# Hi! New member. 1yr old stopped listening, please help



## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I often had to tell myself to be more stubborn and determined than my dog. We went back to classes during the adolescent stubborn period and I think it really helped. We took a pre-agility class called working as partners that was fun and useful. I think classes create motivation for me to be teaching new things which gets Rukie's brain engaged and going to the classes together really strengthens the bond. It's much better when I think up things to do than when Rukie thinks up things to do.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Best advice in the world is to get back to serious daily obedience practice and taking classes is the best way to do it. Even a few sessions with a good private trainer can help if you need a confidence boost. They will backslide if you don't continue to practice consistently. Also, if you are a soft touch and let him get away with things too often, he will get too big for his britches. * Have him wear a collar and a short leash in the house when he is being supervised. Use it to control him when he ignores you. * Do a little research on the training protocol "Nothing In Life is Free" and implement it at your house. Have him sit and wait at the back door before opening it to let him out. Use baby gates to restrict his movements in the house - make him down/stay while you fix his food bowl and don't let him get up to eat until you set the bowl down and release him. Practice down/stays while you watch a t.v. show, start with 5 or 10 minutes and build up to it. Teach him "leave it" and "place" where he goes to place and stays on a bed or mat until you release him. These are all things that help him learn self control. Be consistent and have high standards. You will get through this but he needs another year or two of training to be a finished adult dog. You're only half way there.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

cwag said:


> I often had to tell myself to be more stubborn and determined than my dog. We went back to classes during the adolescent stubborn period and I think it really helped. We took a pre-agility class called working as partners that was fun and useful. I think classes create motivation for me to be teaching new things which gets Rukie's brain engaged and going to the classes together really strengthens the bond. It's much better when I think up things to do than when Rukie thinks up things to do.


I think agility has helped us a lot also. Logan is like night and day from when we started (one year old) to now (19 months old.) It’s clicking and has become more like teamwork. 

To the OP, adolescence is happening. As soon as I’ve been able to (post COVID restrictions), I’ve had Logan in agility and more recently, competition obedience. Classes help so much — plus, keep training consistently on your own. I agree about teaching impulse control and wearing a leash to help him understand listening to you is required. The more he barrels past, the more reinforced not listening to you becomes. If he’s overpowering you and there’s a chance he could injure you, you may need a training tool for a while to speed up getting things under control. 

It gets better! We aren’t completely there yet, but are a lot closer than we were. It’s so worth it. Goldens are such great dogs.

Oh — and make sure he’s getting plenty of physical exercise also.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

You need to crack down on the obedience, be consistent and maintain a high standard. If there are no consequences for disobedience, he will continue to disobey. Time outs or not giving treats will not change his behavior and neither will neutering.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I might sound like a broken record but…..obedience class at a dog training club would really help. Google “dog training club” and it should bring up what’s near you.


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## Orangefish (Jul 13, 2021)

Every Golden I've had has gone through the "you're not the boss of me" stage at about a year. You do, as every has said, need to be the boss. Working with a trainer helped us in a very short period of time as they were able to concentrate on specific exercised that will help the dog understand who is the alpha in the family.


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