[xcrystalxtx]

I have a 4 month golden retriever who we had for 1 month now, he has a biting problem, he bites us and when we try to get him off us he just gets more aggressive and just keeps biting harder. Just today I was outside and he (my puppy) was having a good time when all of a sudden he struck me and bite me on my hand, stomach, and theigh all of which bled.. but when I sayed no or when I told him to stop and game him a little shove he just kept biting and would not stop until someone came and took him off me.

Also.. my puppy des not like to eat out of his bowl, he prefers to eat out of my hand and when I'm not sure if he eats if I'm not there.. what should I do?

[lilfyre]

Well, I do not know if this is your first puppy, but the first mistake we all make is playing with our puppy with our hands. You should only play with a toy. If the puppy begins to nip at fingers, you should instantaneously stop playing and correct the puppy. Come up with one thing and one thing only as a cue that he or she is doing wrong, it could be a word such as NO, or a noise, I use a short fast PSTTT, and our dog stops in it track, but only use one command, I started our dog with a tin can with a few rocks in it, I would say PSTTT and shake is really fast, this would break her attention on what ever she was doing wrong.

Below I have listed an article that came from Pet Education.com


Q How can I stop my puppy from nipping and biting?


A puppy likes biting and chewing on almost anything that enters her world. Just as with jumping, biting between littermates is their style of play. Biting also teaches them how to use their main hunting tool, their mouth with all those teeth. Unfortunately, this often carries over into their interactions with the members of their new home. All the people, including the children, are brought into the game. Puppies have very sharp teeth, and a bite or nip can hurt and be terrifying to small children. There are several methods that are used to eliminate this behavior.
Startle response and redirection

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., an animal behaviorist and adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin, suggests a method which startles the biting puppy. Just as the puppy bites down, make a sudden, abrupt, high-pitched and loud 'AWRP' sound. This would be the same sound that a littermate would make if bitten by the puppy. The sound should be so sudden and sharp that the puppy is immediately startled and stops the behavior. If done correctly, you will be surprised at how instantly the pup removes his mouth and looks bewildered. At that point, quickly substitute a toy, such as a ball, the puppy can chew on. This redirects the puppy's biting behavior to the ball. This way the puppy learns it is no fun at all biting you, but chewing on the toy is. You may need to do this multiple times if the puppy gets excited in play. If the 'AWRPs' make the puppy more excited, try another approach.

Stop the action

Dr. McConnell also suggests that, in some cases, just immediately (and dramatically) leave the room when the puppy bites. This is certainly a method children can use. After multiple times, the puppy will learn that every time she bites she loses her playmate, and that is no fun at all.

Important prevention measures!

No matter what method you use, do not entice the puppy to bite you. Games like tug-of-war and waving your hands in front of the puppy instead of using toys may encourage the puppy to bite.

I do hope this was in some way helpful to you. (O:

[faith25]

Hi there,

Personally I think all pups bite (nip)and there's nothing you can do other than repeating yourself and showing them what to do instead of bite (such as putting their toy in their mouth. Consistency is the key. Your pup will learn:) Commands are important too... try using "OFF" or "DOWN" or "No Bitting" or simply just "NO"

You can also take hold of him and put him on his back and hold him down, and let him know you're the boss. This technique prevents dominance.

Regarding your puppy not eating out of a bowl... He seems like a typical spoiled puppy, and I am guilty of the same thing;)

Try adding a little bit of water to the food,
If your puppy drinks, plays, poops, pees, and sleeps, he's a healthy pup... If he's hungry he will find his food in his dish.

Hope this helps.
Faith