# New golden, strange behavior



## Pup (May 12, 2012)

I'm sorry, but that made me laugh. hahaha. It reminds me so much of Rain. well minus the dumping of bowls. She'll have a toy in her mouth and roll on her back and grunt like crazy, it gets pretty loud. Then shell drop the toy and roll on it for a while. She does it out side too, even when I know she has to go potty, she'd rather roll instead....


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Suggest either tethering her to you or confining her to one room with you so you can keep an eye on her, and taking her out regularly and rewarding for success. If she doesn't go, she doesn't need to go, try again later, but don't crate her, keep her tethered or under a watchful eye. Watch for signs that she may need out, restlessness, sniffing, starting to squat, so that you can take her out before she goes. If you catch her 'in the act', interupt with a firm 'ahah' or a handclap and take her out right away. Focus on rewarding her for success, she will catch on.
Her little 'fit' in the crate, could well have been a bit of frustration, especially if she is spending a lot of time in the crate.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Since her water and food bowls are in the crate, am I to understand she's confined to the crate other than potty trips?

The only time we used a crate was at night, when we weren't home Hank was gated in a "safe" area. There was never any water or food in his crate. During the day he was with me in the non-carpeted areas of the house until he was housebroke or at least letting me know he needed out. At first I took him out about every 20 min., after eating, sleeping or playing.

To your question...sounds like your puppy was having some fun! Hank is almost 4 y.o. and still plays in his water bowl at times.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

How long is she in the crate total during the day by this method? It could just be too much for her. Tossing around the bowls to me sounds bored.


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## Capt Jack (Dec 29, 2011)

No expert but I think she would like for you to play with her outside more.It will make both of you happy & she'll get her stuff moving & go.I'm not a crate person(not against it thou) & it took Jack about 2 accidents before he was potty trained.It took Sweetie a little longer( about a week) because she didn't know how to tell us she needed to go out.She was 8 months old when I got her & wasn't potty trained yet.Hang in there she'll get it.The rolling in the water is too funny!


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## chloesmomMI (May 4, 2013)

I probably didn't phrase my story correctly. Chloe has a lot of out-of-crate time, but we were advised to feed her in her crate n order to reinforce that it is her safe space. We crate her at night and when we're out. Otherwise she is confined to the dining room area, which is a fairly large space. If I'm home I sit in there and read or work on my computer. She's only been living with us for 3 days and the cats are still hostile so we're keeping them apart for now. She probably needs more play time in the back yard,so I'm going to increase her outdoor time and see how that works.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Are you having trouble with poop, pee, or both? Did the breeder not housebreak her, or did the breeder take her back from another family that wasn't able to housebreak her?

By 7 months, my dog could go several hours between potty breaks. Pooping - right after meals or during a walk. Sometimes right after waking up. Other than that, no go, wouldn't matter if you crated him or not. Peeing - happy to wait 3-4 hours between times, surprisingly even 12 hours overnight (not that I'd ask that of him). By that age, I'm not sure using a crate would have been effective at all. I doubt my dog would make the connection from in the crate for 3 hours, to peeing outside, to not going back in the crate. The connection is supposed to be: I need to go but don't want to pee on myself, oh I'm not in the crate so I'll pee, wow that seems to only happen when I'm outside, I'll pee outside all the time. Works for little puppies, because they pee all the time. Lots of practice.

I think the advice to keep her on leash and get her moving is a good one. They wander, they sniff, they pee on it. For poop, take her out immediately (five minutes if that long) after eating. Of course, her whole schedule is probably off at this point, which will make things more difficult.

If the previous owners had trouble, there might be a medical or physical issue. I'd ask the vet and then work with a trainer at that point.


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## Mirinde (Jun 8, 2011)

2 things,
1.) I have never heard of an hour in the crate after not pooping/peeing. 15-20 minutes? Sure. But an hour seems a little excessive. Most dogs do not have much sense of time after about 30 minutes anyway. She could definitely be frustrated.
2.) You mentioned a "dry walk" which leads me to think that walks are frequently centered around potty times. Depending on how you structure these walks, she may be conditioned to believe that once she potties, it's time to go back inside. Dogs who pick up on this can hold it just to avoid the going back inside part. Could you try spending more time with her outside just hanging out and not immediately going back in when she does her business?


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## robinrd (Oct 30, 2012)

This is my first golden but not my first dog and they were pretty much potty trained by then. I do crate train, and I watch them like a hawk when I am potty training them. They were crated at night and when I leave or when I am trying to get something done and can't watch them. I don't know if you already do this, but I would take my dogs out the same door each time I let them out potty. I take them out right before I goto bed and its the first thing I do in the morning, then really watch them for any signs that they might have to go potty. Hang in there he'll get it and also my golden always flips his water bowl  he's my only one that ever did that. Good luck


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

Wow-I am a little frustrated by this as a breeder(not from what you are doing but what you have been told) I don't even advise those things with people who take home an 8 week old puppy let alone a puppy that is 7 months.

I do have a questions....
1.) If you got her from a breeder and she is 7 months old, why is she not housebroken at all yet?? A puppy this age should be well past the housebreaking period and maybe occasionally having an accident if you forget to take her out.

some facts 
1.) A puppy that age no longer has a very small bladder and so is not going to need to go to the bathroom every hour. You want to teach her to hold it and I wouldn't ever want a dog laying in water or anything in their crate for an extended period of time.
2.) While you want the puppy to think her crate is a good place, she isn't going to think that if she is spending a lot of time in there. It is very easy to just toss a small treat in the crate before she goes in and this accomplishes the same thing(liking the crate) without the mess
3.) she is at an age where she needs a lot of exercise and stimulation and it sounds like she may be lacking a bit in that area so I would suggest some bouts of retrieving or playing in the yard.
4.) at her age, it is actually rather easy to housetrain a puppy...when you are out with her and she goes, tell her good girl, good potty(in a quiet voice so you don't distract her from her duties) She will catch on very quickly with some praise.
5.) Keep her food and water out of her crate and have her eat in the dining area in a designated spot. For crate training purposes, you really don't want her to have access to water while she is crated. Water should be available to her at all times when she is not in a crate.

Usually a puppy this age catches on pretty quickly and if she is not, I would suggest some testing to make sure there isn't an underlying medical problem.


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## chloesmomMI (May 4, 2013)

Thanks to everyone for good advice. We're Chloe's first owners and the breeder didn't housebreak her, but we were informed of that as soon as we met her.

Today was much better for everyone. When I came downstairs this morning Chloe's cage was clean and dry, and when we went out she peed and pooped immediately. Instead of bringing her right inside I let her have run of the backyard while I made my coffee. She still won't leave the dining room because of continued feline hostility, so I just hung out with her and took her out for more frequent pee walks and play time. The result was a happier dog, no accidents, and no overturning of water bowls. 

Now if I could only get the cats to be less hostile....


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

Glad to hear that she had a much better day today!! The cats will get over her in some time. They just need a period of adjustment. Goldens are very easy with cats. The cats will set the ground rules as to how much contact(if any! lol) is allowed and Chloe will obey.

The first signs of acceptance is that the cats will go over to sniff her crate while she is in there and sleeping or even go in the crate, if she is out. It takes a little time, but they do adjust.


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## T-Joy (Aug 22, 2011)

Dear Chloesmom, I think that Chloe is just fed up of rules  I was laughing while reading.
Don't take it wrong please but I had dogs all my life. They are all different as the humans are, no matter what bread they could be. They all have their own characters so...
If I can give you an advice it would be to listen to your baby with your heart because she has to tell you something. It's not the problem of breeder. She is not born with the "fault", she just has her own character and that's all. She is not a robot, she is real...Don't worry, just do as you feel it and try to spice it with unconditional love, the one she is giving to you. You will understand each other quickly. Believe me! 
7 month is the age of teenagers so it could be difficult for a moment.
But, don't forget that you have to arm yourself with patience. It's gonna pay for sure!!! You have an Angel, don't forget it Please!

Love & Light 
Tania


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## chloesmomMI (May 4, 2013)

I'll never give up on Chloe. She's a fantastic dog! This morning it's pouring rain in SE Michigan, but we went out for early morning yard time: me in raincoat and boots, and Chloe in doggie happiness delirium. She dispatched her business quickly, and then it was ball toss time! When we got back inside she got a nice towel rubdown and breakfast. Now she's having a nap while I sip hot coffee and try to get warm.

I think I've learned that it's all about her right now, and that's OK.


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