# Can't control the dog



## 00accord4cyl (Jun 2, 2009)

Ok my family has a 6 month old golden named Copper. He is a great dog overall, but lately we have been having lots of problems with him. Every now and then he is almost uncontrollable. Even if i have ran him tired, he seems to get in these moods where he just can't be controlled. Today for example. 

He will just start jumping and biting. I was downstairs earlier and he kept biting my pants and legs...then when i would tell him no and try and get a toy he would jump and bite at my hands. But when he gets in these moods there is no way to control him, he will not sit, he will play with his toys but only if u watch him, and he just does not seem to stop. It is weird to because he is wagging his tail, but he also looks pretty angry i guess is the word. If you try and pet him when he is in this mood he will just try and bite you. My dad just showed up and i could hear him yelling at the dog because he was biting his suite pants. Then about 15 min later my older sister came home from work and as i type this they are telling him to stop biting. He just seems to not listen at all


Overview:
Uncontrollable spurts 
Biting pants and legs..
Bite hands if you try and pet
No matter what i try he just keeps biting

Because of these problems we never invite people over because we are afraid he will just get 2 excited. 

I used to get really angry when he would do this but i have been trying my hardest to not yell at him or hit him. So instead i will either defer his attention to a toy or just leave him alone. If it gets really bad i will put him in his kennel. 



What should i do? Is it just his age or does he have some aggression problems? He has taken a beginners class to learn sit, down, and a few other small things...should i try and have a one on one class with the teacher?


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## LizShort (May 19, 2009)

bumping this one up.


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## magiclover (Apr 22, 2008)

Sounds like a normal puppy who is going through a bratty stage. Have you taken your pup to obedience class? One thing that is important is to be consistent and calm in your training and response to undesired behaviors. When you get excited or loud it just excites the puppy more. Good luck!


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Welcome to puppy adolescence.  That is exactly the age when most pups turn into bratty little teenagers who don't want to listen to their parents. It's time to step up the training and work on redirecting him with a toy when he starts nipping at you or make him work for a treat. We have all lived through it!


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

When Kirby went through this our trainer told us to yell loud and sharply "NO BITE" and take our hand away, do this consistantly three times then after the fourth NO BITE calmly walk the dog to his crate and put him in for 30 - 60 seconds. Aafter that time let him out (all the time stay calm and do not talk to him and no eye contact). Start to ply when the puppy mouths you yell No Bite - second time it's back to the crate. After a few times and a little longer crate time (no more then 5 minutes ever) Kirby got the message. It took several sessions but she got the message.

The key is everyone has to follow the rules and everyone has to remain calm and say the same command. No talking or getting angry (that can be hard when they test you and they do test you) Goodluck


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## Brady's mom (Dec 20, 2007)

6 months is a terrible age! We had similar issues and finally resorted to hiring a private trainer to spend an hour with us. She made all the difference--Brady was a completely different dog. She fixed about 95% of the problems we were having, and we learned new ways to deal with the remaining 5%. 

I will add that even though we solved the problems with us, he can still be kind of uncontrollable around new people for the first 5-10 minutes. Our solution is to use his walking (pinch) collar and a leash to keep him under control. Works every time. After 10 minutes he's fine and we can take his leash off.


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

Time. Patience. Time. Patience. Reinforce your commands and put him in his crate or outright ignore him when he gets the biteys. This too shall pass.

Good luck!


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## RummysMum (Jan 9, 2009)

Abbydabbydo said:


> Time. Patience. Time. Patience. Reinforce your commands and put him in his crate or outright ignore him when he gets the biteys. This too shall pass.
> 
> Good luck!



Great advice


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

Bratty stage...and I know what you mean. Its almost scary when they get that way. Personally I crated Lucky when he started that stuff. It was the only way I could control him. He stopped it entirely after a year.

I do think its a puppy stage and that they are testing boundries like teens do.


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Oh I remember those days. Do you crate Copper? Rookie's crate absolutely SAVED me (and him!) during those times. When he was driving me absolutely nuts like that, I would quietly and calmly pop him in the crate for a time out. As soon as both of us were calm, I'd let him back out again and give him lots of love and attention.

If I didn't have the crate, I probably would have strangled him during that phase!! It is definitely a phase that all golden puppies go through. But how well your dog grows out of the phase depends on you. During this difficult time, the best thing you can do for your dog (and for your family's sanity) is to increase Copper's exercise and increase your daily training sessions to two or three short sessions a day. Hang in there. They really DO grow out of it!


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## 00accord4cyl (Jun 2, 2009)

thanks for all the responses...yes we do crate Copper. I don't think we could live without that thing haha...we used to not use it as a source of punishment, but we have over the past few weeks....I think the biggest problem for us is that we have 5 people in our family and nobody is doing the same thing.

I am the middle child but i will probably have to sit down with the family and tell them what is up haha..My older sister will just Yell Copper when he does something wrong...which to me is not the right thing to do...because then i would think he would associate his name to doing something wrong. 


Anyways i will give a few of ur ideas a shot...he hasn't been 2 bad the past few days....took him to the pool today..that was an experience haha...he got in once and quickly swam out of hte pool


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## slechner (Sep 5, 2008)

I went through this with Boomer for months. Two things really help. One, if he starts acting that way, put a soft mesh muzzle on him until he calms down. It really helps. Also, as others said, put him in a crate and cover it up with a blanket, so you are sending him the message, he is lowest on the totem pole. Completely ignore him for fifteen or twenty minutes then let him out. Boomer outgrew this, thank God. It drove me crazy.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

Abbydabbydo said:


> Time. Patience. Time. Patience. Reinforce your commands and put him in his crate or outright ignore him when he gets the biteys. This too shall pass.
> 
> Good luck!



I had to laugh reading this... that's exactly what I was thinking while reading the OP. I remember those puppy days well... some days I just wanted to curl into a ball and cry thinking I made the biggest mistake of my life LOL It DOES pass... and with consistency and training the end result will be a great friend and companion.


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## redddog (May 9, 2009)

I don't get the "just ignore" idea. 

If I just ignored Callie when she got bitey and zoomie she would rip me appart.

My 8 year old son runs in total fear when she gets like that. If he just stood still like a tree, he'd get mauled.


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## Kand3 (Nov 3, 2008)

I feel so much better reading this thread. Bailey does this SAME thing! It's like she's having an all out temper tantrum! She jumps, bites, growls and all the while her tail is wagging. She will refuse to listen to commands and just keeps jumping and BITING! I have also started putting her in her crate if I can't calm her down, because the ignoring technique was NOT working.

Glad to hear people say they'll outgrow it. I feel like we haven't had any break at all from the mouthing/biting. 

Good luck to you...I know how frustrating it can be!!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

00accord4cyl said:


> thanks for all the responses...yes we do crate Copper. I don't think we could live without that thing haha...we used to not use it as a source of punishment, but we have over the past few weeks....I think the biggest problem for us is that we have 5 people in our family and nobody is doing the same thing.
> 
> I am the middle child but i will probably have to sit down with the family and tell them what is up haha..My older sister will just Yell Copper when he does something wrong...which to me is not the right thing to do...because then i would think he would associate his name to doing something wrong.
> 
> ...



You definitely need to come up with a consistent set of rules for training and correcting him and have the whole family follow it. He will learn much faster and understand what you want that way.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

This is a normal phase your pup is going through. Please get him and a family member in an obedience class ASAP. It is the best way to bond and have both of you learn.

Also it is mandatory all family members get on board. If one is yelling, hitting etc, nothing will change and his behavior will get worse. That is why goldens end up in rescue. It's not the dog's fault, it's the humans.

Hoping your family members get a clue. Your puppy is lucky that you are looking for solutions!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Is there anyway your dad could call the house either from his cell or from his office so you will know when he is arriving home? Then you can put Copper on leash and take him to another room while Dad comes in and changes into 'Copper Friendly' clothes...
Same thing for your sister....calling out his name is probably just getting him even more excited....


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Can you convince your Folks to go with you to some Obedience classes...?
A nice small class where you can ask lots of questions and brainstorm for ideas that will work for your fmaily would be great 
Copper is lukcy he has you to help him grow up to be a mannerly dog that you can all enjoy...now its time to get Mom/Dad and dear Sister on board!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Can you convince your Folks to go with you to some Obedience classes...?
A nice small class where you can ask lots of questions and brainstorm for ideas that will work for your family would be great 
Copper is lucky he has you to help him grow up to be a mannerly dog that you can all enjoy...now its time to get Mom/Dad and dear Sister on board!


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

Sounds like a normal puppy at that age.

Not only is he in the 'bratty' stage, but you are also experiencing what is affectionately (or not, LOL) known as "The Zoomies".

They are completely normal, and while they will diminish greatly as an adult, they will happen even with adults from time to time.

Dogs are dogs 

Scolding for the biting won't help. When he gets like that, keep plenty of toys around so you can stuff one in his mouth.

Say "No" sternly (but not yelling), put a toy in his mouth, and then "Good boy".

We've all been (and are going) through this).



00accord4cyl said:


> Ok my family has a 6 month old golden named Copper. He is a great dog overall, but lately we have been having lots of problems with him. Every now and then he is almost uncontrollable. Even if i have ran him tired, he seems to get in these moods where he just can't be controlled. Today for example.
> 
> He will just start jumping and biting. I was downstairs earlier and he kept biting my pants and legs...then when i would tell him no and try and get a toy he would jump and bite at my hands. But when he gets in these moods there is no way to control him, he will not sit, he will play with his toys but only if u watch him, and he just does not seem to stop. It is weird to because he is wagging his tail, but he also looks pretty angry i guess is the word. If you try and pet him when he is in this mood he will just try and bite you. My dad just showed up and i could hear him yelling at the dog because he was biting his suite pants. Then about 15 min later my older sister came home from work and as i type this they are telling him to stop biting. He just seems to not listen at all
> 
> ...


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

redddog said:


> I don't get the "just ignore" idea.
> 
> If I just ignored Callie when she got bitey and zoomie she would rip me appart.
> 
> My 8 year old son runs in total fear when she gets like that. If he just stood still like a tree, he'd get mauled.


I've never had a dog who was mouthy after the age of about 12 weeks, and I use the ignoring method. Perhaps the way we've named it is confusing; I like the call it the statue method. You're not ignoring the biting or the misbehavior in the sense that you don't do anything about it. Rather, you're teaching the dog that biting leads to a boring, un-fun situation and that behaving well creates excitement, food, and fun.

Your dog jumps all over you and mouths you because she gets a reaction. If you begin ignoring her after you've already taught her that you'll react, it'll take a while before she realizes the rules have changed. It still works, but you'll need to tolerate a much greater amount of undesired behavior first.

If your eight year old is running away from the dog, he's going to ramp her up by a factor of ten. He's teaching her that getting bitey and zoomie leads to fun and excitement. Children have a very hard time with the statue technique, as do some adults.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

00accord4cyl said:


> thanks for all the responses...yes we do crate Copper. I don't think we could live without that thing haha...we used to not use it as a source of punishment, but we have over the past few weeks....I think the biggest problem for us is that we have 5 people in our family and nobody is doing the same thing.
> 
> I am the middle child but i will probably have to sit down with the family and tell them what is up haha..My older sister will just Yell Copper when he does something wrong...which to me is not the right thing to do...because then i would think he would associate his name to doing something wrong.
> 
> ...


Yeah, if your family is doing all different things, you're essentially doomed, and it simply isn't fair to the dog. None of the techniques you're hearing here will work if each family member is working alone.


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## 00accord4cyl (Jun 2, 2009)

LibertyME said:


> Is there anyway your dad could call the house either from his cell or from his office so you will know when he is arriving home? Then you can put Copper on leash and take him to another room while Dad comes in and changes into 'Copper Friendly' clothes...
> Same thing for your sister....calling out his name is probably just getting him even more excited....


sorry for such a late response...Copper has gotten a tad bit better, but he still has his days. Usually my dad gets home around dinner time, so i usually try and run him outside to get him tired or hold him so he does not attack my dad with excitement. 

I have tried talking to everybody in the family to get them to not get loud when he starts biting because it just gets him more excited...Seems like the best treatment i have noticed is when he starts to bite i usually try and put his attention to something else like a tennis ball. Then if it gets bad while we are eating i will put him in the kennel for 5 minutes or so

He finished a beginners class a few months ago with the basic sit, stay, lay down, come commands....he does pretty good with all of them except if somebody new is around and he is too excited. I was afraid he might have aggression issues so i decided that since he loves his food so much i would go and move his bowl while he was eating to see what he would do. He doesn't show any aggression then...Every few days he is a pain though, he will grab your legs and hold on for dear life, bite at our clothes, hands...but he is improving..i think haha


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## Basketbagley (Aug 26, 2009)

After reading this thread, I feel so much better about our "bratty" dog. Buddy is 9 mos old and incredibly stubborn. We've been thru the training, had an in home trainer so no one could escape the people training (as i like to call it, we are the ones being trained, how to teach the dog after all) Had 6 sessions. He did great!

Still he won't stop the play biting at the kids and some adults. He doesn't do this to me or my husband, but he loves to overrun my dad. I posted a longer story in the Intro part of the forums, if you care to read....

But yes for the past month I keep going back on forth about whether we made a mistake getting America's favorite dog breed! I even went as far as to tell the kids I think we need to find him a better home who can handle him.

So I'm delighted to hear that there is hope for Sir Buddy, and all of our lil HUGE brats! Cause he is so big and strong, my daughter, 10, who the dog was intended for can not handle him, even for a walk using the gentle lead collar. 

We will keep working with him, and know that there is light at the end of this tunnel. I'll have to keep coming back here to be reminded of that though!

Its a good thing these dogs are so dam cute & lovable... that's what has kept him here so far!

Thanks for the post!


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## 00accord4cyl (Jun 2, 2009)

Good luck with your dog!! This is our second Golden and even though they can get a tad stubborn sometimes they are a great do to have. I will admit i am unsure if I will get a male again, the first golden we had was a female and she was almost perfect.


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## Dash (Aug 10, 2009)

I too experienced the same problem, Dash is 4 1/2 months old and he is less mouthy but still has his moments. It has been 2 week and no human blood has been shed. i have been taking him to puppy kindergarten classes and i dont allow him off the leash for long periods of time unless I have a few balls or other toys to play along with him. Teach the sit command and down command and reinforce them each time. No bite is the word, but be consistent. i too have been assured this will pass - we'll see. BTW, I only threatened my 15 year old that I would put a for sale sign on him once this week  guess it is getting better. 
Good luck!


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## 00accord4cyl (Jun 2, 2009)

^^^haha you sound like others in my family. My family had a garage sale a few weeks ago and my mom said that if he did not get better she might just put a sign that says take him haha. 

He has improved minimally over the past month or so. Other problems seem to be stirring up also. I just reseeded our whole backyard so I have not been able to run him as much, so he has been a dog out of control some days. But in a week or so the grass should be strong enough to where it could handle him. Hopefully he will not dig like he has in the past. We had moles, and when he smells them he goes crazy on the ground. 

Our newest problem is that legs are his best friend if you catch my drift. We had him fixed about 3 months ago also. So i do not get what is going on there. But it happens almost 5 or 6 times a day to each person in the family. He also loves attaching to our legs so we can not walk away from him. I think it is funny because he will not let you leave him, but others in the family get annoyed, esp the father haha. ANYWAYS....no big complaints, he is still a puppy that HATES HATES HATES the work No...I recently attached a chain leash inside for when he acts up because he ate threw the other one


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

My 7 month old puppy is doing the same thing....I've considered crating him for a short time out but haven't done so...some days he's good...others he's a devil!!! When he's like that, I make him go into a down position and tell him to "settle down". He'll grunt and groan but within minutes, he's calmed down and ready to go again. I still might try the crate though.....especially for the devil days!!!


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## Traz (Jan 19, 2009)

Lots of exercise. I notice mine is worse if she hasn't had her walk.


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## iamswiss (Aug 6, 2009)

When Bailey get's in the "zoomies" I try first to give her commands and redirect her to her toys and if that doesn't work I put her for a time out in the crate. As she's in our common area I can't really leave the room or put her in another "puppy safe" area. I tried the ignoring, but that didn't work well at all. When I stay still and turn my back, she's just going after my ancles and pants until I just can't deal with it anymore, and I can't stay still anymore.
Usually she gets also one or two zoomies (jumping and biting) on our walks, so I try the commands and after a minute or two she's usually fine.


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## 00accord4cyl (Jun 2, 2009)

^^yeah ignoring him was not working for us either. The more we would try and ignore him the more he would try and get our attention. So we resorted to the crate for awhile but he loves the crate so I do not think he thought it was a punishment because right when we let him out he would start again,even if we put him in with a firm "NO". 

The only thing that has been working for me is usually taking him outside to play fetch. Which I can not do right now because of the yard. I just need to find something that he knows is a punishment. Because most things calm him down until the punishment is over. He just wants out attention, which I understand since he has to stay downstairs or outside, and most of the family spends the majority of their time upstairs.(Dad does not want him to go upstairs and destroy it) So I try and go downstairs frequently and just sit with him, or if I go outside to work in the garage or yard I take him out with me


ON a side note...i love him more than ever hahaha...My mom said if she says my name to him he will look at her like she said something crazy and then run to the door and wait. So it makes me feel good that he knows my name. She said he went crazy while I was gone for 4 days, somebody would say my name and he would just run around downstairs looking for me because I have started to play hide and seek with him


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

If taking your dog outside to play fetch works, then his problem is that he is not getting enough exercise!


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Here's a tip I've been using to help teach a puppy a little self control. Hold a piece of food between your thumb and first two fingers fingers should be extended. Hold the food in front of the dog. If the dog jumps for the food, all he should get is two fingers at the nose. The dog does not get the treat until he is being still. Never jerk the treat away if the dog is jumping for it, that only encourages the jumping. If anything, move the treat towards the dog (in turn moving the extended fingers toward the dog). You would not want to initially teach this when the pup is having a crazy moment. You would first teach it while he is calm. Once he understands the concept, you should hopefully be able to apply almost anytime. If my dog starts getting more wound up than I want, I can just hold a treat up and he will immediately freeze. I will repeat a few times, and this gives him a chance to settle down and think about what is happening.


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