9wk golden trying to dominate me

Question
Hi, I desperately need help with our 9 wk old golden Hogan. After our golden Sammy passed away 6 months ago I purchased a golden from a friends family member. I am at my wits end with the constant biting of my hands, feet and clothing. I am well aware of teething and with goldens being high energy. With Hogan it goes beyond teething and it becomes a issue of dominance over me. I walk hogan 2-3 times a day, he been going swimming and has been introduced to other dogs so he is being socialized. For some reason when it comes to me he is constantly biting me to the point he is breaking skin and leaving bruises. I don't believe in hitting and but I did try giving a smack or 2 on his snout. I give him firm voice commands and he won't listen to me. It seems everyone else can say no 3-4 times and he stops but with me he refuses to listen. He will begin jumping on me and keep lounging. He has every chew toy possible which I try to distract him with kongs, ropes, teething rings you name it. I know he's smart I've already taught him to sit and he listens to everyone else. I tried rattling pennies in a can, clicker, clapping, rolling him on his side holding him down until he submits. I don't know what else I can do!!!!!!! I walk him everyday, bring him swimming, doggie play dates and suddenly he turns on me. He gets this crazy mode were all of a sudden it's attack me and he won't give up. Normally he is punished to his crate with no toys. Please help !!!

Answer
Hi Anne Marie.  Rest assured that your 9 week old puppy isn't trying to dominate you.  He's just being a puppy.  Everything you describe is typical puppy behavior, nothing unusual at all.  Put away the can of pennies and stop rolling him. Physical punishment from you is likely exacerbating your problem.  He plays rough, you play rough and it keeps escalating.

The best consequence for out-of-control behavior is loss of his playmate (you).  When one puppy decides the other is playing too roughly, he quits the game.  If possible, walk away from him when he gets too rough.  If that's not possible, pick him up and put him in his crate or pen for a time-out.  When you give a time-out, be quick and quiet about it.  No conversation or scolding.  Give him a warning that he's about to get a time-out when he starts to get too rough.  Say "enough" or anything else that you can be consistent with each and every time he gets to that point.  That "enough" will come to mean that he's about to get a time-out and he'll have the choice to either curtail his play or get put away.  Time-outs for puppies should be short (3 minutes or so) and he should have a chance to come out and play again, this time less roughly.

You can also set up sessions to practice calm handling and play when he's not so aroused.  Tether him so that you can walk away if he gets out of control.

Try and stop play BEFORE it ever gets to that point.  If he does this at certain times each day (usually around sunset?), be sure to have an alternate plan in mind for him during that time.  Take him for a walk, play in the yard with a ball.  Anything to redirect that energy away from you.  

Get into a good puppy manners class.  Look for a clicker training class or a trainer that uses positive reinforcement and humane methods. Here's where to find good training in your area:

http://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer
http://positively.com/dog-training/trainersearch/
http://www.ccpdt.org/
http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx
http://iaabc.org/consultants

Please check out these sites on puppy biting:

http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/archives/bite.txt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c77--cCHPyU (instead of clicking, say "yes!")

Please let me know if you have questions, comments or need clarification on anything I've recommended.  Rest assured that most dogs grow out of this stage, unless they are being reinforced in some way.