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11 week old male golden aggression

19 18:01:56

Question
We have an 11 week old male golden that has been living with us for about 1.5 weeks.  He is showing signs of aggression eg. growling when petted or bowl touched during mealtime (this is getting better), jumps and bites at my 10 yr old sons pants, growls and bites at hands if certain bones are taken from him.    We have tried several things such as the command off, holding the collar and putting into a sit position.  I am ready to try to spray bottle approach.  Is there hope for stopping this aggressive behavior at this age?  Do you have any other suggestions to nip this in the bud?  He starts puppy class on this weekend.  

Answer
Dont worry, both problems can be stopped fairly easily. For the growling near bones and food, you need to be next to him while he eats. Then put a treat in his bowl with your hand. Keep doing this so you get his trust that your not taking it away, your just making it better. For the nipping, when he does that, close his muzzle firmly and say "NO BITING" Say it firmly. Do it whenever he does that, he will soon get the point. Since he is jumping on your son, tell your son to tackle him to the ground (soft tackle, not the hurting kind), then keep him down with his upper body(by kindof laying on him), this will show him that your son is more dominant than him in the pack.