First time puppy owner questions

[FishinCT]

Just got a lab puppy last Sunday. He is now 9 weeks old. Never had a puppy before..my first dog I got when he was already 3 years old. Just have a few questions.

He doesn't like the leash, which I can understand if he's not used to it. Is that just something he'll get used to in a hurry or do I need to kind of force it on him? I live in town so the sooner he gets used to it would be great.

Biting...how do I get him to stop biting me/people? Like I said, it's my first puppy so I just don't know if this is normal and he'll get over it or what. My hands are starting to look a little rough...

I'm just worried about some of these little things. I'll be training him myself and I just don't want to "ruin" him.

Thanks in advance for responses.

[mainbutter]

1) Leash.

He will get used to it, and learn to associate it with fun if you make sure that fun things happen (like walks, going for rides, going to the dog park) when the leash comes out. REINFORCE FUN HAPPY TIMES WITH TREATS, LOTS OF SMALL TREATS, ALL THE TIME.

2) Biting.

He's a puppy. Puppies bite, chew, and gnaw.. particularly during playtime or just because they're teething. Get your dog LOTS of stuff to chew on. Our lab mix had a biting issue and just seemed to outgrow it. Gentle discipline, verbal reminders, and reinforcing actions where he chews on things that AREN'T people (such as rawhides) over a few months did the trick, but it wasn't overnight. It probably took up to a year before the behavior really disappeared. One thing we did during playtime was start wearing thick leather gloves just to protect ourselves from sharp puppy teeth, but now he associates gloves with "playtime", so that's a bad habit (OUR FAULT) that we're trying to break now. oops.

[mainbutter]

Getting chewed on by a 10 week old pup is just something you have to smile through, it's 100000% normal.

[setterguy]

Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim and puppies gotta chew. I just went through this recently so its all fresh in my mind. A quick no and then replace your hand with something he can chew on. Do not give him rawhide. Rawhide is terrible for dogs, specially puppies. They cannot digest it and it can cause rips in their intestines or colon. My puppy loved elk antler pieces.

Yes he will hate the collar/leash but will get used to it. Kind of like me and my wedding ring

[Todd Caswell]

They all chew, get a piece of rope 10/15 feet long with a light weight snap on it and have the puppy drag it around when ever he's out.

I REALLY recommend the Bill Hillman puppy program " Training a retriever puppy" it's a bit pricy but well worth it best hundred bucks you ever spent to get on the right track with a dog your going to have for the next ten plus years.

[Farley]

They all chew, get a piece of rope 10/15 feet long with a light weight snap on it and have the puppy drag it around when ever he's out.

X2

or just let him drag the leash around.

Yeah the biting thing goes away. My GWP is 9 months old now and about 3-4 months ago he gradually stopped trying to bite everything.

[FishinCT]

Thanks for all the input. I have just been getting him to chew other things when he chews me, so I'll just keep up with that! I'll give antler a shot too. Leash thing is getting better quickly already.