# Naughty 2 Year old?



## GoldenR1986 (Nov 19, 2018)

Hi, 

I have a 2 year old Golden Retriever and recently after walks, (when its time to get back on a lead) he begins to jump up at me, screws up his face and shows me his teeth.

This can be after a lovely walk when he has been very obedient. 

I find this behavior very worrying because its the only time I ever feel as if he is going to hurt me. 

He comes over to tease me and as I try and get him he pounces away and runs rounds so crazily. 

Please can someone help and tell me what they think this behavior means and why he might be doing it. 

Thank you


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

He needs to go to obedience classes- you do too- 
teeth showing would have to be seen to know if it is a threat or is a play thing, I have a girl who, if I point my finger at her, shows hers- I have encouraged it actually, because I think it is a stress reducer for her that will let her reduce stress without moving her feet. I know other dogs who do this too, but there is ZERO aggression around it only play. 

Maybe film it and post that for us to see. In any case, formal classes would benefit both of you, dogs need mental stimulation and they need parameters to behave well within.


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## GoldenR1986 (Nov 19, 2018)

Hi, 

Like I said he only shows this behavior when it is time to get back on the lead. 

My initial thoughts are that: 

1. He knows lead time means home time 
2. its a chance for him to be 'chased' and played with because it becomes a game for him. 

....but the screwed up face and teeth does worry me although as soon as hes back on the lead he goes back to being completely calm. 

I can honestly say he never shows this behavior at any other time. 

I will look into training for sure! 
I will try and film it next time and post on this thread.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Take a moment to consider what going back on lead predicts for your dog - it means the fun is over and he is going to have to leave, he is 'misbehaving' in order to avoid leaving. Consider, while he is off lead - calling him to you, rewarding him, give him lots of praise, then telling him to 'Go play!!', once he is willingly coming to you, (and released to go play) then ask him to sit when he gets to you, and gently hold his collar briefly, and release to go play, then work towards putting on the leash, briefly, then releasing him to 'go play'. So that in time, he learns that coming to you and being put on leash doesn't _always _mean you are leaving. 

Animals repeat behaviors that are rewarding to them, and avoid repeating those behaviors which have negative consequences. So if coming to you once he has been off leash results (more often than not) in being leashed and having to give up something he naturally enjoys doing, (a 'life reward' - extremely high value to a dog) he is going to learn through experience, to avoid being caught. Work with him to make coming to you a more positive experience, give him lots of praise, use the opportunity to 'Go Play!' as a reward for coming, to help avoid creating a dog who refuses to come at all. 

A lot of dogs lose their recall and play the 'catch me' game after being allowed to run free because often the only time the owner interacts with them (or in some cases pay any attention to their dog at all) is to stop the fun - it is time to go home. 

When we allow our dogs off leash we have no physical control we are giving them the freedom to choose - to come back or stay away. So we want to work ensure that our dog 'wants to' to choose to approach, be close, respond to our cues (because it means good things for them 99% of the time).


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## littlehouse (Sep 19, 2018)

GoldenR1986 said:


> he begins to jump up at me, screws up his face and shows me his teeth.


Does this behavior seem aggressive to you, or is he playing? My golden, even in his later years, would sometimes play keep-away with me when it was time to go home. I'm also interested in knowing how you respond when he does this. 

I believe that jumping up is not acceptable behavior, and you should turn your back and ignore him whenever he does this. Don't let anyone, family or friends, pet him when he's jumping up and asking for attention inappropriately. Only when he's sitting and calm can he be petted. You also need to work on a reliable recall. Practice calling him over to you in the middle of play, taking his collar as if to put on a leash, then give him a treat and let him go back to playing. That way he knows that this doesn't always mean that playtime is over. No matter what his behavior, try to remain calm and use a happy, playful voice. 

An obedience class that uses positive reinforcement is also a good idea.


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

I got my four year old third hand. He gets excited and jumps on me all the time. All it takes is me quietly saying “off” and he gets down. 

Can’t seem to break him of this... you would think he would figure out not to jump because I always tell him “off”...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## GoldenR1986 (Nov 19, 2018)

Wow! 

Thank you both so much, all of this makes total sense. 

Your right in the sense that when off the lead he is free to play but it’s also true to say that I don’t have much interaction with him during this time (he’s not into playing fetch) and is happy to chase the squirrels whilst we walk in close proximity. 

Because he is such a big dog (37kg) I have this feeling that he needs a lot of exercise and he gets much more of this when he’s off the lead. But like a previous member mentioned it’s not just physical exercise they need! 

From now on I will take treats out and do what you have suggested, recalling and giving praise etc! This makes sense. 

Deep down I don’t think it’s aggression but just his time to get attention like you said. 

Another member asked how did I react to his actions, well in all honesty sometimes it is sheer frustration! And quite frankly it’s embarrassing as it’s quite obvious I don’t have total Control!


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## Barlosh (Sep 1, 2018)

Give him something to make going back on his lead worthwhile and tell him over and over what a good boy he's been with a couple more treats. You can't blame him for not wanting to stop having fun so you have to offer him something even better. Food works wonders and high value treats like chicken or cheese cubes will make him more keen to do as you want.


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## TheLittleDuke (Nov 11, 2018)

GoldenR1986 said:


> Because he is such a big dog (37kg) I have this feeling that he needs a lot of exercise and he gets much more of this when he’s off the lead. But like a previous member mentioned it’s not just physical exercise they need!


Your last sentence is correct. Dogs in general, such as Goldens, need to exercise physically AND mentally. This article is very helpful. And please don't be frustrated, because your dog can feel it and he will become frustrated too!


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## kbaum4 (Nov 29, 2018)

I can't give you advice I can only say that I'm experiencing the exact same thing with my 16 month old golden. She gets so mean that it looks vicious and I'm sure my neighbors think she's attacking me. She shows her teeth and snarls at me and tries to grab my arm or my leg or my coat. My trainer says that because I've reacted and yelled at her she now thinks it's a game and I've encouraged the behavior but she's not being aggressive. I'm working on it but I wanted to say that I feel your pain. I'm going to back to basics with the training and we'll see how it goes. If you find the magic share it here please!


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## CedarFurbaby (Jun 6, 2016)

My dog simply hates going home and leaving the park or anywhere fun and yes he used to make a big fuss, throw tantrums, biting and barking. He’s 2.5 now, doesn’t do all that anymore, and I still make it worthwhile for him to come home. For example, we would come home and have his dinner with raw meat. We also play a game when leaving the park. I would make him do a down stay and then when I give the release signal, he can come over and collect a treat. Other times, I just make it easy for myself, drive him to a park and then we just have that short distance to walk back to the car. I always give him treats when I put him back on leash too! 

I totally understand why he would hate being on leash and leaving the park when staying is a lot more fun, so I don’t blame him for doing all he can to stay a bit longer!


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