When Do Golden Retrievers Stop Biting?
Biting by dogs is the most common and obvious feature. They start biting from a very early age but a million dollars question is to find out the reason why Golden Retrievers stop biting. Well! That depends on pure training and environment.
Apart from learning when a Golden Retriever stops biting, we will educate on when it starts biting and how you can force it to stop biting. You might be worried about a lot of training but wait a minute and relax as it will be a very process.
So, let’s find out the details of the problem and its potential mitigation measures:
Why Puppies Bite?
Before we go any further, let’s find find why puppies bite.
So, here are some solid reasons why a Golden Retriever stops biting.
Hard Biting By a Puppy
Don’t underestimate the bite strength of the puppy. If a Golden Retriever puppy is aged between 4 to 5 months and attempts to bite then it can crush bones apart from damaging skin or meat.
Bite Followed By Growling
In most cases, a dog bites immediately after its growls. It sounds seems very terrifying at times. So, you just need to calm down the Golden Retriever when it growls.
Aggressive Vs Mild Biting
You can’t say accurately about the aggressive or mild biting. It can bite mildly just asking you to not tease him or fulfill his desire otherwise it can become aggressive due to very severe conditions. So, it’s almost impossible to judge biting aggressive or mild level before an escalated situation.
Fierce Bite
It may bite you fiercely while playing but don’t worry as it will not leave lasting effects. Treat it as a completely fun event and remove all worries. It loves to play and enjoy moments and there are chances that it can bite fiercely without any aggression or frustration.
Puppy Biting Due to Being Afraid
A puppy can bite for multiple reasons and some are as follows:
Will It Stop Biting Naturally?
No, it will not stop biting naturally. Like any other dog, a Golden Retriever may continue to bite for the rest of its life. It’s your job to train your dog so that it stops biting.
How Golden Retrievers Stop Biting?
Well! There are two practical ways which are physically punishing or teaching and the second is training the puppy. Both methods have pros and cons and are effective as well. But in most cases, training the dog helps a lot as they are smart and intelligent and develop nonbiting habits quickly.
We will tell some practical methods to eradicate the biting habit of a Golden Retriever puppy. Here are those methods:
Stop Play Time
Whenever your puppy starts biting or shows the intention that it will bite soon then you should stop play time immediately. A common mistake is to shout at the dog or react in any other form. Well! Reaction will be considered as a type of reward by the Golden Retriever.
By doing said process, 3-4 times you will see a clear change in the behavior of the dog. American Kennel Club has recommended withdrawing attention immediately and this is among the most effective and quick processes to stop biting for the Golden Retriever.
Provide Alternative Item
Another way to stop the habit of biting especially when it’s teething is to provide a chewing item. Place some chewing items near its play area. So, when it starts craving the bite then ask him to pick up the chewing toy and use it without biting.
If somehow you are unable to direct it to using a chewing toy then stop its playtime immediately. It will gradually learn to use the toy instead of biting.
Prevent Pounce
Don’t let your puppy grab your legs when you are planning to go outside. Instead, provide them with some eating items and gradually teach them to walk by side instead of grabbing their legs. It will help in getting rid of biting.
Give a Time Out
Disengaging from the situation is mostly a good solution. Give time out to your puppy, and place him at its resting place. Ask him to resume the play after some time. It will help him quickly learn not to bite.
Environment to Consume Energy
It won’t always work to disengage your puppy from the play area. Well! Some studies have shown that a Golden Retriever is an active dog and it needs to consume its energy, at least 30 minutes to an hour daily. If you don’t provide your amazing puppy leisure time in the form of energy consumption then it will become aggressive and keep on biting.
So, define clear boundaries and make a balance between playtime and rest time. The most important thing is to understand the mood of your dog and decide accordingly. Different solutions at different times depending on the situation.
Never Hit the Puppy
Whatever the case, don’t ever try to hit your puppy. One thing that should be kept in mind about Golden Retrievers is that they are very intelligent and they learn things very well. So, instead of beating or hitting, spend some time on its teaching and it will learn very quickly even within a week or so.
Hitting your puppy may create negative sentiments for you in the eyes of the dog. So, don’t lose your temperament and handle things patiently instead of showing panic and aggression. A Golden Retriever maintains a calm and cool temperament but as the dog is big so beware of doing anything stupid like hitting it.
Socializing and Training
Plan a training cycle for your puppy and most importantly socialize your dog with its surroundings. It should learn to give space to human beings and other pets and if it does so it will not bite in the future and even if somehow it bites then it will bite aggressively.
You can train yourself or consult a professional trainer as well. Training for not biting is not very difficult as a good schedule will help in getting the desired results.
Conclusion
A Golden Retriever may bite but the frequency and extent of the bite varies. You can teach your puppy or the dog to stop biting by immediately disengaging from the situation, providing a chewing time, and especially giving ample time for consuming energy to overcome stress and aggression. A Retriever is a perfect family dog and with little effort, you can eradicate its biting habit to very low.
