My puppy is 4 months old and she wont stop biting and scratching!!! help!!!?

Question

She's part golden retriever and part...something else...I don't know what other breed because I got her from a shelter. She's very hyper. She bites my ankles and I know she's trying to play but it hurts and I just push her off and sternly say no or I ignore her but she doesn't stop. Also when I'm sitting in a chair she jumps up and wants to shake hands and if I don't do it nonstop she claws me all over. I was taking a nap and she jumped up on my leather sofa ripping a whole in it and clawed my face. She doesn't mean to hurt me, but it does. Another thing is I have cats and she is eating the cat litter! What the hell should I do? I'm so overwhelmed. I know people who smack their dogs with their hand or newspapers but I cant do that. I cant smack an animal. But Im going crazy! Please help!

As for the cat litter, I scoop it twice a day and when she eats it theres none in there. Although I do buy strongly scented cat litter and maybe that attracts her.

I take her to this huge park 4 times per week and let her play for 2-3 hours. My husband and I take turns holding her and our daughter plays with her and the other pups we have.

We also live on a farm, so we let her run around there.

Answer 1

OK, don't smack, but do discipline. Puppies don't know any better. They have to be taught, just like little kids. The entire first year is difficult, you need to be firm, consistent and patient.

First, the dog needs lots of exercise. Tired dogs behave beautifully. Dogs that are part Golden are going to need to run EVERYDAY!

Next, leave the leash on her all the time. When she nips at your heels, bites your hands, or paws at you, use the leash. Give her a firm, corrective tug and say "NO".
Leaving the leash on will also help with potty training. It will keep her close to you so you can watch her all the time.

Get chews and toys that she can play with by herself. Toys that dispense food when rolled around are great. Also, KONG. Fill it with canned food, or peanut butter, freeze it (so it lasts a long time) and put her in the yard with it. (it's messy) Both types of toy offer lots of interaction, exercise and keeps the dog from getting bored.

Take an obedience class. It teaches you how to train without driving you both nuts.

About your couch. Well, that's part of owning a dog. You need to decide which you like more: the dog or the couch/belongings?

Answer 2

Well definitely more exercise, and some obedience training. People often underestimate how much mental stimulation such as training can tire out a dog. The younger they are the easier it is to train them. Someone wrote that you can't train puppies because they are too young, which I am sorry is absolutely wrong. When puppies are young their brain is developing, and the more they learn in this time the more confident and well rounded they will be as adults. Puppies can be very eager to learn, but keep sessions short so she doesn't get bored and lose interest, and always end on a positive note.

Positive reinforcement is great. Give her treats and praise when she is calm and stays on the ground. Little bits of cheese cut into tiny pieces are great to use. Teach her that nothing in life is free. She must always do something for YOU before she gets anything. So you can ask her to sit before she gets anything positive. This includes getting fed, going for walks, putting on the leash, getting petted, playing with toys, etc. If she has more respect for you she will be less likely to treat you as her playmate.

When she nips or gets too mouthy, give out a good yelp or scream, pull your hands away and stop moving. If you shuffle your feet or try to get away she might think its play and continue. When a puppy bites its siblings too hard they scream out and stop playing. This is how puppies learn bite inhibition. If she was adopted from a shelter she may not have gotten the puppy socialization with her litter mates when she was young, and never really got the feedback from them.

I would also not let her on the couch at all, at least until she can learn some manners. If she constantly tries to get on the couch, you can put boxes or something on the couch to prevent her from jumping up. Get her a really nice comfy bed on the ground, and eventually she will learn that is her place. If you don't want her on the couch, you should NEVER let her on the couch, even if she looks extra cute. Dogs understand always and never, but they don't understand sometimes. If you let a dog get away with something even once, they may try it all the time after that, just in case you let them do it again.

About the cat litter, sound aversion can be very successful. Watch her when she is around the cat litter. When she gets close to it, blow an air horn or bang some pots and pans together. Hopefully she will make the connection that being near the cat litter makes horrible loud sounds. But this might take a few times for it to work. And you don't want her to associate you with the loud sounds, so try not to look at her or scold her yourself. She needs to think that being near the litter makes the loud sounds, not being near the litter only when you are present. This should hopefully prevent her from eating the litter when you aren't there.

Answer 3

Remember; it's a puppy. Get her chew toys first off. She may have teething problems.

Second, use positive training to help. Smacking never helps, so its a good thing you don't. :)

I'll start with the cat litter. Dogs seem to be drawn to eating feces, and sometimes it can provide nutrients, but it's not a desirable behavior. You could get things from your vet that makes the cat droppings taste bad so your pup won't eat them, but you can probably train her not to eat them.

Scold your pup when she eats the litter, and as soon as she drops it, reward her for obeying. Eventually she'll get the idea that NOT eating the litter means good things.

For the biting your ankles, jumping up on you, etc, its because she wants attention, and by shoving her, your giving it to her. When she does this, you can try standing up, or turning away from her. Hopefully she'll get the idea that its not time for play.

Also, be sure to walk her as often as you can. 3 times a day is actually good. Puppies have a lot of energy, and they need to burn it, one way or another. By taking her for walks, she burns it that way. If you don't take her for walks, or do another activity with her, she's more likely to be destructive.

Answer 4

hi supermum, i could have written this posting a few months ago. i have a now 11 month old golden and i went through that same hell you are dealing with now. i was overwhelmed and kept so anxious. i had to call in a trainer for help. what finally worked was a squirt of water in the nose with a firmly spoken NO!! also, by putting her down in a submissive position. dogs need to learn as soon as possible who is the leader of the pack, which is you! also..make sure your dog has plenty to play with and things to chew on. dogs are easily distracted to a toy or chewie, from chewing on you. i know how sharp those teeth and claws are... i recall it all too well. walking your dog, say, twice a day, for 30 minutes, to tire her out helps with that hyperness, or if you have a safe place in your yard for her to run around would work. and it's not the cat litter she is eating, it's the contents. also, when you nap, make sure your body and face are protected by a sheet or something. have the squirt bottle with you to every room you go into. also, have a "time out" place...i used one of our bathrooms. pups can't stand to be separated from their owners. all it takes is 30 seconds of lock up. i hope some of what helped me will help you. it gets better!!! good luck! :)

Answer 5

Biting, jumping is normal puppy behavior. Be firm and consistant with saying down or no. She'll eventually get it. As for eating the cat litter - try cleaning out the litter box more frequently (like after each use). If there is nothing in the box for her to eat, she won't be attracted to it. You should be cleaning the litter box several times a day anyway - cats are just like people -- would you like to continually go to the bathroom when no one flushes the toilet??????

Answer 6

Your dog needs more exercise. She is bored and needs something to do. A good idea is to get a Kong from the pet store and fill it with wet dog food, put it in the freezer and then give it to her. It takes awhile to get the food out since its frozen and will keep her busy while you are busy. If you are napping, you may want to put her in a crate so she cannot destroy things.

Walk her for at least an hour everyday, play with her outside as much as possible. As a golden, she may really like to play fetch with balls or a frisbee.

You cannot break her of eating cat litter. Since cats' noses aren't as sensitive as dogs', cat food has more scent to it. Cat poo has undigested cat food in it....therefore, dogs smell food and want it. You will have to place the litter pan in a place where she cannot get to it.

A good place to take your dog for some play, if you have time, is a dog park. Look online for one in your area. They have small dog areas and large dog areas. My dogs always come home and pass out after a nice afternoon playing with other dogs.

You also need to train her well. If you do not know how to train her, take her to the pet store and talk to the trainer there. You can sign up for puppy classes for about $100. They will help you solve some of her behavior problems.

The main thing is to tire your dog out as much as possible. Then she will be ready to lie down when you are busy.

Answer 7

oh yeah, the biting stage. every puppy goes through this stage. i have a GR too and shes a year now. i hate smacking animals too. what i usually do is take a newspaper or magazine and roll it up and hit the floor by her. you can even do it on the palms of your hands. even clapping helps. all puppies are hyper. she just has to get used to not always playing with you and something else. when i had my golden at that age, i found an old stuffed animal for her to chew on. you could get something for her to chew on and when she starts biting you, push her away and put the chew toy in her mouth showing her to chew on that instead. thats what i did with my puppy and it really helped. im sorry about your sofa! well best of luck to you and her!

Answer 8

My friend got a dog from the shelter and it was also a golden! It was very hyper! If she bites you always have a chew toy at hand so that you give her the toy when she starts to bite! For the claws...put socks on her so that it wont hurt and it will be hard for her to claw!

Answer 9

she should grow out of the biting as she gets older. since you don't want to hit your puppy (which is bad) then you should get a clean water bottle and spray her when she doesn't listen. it will get her attention and she won't want to be sprayed. My friend uses a water bottle and it works well for her. her dogs use to fight each other for her attention but she quickly put a stop to that with the spray bottle. now whenever she picks it up they are already stopping whatever it was they were doing wrong

Answer 10

She's just a puppy and going through an active stage in her life. DOn't try to train her becaus she's too young, it wouldn't work. Try cudddling and being gentle with her to calm her down and ignore her if she does that because she's trying to get attention.