# 1 yr old getting aggressive for attention



## kwirky (Jan 29, 2015)

Hello,
Murphy is a little over 1 years old and is a very big golden male (he is about 45kg and 80cm from neck to bum).

Murphy has a tendency to get a little aggressive when he is looking for attention or when I try and leave for work in the morning.

He gets very excitable and tries biting and humping and with his size this can be rather painful. 

Most of the time we can get him to stop by offering a treat or at worst squirting him with a spray bottle with water. Sometimes it is necessary to separate myself by going into another room for about a minute.

Has anyone had any other similar experiences and is there a way to train him so that this is not part of his behaviour. He is a very good boy when he is calm but when he gets hyped up (most evenings) he is almost impossible to control.

By the way he is walked twice a day (which he loves) and he is entire.


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## kwirky (Jan 29, 2015)

hopefully the pics will add this time.


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

I don't think it is a good idea to give him a treat as that will only make him do it more! Going into another room is a better plan because then he gets no attention for his bad behaviour.


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## kwirky (Jan 29, 2015)

I totally agree with the treat. What we do is get him to stop, even if it is only for a second, praise him and give him a treat.

I am hoping to be able to get him to listen without the treat.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

I agree, no treats. They pick up things fast and he could decide that is a good way to get extra treats. My dogs have always gotten treats for doing good things, not bad. Yes, I would cut out the treats for this BEAUTIFUL boy. He is gorgeous.

When my sons, now 45 and 48 were little fellows, if my Dad scolded them for anything they would turn on tears---and he would give them a dish of ice creak and couple of cookies. They now admit they use to do things they knew he would fuss at them for so they could get ice cream and cookies. That would not work with me--do bad things, get in trouble, do good things get rewarded. but my dad was just a big softy. And I think most dogs are smart enough to figure out like my boys did if they get treats for doing something, keep doing it to get more treats.


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

kwirky said:


> I totally agree with the treat. What we do is get him to stop, even if it is only for a second, praise him and give him a treat.
> 
> I am hoping to be able to get him to listen without the treat.


I think involving treats where there is bad behaviour is a mistake. It's too easy to relate the "bad" with the treat especially if there is only a second of "good" - he might only be drawing a breath for the next onslaught! If you remove yourself, I think he will quickly catch on that when he misbehaves everyone is gone. And yes, he is absolutely gorgeous!


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## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

Harleysmum said:


> I think involving treats where there is bad behaviour is a mistake. It's too easy to relate the "bad" with the treat especially if there is only a second of "good" - he might only be drawing a breath for the next onslaught! If you remove yourself, I think he will quickly catch on that when he misbehaves everyone is gone. And yes, he is absolutely gorgeous!



You can also work on a "go to" place so that when he is acting up you send him there. If you start training a go to place, eg. a mat or bed, rewarding for calm behaviour, it may help snap his brain into gear.


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## Test-ok (Jan 15, 2015)

Don't reward behavior you don't want.


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## SwimDog (Sep 28, 2014)

So - sometimes it is appropriate to use food to stop a bad behavior - it's better than the unwanted behavior occurring for a long time. The thing is, this is an emergency sort of response and should be happening once a month or less. 

Mounting is normal behavior when dogs are reproducing. That is not his goal in this situation. Normal behaviors out of context are called 'conflict behaviors'. He is not sure how to interact - and the punishment (bottle) can increase frustration/anxiety - and the treats involved could also increase his conflict.

Your dog needs to learn ways he can ask for attention. He also needs better structure when you are leaving (a go to place like recommended would be a great start).

Set up a video camera and see what he does while you are away. Biting/mounting on exit can sometimes be linked to separation distress.

In the meantime, until you have more training in place, maybe toss some food on the floor in another room ( a handful of dog food - feed him less!) and while he's lookng for all the pieces you can leave in peace. We're doing this before he gets bitey and just as a distraction. It won't really teach him anything but it will let you leave more easily and it will make it less likely he tries inappropriate behavior.


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## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

This doesn't help but it looks like we have the same dog!!


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## kwirky (Jan 29, 2015)

Thanks every one


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

You might want to set up a departure routine that makes your leaving a good thing. A stuffed Kong is a good thing. You could stuff it with part of his daily food allotment. Sometimes people freeze them in advance so it takes the dog a while to eat them. Then you would have a mat, open crate, or other place that the dog goes to on command. Give the Kong there, and exit. Do it all without drama and excitement, just daily routine.


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## Goldylover2 (May 1, 2014)

Kwirky...my 16 month old Caleb goes under the kitchen table when I'm getting ready to leave for work. He doesn't want to go into his crate. But he does grabs onto me at times. Especially after he has eaten. It's like he has gotten a burst of energy. I wrestle with him almost very day. He played to rough as a pup but has eased up a lot as he has gotten older. If he gets out of hand, I tell him to sit and I do leave the room. He doesn't do this to my girlfriend at all.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

How about working on a DROP command on totally separate occasions until he really knows it? Then you can ask him to drop/down, when he gets crazy and even better at the first flicker of a sign. 

Another idea is to manage him at those times by crating him so this behavior is not an option. Put him in his crate with a kong before you start your last phase of leaving. You could feed him in a buddy ball toy or other food puzzle while you are leaving also- just something that radically changes the established dynamic. 

A last idea is have him drag a lead or check cord, and simply step on it when he begins to pitch a fit without much emotion or comment. Teach him the command "RELAX". I taught that to my girl Lush when she was a puppy bc she is very high energy, and I didnt want her to pace and pitter-patter while the the dogs were peacefully snoozing.


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