# 8 Month Puppy Badly Misbehaving



## GoldenHour (Sep 7, 2019)

I am just going to say this as honestly as possible. My little Nancy girl is so so so bad. I think I am at the point where I need to officially get her into some private training classes. My schedule changes drastically week per week so I don't think I can commit to pet store training, but possibly having someone who can work with her one on one can help. I have been putting them off as I wanted to justify her behavior as "just being a puppy" but she seriously acts so far removed from the typical Golden Retriever personality and I can't ignore this much longer. I have spent countless hours researching dog training, reading forums, asking others for advice, etc., but I can't do it any longer. The effort I have put into setting her up for future success seems pointless at times. It feels like one step forward two steps back every time we seem to be making progress. 

Examples of her bad behavior: 
-*Still biting*. Appears to be out of playfulness (versus aggression) but this is an ongoing issue where even pinching her mouth (my vet showed me) does not make a dent. Consistency in punishment has not changed this behavior. Replacing my hand with a toy has also not gotten rid of this. If I say "no bite" every 5 seconds she likely won't bite but you would have thought this habit would be kicked by now. 
-*Acts INSANE when a human passerby approaches*. Literally insane. I have seen nothing like it. Major zoomies every single time. This makes walking near my home extremely difficult with neighbors. Trying to make her sit still with treats does nothing. Making the neighbors ignore her and cross their arms does nothing. Turning the other way and leaving seems to be the only "solution". I have had to tell multiple neighbors to never talk in a high-pitch voice or reach out to pet her and this has been an issue since bringing her home. I cannot get her to calm down. At the vet she is even worse. I think they dread when I bring her in. 
-*Running away "zoomies style"*. I take her to a big field to play soccer or fetch and her new trend recently is bolting off. I ALWAYS bring treats with me and in fetch or soccer she knows she gets treats when she returns to me. The "come" command is useless when she bolts off. I have had several other passerby's assist me in luring her back in. Like I said, this is a recent trend. But I don't know how to act. It deters me from giving her space to truly run and bolt and expel energy because now I don't want to have to worry about her running away or hurting herself. 
-*Jumping on visitors*. Nonstop. I have thus stopped having visitors because it is out of control. At first we tried the rule where my visitors ignore her. I make them cross their arms and not even acknowledge Nancy until she has stopped. She never stopped. So that failed after multiple attempts. Then we tried the "sit upon greeting". She stays sitting for an average of 3 seconds. No high quality treat can prolong this. Her "stay" command does not work. Multiple guests have complained to me about this. My close friends and family are the biggest help since they are more patient, but even with them I can tell it's exhausting. If I am desperate, I remove her into another room only to hear her whimper and cry. I feel like doing this only hides the problem, does not fix it.

Now I want to say the above problems are just the ones that severely affect my QOL. The little things like chewed shoe laces, getting into the trash every once in a while, and occasionally being bad on the leash are truly puppy behavior and I live with it. But overall, I feel like she is severely resistant to training. Especially for a golden. I hate to say this, but it is embarrassing.

I love her death. I will never get rid of her. She makes me happy. But she is one of the worst dogs I have had the pleasure of being in the presence of. I grew up with Goldens and never experienced anything like this. Guaranteed at least 5 days per week she gets 30 min(+) of exercise. Plenty of toys, bully sticks, peanut butter Kongs, raw hides, Nyla Bones, etc. I truly put so much effort into her. My worst fear is that she will not grow out of this. 

So finally, has anyone ever had a Golden who acted so bad they didn't seem like a Golden? If so, what did you do and how did you cope? If any of you have any general advice please let me know, as well.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

If you ask me, she’s acting just like a Golden puppy!! Impulsive, playful, bold, loves people  
Is she crate trained? There are a variety of ways to tackle the biting, but if she gets overaroused, put her up to calm down.
Everything else is just patience, consistency, and practice. It really can take a very long time to train pups not to pull, jump, etc, especially while they’re still maturing.
Finally: when you take her to the park, keep her on a long line, so she can’t run away from you. Don’t call her for anything other than treats and love to reinforce the recall.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

Sounds to me like she needs more training and more management! The private lessons you mentioned don't sound like a bad idea. A structured training plan will help with all of your issues with her, a good trainer will tailor the lesson plans for your dog's specific needs. Pretty much all of the problems you mentioned are training issues and will be fixed with consistent training.

For the recall, get a long leash (30 foot works fine, but there are also make shorter and longer leashes) and put her on it. Every time you call her, reel her in if she doesn't automatically start heading towards you - the more she gets to practice the behavior of ignoring your recall, the more ingrained that behavior comes (and the more likely you are to ruin your recall). I'd look into playing recall games with her too, there are videos and articles easily found if you google.

Also - just because they are typical puppy behaviors does not mean you have to live with them. It also does not mean you ignore them. How will a dog learn what is or is not acceptable if you're not providing any feedback and letting them practice the behavior? Put your shoes away or put up gates/xpens and manage her so she can't chew up shoelaces or get into the trash. Practice walking nicely on a leash often - it's fine when a 15 pound puppy pulls a little bit, but a 65 pound dog can easily throw out your shoulder. Set her up for success.


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## jeffscott947 (Jun 9, 2019)

Tagrenine said:


> If you ask me, she’s acting just like a Golden puppy!! Impulsive, playful, bold, loves people
> Is she crate trained? There are a variety of ways to tackle the biting, but if she gets overaroused, put her up to calm down.
> Everything else is just patience, consistency, and practice. It really can take a very long time to train pups not to pull, jump, etc, especially while they’re still maturing.
> Finally: when you take her to the park, keep her on a long line, so she can’t run away from you. Don’t call her for anything other than treats and love to reinforce the recall.


Agree 100%..and you do not have to be blessed by the good tooth fairy to train your own dog either. A good trainer will train people how to train their own dogs, according to a trainer that I believe.

These FREE videos have helped me thru my own "rough" period (another is on the way TEENAGER..arghhh)
I was in shock when my old "methods" appeared not to work on my Golden Pup. They had worked for over 25 yrs on others that I had raised and I was not fully prepared for what was to come.

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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

GoldenHour said:


> So finally, has anyone ever had a Golden who acted so bad they didn't seem like a Golden?


Every behavior you describe is extremely typical untrained golden puppy behavior. 

30 minutes of exercise a day simply is not nearly enough for your dog. As she gets older her need for a lot of intense exercise will diminish but for now, you're not getting anywhere with your training because she has way too much energy to focus, listen or control herself.

If you can do doggie daycare - do it. It's been an absolute lifesaver for us and Luna loves it. On days that she's not in doggie daycare (or if it's just not an option for you), we do 2 sessions of playing ball for 20-30 minutes AND a very brisk walk or hilly hike for 30 min - 1 hour. Goldens at this age are a lifestyle. They need enormous amounts of exercise and training.


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## GoldenHour (Sep 7, 2019)

aesthetic said:


> Sounds to me like she needs more training and more management! The private lessons you mentioned don't sound like a bad idea. A structured training plan will help with all of your issues with her, a good trainer will tailor the lesson plans for your dog's specific needs. Pretty much all of the problems you mentioned are training issues and will be fixed with consistent training.
> 
> For the recall, get a long leash (30 foot works fine, but there are also make shorter and longer leashes) and put her on it. Every time you call her, reel her in if she doesn't automatically start heading towards you - the more she gets to practice the behavior of ignoring your recall, the more ingrained that behavior comes (and the more likely you are to ruin your recall). I'd look into playing recall games with her too, there are videos and articles easily found if you google.
> 
> Also - just because they are typical puppy behaviors does not mean you have to live with them. It also does not mean you ignore them. How will a dog learn what is or is not acceptable if you're not providing any feedback and letting them practice the behavior? Put your shoes away or put up gates/xpens and manage her so she can't chew up shoelaces or get into the trash. Practice walking nicely on a leash often - it's fine when a 15 pound puppy pulls a little bit, but a 65 pound dog can easily throw out your shoulder. Set her up for success.





eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Every behavior you describe is extremely typical untrained golden puppy behavior.
> 
> 30 minutes of exercise a day simply is not nearly enough for your dog. As she gets older her need for a lot of intense exercise will diminish but for now, you're not getting anywhere with your training because she has way too much energy to focus, listen or control herself.
> 
> If you can do doggie daycare - do it. It's been an absolute lifesaver for us and Luna loves it. On days that she's not in doggie daycare (or if it's just not an option for you), we do 2 sessions of playing ball for 20-30 minutes AND a very brisk walk or hilly hike for 30 min - 1 hour. Goldens at this age are a lifestyle. They need enormous amounts of exercise and training.



If you did not notice, I put the (+) sign next to 30. Meaning the minimum she will ever get is 30 minutes of exercise. Please don’t assume things! And since you think I am a novice, like I said, I have been around Goldens my entire life. It is the only breed I have ever owned. From day 1 of picking her up on the breeders, I knew she was a troublemaker.


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## GoldenHour (Sep 7, 2019)

jeffscott947 said:


> Agree 100%..and you do not have to be blessed by the good tooth fairy to train your own dog either. A good trainer will train people how to train their own dogs, according to a trainer that I believe.
> 
> These FREE videos have helped me thru my own "rough" period (another is on the way TEENAGER..arghhh)
> I was in shock when my old "methods" appeared not to work on my Golden Pup. They had worked for over 25 yrs on others that I had raised and I was not fully prepared for what was to come.
> ...


I truly appreciate the advice! I am going to take a look at these videos


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

GoldenHour said:


> If you did not notice, I put the (+) sign next to 30. Meaning the minimum she will ever get is 30 minutes of exercise. Please don’t assume things! And since you think I am a novice, like I said, I have been around Goldens my entire life. It is the only breed I have ever owned. From day 1 of picking her up on the breeders, I knew she was a troublemaker.


Lol, well that's a super defensive response to an innocuous reply.

I did notice the plus. The plus sign doesn't generally imply significantly more time than stated. It implies potentially more time but not double the time stated. I'm saying your very high energy dog needs an hour (+) of exercise per day with the majority of that time being a medium-high intensity workout (tongue out panting). 

I also saw in your original post that you have been around goldens all of your life. That can mean a lot of things but most typically it means that someone grew up with goldens. Goldens that were puppies before they were old enough or mature enough to actually have a serious hand in training and what they remember is an adult golden being awesome and easy going. So did you train prior golden puppies? If so, it sounds like you currently have an especially difficult one. And the answer is still that your current dog needs more exercise. Troublemaker or not your dog needs more exercise and training.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

You say you have spent hours researching training... but have you actually DONE any training with your dog? Please don't get defensive. To me, she sounds like a normal Golden Retriever who has not been taught how to behave like a good dog. A lot of people think that Goldens are wonderfully behaved, calm dogs - but they don't come out of the box that way. It is a TON of work - 24/7 for the first year of a puppy's life. Consistency, repetition, reinforcement of good behaviour is the way to a well behaved dog. I worry that you have chalked her up to a trouble maker without really trying to set her up for success. That means, not giving her the chance to chew anything - so you have to make sure your shoes are out of reach, that she is never left unsupervised, and when she is she is in a kennel. Teaching her how to greet people, teaching her how to walk nicely on leash, teaching her recall. It's not too late, but it does sound like you need to go back to square one and start over with her. Make rules and set boundaries. You are the human, she is the dog. That does not mean being hard on her or punishing her or yelling or hitting. You can do it all in a very positive way. But she does need to learn what is expected of her - and you have to teach her 

And just for perspective - if my dog had only had 30+ minutes of exercise 5 days a week, she would have been swinging from the chandeliers and climbing the walls at that age. She is almost 7 years old and she _still _gets 2+ hours of exercise, 7 days a week. Now that she is older, I can get away with one hour one of those days, but that usually only happens if she has had a particularly big exercise day the day before. I do think more exercise would also help your pup. Playing ball with a Chuck It is a great way to burn energy.


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## GoldenHour (Sep 7, 2019)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Lol, well that's a super defensive response to an innocuous reply.
> 
> I did notice the plus. The plus sign doesn't generally imply significantly more time than stated. It implies potentially more time but not double the time stated. I'm saying your very high energy dog needs an hour (+) of exercise per day with the majority of that time being a medium-high intensity workout (tongue out panting).
> 
> I also saw in your original post that you have been around goldens all of your life. That can mean a lot of things but most typically it means that someone grew up with goldens. Goldens that were puppies before they were old enough or mature enough to actually have a serious hand in training and what they remember is an adult golden being awesome and easy going. So did you train prior golden puppies? If so, it sounds like you currently have an especially difficult one. And the answer is still that your current dog needs more exercise. Troublemaker or not your dog needs more exercise and training.




You actually jumped onto my post without knowing any of the exercise I give my Nancy! You made an assumption that she does not get enough exercise. You are the type of person who is not helpful in threads because of YOUR assumptions.

I have owned two Goldens besides Nancy, from puppy to elder. This is beside the point as Nancy has been the hardest for me. 

I am a marathon runner and give my Nancy plenty of run time with me, however, if you would have read the original thread and not assumed things, I said that she is deterring me from taking her off her leash for soccer and fetch. This is posing a problem in our exercise routine. Other forum members gave me good advice such as using a long leash and using this as recall training.


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## GoldenHour (Sep 7, 2019)

Sweet Girl said:


> You say you have spent hours researching training... but have you actually DONE any training with your dog? Please don't get defensive. To me, she sounds like a normal Golden Retriever who has not been taught how to behave like a good dog. A lot of people think that Goldens are wonderfully behaved, calm dogs - but they don't come out of the box that way. It is a TON of work - 24/7 for the first year of a puppy's life. Consistency, repetition, reinforcement of good behaviour is the way to a well behaved dog. I worry that you have chalked her up to a trouble maker without really trying to set her up for success. That means, not giving her the chance to chew anything - so you have to make sure your shoes are out of reach, that she is never left unsupervised, and when she is she is in a kennel. Teaching her how to greet people, teaching her how to walk nicely on leash, teaching her recall. It's not too late, but it does sound like you need to go back to square one and start over with her. Make rules and set boundaries. You are the human, she is the dog. That does not mean being hard on her or punishing her or yelling or hitting. You can do it all in a very positive way. But she does need to learn what is expected of her - and you have to teach her
> 
> And just for perspective - if my dog had only had 30+ minutes of exercise 5 days a week, she would have been swinging from the chandeliers and climbing the walls at that age. She is almost 7 years old and she _still _gets 2+ hours of exercise, 7 days a week. Now that she is older, I can get away with one hour one of those days, but that usually only happens if she has had a particularly big exercise day the day before. I do think more exercise would also help your pup. Playing ball with a Chuck It is a great way to burn energy.



Thank you for the advice!! I am going to try to have her dog walker wear her out more during the day so when I get home from work I can add that to her daily exercise. and yes I have set up my own “formal” training from inside my house to outside where she gets distracted and she seems very resistant to repetition. She is hard headed that’s for sure. I think I need private training classes as my former methods have not been working


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

GoldenHour said:


> (...)
> 
> Now I want to say the above problems are just the ones that severely affect my QOL. The little things like chewed shoe laces, getting into the trash every once in a while, and occasionally being bad on the leash are truly puppy behavior and I live with it. But overall, *I feel like she is severely resistant to training*. Especially for a golden. I hate to say this, but it is embarrassing.
> 
> ...


I'm going to start by asking what, specifically, you've done so far to address the problems you describe. You say that she's resistant to training, and that you've put a lot of effort into her, but you don't say exactly what you've done, in terms of formal training, or how you did it. I'm asking this because I don't want to make assumptions about what classes you have or have not taken with her. Depending on your answer, I'll have some suggestions for you, if you want them. All the problems you describe are straightforward training or socialization problems and I don't want to suggest things that you've already done.

Generally, I'd say this: I've had dogs (rescued and purchased from breeders) all my life (I'm old) and they aren't all created equal. Some respond quickly to training, others take more effort or need a different approach. But I've never had one that couldn't be trained. I had one, once, that was given up to a shelter at 7 months of age because she was "untrainable" (that was the reason given when her first family turned her in to the shelter). Turns out she simply hadn't been trained. I bought a crate to stop her from chewing my furniture, took her to formal training classes, practised extensively at home, and we ended up winning awards for agility and obedience. With my latest pup, it took me a while to figure out what he needed because my initial training approach didn't produce the results I wanted. He's a very different dog from my previous dogs, and needed a different approach, that's all. He's four years old now, and is the reigning Quebec provincial and Canadian national agility champion in his class, has rally obedience qualifications and is an all-round awesome companion.

The one thing I've learned is this: Dogs don't "grow out of" problems but they can be trained out of them.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

GoldenHour said:


> You actually jumped onto my post without knowing any of the exercise I give my Nancy! You made an assumption that she does not get enough exercise. You are the type of person who is not helpful in threads because of YOUR assumptions.


Please reread my original reply and tell me how I jumped onto your post. I'm curious about which part you saw as aggressive or unhelpful. There was no assumption when I quoted your original message which said 30 (+) minutes of exercise. You stated that's how much time you typically give her. I said that's not enough exercise time for a dog with that much energy. And it isn't. I honestly believe that significantly increasing her exercise time is the single biggest thing you can do to greatly increase her responsiveness to training on the behavioral issues you mentioned.


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## Kek (Apr 7, 2018)

I think your idea of getting some private training lessons is the best idea. It's hard to really see what's going on from words only and it's great that you are proactive and not just hoping she'll grow out of these habits.
I'm struggling constantly with leash walking and have booked some private lessons with a positive trainer myself, even though I have watched so many videos on how to train this, a professional trainer should be able to see where I'm failing to teach effectively and help.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

You need to have someone watch how you train your dog so they can evaluate your method. Your dog actually sounds like she hasn't benefitted from your training too much. If I were to guess from what you describe, I would say that you have used bribery with treats rather than use treats for training. Just look at what you said about her running away. I train my retrievers for field work. The "Here" command (Come) is an absolute must. Your "Here" is non-existent and MUST be worked on. I think it is dangerous not to have it.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

GoldenHour said:


> I have spent countless hours researching dog training, reading forums, asking others for advice, etc.


The time to do this is before you get a puppy.
No offense meant, your dogs behavior sounds typical for a spoiled and untrained dog. You are also rewarding and reinforcing the bad behavior you speak of. Instructing others how to behave around your dog is not training.
Pick a training program and follow it from square one, it's not that hard.


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## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

GoldenHour said:


> I am just going to say this as honestly as possible. My little Nancy girl is so so so bad. I think I am at the point where I need to officially get her into some private training classes. My schedule changes drastically week per week so I don't think I can commit to pet store training, but possibly having someone who can work with her one on one can help. I have been putting them off as I wanted to justify her behavior as "just being a puppy" but she seriously acts so far removed from the typical Golden Retriever personality and I can't ignore this much longer. I have spent countless hours researching dog training, reading forums, asking others for advice, etc., but I can't do it any longer. The effort I have put into setting her up for future success seems pointless at times. It feels like one step forward two steps back every time we seem to be making progress.
> 
> Examples of her bad behavior:
> -*Still biting*. Appears to be out of playfulness (versus aggression) but this is an ongoing issue where even pinching her mouth (my vet showed me) does not make a dent. Consistency in punishment has not changed this behavior. Replacing my hand with a toy has also not gotten rid of this. If I say "no bite" every 5 seconds she likely won't bite but you would have thought this habit would be kicked by now.
> ...


I also have 8 month old golden who acts out of control.I am coping every day.I have not found anything that works.Taking him for a walk is so unpredictable.One minute he is fine(and I mean 1 minute)then all of a sudden he will bite the leash ,jump on me and bite me arm.I feel better knowing I am not alone.If you find a solution for this behavior please let me know.Oh,like you ,I do give him plenty of exercise also.Pray for us both.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

The answer to every dog owners prayers is the wealth of training resources currently available.


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## Riese12 (May 23, 2018)

We’ve had two Golden’s our first one was an angel, well behaved, easy to train, didn’t require a ton of exercise. Our second, currently 20 months is hell on paws. His breeding line was more agility and he has so much energy. On top of all the training advice, just wanted to share our experience and how we get through: he has to have at least two hours of exercise daily, where he’s either playing with other dogs or running in the woods or large open field. We were advised not to take him running (I run each morning) till at least two years old, but on some rare occasions I’ve taken him and it didn’t make a dent in his energy level. If he is bored he tears my house apart, nothing is safe. If he’s full of energy and bored any training and behaviors we’ve taught are very hard to instill. I’ve learned to love the snow bc he has to work hard on walks to get through it and that tires him out as does swimming. I walk him 45 mins early morning, he has a dog play date for an hour in the early afternoon and when I get home around 1pm he’s tired. 5 rolls around and he’s back to full energy so we do training indoors with him and walks and backyard play. The more cumulative exercise he gets the more biddable he is. So if a day rolls around and he gets only 30 mins, the next day we are back to square one. It’s a lot of work but she’ll get there. Good luck!


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## OdinsMama (Dec 15, 2019)

Tagrenine said:


> If you ask me, she’s acting just like a Golden puppy!! Impulsive, playful, bold, loves people
> Is she crate trained? There are a variety of ways to tackle the biting, but if she gets overaroused, put her up to calm down.
> Everything else is just patience, consistency, and practice. It really can take a very long time to train pups not to pull, jump, etc, especially while they’re still maturing.
> Finally: when you take her to the park, keep her on a long line, so she can’t run away from you. Don’t call her for anything other than treats and love to reinforce the recall.


^^^This.
I would add that “come” is the most valuable command to teach a Golden. Drill it until she obeys consistently. This is why Goldens MUST have a fenced-in backyard. They love to see people and new things. Stay consistent and you’ll get there!


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## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

OdinsMama said:


> ^^^This.
> I would add that “come” is the most valuable command to teach a Golden. Drill it until she obeys consistently. This is why Goldens MUST have a fenced-in backyard. They love to see people and new things. Stay consistent and you’ll get there!


I have a fenced in back yard and I just went out there to pick up poop.My 8 month old just actually attacked me.Jumping and biting my back,arms and he would not stop.Everyone says,tell them sit.Well that did not work.I am beside myself right now


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## Kaylie&Cami22 (Jan 2, 2019)

GoldenHour said:


> I am just going to say this as honestly as possible. My little Nancy girl is so so so bad. I think I am at the point where I need to officially get her into some private training classes. My schedule changes drastically week per week so I don't think I can commit to pet store training, but possibly having someone who can work with her one on one can help. I have been putting them off as I wanted to justify her behavior as "just being a puppy" but she seriously acts so far removed from the typical Golden Retriever personality and I can't ignore this much longer. I have spent countless hours researching dog training, reading forums, asking others for advice, etc., but I can't do it any longer. The effort I have put into setting her up for future success seems pointless at times. It feels like one step forward two steps back every time we seem to be making progress.
> 
> Examples of her bad behavior:
> -*Still biting*. Appears to be out of playfulness (versus aggression) but this is an ongoing issue where even pinching her mouth (my vet showed me) does not make a dent. Consistency in punishment has not changed this behavior. Replacing my hand with a toy has also not gotten rid of this. If I say "no bite" every 5 seconds she likely won't bite but you would have thought this habit would be kicked by now.
> ...


Are you sure you are not talking about our dog, Bruno? Everything you describe is exactly what he did at 8 months...we did basic training, but I have done alot of it at home, including practicing every day for ~ 10-15 minutes what we were taught in training. I too was at wits end at that time...he is now 1 year old and still goes insane when someone comes to the door, but is learning to make good choices, such as sit, wait...takes time. Hang in there!


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## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

Kaylie&Cami22 said:


> Are you sure you are not talking about our dog, Bruno? Everything you describe is exactly what he did at 8 months...we did basic training, but I have done alot of it at home, including practicing every day for ~ 10-15 minutes what we were taught in training. I too was at wits end at that time...he is now 1 year old and still goes insane when someone comes to the door, but is learning to make good choices, such as sit, wait...takes time. Hang in there!


I am getting concerned because our grandson is coming to stay with us in May,he is 10 years old and I don't want him attacking him.Seriously thinking of a shock collar


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

stumped said:


> I am getting concerned because our grandson is coming to stay with us in May,he is 10 years old and I don't want him attacking him.Seriously thinking of a shock collar


A shock collar is a tool and not a solution. If your dog is too wild around the child, put him in the crate. If he starts biting you, put him in the crate. Biting and jumping are all signed of overarousal. Puppies have very little impulse control. Sit only works if the dog is obedient and has enough brain left to listen. 

If you put a shock collar on a dog with little to no understanding of how to use it properly, the dog can associate other behaviors (such as being around you or your grandson, having its neck touched) with pain/fear. 

Your best friend will truly be a good proper crate training. Add some variety to his life with puzzle toys, stuffed kongs, snuffle mats, etc. Goldens are a smart breed and at this age they are rambunctious, but proper mental stimulation and using the crate effectively can curtail the behavior. One of my favorite trainers, Jane Killion, has a great book called "When Pigs Fly" about dealing with "problem" dogs.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

stumped said:


> I have a fenced in back yard and I just went out there to pick up poop.My 8 month old just actually attacked me.Jumping and biting my back,arms and he would not stop.Everyone says,tell them sit.Well that did not work.I am beside myself right now





stumped said:


> I am getting concerned because our grandson is coming to stay with us in May,he is 10 years old and I don't want him attacking him.Seriously thinking of a shock collar


Stumped, this is not your thread but I want to reply to your posts because your last comment about a shock collar is concerning.

First, from your description it sounds like your dog tried to play with you - because this is how unruly, untrained golden retrievers play. As for telling him to sit: well, you have to have trained the "sit" command for it to work. If it didn't work, you haven't trained it properly.

Training is a process. You need to know how to show the dog what you want, how to reward when he does it, and how to encourage him to do what you want when he doesn't understand. And then you need to practice. And practice. And practice. Hundreds of repetitions in different environments, until obeying the command becomes an automatic response. This is what you have to do if you want your dog to obey you when he's excited. And during the practice sessions, you always have to get him to comply. If you give a command and he ignores it, and you don't do anything, then you've just taught him that he doesn't need to obey a command when you give it. For example, if your dog doesn't come when you call him, he should be wearing a long line so that you can reel him in (gently - and reward him when he gets to you). 

If you don't know how to do this, the best place to learn is in a good group obedience class, with a trainer who uses mainly positive methods and teaches humans how to train dogs. Once you've learned a training method, you need apply it consistently and practice. That word again. It really is the cornerstone of dog training.

As for a shock collar: shock collars are not made for this type of problem. If you use it on your puppy when all he wants is to play with you, you will very probably make him aggressive. 

What you have is not a dog problem, it's a human problem. You, as the human component of the dog-human relationship, have not trained your dog to respect you. That is not his fault. He is playing with you like this because you haven't taught him that this type of play is not acceptable in the human world. That is not his fault. He doesn't respond to your "sit" command because he either doesn't know what it means or he doesn't know that he has to comply every time. That is not his fault. The good news is that it's an easy problem to fix, with help from a good trainer who knows his/her stuff.

I wish you good luck and hope very much that you forget about the shock collar. It's a terrible idea in this particular context and will be very damaging to your dog and to your relationship with him.


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## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

Tagrenine said:


> A shock collar is a tool and not a solution. If your dog is too wild around the child, put him in the crate. If he starts biting you, put him in the crate. Biting and jumping are all signed of overarousal. Puppies have very little impulse control. Sit only works if the dog is obedient and has enough brain left to listen.
> 
> If you put a shock collar on a dog with little to no understanding of how to use it properly, the dog can associate other behaviors (such as being around you or your grandson, having its neck touched) with pain/fear.
> 
> Your best friend will truly be a good proper crate training. Add some variety to his life with puzzle toys, stuffed kongs, snuffle mats, etc. Goldens are a smart breed and at this age they are rambunctious, but proper mental stimulation and using the crate effectively can curtail the behavior. One of my favorite trainers, Jane Killion, has a great book called "When Pigs Fly" about dealing with "problem" dogs.


I have puzzle toys,stuffed kongs and I even have the snuffle mat.I have two crates.No one seems to understand


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

stumped said:


> I have puzzle toys,stuffed kongs and I even have the snuffle mat.I have two crates.No one seems to understand


Can you say what you do when he starts biting and jumping? What is your first response? How do you handle it?

EDIT: I also want to ask about his behavior in the crate. Does he go to sleep? Does he bark and cry the whole time?


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## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

Tagrenine said:


> Can you say what you do when he starts biting and jumping? What is your first response? How do you handle it?
> 
> EDIT: I also want to ask about his behavior in the crate. Does he go to sleep? Does he bark and cry the whole time?


My first response when he jumps on my back and bites me is shock and frustration.I try to push him off of me as his bites hurt.What am I supposed to do?Calmly say sit?That does not work.I try to get away from him and shut the gate.He then looks at me like he never did anything wrong.The word off also does not work.He is fine in the crates


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## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

ceegee said:


> Stumped, this is not your thread but I want to reply to your posts because your last comment about a shock collar is concerning.
> 
> First, from your description it sounds like your dog tried to play with you - because this is how unruly, untrained golden retrievers play. As for telling him to sit: well, you have to have trained the "sit" command for it to work. If it didn't work, you haven't trained it properly.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for this info.I am not getting a shock collar,i was just frustrated and said things that I did not mean.Sorry


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

stumped said:


> My first response when he jumps on my back and bites me is shock and frustration.I try to push him off of me as his bites hurt.What am I supposed to do?Calmly say sit?That does not work.I try to get away from him and shut the gate.He then looks at me like he never did anything wrong.The word off also does not work.He is fine in the crates


So touching, running, etc are all signs to him that you're also playing with him  I also know the biting hurts, which is why I know simply ignoring it really isnt an option. I would keep a leash on your puppy at all times, and if he bites you and gets all playful, but inappropriately playful, put him in his crate. Just grab his leash and put him up. You can let him out after he has settled some. 

If you catch him lying around just calmly, you can reward that behavior just by dropping a treat for him. In the cases where he does get this way, try your best not to push or yell or run, as it will likely just be more fun. Just grab the leash and put him in the crate until he has visibly settled and let him back out.


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## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

Tagrenine said:


> So touching, running, etc are all signs to him that you're also playing with him  I also know the biting hurts, which is why I know simply ignoring it really isnt an option. I would keep a leash on your puppy at all times, and if he bites you and gets all playful, but inappropriately playful, put him in his crate. Just grab his leash and put him up. You can let him out after he has settled some.
> 
> If you catch him lying around just calmly, you can reward that behavior just by dropping a treat for him. In the cases where he does get this way, try your best not to push or yell or run, as it will likely just be more fun. Just grab the leash and put him in the crate until he has visibly settled and let him back out.


Thank you.We have been keeping him on a leash when we walk him.I will just drop the leash and let him run on the trails here.If he comes at me atleast I have the leash to step on until he settles down.I did not even think of that when I just went into his area to pick up poop.He really is a good puppy except when he does this.I keep trying to tell myself that other puppies do it but they are not 80 pounds.I just don't think they are being bad because they are so small and they can't reach my back.I am so happy I got all of this frustration out and I can start again.Thank you for all of the info.


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## Seanjohn (Jul 9, 2018)

GoldenHour said:


> I am just going to say this as honestly as possible. My little Nancy girl is so so so bad. I think I am at the point where I need to officially get her into some private training classes. My schedule changes drastically week per week so I don't think I can commit to pet store training, but possibly having someone who can work with her one on one can help. I have been putting them off as I wanted to justify her behavior as "just being a puppy" but she seriously acts so far removed from the typical Golden Retriever personality and I can't ignore this much longer. I have spent countless hours researching dog training, reading forums, asking others for advice, etc., but I can't do it any longer. The effort I have put into setting her up for future success seems pointless at times. It feels like one step forward two steps back every time we seem to be making progress.
> 
> Examples of her bad behavior:
> -*Still biting*. Appears to be out of playfulness (versus aggression) but this is an ongoing issue where even pinching her mouth (my vet showed me) does not make a dent. Consistency in punishment has not changed this behavior. Replacing my hand with a toy has also not gotten rid of this. If I say "no bite" every 5 seconds she likely won't bite but you would have thought this habit would be kicked by now.
> ...


Our son's 8 month old male does this when someone first comes in the door He wants to jump and take your arm after he settles hes find. I think he is telling him or us he is happy to see us. Fortunately he does settle he gets a little pet then we ignore him until then I hope it slows down he is very strong


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

normal behavior,,,,My Murphy was a holy terror, I didn't even like him at that age and now is the perfect guy!


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

stumped said:


> My first response when he jumps on my back and bites me is shock and frustration.I try to push him off of me as his bites hurt.What am I supposed to do?Calmly say sit?That does not work.I try to get away from him and shut the gate.He then looks at me like he never did anything wrong.The word off also does not work.He is fine in the crates


when you push him off he probably thinks that you are trying to play with him. what you are describing is an overstimulated puppy. when they are overstimulated imagine whats going on in their brain is " AHHHHHH YAYYYY WHEEEE' on the highest volume possible. if you calmly say sit, is that going to work? no, because your dog literally is not processing anything else. what i'd do is stand up, and IGNORE your dog. if he continues jumping, turn your back towards your puppy swiftly. if your pup has a leash and collar on, even better, redirect, firmly tug the leash upwards, and use your hand to physically help your dog into a sit ( as well as saying the sit command). if your dog makes a move to stand, tug the leash firmly once more and help him sit. just keep repeating this until your dog is sitting calmly. be firm, calm and not frantic.


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