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Still biting?? No longer a puppy

1K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Yaichi's Mom 
#1 ·
Hi,

I was really hoping all the trainers were right when they said it was just a puppy phase and she would grow out of it, but Tilly will be a year tomorrow and her biting game is at an all time high. I'm sure we are somehow reinforcing the behavior, so here is how the events go down:

- I am sitting on the couch
- Tilly brings a toy and waves it in my face (after we just took an hour long walk/played for a while outside)
- I ignore her
- She jumps on couch and starts nipping at me (with her nasty face) trying to get my attention
- I still ignore her
- she bites at a couch cushion or blanket looking at me so that I have to stop her
- I yell no or off and try to remove her
- she takes off and comes back thinking it is a game of chase and bite


What does work is me walking away, but I have done that since she was a puppy and it still hasn't clicked enough to her to STOP doing that in the future. I can't sit at the couch unless she's sleeping or about to fall asleep in the kitchen.

Any advice?
 
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#3 ·
So a couple things, she might have not had enough mental and physical stimulation to allow her to settle herself and still has an abundance to burn off. This is despite the walk you just had. Some dogs have a really high energy level

Or she can't self settle like a fractious toddler that is overwound. So some things you can try when your back from your walk do some thinking games with her really make her brain work, take an obedience class some dogs need this added stimulation to settle. I have a new high drive puppy when we are done with our hard exercise we train for 10-15 minutes doing sits downs, wait, heal patterns so his focus comes off the play and on to me.

You can also spend some time once you get in the house playing with her and her toys before you sit down to give her that one on one she seems to want then see if she settles. If after one or more of these she still is doing this behavior she might not have a good off switch (Yet) Put her in a crate with a toy or chew or kong and just like a time out or putting a toddler down for a nap let her alone. That way you get a brake and she can't encourage that game. The crate is a friend for you and don't think of it as punishment its just another tool to teach her or give her no choice but to settle,

By the way she is STILL a puppy. She might look full grown in height but mental maturity takes much longer. In most goldens full mental maturity can take up to four years but this is why they are so playful all they way into their senior years. Even at four they are only about as mentally mature as about 6year old human in many ways.
 
#4 ·
My dog Amber is now 14 months, and still mouthy. She's generally careful but sometimes she gets overexcited and snags her fangs on skin if she is in a playful mood and I am indulging her in some play time. It's still really puppy behavior and most GR owners I know around the area I live in tell me that they do settle down at about 2 years of age.
 
#5 ·
How much daily exercise does Tilly get?

As stated above, it sounds like she still has a ton of energy to expend and is trying to engage you in play to do just that, so that she is finally able to settle.
 
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