# Getting too excited



## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

You say "wee". How old is he? Does this only happen at the park?


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

In addition to the puppy's age, please give us a little more info on how much aerobic exercise your puppy gets every day, if he's in obedience classes and how often you practice his lessons etc. What is his schedule/routine - is he home alone during the day etc.

Your instinct is correct, absolutely do not let the puppy off leash without a reliable recall. Training that takes a lot of time and patience.


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## Marvan (Jun 23, 2015)

Oh Of course! 
He is 6 months old, we take him for a walk everyday for approximately 30-35 mins. In the weekends we are at the park and we have him on a long leash so he can explore a bit more than on a regular walk. he is by himself during the day.

he also doe not listen very well outside and at the park. He is too eager to sniff and meet people most of his training goes to the door! we have taken him to puppy class and he is currently in a dog class. Both our trainer and vet say he is a very excitable dog. Our trainer also said that goldens are usually easy to train but Marvan is the exception.

Although i find he learn things quickly at home but its just in different environments where we struggle.

Also for some reason i have notice he is paying less attention and becoming more distance/independent is that normal. He is also more aggressive, he growls and gets into a jumping/leaping stance and is a bit possessive over things he might pick up or find, especially if he knows he is the wrong.

we take him for walk as soon as we come back from work and early morning in the weekends.

I hope this extra information help! If i have missed any details out let me know

Thanks again for your help it is much appreciated!


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## Marvan (Jun 23, 2015)

My mistake he is now officially 7 months old!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Marvan may very well be a bit more excitable and energetic than average. However, there is more going on here that is contributing to rather than helping the problem. At 6 months old he is hitting adolescence and will be (just like a human child) becoming more independent and less interested in tuning into what you want when he has a big world to explore. Keep him leashed and do not let him jump on your 10 year old child and bite. If this is happening a lot, quit playing whatever game or allowing whatever scenario to happen that starts this sequence. 

If Marvan is left alone to sleep and relax (is he crated or confined the whole time or do you have a dog walker come in?) during the normal work day, it is entirely normal that when he is released around 5:30 or so in the evening, you will have to spend pretty much every waking moment ensuring that he is being stimulated, exercised or entertained to burn off that huge store of energy that he has built up sleeping 8 hours over night and then 8 hours during the day. He is a sporting breed and was not meant for this type of schedule. It's very normal that you're having this type of result with his behavior. Write his daily schedule down on a piece of paper and look at what kind of life you're really giving him.

A 30 minute leash walk (around the block in your neighborhood?) is simply not going to be enough outlet for this dog over the next couple years. If he gets a leash walk, that's great but it needs to be in different places, so he is having new experiences and learning things about the world. Incorporate that into training time and have him go about his obedience lessons with it. Use training treats if you have to, but he needs to have mental exercise and be forced to think. If your vet thinks that your dog is more excitable than a normal golden but he hasn't discussed the dog's daily schedule with you, I'd say your vet doesn't have enough experience with big dogs.

If you want to see some improvement, he really is going to need to have 20-30 minutes of hard daily aerobic exercise every day of the week in addition to the training time. Letting him run and do whatever the heck he wants on a long leash after being cooped up all day is just winding him up. He needs to learn to retrieve (there are videos available on line and also dvds that you can purchase to help you train a solid retrieve) then you can use this to exercise him. Swimming is another excellent outlet to help him burn off excess energy. You may need to get creative to find things that work for your dog, your family lifestyle and the area you live but you're going to have to find something and make it work. Just putting him on a long line and letting him go crazy running and jumping is not providing him with structure or boundaries or helping him learn to focus. 

I suggest you consult your local breed clubs and talk to experienced people who have owned and trained sporting dogs like Goldens and Labs, big dogs etc. who can help you work on this. You may want to consider finding a second opinion with a new trainer to help with new ideas on how to tackle your dog. Yes, Goldens tend to be much easier to train than the average dog, but it doesn't mean they are always easy to deal with and your dog may need some different approaches. I wouldn't spend more time and money with a trainer who gave me that kind of feedback. I'd work on finding experienced people with different ideas and approaches. 

Retrievers are notorious for taking longer to mature than most other dogs and you have a sporting dog who is not receiving enough mental or physical outlet for his energy. It is not his fault that he is being managed this way, and this is only going to get worse over the next 6 months as he grows and becomes bigger and stronger. For the next year and a half or so, your free time in the evenings is going to need to revolve around helping this dog learn how to control himself and giving him the tools to be a sane and successful dog. This is the commitment we make when we take on a sporting breed puppy, they are not lap dogs and it's our responsibility to step up our game and give them the proper exercise and training necessary to turn them into good family members.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Here are a couple ideas for helping teach your dog to pay attention to you. Start working on this inside your home and then begin to transfer it to other places, front porch, front yard, park etc. Teaching wait and settle and calm are all things to work on with your dog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJSGda3b3wA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTSuPk2Ccjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesm2OpE_2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is3CVqvfOn8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TLDQuVYkDI

Here is a video working with a german shepherd pup on a useful tool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hInjqMSOYgs


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

I think this is common and you are getting good advice. I know that between 6-12 months, even a bit longer,can be very trying time. They do calm down.


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## Marvan (Jun 23, 2015)

Thank you so much!! We will definitely take your advice on board!

Thanks Agains


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Good advice. My dog is four years, and my evenings are still spent interacting with him. That's not to scare you, and I could make other arrangements, but I like interacting with my puppy.

I'm surprised they are telling you he is difficult to train. Maybe in the classroom. Some of the best advice I've seen is to train new things at home first, then start using the new things outside of the house. Training when the dog is excited is going to be doubly difficult.


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## DebScroc (Jan 10, 2015)

Well reading this puts my mind a bit at ease. Bodie, who is now 10 months old, is pretty aggressive with me. It seems to begin as play (though I do believe he thinks he's the pack leader) with bumping me with his snout to nipping and then biting. This all happens relatively quickly so if I don't respond quickly he just gets more wound up and I've no doubt could do some serious harm to me. I think nolefan has hit on most of what happens in Bodie's day and I truly believe its lack of stimulation and no outlet for that energy. We are moving in two weeks to a home that will have a yard, which we do not have now, its all leash walking or dog parks. He has also become destructive. For example, he's tearing the couch, and he'll choose a corner of carpet to try to destroy also. And that just make the spaces he has access to smaller.
Please wish me luck, it would break my heart to give him up


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## Marvan (Jun 23, 2015)

I'm glad we are not alone!
i'm sure we will get there in the end!

update us on your progress with Bodie! 

Thanks for your post


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