???picture is wierd

not sure why the attached photo ( above) looks chopped. On my pc it's fine.

 

GoldenCharm...your pup looks so adorable...but I know pictures don't show the teeth he has My Lucky was so nippy...all the time...that I myself (and this maybe just me) was unable to bond with him till he was about 13-14 weeks. I'd never had such a nippy pup...and never had to deal with bloody arms.
But this is my opinion based on articles I've read and my own experience. A playbiting pup is a pup who will learn an expesially soft and sensitive mouth. A non-playbiting pup will not have experience in mouth control and thus will bite harder and be more dangerous as an adult if surprised or irritated. So, in my opinion you don't want to make him stop all mouthing.
I would use this time to train the mouthing...letting him know what hurts and giving him consequences for it...like timeout or ignoring him when he wants to chew some more. I wouldn't try to make him stop...but work on getting him to control it. In time he should mouth and stop mouthing on command.
I think...that because Golden Retrievers are more mouthy and bite-happy as pups then some other breeds...this is one of the reasons they are considered soft-mouthed and gentle as adults.
I'll let some others give you specific techiques to help control this. I just wanted to give you my opinion on how this behaviour is actually a benefit later as an older pup and adult dog.

 

I just wanted to tell you how cute your puppy is... but then you already know that don't you. If you do a forum search on 'puppy' and 'biting' you will find several threads on this very topic and you may also find some very useful information about Golden Retriever puppies and biting... and be prepared for a lot of biting in the coming weeks... the good news is you will see it begin to subside at around 14-weeks of age and the sharp little puppy teeth should start falling out 3 to 5 weeks later. By then gentler mouthing should begin to replace the puppy biting and your arms will heal.

 

I guess I am no expert, but whatever the age, I let them know that biting/chewing on people is highly unacceptable behavior.
Let them bite so they learn to bite softer??? ... I think I will pass on that theory.

 

I guess I am no expert, but whatever the age, I let them know that biting/chewing on people is highly unacceptable behavior.
Let them bite so they learn to bite softer??? ... I think I will pass on that theory.

Well Greg......you and I usually agree......I guess a fork in the road has to come at some time......

 

Have you ever heard of "Bite Inabition"? I'm not really fond of just out right not allowing the mouthing, I like the idea behind bite inabition, so I went that route with my female.

You can look it up on the internet, there's lots of info out there about it if your interested and the reasoning behind it.

 

My hand has spent more time in Buffy's mouth than I can even imagine. She has never bitten hard intentionally. The few times that she has hurt, such as during the exchange of a ball or toy, I've just said "ouch" loudly and she knows then that she's hurt and will immediately stop and lick me. I think goldens are just mouthy and once the sharp puppy teeth are gone and they've grown up a little that they are sensitive to other's pain. JMHO.

On edit: So I guess, I agree with what Lucky's Mom is saying.

 

Have you ever heard of "Bite Inabition"? I'm not really fond of just out right not allowing the mouthing, I like the idea behind bite inabition, so I went that route with my female.

You can look it up on the internet, there's lots of info out there about it if your interested and the reasoning behind it.

I did a quick search and found there is lots of articles on Bite Inhibition. Here's one:

http://www.doglogic.com/apdtfaqs.htm

Rick

 

I think your best bet is to not permit biting at all. If they have the need to chew let them use a nylabone, not your hand. I personally cannot stand letting a dog bite or use me as a human chew toy. Sure, Golden's are prone to play biting more than many breeds, however that isnt an excuse, and doesnt mean they're not able to be trained out of it.

Allowing a dog to bite, as previously mentioned, just opens the door to future harder biting or potentially hurting someone simply out of playing.

 

I think this might differ from dog to dog...owner to owner. We all have intuition on how best to raise pups if we have good info from a variety of sources.

I'm not sensing the same frustration from some owners that we had with Lucky.

For him the biting wasn't play....it was an instant "coiled-spring" reaction to being touched. Every pet, every touch, every time we held him came an instant onslaught of tissue tearing nips....not mean or aggressive...just a reaction. We didn't "allow" any mouthing from 8 weeks to around the 13th. That meant for 5 weeks I never touched this dog without a harsh word or consequence. My husband did alot of nose thumping which didn't stop the "reaction" but did make Lucky walk away. And as he got older, he did not get softer. Yelling ouch with every bite or mouthing was not effective either.

It was around the 13th week that I started changing tactics to bite inhibition based on an article I read, and it was only then I started seeing progress. In other words....I started putting my hand in his mouth and we went through "training sessions". Boy what a happy dog he was when my hand was in his mouth! He seemed to catch on to "soft", "medium" and "hard" pretty quick when given the opportunity.

It might be that other pups have better control on this from the getgo. I have NO idea how Lucky was raised....and that could have been a factor. A properly socialized puppy, raised correctly might be a whole different scenero.

 

well, you can't argue with success... and seems like you got it. but those little demons have really sharp teeth and I dont do well with pain and bleeding.. lol...