it and he goes into her room and takes over her bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouseatthebusstop Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 a two year old child must never be left alone with the puppy- the spray bottle will work just as well with plain water the lemon juice could sting the puppies eyes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 I would not recommend letting a 2 year old spray the lemon water in the dogs mouth, because she could easily miss and hit his eyes. And as was mentioned before, you should never leave a small child unsupervised with a dog, even a puppy. Until she gets a little older, you will need to discipline him for his mouthing. He's teething, but he should never be allowed to set teeth to flesh, and he needs to learn that now. If thge lemon water doesnt work (goldens are very stubborn, I had one) an alternative is bitter apple, or simple black pepper. Put it on a spoon and wipe it on his tongue, with a loud and boisterous NO BITE!! and explain to your daughter that you are not mad at him, but this is the only way he can learn. You can teach her to say NO BITE once he has learned the command, and from that he will start to see her as alpha over him. It sounds harsh, but neither substance will hurt him and the extremely unpleasant taste will break him of nipping sooner that commands will. It also puts you in a position of control, as soon as he sees the spoon he will learn to back off. If you are uncomfortable with the bad taste solution, there is one other thing you can do which will stop him. Grab his ear with thumb on one side and fingers on the other and and clamp down with your nails just hard enough for him to feel it and know you are displeased. Again, say NO BITE. The clamping down on the ear is similar to what his mother would do (She would use teeth) and instinctively he will know he is wrong. You do have to pinch hard enough for him to try to pull his head away, so he knows you are displeaed, but not hard enough to really hurt him. Then make him sit, and rewqard him when he does (goldens want all the hugs and kisses they can get) . Good luck to you!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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