Help with new puppy

My 17yr old son got a black lab puppy and we have had constant issues with him biting. He was 7 weeks when we got him and is now about 4 months. At first we thought he was just a puppy but it hasn’t gotten any better and it isn’t him going for a toy in your hand and missing. We will pet him and he lets you do that but he then try to bite us. He has drawn blood several times from all 5 of us and it’s getting out of control. He will even get aggressive sometimes with barking and showing teeth just by someone sitting down next to him on the couch. I have had 2 dogs in the past and neither would bite. We know 2 other people that got pups from this litter and theirs don’t bite. The vet recommended a puppy training class but any other help would be appreciated.

Yikes. That is getting out of hand. Hopefully there is a solution to this. If he bites someone outside the family, you are going to have a legal issue on your hands.

Obviously its not uncommon for a puppy to bite things while teething and losing their puppy teeth. But it sounds like this dog is doing it out of aggression. A professional trainer may be the route to go. I’d follow the vet’s advice and look into that.

gimruis wrote:

If he bites someone outside the family, you are going to have a legal issue on your hands.

That’s the problem. My wife is a daycare provider and we can’t have a dog like that around the kids. It’s also not fair to the dog to live in his kennel because he can’t be around other people. We need a solution soon or my son will need to get rid of the dog which is not what we want.

I hear ya. I hope a solution is found Stanley.

Is he getting disciplined when he acts like that? I would certainly recommend puppy training class.

If you are 100% about keeping a dog or this dog…for sure call your insurance agent and make sure you have an umbrella policy for liability and that it’s a hefty one.

I know a farmer in the area who lost a substantial sum of money (I’m talking over $250k) when his dog nipped an 8 year old on his OWN property when the kid was there without permission and woke a sleeping 12 year old lab. The kid had 3 stitches put in by his ear and parents couldn’t stomach the scar that was nearly impossible to see and opted for some sort of plastic surgery.

Remember that dogs are animals, not humans. I know I’ve been crucified in the past for my opinions on dogs….but any dog that doesn’t listen is the owner’s responsibility regardless of where it is or what it does. I have NO time for a dog that bites, jumps, wanders without control, or ruins stuff. I’d say on average that 9/10 people suck at their main job associated with owning the dog – controlling it at all times. A few weeks ago we were walking a trail looking for morels at a state park and a retriever came running up and jumped on my 4 year old. I shoved the mutt into the brush and screamed at it. The owner who was 10 yards behind it was saying “She’s harmless. She won’t bite.” when my daughter was scared. I told the guy that my daughter is used to responsible owners and dogs, not the careless ones and their mutts that don’t listen. The guy proceeded to call ME a jerk. …If only I could run into him again without my daughter along.

Sounds like formal training is in order. IMO, immediate discipline is required when this takes place. An E-collar would cure that, but be sure to get training on how to condition him to it first. Most pups I’ve encountered will bite, but it’s always been more of a playful thing without barking. In those cases, my thumb down their throat and also trying to pinch their tongue against their teeth took care of that tendency pretty quickly.

As others have mentioned training is probably your best bet, I’ve personally used Tommy with Revive Canine – Becker/Clear Lake, and he’s helped us a ton with our dog. Different situation but has been a ton of help for us in our circumstance.

Is he fixed yet? I have heard that will help some.

Did you do any puppy obedience classes when you first got him, or are you starting from square one?

It could be a number of things, which truly can’t be diagnosed over text-
the situation, dogs body language, training, etc all come into play. All dogs need obedience training. Any working dog, like labs, need jobs and things to keep them busy. Being bored, lack of exercise, even poor diet and poor sleep can cause dogs to act out, so simple training might fix some issues, but in this case it might go beyond that and need specific training for dog aggression or a certified behaviorist.

Aggression can come in a lot of different forms-dominance, anxiety, confidence issues etc. Hire a professional like your Vet said.

Youbetcha wrote:

Is he fixed yet? I have heard that will help some.

Can help if that is the issues and aggressive to other intact male dogs. Can also led to future health issues if neutered too early in development.

He is not fixed yet. We have tried the pinching the tongue, ear holding his mouth shut and saying no, spanking and nothing works. He will usually nip at you after trying those things. I agree the dog will need some training.

I had a lab/Springer mix when I was younger and that dog never bit or nipped. I could wrestle him or put my hand in his mount and nothing. My kids could lay on him or pull his tail and nothing.

Discipline. Open up a can on that dog. They have to learn that it’s not OK.

Bucky, your story about the farmer is what I fear with the daycare. I like dogs but I won’t let a dog ruin my wife’s career and livelihood.

I do have a shock collar that we have been slowly trying to work in but it takes 2 of us to put it in him because he tries to bite us.

You know it’s an issue and are reaching out trying things…I’ve got faith in you as a dog owner that you will figure it out. It’s the people who think their mutt is perfect or that it’s “not a big deal” when their dog doesn’t listen who are the issue.

grubson wrote:

Discipline. Open up a can on that dog. They have to learn that it’s not OK.

X2
They have to know they are not the alpha in the house.

Sounds like the same experience I had 6 years ago.
I’ve trained every dog I’ve owned until this one.
I just could not stop the biting and chewing on my hands.

I ended up taking her to a trainer. Got her back 5 weeks later and couldn’t have been happier. Worth every nickel I spent.

When he tries to bite, grab over his muzzle and pinch his lips into his gums with your fingers and say “No!” sternly. It’s got to be done every time by every body interacting with the dog.
Use this advice at your own risk.

Don’t know if it will help in your situation but I’ve always resorted to exercising dogs when behavioral things come up. Tired dog is a good dog.

buckybadger wrote:

I know I’ve been crucified in the past for my opinions on dogs….but any dog that doesn’t listen is the owner’s responsibility regardless of where it is or what it does. I have NO time for a dog that bites, jumps, wanders without control, or ruins stuff. I’d say on average that 9/10 people suck at their main job associated with owning the dog – controlling it at all times.

I don’t think your opinion here is that unreasonable. A lot of dog owners consider their dog as a member of the family but each member of the family still has to follow rules and behave. That includes ones with 4 legs and 2.

I have a 5 year old and can say with 100% positivity that my lab is far more behaved than the kid.

buckybadger wrote:

The guy proceeded to call ME a jerk. …If only I could run into him again without my daughter along.

What an idiot! Glad your daughter wasnt hurt but that could leave her afraid of all dogs!
Most problems with dogs are the owners fault but this one with Stanley doesnt sound like it. That could be a real mess if he bit someone at daycare I am hoping for the best!

Stanley wrote:

sitting down next to him on the couch.

Your dog likely thinks he is leader of the pack. You need to change that and establish complete dominance over him. First move, get him off the couch (or any other furniture) and into a kennel. Keep him in there while in the house. Keep him muzzled when out of the kennel.

Don’t feed him until you have eaten. No people food. Only let him eat out of his own bowl.

Next thing I’d do is get a training (Shock) collar and use appropriately. Use it to train, not to punish. This will go a long way in establishing complete dominance.

Good Luck!

-J.

grubson wrote:

Discipline. Open up a can on that dog. They have to learn that it’s not OK.

This. But dont break his spirit. If he cannot accept a non-alpha role then its basically hopeless. That rarely happens and you still have a good chance of him growing out of it if you lay down the law.

I am currently raising a 4 month old Golden and going through the same thing- we have been in puppy classes to learn the basic obedience tasks but the biting continues through and after their adult teeth come in at 5-6 months and then a month or two after. The diversion of a high value treat is key, that and training the dog to focus on you- If you can get the dog to stop the current behavior and redirect the energy, you are on the right track. My biggest challenge is in social settings where adults encourage the biting, I need to remove the dog from interacting with that person. I have lots of diversion toys nearby to redirect the puppy’s negative energy into something else.

This is a tricky one. Whatever you decide to do to try and fix it needs to be soon. As the dog gets slightly older the process to correct it will become more difficult and the Risk greater. I’m with Bucky on this one. I have no time for Dogs not under control or for the owners of Dogs not under control. I hope its something you can get under control soon.

My wife and I were very worried about our last Golden for the first while. She was a mean little biatch. But with attention and discipline it went away without hardly realizing it.
Believe it or not I pushed my face on her. I love to snuggle with my dogs so that’s what I did and she learned the hard way that the head was off limits to teeth. After that all the other body parts went pretty fast.

mark Mason wrote:

I am currently raising a 4 month old Golden and going through the same thing- we have been in puppy classes to learn the basic obedience tasks but the biting continues through and after their adult teeth come in at 5-6 months and then a month or two after. The diversion of a high value treat is key, that and training the dog to focus on you- If you can get the dog to stop the current behavior and redirect the energy, you are on the right track. My biggest challenge is in social settings where adults encourage the biting, I need to remove the dog from interacting with that person. I have lots of diversion toys nearby to redirect the puppy’s negative energy into something else.

He has lots of toys and bones but just last night he was sitting on my lap chewing on a toy then all of a sudden bit my arm that was a good foot away from his face and not moving. He’s not a terrible dog we just need to get the biting under control. He will be outside in the kennel now permanently until he learns he can’t bite. No more in the house

This is a dominance issue. The dog needs to understand you are the alpha in his pack.
I had a similar situation once and what I ended up doing was flipping the dog on his back to expose his belly or even picking him up by his feet for even a hint of nipping behavior.
Follow this up with making him sit until you release him to eat. Never let the dog go through a doorway before people.
He needs to know who’s the boss. Once the dog figured out he wasn’t in charge he turned in to a wonderful family member.

Stanley wrote:

He will be outside in the kennel now permanently until he learns he can’t bite. No more in the house

This might work as he might grow out of it. However if you have not established that you are Alpha he will likely not listen well either. When he acts take his ass down, literally. You don’t have to hurt him but make him know he is not the bigger dog. I would pin him to the floor and stay on top until he submits. I had a 90lb yellow lab that was not a biter but had quite the spirit to him and it worked for me. If he messed up I got in his face about it. Now listen to anyone else but me not really.

Make sure no one is wrestling with the puppy. This teaches dogs to play aggressively. Exercise the he’ll out of him to get energy out in a positive way. If he bites he gets put away. He will learn that that’s not the way to play. One of the worse things u can do to a puppy is ignore. They often learn fast.