# Newbie Here! Please Help!!



## justmejanis (Feb 25, 2007)

She is not a "lemon" I think she needs a lot of work still. You said that she has had training, but clearly she needs a lot more. Goldens are very busy dogs and she is still very young. They require a good deal of exercise as well.

I think the potty problem is her way of seeking attention. She should not be having accidents at her age. Can she be exercised early, before you begin work? This may help her settle a bit during the day hours.

It sounds like there are a lot of issues with her seeking attention. 

I am not sure what else I can say to help. 

I do know that NO reputable breeder sells puppies to a store of any kind!

I am sure you will get a lot of advice aobut your situation. Personally I thunk she needs much more training, socializing, and exercise.


----------



## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Where are you located? In all honesty it sounds like a Golden may not be the best breed for you - they need a LOT of attention, exercise and training. You need to get a trainer involved asap if you want it to work with her. It sounds like she needs a lot more training and a lot more exercise. She honestly sounds bored. At her age, she ought to be completely house trained so something isn't clicking - a one on one trainer is what you need.


----------



## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

My male,even though not a golden,destroyed his last shoe when he was 2 yrs old.Yr dog is still a puppy and 1 walk a day is not enough for a golden,unless you run or bicycle her.there's no lemons in animals,just a lot of training and time.My dogs are bicycled 3 miles a day,at a fast speed.
Remember, a tired dog is a happy dog!.


----------



## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

Exercise, training, exercise, training, and even more exercise. I agree that it sounds like she's getting bored and also seeking attention. A 15 month old has the energy and stamina of a platoon of Marines and also needs a day to day training. No way do you have a "lemon" - just a diamond in the rough waiting to be polished.


----------



## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

justmejanis said:


> I do know that NO reputable breeder sells puppies to a store of any kind!


Exactly what I wanted to say....

BTW...welcome to the forum!


----------



## orian9200 (Jun 23, 2007)

I have been doing a lot of research and it all seems to point to what everyone is saying, she really may just be bored! My husband and I sat down along with the kids to layout more definitive roles and responsibilities. From what I am reading, her chewing and accidents are fairly normal, especially being so young and bored. I guess because of her size, she's about 70 pounds and tall, we keep forgetting she's still a pup. I really like the idea of a personal trainer to come by our house, that may be very beneficial. Does anyone know approximately how much they cost? I grew up with dogs and really want this all to work. My 15 year old has agreed to walk her during the day, my seven year old will continue to run with the dog around the house, I will take time-outs from work to play fetch and we will continue to work on her commands and to walk her at night. If there is anything else we shuld be doing, please let me know. Thanks to everyone for their responses and for allowing me to keep my sanity!


----------



## orian9200 (Jun 23, 2007)

Hi Lisa,

I am located just outside of Chicago, IL. The place where we got her from wasn't a puppy mill and we were able to check the credentials of where she came from etc. I am glad that I found this site and how responsive everyone has been. I really appreciate it!


----------



## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Have your children play a game with your dog that makes the dog think (dogs need intellectual stimulation as well as physical exercise). As they teach the dog new games, tell them to praise the dog, pet him and tell him he is a good dog when he learns something new. You will be surprised to see how the dog thrives on praise.

Find It! is a game my dog loves. 
As your dog is given one of his toys, the name of the toy should be repeated. If your dog knows how to fetch, tell the dog (as the object is thrown) Go get your ___ (name of toy). When he gets it, praise him. 
Once the dog knows the name of the toy, they can ask the dog, Where's your _______? If the dog doesn't go find his toy, they should walk with him to find it, and when they do, name the toy again. Praise praise praise.
Once the dog understands that game, then they can actually start playing Find it. Have the dog Sit and tell him to stay. (Have they taught Stay command yet?). While the dog waits, your children walk away carrying the toy and hide it out of sight (but in the beginning, make it very easy to find) and then come back and tell the dog Find It! (If the dog doesn't understand, they can walk with him repeating Find It!) When the toy is found, make a big deal about it, praise praise praise.


----------



## Thor's Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Hello and welcome to the forum! Do you have a crate or baby gates (or doors that close) set up to limit the areas of the house she can get to when no one is watching? It might help to set up a regular schedule of feedings and trips to the potty. Goldens are very smart, they like regularity in some things. More exercise will help. Keep us posted.


----------



## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

Before I had a ton of Goldens, my arm used to hurt from throwing the tennis ball. That is the kind of exercise they need. They need to run until they can stand up anymore. Now that I have entire herd of Goldens, they tend to keep each other moving, so it's not so bad anymore. 

Steve mentioned Marines. I think a 15 month old female can put a Marine to shame. The just have so much energy.


----------



## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Steve mentioned Marines. I think a 15 month old female can put a Marine to shame. The just have so much energy. [/quote]

I agree. As a wife of a retired marine, I can tell you our two goldens (Beau was one of them) totally wore him out. They have a ton of energy. He used to walk them in the morning and evening around the neighborhood and in the afternoon I used to play ball with them and they still had energy. They were both young but once they got around 2 they started to calm down some. The teenager years are the hardest. 
Sounds like you are planning to do everything to make her a tired happy dog and getting your family involved is the best way to go. That way everyone has their own interaction time with her. More bonding is great. Showing your children what needs to be done will help them when they become adults to be GRREAT dog owners. Get a bunch of tennis balls and get her to run,run and run. They love doing that. 
Keep up the hard but good work. Oh I forgot to tell you.....WELCOME.
We cant wait to see lots of pictures.


----------



## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

You've gotten a lot of great advice. You asked about a personal trainer. I'd look for someone who is a trained animal behaviorist because they deal more with the reasons behind the behavior in addition to finding ways to fix it. 

The behaviorists I've consulted in the past run about $50/session. You may only need one session for the behaviorist to offer advice -- you may be able to do the actual work he/she suggests on your own. 

To find a qualified behaviorist, I'd start with your vet, your breeder and some of the larger rescue groups in your area. 

Hopefully with your new exercise routines, you won't need to contact one. But if you do, don't waste time and money on anyone but someone who comes highly recommended.


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

Good advice from everyone and she sounds like a pretty normal young Golden to me.

I don't think she has any major problems, she just needs more exercise. Left on their own, Goldens will always come up with something to do...most of which would NOT be our first choice of activities.


----------



## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Nope, not bad dog! This is all training issues and those fall on us, the owners of the dogs. Sometimes what happens is if you do things incorrectly the dogs will just do them behind ones back so to speak, although I am not saying this is what happened with yours. But, i'm guessing it has something to do with it. They are very smart dogs.

I don't mean for this too sound blunt, so please don't take it that way. I'm just pointing out the problems where they lie, so as to get the help you need.

Garbage can help would be to buy a can with a lid, turn it backwards towards the wall.
Housetraining, well you do have to watch her anytime for this to work. You can't let it happen one time inside, if you do and she does this then that is your fault for not watching her as it anyone elses that this happens too unless it a health problem which this doesn't sound like one to me.
The lawn problem, you gotta be with her to correct her for this. If your out there she won't do it, when your not she probally is bored so she resorts to this to occupy herself.
Jumping on people, well that in many dogs goes with the territory. Some of them take a bit of work to get them around that, mine also included at the time when I was dealing with it. But it is a training issue and for the most part, you just need to keep working on it daily as well as out on your walks. Sounds like her excitement level skyrockets with company and the door.
Commands, simple as working on them more daily. I would suggest two sessions a day on just working on training with her with her commands and such, but do keep it fun for the golden. The dogs really love that stimulation, it also helps to tire them. Also carry all this out on your walks, work in the commands out there every so often.

But these are all training issues you mention, all this falls on the owners...it is not the dog. Others mentioned exercise, this is something she also will benefit from. Running around with a child isn't training, or the kind of exercise that will benefit her at this time. She needs more structure and stimulation and OB work. They are very much like two year olds, and require every bit as much work and watching. lol


----------



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

The crate and baby gate are your best friends. You can't set her up to fail. That is what my trainer's favorite words are.

If there are things in her reach (the garbage), access to a room unattended, or allowed to jump on visitors then you have set her up to fail. If she does not have full supervision, even if it is in your backyard, then she should be crated or gated.


----------



## orian9200 (Jun 23, 2007)

Thanks for all the support from everyone! I have to say though that I encourage my seven year old to play with her and he does toss her toys etc., so I am not sure why that would be discouraged. Sometimes she's his only pal when his friends are not out to play. The last couple of days have been some work, but she's a happy dog. I like the idea of practicing commands on our walk, we are going to try that tonight. She is crate trained (sleeps there at night) and I do keep her in the laundry room (which is a full 10x11 space) when we can't attend to her, her food bowls, bed and toys are in there as well. If anyone is from the IL area, can you recommend personal trainers? This site has been great. Thanks!


----------



## orian9200 (Jun 23, 2007)

"Garbage can help would be to buy a can with a lid, turn it backwards towards the wall."

That's what we have and have already tried! I sprayed some bitter apple on and so far all she's do is sniff and give it a lick and that's about it!


----------



## Joe (Apr 9, 2005)

I know this maybe hard, but the answer is to keep her busy. 

Unless you can take her to a river or a lake regularly, I would take her out and throw a ball until she can stand it, for two of our dogs it proved to be the best exercise.

You can buy *ChuckIt!* it costs next to nothing and for us it was one of the best investments we've made:









Once she is tired, she wouldn't even think about doing anything mischievous, trust me. With the tool above, you can wore her out in 30 minutes easily 

Anyhow, for other problems, ask in our forum or get a personal trainer.

Joe


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Hi! Welcome!!

1) Dogs do NOT know they have done wrong. Dogs have no moral sense of right or wrong, and dogs sure do not know that doing normal DOG things in a human household is "wrong" by any standards- and certainly not their own. However, dogs are associative learners and something in your action, movement, or the series of events is telling her bad things are about to happen. She's just not connecting the punishment with the crime, but with some other trigger (running from the crime, you approaching, etc).

2) You need a crate like a fish needs water! And it's OKAY to crate the dog for a few hours a day while you work

3) She needs more exercise- hard exercise off leash running and playing until she's worn out (just be careful of the heat!). Try a kiddie pool, a variety of toys, and working with her teaching tricks. Take her to fairs and festivals and parades and on walks and to Petsmart- it's all stimulation for the pup's mind which = a tired dog

4) She should never be able to go into a room in the house where there is not an adult watching her. She clearly hasn't earned that type of trust yet. Shut doors, gate off rooms, use a crate, or keep her leashed with you. Give her freedom in small doses AFTER she's run for an hour and done her job outside


----------



## Dog (Sep 26, 2006)

I am sure you'll get there in the end. Do not worry too much.

We got Amber from a shop too (we didn't know better - now we have a warning on her website). We heard so many horrible stories about dogs being purchased from shops that we were traumatised (not this forum I might add) but we did not give up and I've been learning every day ever since (June 2006 to date).

She was 12 weeks and she's had no professional training so far so I guess we've been lucky for getting more things right then wrong (love, common sense and a lot of good advice from this forum/vet).

She has 2 long walks a day (morning and evening) Saturday and Sunday she goes to the park 2-3 hours where she spends most of her time chasing/playing with other dogs. 

At home she likes playing with my daughter all the time (office, dinner parties, lots of cuddles, watching TV etc...) She even finds it entertaining to just run in circle in the garden as we pretend to chase her and try to steel her toy. She loves digging her hole and is only outside when we are home. 

She stays in the lounge when we are at work/school - we used the crate training. It was a lot of hard work to potty train but we were very consistant at the begining (clicker training) and we now enjoy all the benefits.

It is a 24hr job I'm afraid. She's learn that when we are not home she stays in her bed but when we are she gets the run for her money (here mum, dad and daughter have all their jobs and we have a routine in place). The fun part we all share.


----------

