# help!!!



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Welcome to the forum! Golden retrievers are by far, imo, in a league of their own. They, as most retrievers are, very mouthy and explore their world with that lovely set of teeth and tongue. If she is constantly harrassing your other dog, I suggest you seperate them. Keep Ava on a leash outside, so you can catch her when she picks things up. Same in the house. 

I highly recommend you get a dog walker to come give her a break in the middle of the day. Being crated for 8 hours a day, is very hard on little puppies and their tiny bladders. It'll also give her an outlet for some of that puppy energy. You can also try to keep her occupied with puppy safe toys, like the stuffed and frozen kongs.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

What you have is a classic mouthy energetic GR puppy. I completely agree with Brave that she needs to be out of her crate at least once in the middle of the day. She should probably have about an hour of exercise in the morning and another in the evening. Eventually she will mellow out, but GRs are lively, curious and mouthy dogs. They really need to be tired out, and then their "off switch" will kick in. You might want to look into a dog walker, or doggie daycare. I'd say within 6 or 7 months you should be able to leave her home alone for the day (most GRs achieve that) but right now she needs more, a lot more! You also need to do training every day--do basic stuff like sit or down, or stay, or teach her tricks but work with her every day. If she hasn't been to basic obedience yet, you need to do that really soon. 

Good luck! Welcome to GRF. We would love to pics of your baby Ava.


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## LizShort (May 19, 2009)

I completely agree with the other two posts. Tire Ava out completely. Make sure she has a good hour long walk before going to work (I used to take Jake on 3 mile walks before work, he's almost 5 now and doesn't need them like he used to) If you can get home for lunch (most of us can't) you could take Ava out and run her while you ate. If you have a fenced yard, you could get a neighbor to let her out in the middle of the day maybe. 

Basically what she needs is lots of exercise. Training is also a must. Like OutWest said, basics. Not only will sit/stay/down/come help gear her up mentally, it will tire her out and ensure you have good control for emergency situations. 

I am going to stick my neck out here... I'm sure there will be those who vehemently disagree with me, but here it goes. DO NOT!!!! bait train when training the basics (heal, sit, down, come, stay). I have been training since I was a pup myself (more than 30 years) and my experience has been that when the treats go, so does the willingness to do what is asked. My currently fur baby will NOT under any circumstances moo unless food is involved. He won't roll over. He won't tell you what is on top of a house (roof) or how sand paper feels (ruff). He will not shake hands. All have been bait trained. I have tried intermittent rewards, I have tried a gradual reduction of rewards. If there is no hope of food, he won't do his silly tricks. If I tell him to sit or down, he doesn't think twice. They were not bait trained though. They were praise trained.

these have been my experiences and I am sure there are others who will say I am not as correct as many others. BUT!!! these are my experiences LOL


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## Ava_pup (Feb 6, 2014)

*Thank you!*

Thank you everyone for the helpful ideas! I think it is a great idea to try and have someone let her out. I may see if my fiancé can stop by on lunch! I also will try walking her in the morning prior to work. She certainly is a ball of energy!!! She will sit and also give her paw (she's picked this up from my other dog) so I know she's learning! I appreciate the suggestions and will certainly try to find some outlets for her energy!!

Here is Miss Ava with her big brother, Tuffy


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Ava_pup said:


> Thank you everyone for the helpful ideas! I think it is a great idea to try and have someone let her out. I may see if my fiancé can stop by on lunch! I also will try walking her in the morning prior to work. She certainly is a ball of energy!!! She will sit and also give her paw (she's picked this up from my other dog) so I know she's learning! I appreciate the suggestions and will certainly try to find some outlets for her energy!!
> 
> Here is Miss Ava with her big brother, Tuffy


Miss Ava and Tuffy are adorable! There is a saying that is one of several mantras for owners of Goldens..."A tired dog is a good dog."


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## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

Golden pups are full on. I agree with the other posters who have said exercise. If mine aren't exercised they make their own fun....


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