# Ok



## LibbysMom (Jan 15, 2008)

Are you just trying to tire her out more? When Libby was younger she never EVER stopped. She was on the go constantly at full speed. Our trainer even commented that she must come from a line of very active hunting/field goldens. She just could go all day.

Anyways, he reccomended us using a dog pack (or sewing something simila) and putting a water bottle or two in the pack to add weight. I thought it was cruel but we were in training, working with her constantly, walking her several times a day, and she still was wild. But this did the trick. The added weight tired her out a lot faster than normal and we were actually able to get her to focus on her training a lot more which helped us bring a little bit of order back into our home.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

My goodness you sound frustrated...how old is she and what is she doing?


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

Lucky's mom said:


> My goodness you sound frustrated...how old is she and what is she doing?


 

OMG im sorry for sounding so frustrated. But she is 6 months old. I know she is a puppy.....But our other GR Yota (male) never did this. She has just about desroyed evrything. Dug up the yard, my couch, plants and rugs. Im not giving up on her . She is my baby just like my boys.....Human...LOL.....But she know what she did is wrong and still continues to do so. Even after all the activity she has from me. Like she is Jealous....I dont know why cause she is the only one i will let sleep in my bed and cuddle with me. I just dont know....


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

Is she crate trained? A good time out will calm her down. If you have teens can you enlist them to help for exercise? How old is she? If a pup, she may need to be out under supervision 20-30 minutes three or four times a day.

But I know how you feel, it can be exhausting. But it is worth the time and training, I swear. Sorry DH is out of a ob, I hope things turn around for you!


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

Abbydabbydo said:


> Is she crate trained? A good time out will calm her down. If you have teens can you enlist them to help for exercise? How old is she? If a pup, she may need to be out under supervision 20-30 minutes three or four times a day.
> 
> But I know how you feel, it can be exhausting. But it is worth the time and training, I swear. Sorry DH is out of a ob, I hope things turn around for you!


 

My teen boys help me out alot.......But she only seems drawn to me.....I guess cause im home all day and with her.....But she is 6 months old and still a baby i know....Like i said our Yota(male) didnt act like her and i know every dog is different but....OMG she is a holy terror when i tell ya. I have the crate and she hates it.....She trys to get out and injur herself which worries me


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

She NEEDS more exercise.... Abbie at her age was walking a mile a day and having at least 2-3 hours of ball throwing, etc.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

nascar88mom2 said:


> OMG im sorry for sounding so frustrated. But she is 6 months old. I know she is a puppy.....But our other GR Yota (male) never did this. She has just about desroyed evrything. Dug up the yard, my couch, plants and rugs. Im not giving up on her . She is my baby just like my boys.....Human...LOL.....But she know what she did is wrong and still continues to do so. Even after all the activity she has from me. Like she is Jealous....I dont know why cause she is the only one i will let sleep in my bed and cuddle with me. I just dont know....


Oh don't apologize! I know frustration

6 months is pretty young to be trustworthy in my opinion. Lucky grew up pretty fast...but I didn't let Lucky out of my sight at that age....he wasn't able to be by himself in the backyard either...we only had partial fencing at the time. Lucky was in fact...in and out of his crate all through the day.

Keep working with her to learn the house rules (warning....digging will last quite a while) and you will probably see a big difference in a couple of months. Chin up girl, she's on the right road.


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

Lucky's mom said:


> Oh don't apologize! I know frustration
> 
> 6 months is pretty young to be trustworthy in my opinion. Lucky grew up pretty fast...but I didn't let Lucky out of my sight at that age....he wasn't able to be by himself in the backyard either...we only had partial fencing at the time. Lucky was in fact...in and out of his crate all through the day.
> 
> Keep working with her to learn the house rules (warning....digging will last quite a while) and you will probably see a big difference in a couple of months. Chin up girl, she's on the right road.


 

OMG is is the toughest one yet.....thank you and god rest my soul she will get there......I have faith in her.......She is a mammma's girl


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

nascar88mom2 said:


> OMG im sorry for sounding so frustrated. But she is 6 months old. I know she is a puppy.....But our other GR Yota (male) never did this. She has just about desroyed evrything. Dug up the yard, my couch, plants and rugs. Im not giving up on her . She is my baby just like my boys.....Human...LOL.....But she know what she did is wrong and still continues to do so. Even after all the activity she has from me. Like she is Jealous....I dont know why cause she is the only one i will let sleep in my bed and cuddle with me. I just dont know....


 
If you were in my puppy class and mentioned the problems you were having the first question I'd ask you is how much exercise is she getting? I mean off-leash running, fetching, play with other dogs? A tired puppy is a good puppy! At six months I'd imagine she needs a couple hours of really good exercise every day (morning and night) - leash walks won't do it - you could walk all day and probably not get the same "tired" as 45 minutes of play and off-leash.

If you don't have a place to let her off-leash you can have her drag a long-line...

Erica


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

*But she know what she did is wrong and still continues to do so. *

Nope. She most certainly DOES NOT know that what she's doing is wrong. And dog's don't misbehave out of SPITE. That's a human thing!

If I were you, I'd try and up the exercise, work on basic training and first off, teach her to be confined somewhere - a crate, x-pen, babygated in the most dog-proof area of the house you can create. A destructive dog can have ZERO unsupervised time loose in the house where they can cause damage. Confinement when you can't supervise her keep her safe, keeps your HOUSE and things safe, and teaches her to be quiet and entertain herself inside.

Lots of mental stimulation, too. Feed her meals from a KONG toy while confined in the crate and use an assortment of food puzzles to feed her ration throughout the day. Need to give her lots of approved jobs... unemployed dogs are holy terrors!


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

P.S. - do you have a pet SQUIRREL???? I can't imagine what it's like to live with a squirrel in the house!!!


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

Maggies mom said:


> She NEEDS more exercise.... Abbie at her age was walking a mile a day and having at least 2-3 hours of ball throwing, etc.


 
I agree, she needs more exercise. I take little Chloe for a 15-20 minute walk/run twice a day and lot's of ball playing. 

The other's get a really hard workout twice a day and are very tired when we get back.

I have two 16 year old's and they really help out a lot with the dogs. Like taking them when I get home late from work. Maybe yours can start taking her for a run/walk.


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

MurphyTeller said:


> P.S. - do you have a pet SQUIRREL???? I can't imagine what it's like to live with a squirrel in the house!!!


 

Where di i start.......i have 2 teen boys (18 and 16) mother in law, 3 cats 2 dogs and a squirrel.....Our squirrel came by tropical storm Fay and they rest well.....LOL But My main concern is Kylee.....She is just awful......Maybe i have too much but she(Kylee) is my girl..... I split my time......Teens in morn about 6am to 7am and Elissa the squirrel from 7:30am to 9 am . Then 9:120am to 1 pm is Kylee and 1:30pm to 3 is Yota and the rest is the cats and hubby and so on.......


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

No need to apologize for being frustrated. We've all been there at one time or another. 

In my opinion, I have to agree with Maggie's mom. It sounds like she _really _needs more exercise. A 20-30 minute walk per day isn't enough for an active 6-month-old who has energy to spare. When Cooper was that age, I used to take him for a brisk 45 minute walk in the morning, another in the afternoon and then about an hour walk in the evening, with probably a good hour or more of good running around/playing in the yard, throughout the day, whenever he started to look for trouble. If I had done any less, he would have destroyed everything in his path. LOL.

They always say, "A tired puppy is a well behaved puppy."


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

I know how hard it can be, but GR puppies do need more than 30 minutes of exercise. We take Tucker (4 months old) out on a 30-foot retractable leash and let him run around like crazy in the yard for about 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a day, plus playing with him inside with his toys and he still wants to play. A crate would also be a really useful tool when you need a bit of a break. It has been a lifesaver for us! It will get better soon enough! She is just in the obnoxious adolescent stages of puppyhood right now.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Perhaps if you broke up your walks to 3 or 4 times a day. Lucky had to have three walks a day in daylight hours and then usually we did an evening one too...they were fairly short...but he needed them broken up.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I agree with everyone on breaking up the exercise and also try the ball chasing and retrieving. That will help to run her and tire her out. And put her in a crate or safe place for some quiet time. And ask the other people to help with the walking, playing with her, so she can associate having fun with someone else and give you a break. 
Good luck!!!


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

Lucky's mom said:


> Perhaps if you broke up your walks to 3 or 4 times a day. Lucky had to have three walks a day in daylight hours and then usually we did an evening one too...they were fairly short...but he needed them broken up.


 

*Im trying between her and the kids and other animals we have. I try to slpit up my time equaly. Ihave 2teen boys, hubby ,mother in law, squirrel, 3 cats and 2 dogs......WOW IM tired but she is my main concern cause i know she is a good girl. I will just play and walk her more*


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## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

One good way to get training and a meal in for Kylee is to use her kibble from one of her meals for training. See if you can check out some dog training DVDs from the library that show how to teach her basic techniques and use her kibbles from dinner or breakfast as her reward. If you do it everyday, that's about 20 minutes or so or training you get in and she'll love it. You'll have a feeling of control too as she gets better and begins to remember those basic commands outside of training/meal time. 

Try taking her to a dog park too or some other safely enclosed area for her to run without a leash and chase other dogs or tennis balls. 

As for the digging, I have had to learn that my Fergus is simply not trustworthy in the backyard alone for more than 5 minutes. He can be very destructive, but I understand that while some of that is training, a good portion of it is boredom. Keep her where you can supervise her. Get an exercise pen where you can separate her from the furniture or teach her that the crate is fun.

Not to scare you, but my parent's neighbor has the sweetest, most active golden I've ever met. She was rehomed 3 times before she was 2 until she found a family that was willing and able to exercise her like she needed. They walk her up to 5 miles a day, play fetch with her for hours, and then have her run with them while they bike ride for several miles. I've seen it with my own eyes - the dog does not get tired. But she also has stopped the other behaviors that made people give her up because she is stimulated mentally and physically a lot.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

nascar88mom2 said:


> *Im trying between her and the kids and other animals we have. I try to slpit up my time equaly. Ihave 2teen boys, hubby ,mother in law, squirrel, 3 cats and 2 dogs......WOW IM tired but she is my main concern cause i know she is a good girl. I will just play and walk her more*


Look....life isn't fair. Put your time and energy to your pup because that will give you time down the road for your family (I can't believe I just said that....put your dog before your kids....) 

UNLESS you can teach her to be secure in her crate then you are going to have sooooooo much more control over your time. 

She just can't be unsupervised because the more bad she does, the more bad she learns to do for the future. She's at a tough puppy stage. Lucky is a rather low energy dog, but he was hell on wheels at that age.,


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

MurphyTeller said:


> If you were in my puppy class and mentioned the problems you were having the first question I'd ask you is how much exercise is she getting? I mean off-leash running, fetching, play with other dogs? A tired puppy is a good puppy! At six months I'd imagine she needs a couple hours of really good exercise every day (morning and night) - leash walks won't do it - you could walk all day and probably not get the same "tired" as 45 minutes of play and off-leash.
> 
> If you don't have a place to let her off-leash you can have her drag a long-line...
> 
> Erica


 

I have a big back yard... she has been digging when im not watching her


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Celeigh said:


> One good way to get training and a meal in for Kylee is to use her kibble from one of her meals for training. See if you can check out some dog training DVDs from the library that show how to teach her basic techniques and use her kibbles from dinner or breakfast as her reward. If you do it everyday, that's about 20 minutes or so or training you get in and she'll love it. You'll have a feeling of control too as she gets better and begins to remember those basic commands outside of training/meal time.
> 
> Try taking her to a dog park too or some other safely enclosed area for her to run without a leash and chase other dogs or tennis balls.
> 
> ...


Thats Abbie... 5 miles a day doesnt put much of a damper in her energy, she just keeps going and going.... Its not easy with a high energy pup, but you can do it. I know how you feel, I have 2 kids 21, 18,... 4 dogs, 2 foster pups , my mother lives with me and Dh travels 98% of the year, I work 4 days a week and do rescue work. its alot of work but it will pay off in the long run.


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## GoldenOwner12 (Jun 18, 2008)

i own a 8 month old female golden retriever Shelley she too was destructive digging,chewing,ripping out plants eating things she shouldn't. My dogs are outdoor dogs but get plenty of attention undercover sleeping away from rain,wind and sun. With the plants we have built a fence around them. When we see her digging we say Shelley get out of it and stamp our feet. With chewing the same thing Shes told to get out of it then given a toy. At times she may get a little tap on the bottom and told again if she doesn't listen. This is what worked for our dogs. Shelley gets about 1 hour of offlead runing and swimming a day depending on weather with swimming. Sometimes she gets 2 hours day or an hour off lead then 30 minute walk onlead. Shelley can lazy on somedays but most days shes ready for anything. She would stay at the dam all day if she could in the water. I also train her for 10-15 minutes a day but you could say shes always in training cause on our walks i'm teaching her road sense and the command ignore. Shes got the sit,down,stay,come and halt down to a tee lol. But i find with at least 1 hour and 30 minutes of exercise for Shelley seems to work. She has now stopped chewing things she shouldn't for now,stopped the digging but shes still has a thing for plants.


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

*Dont get me wrong she is a good dog.....but just more than i have ever handled before..... She gets into my cat lttter but i almost have her done with that...But nshe is just awnery....plain and simple just awnery....*


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I could never conquer the digging. If I wasn't out there he dug. If we were out there he didn't dig. Guess he was trying to tell us something. After a walk....he did not dig...guess he was to spent.

Thank goodness he lost interest in that...for the most part.


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## nascar88mom2 (Nov 16, 2008)

Lucky's mom said:


> I could never conquer the digging. If I wasn't out there he dug. If we were out there he didn't dig. Guess he was trying to tell us something. After a walk....he did not dig...guess he was to spent.
> 
> Thank goodness he lost interest in that...for the most part.


 
omg no matter what i do she just digs and digs


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

Maggies mom said:


> Thats Abbie... 5 miles a day doesnt put much of a damper in her energy, she just keeps going and going.... Its not easy with a high energy pup, but you can do it. I know how you feel, I have 2 kids 21, 18,... 4 dogs, 2 foster pups , my mother lives with me and Dh travels 98% of the year, I work 4 days a week and do rescue work. its alot of work but it will pay off in the long run.


Mary is right, you can do it. I have 3 kids 21,16,16 and 4 dogs, I work 40 hours a week. She just needs a lot of exersice.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

nascar88mom2 said:


> I have a big back yard... she has been digging when im not watching her


Problem is, a dog alone in a big backyard is not getting adequate exercise... AND that same dog is learning to practice bad habits b/c she's out there unsupervised.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

nascar88mom2 said:


> omg no matter what i do she just digs and digs


Lucky dug a.....a CELLAR under our house. I JUMPED IN IT!
Now he only digs when a mole is milling around ...and that isn't often. Boy......its frustrating. Things get better one thing at a time and then suddenly you have a well-behaved dog.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

What about a sand box...I have one for mine and thats where they dig.


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## LibbysMom (Jan 15, 2008)

Celeigh said:


> Not to scare you, but my parent's neighbor has the sweetest, most active golden I've ever met. She was rehomed 3 times before she was 2 until she found a family that was willing and able to exercise her like she needed. They walk her up to 5 miles a day, play fetch with her for hours, and then have her run with them while they bike ride for several miles. I've seen it with my own eyes - the dog does not get tired. But she also has stopped the other behaviors that made people give her up because she is stimulated mentally and physically a lot.


LOL Sounds like Libby when she was younger. For about the first year we thought we were going crazy since we were excercising NON STOP! But seriously, the water bottles in the bag that the trainer reccomended for us worked MIRACLES! And she started to love it because she felt like she had a "job" when she had her little pack on


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## Old Gold Mum2001 (Feb 25, 2007)

Maggies mom said:


> What about a sand box...I have one for mine and thats where they dig.


OMG how mine LOVE the sandbox


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

There is no way you can divided your time equally. Just as a toddler needs more time than teenager (sort of LOL), a puppy needs much more time than an older trained dog.

You've gotten great advice about the exercise, but if your pup is destructive I'd teather myself to her with a lead so you know what she's doing when loose in the house. 

I remember someome recommend playing fetch using a training dummy. I believe he said, it will tire them out more quickly playing with that than a tennis ball. I'm sure there are lots of tricks you can use.

You may also want to think about paying one of your teens to walk her. My son's GF made a lot of money walking her neighbor's dog and the price they paid for that was worth it. I wouldn't make it a chore for one of the kids, a small allowance or a special "treat" like staying up later as an example, might help.

The mischievous one's are very, very smart. I have one of those!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Everyone has given great suggestions! I recommend besides the added exercise and supervision ( can't stress this enough!)
maybe you could get together with friends who have dogs and have a playgroup in your backyard or a dogpark. The dogs get exercise /tired and you can share obedience tips with your friends.

I am being frank here but I think it is the way you are viewing the situation. She isn't ornery ( I have no idea how to spell this word!) or bad on purpose. She is a puppy with lots of energy and curiosity. She needs exercise, play and supervision. When you can't supervise her, put her in her crate with a kong full of peanut butter that will keep her occupied. Puppies ARE alot of work but they bring so much joy!!!!.
Good Luck and keep us updated!


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