# 7 month old behavior issues



## Sawyer13 (Jul 26, 2012)

Hi everyone, I have been having several problems with my guy Sawyer lately. I don't know if this is normal teenage pup stuff, or it's just my dog? I'll start with the basics, he is potty trained. We have never used a crate, but gated him in a small corner of the room. That is how we got him trained, so now he has the privilege of sleeping free downstairs, which is the dining room, kitchen, and the Back living room. We have gates stopping him from going upstairs. It depends on the kind of night. I can't just go upstairs when he is awake. If i go upstairs, he will jump and pound on the gate for 5 minutes and finally settle down. Also, in the day time, he will do the same thing, then go off and find something to do. He gets PLENTY of exercise too. I am homeschooled, so he gets 2 long walks, and an hour of yard fetch time. And then he roams the yard all day when he wants. But come night time, if he is not already asleep downstairs, he will jump and pound on the gate for a few minutes. More issues, I was walking him the other day, and he lunged at every person we came in contact with. he isnt agressive or anything, but he just loves people. I have a Jack Russell terrier as well, and it depends if they get along or not. They usually will play, but sawyer likes to over power him and jump all over him , which makes beanie growl and sawyer starts barking so loud. He really is a good dog, when hes not jumping on the gate or barking. He also has a doctors appointment to get fixed next week, so I am hoping that will help settle him just a little bit. Thanks so much, and I appreciate your responses!


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## LilBitBit (Jan 15, 2012)

That sounds like a seven month old pup to me  I know, it's so frustrating sometimes!

My boy gets upset when I'm not around too - he's learned to settle fairly gracefully but it took some time. Perhaps giving him a toy or something to distract him will help? 

Also, I never give my boys attention when I'm leaving (say, for work) - they each get a quick belly rub and a goodbye and I'm gone. Dogs can sense when we're anxious or nervous and if I leave the house anxious they're noticeably anxious as well.

I'm a little confused as to where he sleeps - is he inside but sometimes gets left outside? Does he have a designated spot that is his sleeping spot?

Sounds like your boy needs a little more work on leash manners. I've been working on it by enforcing a sit-stay when a person approaches and treating lavishly if Buddy does it well.

Neutering can sometimes help in dominance issues, which it sounds like you're having during playtime.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

7 months old sounds about right for Sawyer to be acting like a doggie teenager. I would be very consistent with his training. Many goldens don't completely mature until sometime after the age of two. So there are a lot of ups and downs in their behavior. Sawyer needs to be rewarded for all of his good behaviors, it will help set those good habits. 
You want to practice his leash walking at home giving lots of rewards for Sawyer focusing on you. Then you can try doing it in more distractive settings continuing to reward for good behaviors. When Sawyer gets excited on the walk and pulls the leash what do you want him to do instead. Have a plan and practice that behavior at home so it becomes automatic. Then practice it out on the walk. You want him to do the behavior before he gets to the pulling so you have to be aware of your surroundings and ask for the behavior and reward for it before he actually pulls.

There are 3 youtube videos posted to the forum on Polite Walking that can show you how to practice. Do a search for them.


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