# 7 Mth old Golden - Eats Walls



## kmalm (Feb 8, 2019)

mine is 3.5 months old and loves to gnaw on walls and baseboards and even the brick on the fireplace. He hasn't actually taken a chunk out of anything yet but I find the sour apple spray works really well with him. He hates it and now even if I show him the bottle he will stop. You need to find a deterrent not just a punishment.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

I've successfully used lemon and peppermint oils outside where he has been digging. Wasn't certain if any of the sprays or oils would stain the paint. But, if it does, I guess that would be easier to repaint versus the spachtling/patching, sanding and painting. Thanks so much for your response. I will need a gallon!!


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

How much running hard type exercise does he get? Most Goldens, even my calm couch potato guy, need a good 30 minutes of running around most days. We play frisbee some but the best exercise he gets is playing with the neighbors dog. He comes home with a huge tongue and pants for another 30 or more minutes to cool off even in the winter. I don't think long walks are as stress relieving as the harder running. I think there is some truth to "a tired puppy is a good puppy"


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I'm not a big fan of bitter apple or anything else as a deterrent. Usually this behavior is a symptom of something lacking.. either exercise, training or diet.

As far as eating the walls, you might have him checked by a vet. See how much protein the food has. But would certainly remove the temptation and put in a crate to keep him and the walls safe.

Frozen marrow bones, training and LOTS of activity is much better than spraying stuff to avoid the behavior. Try and figure out the reason... puppies chew, give them something safe to chew. Being board can cause excessive chewing. Going after drywall can mean something is missing in the diet.

Training, LOTS of training, get them engaged in retrieves... frisbee or tennis balls. It's not just about exercise but using their brain. Teach them to do something, even if it's just tricks. There are lots of youtube videos from creative people teaching impulse control and tricks. But if you have never formally trained a dog before, take a class.. a good one, not just a puppy class.

I have a pup that is not yet a year old and must admit I've never had one that wants to chew as much as this pup. She cannot be left unattended at all or she gets very creative at digging, getting firewood off the rack, eating the crate... well you get the idea. She has other pups to play with and NEVER gets tired. But training and age has been her saving grace. We just started dumbbell training and as soon as it warms up and stops raining! will introduce jumps. Point is some dogs you just have to work harder. But truly believe excessive chewing is like a baby with a pacifier, it's a way to sooth their stress. 

Tip: if you are spraying stuff you aren't teaching anything but how to avoid your disapproval. If your dog runs anytime you pick up the bottle you are not building a good relationship with your dog. I never want my pup to run from me but want them to feel safe. Much like kids they should trust you no matter what, it's your job to teach and keep them safe.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

My boy, Levi, gets alot of running done with my Goldador (Moxie) in the backyard. Moxie created a figure 8 routine around two small palms at either end of the yard. I love to watch them play! I also have a neighbor dog (2yo Lab) that comes and joins in from time to time. I also take Levi out to meet/greet people, do downs, waits, etc., as he likes to work. I'm a volunteer with a service dog organization and help with training. So, I try to continue that training at home. Levi gets the mental exertion along with the physical. Thank you for your advice! If you think of anything else, I would be very happy to hear it!!


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Because Levi gets alot of training, running, playtime, etc., I was thinking of nutrition as another possible reason. Right now I have him on a grain free salmon and pea based food. He has a slight case if Ichthyosis but that has improved greatly since switching his food to the current one I'm feeding. He also eats alot of grass - crabgrass to be exact. I can find him with mouthfuls and loving every second he is eating it. My other dog will also eat the grass but she digs it up more than ingests it. Nutrition - sort of feels like something is missing in the diet. Now to figure it out! Thank you for your reply!! It feels so good to know there's 'Golden' people out there to help!


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

What a wonderful learning opportunity for you! When I worked as a CCI puppy raiser they discouraged playing with other dogs. They want the puppy raiser to devote the time to learn to work as a team and want the pup on leash at all times. 

I believe the goal was to teach the pups to be totally focused on the person and ignore other dogs. They did have some really awesome training tapes, maybe they would share?

So if you have behaviors you don't like maybe focus more on teaching your pup to work with you vs. the labs. If he is getting all this exercise but still being destructive he isn't getting enough training. He is setting his own agenda vs. learning and certainly not focused on you.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

vschroeder52 said:


> Because Levi gets alot of training, running, playtime, etc., I was thinking of nutrition as another possible reason. Right now I have him on a grain free salmon and pea based food. He has a slight case if Ichthyosis but that has improved greatly since switching his food to the current one I'm feeding. He also eats alot of grass - crabgrass to be exact. I can find him with mouthfuls and loving every second he is eating it. My other dog will also eat the grass but she digs it up more than ingests it. Nutrition - sort of feels like something is missing in the diet. Now to figure it out! Thank you for your reply!! It feels so good to know there's 'Golden' people out there to help!



You might want to read up on the development of heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM) in dogs eating primarily grain-free diets with peas or other legumes as primary ingredients. The research is ongoing but there is evidence to suggest that these diets play a significant role in the emergence of the disease in some dogs. There are a couple of threads on the subject in this Forum, and numerous others on the Web, including this one: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/a...iY5VkTBsQxdrUISYvp0bEp6Z1TCsh8AZ3QhqY7OSNe47A


It may well be that his food isn't providing what he needs. Eating walls is unusual behaviour. I would definitely look to his diet first.


Best of luck, hope you figure it out.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

vschroeder52 said:


> I have a 7 month old Golden that is actually eating my kitchen walls. Plaster in his body can't be good. He seems to put his mouth on everything, including me. He will not become a therapy dog if I can't get his 'tasting' under control. I can be standing within two feet of him and he will turn and take a chunk out of a corner on the wall as if to say "oh, here's a wall...yummy!" Reprimanding him hasn't worked, getting him interested in something else hasn't worked, making him down and stay for a time-out doesn't work. His mouth is on everything and needs to get under control. I would hate to have to rehome him. Any suggestions?? I've never encountered a puppy like this before. Thank you so much for listening!:frown2:


My sister's dog (St. Bernard) had all these same behaviors <= I think he's finally growing out of them as he's mellowing, but it was kinda bad between 4 months and 12 months. With him it's boredom based - it's when he's being penned up in a room too long or left outside too long. 

He's chewed on the walls of their house + chewed up their deck. 

He's also chewed on table and chair legs. 

It's boredom. 

When he was here at our house between July and Sept, he did not chew on anything he wasn't supposed to. 

^^^ I'd exercise your dog more. More walks, longer walks (if you are walking 1 mile a day, add another mile), more training, more outside being a dog with you out there interacting with him. 

Provide good things for him to chew on. Bones. Rawhide bones, raw beef bones (you can buy from the grocery store), etc. 

And just give him time to grow out of the worst behaviors. 

With my puppy (9 months old) - he's never done anything like that. But he is very much an aerial type dog. Meaning he jumps because he can. It's like he can't control himself. I put my winter coat on to head outside with the dogs and he's pogo stick jumping around me. 

I'm working on "paws off" (he can jump, but not put his feet on me) and other stuff, but it's a behavior I don't see going away until he grows up a bit more. He's just all puppy right now. Very hyper puppy. 

He was in for a surgery a couple weeks ago and the specialist noted on the paperwork, "Has a lot of energy". And I can only imagine why they wrote that down. LOL.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Please reconsider feeding a grain free pea based diet. *Google golden retrievers and dilated cardiomyopathy.* This deadly problem is linked to grain free and legume based diets. 

As far as the walls - a tired puppy is a good puppy as everyone says. He probably needs around 2 hours of hard playtime a day + training time. If that doesn't take care of the problem, I'd spray the sections he tries to gnaw on with Bitter Apple spray, it's worked great for my girl when she decided to pull apart her daycare's astroturf.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Chewing walls is a sign of boredom, plain and simple.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Thank you again for your response. Levi does love to work. An example is yesterday I took him to an outdoor shopping center and to Petco. We trained inside Petco and then walked outdoors to where the Girl Scouts were selling cookies. I did buy one box of cookies and he carried that box back to my car, which was at the opposite end of the center. He was very proud of himself, although he did drop it a couple of times and had to pick it back up. My plan is to continue his training; I just bought the book "The Magic of Games" and will incorporate that in our daily classes with my other dog, Moxie.

I do recognize the value of training and appreciate you mentioning. Sometimes a reminder is what makes things happen for the greater good!

Thanks!!


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

I will definitely look up the heart issue with grain-free diets. Both of my dogs are on grain-free so I do need to do that today.

Levi and Moxie are very active - both physically and mentally. Possibly Levi is acting out in frustration as he isn't getting what he wants when he wants it (like when I have to do yard work and he can't be with me or when he sees someone walking a dog out front). He does seem to be hard headed at times. 

I have research to do with the grain-free diets!! Thank you for letting me know.


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## rockcp21 (Dec 29, 2011)

You should have his thyroid checked, a full panel test.
I have a dog that actually was eating stuff since 8 wks old. Dirt, grass, rocks, paper
( especially toilet paper, tissues) socks, chewing & swallowing. He was supervised too, We usually got to him before he swallowed them, of course kids leave things out & don't listen. Thank God for hydrogen peroxide!
His behaviors were also at 10 months not very nice. And he had tons of bumper throwing, swimming, running. Had him checked at 14 months for thyroid. It was SO low, the labatory repeated it as they thought it was an error. Mine had lymphocedic thyroiditis, which is genetic. He's been on low thyroid meds since then. He's also got PICA which is eating inedible things. Nobody knows if the 2 things are related. I also thought it was a nutrient that was missing, but we can't seem to find what it can be.
Not saying your pup has any of these, but I would do a thyroid test to rule it out.
At 5-1/2 yrs now, my boy knows "leave it" very well & the eating, ripping things is so much better.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Our Max chewed on dry wall and kitchen cabinet bases when he was teething when he was a puppy--until he was about 18 months old. We treated the areas he chewed with a paste made with cayenne pepper, flour and water. It helped a lot and cleans up later. He is 8 years old now and by age 2 and a half became a terrific therapy dog.


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## three retirees (Aug 31, 2018)

You have not stated if you are training him? Maybe a good one on one training will help you. Not a Petco or Petsmart trainer but a real honest to goodness dog trainer. It can get expensive but is well worth the expense. Not only will he/she train your dog they will also train you.


Just my 2 cents.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

usually a puppy that is destructive is from lack of exorcise or boredom . You really need a crate to keep him safe not just to keep him from damaging the house. At 7 months your dog is like a 10 year old kid. He will just get into things just because. Mentally most puppies aren't ready to be unattended in a house till a year or better, especially for more then say an hour or so. Some actually get separation anxiety or even get spiteful you left them and aren't home. Dog's don't eat drywall and stone for the lack of something nutritionally, that is just someone trying to explain something that they can't. It's like saying dogs eat grass because they are lacking something in their food, it's to settle an upset stomach or just because they like eating it.



The crate will be yours and your pups best friend at this point until he's ready. Some dogs are never trustworthy out of a crate so prepare yourself for that possibility as well.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

I am now leaning towards a 7-mth Golden that 'wants what he wants when he wants it' theory!! I believe his destruction is due to not leaving the house with me. He can't always go. His escaping his crate has become a battle between him and me. He will upend it and walk it several feet away from using his brute force against it. I just purchased 4 addtional Round Eye Bolt Snaps for the crate. I think that brings me to about 14 total. For his size (68 pounds), I'm so surprised how he can get out of such a small area. His long, lean body is his best friend, whereas, for me, it's causing havoc.

Anyway, his destruction is always related towards the front of the house where he can see out. I also believe it's in response to who is walking by and if another dog happens to be with that person. He definitely reacts to my neighbor's voice and her dog. He loves them as they do him.

So, I appreciate all of your help but it is looking like I need to 'wait him out'. And, I am looking at other food for him and Moxie after reading the article regarding the pea products.

Again, I thank you all!!

Vickie, Levi (aka Houdini), and Moxie


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

vschroeder52 said:


> Because Levi gets alot of training, running, playtime, etc., I was thinking of nutrition as another possible reason. Right now I have him on a grain free salmon and pea based food. He has a slight case if Ichthyosis but that has improved greatly since switching his food to the current one I'm feeding. He also eats alot of grass - crabgrass to be exact. I can find him with mouthfuls and loving every second he is eating it. My other dog will also eat the grass but she digs it up more than ingests it. Nutrition - sort of feels like something is missing in the diet. Now to figure it out! Thank you for your reply!! It feels so good to know there's 'Golden' people out there to help!


I have an 11 month old field bred puppy with ICH. You don't need to go grain free. If you want a fish based protein there are several that are grain inclusive. You can also add Alaskan Salmon Oil to any food and get many of the same benefits. 

I have an 8 year old golden with a severe chicken allergy. (anaphylactic) He was on a grain free salmon based diet for about 6 months before my vet told me very clearly to get him off of grain free. I then found all the studies from UC Davis and the FB group documenting all the info. Thank goodness I was only grain free for 6 months. It's been a challenge with him because of the chicken allergy, but even with that I've found successful grain inclusive options.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

OP I'm glad you have mastered your containment issue but you REALLY need to take training classes. This is so much more than getting exercise with your other dog. It's about getting exercise with boundaries from you. 
My eating machine is now 11 months and the obedience training has removed the demanding, I want what I want and when I want behavior. YOU need to learn how to train from someone that knows how. This behavior won't magically go away with age and running free, you need to be a part of the solution.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry that I didn't see this sooner to thank you.

Anyway, genetically (I have his full DNA/genetic paperwork) he isn't predisposed to thyroid issues but I will speak to my vet about it. I'm willing to think of everything that may help!


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

I'm sorry, but who is OP?


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Good to know the paste of cayenne! I have used it outside but not inside for fear of it staining my walls. So far, the baseboards are fine. He actually, within 2 feet from me, watched me loading the dishwasher (he likes to watch just in case there may be some food spillage - naught!) and suddenly turned to look at the wall and took a bite out of the corner. It happened so fast! Ugh!!


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

You might consider not confining him to a crate. Our two Golden Retrievers roam the house when we are gone and overnight also. We close the doors to the bedrooms and the bathrooms, but we do allow them into our room at night.

OP is you, “original poster.”


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## gretel1475 (Mar 19, 2019)

Max's Dad said:


> Our Max chewed on dry wall and kitchen cabinet bases when he was teething when he was a puppy--until he was about 18 months old. We treated the areas he chewed with a paste made with cayenne pepper, flour and water. It helped a lot and cleans up later. He is 8 years old now and by age 2 and a half became a terrific therapy dog.


Can you give me the recipe for your paste? My max ate some of my window sill this morning! I remembered your suggestion for the paste and put it on there. This morning he didn't want it, but this afternoon he's eating it! LOL He's 13 months and a chewer among chewer. He's getting fixed tomorrow, I am praying it helps. Thank you!


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Thank you for your response to "OP". Not sure I would have figured that out! Anyway, both of my dogs sleep outside of crates at night and Levi is only in one now due to his destruction. However, for about two weeks both were out during the day if I had plans. I worked them up to 3-1/2 hours being free while I was gone. I volunteer with a service dog organization helping them train their dogs, so some afternoons I am gone for 3 to 4 hours.

I believe what happened the first time was that when my neighbor brought my garbage pale back up to my garage from the road, Levi saw her and she may have said hello to him (windows are always down when I'm away) and Moxie and waved at both standing in the kitchen looking out. When I got home, I could see where he started (left window towards the driveway had a couple of claw marks) and where he left off (right window where he clawed and chewed the wallboard to the right of the window, underneath and very close to an outlet about 7 inches away on the right side). When I saw the garbage pale I knew what had happened.

Until then, he was great out of his crate. Now is another story! He loves his crate and goes in wagging his tail as he gets rewarded for going in. I leave a large bone for chewing along with a kong with a small amount of peanut butter inside. I am now up to 18 clips to keep the wires together and him inside of it. Once I get home, I wait at his crate until he settles down and then tell him to wait as I open the door. He isn't allowed out until I tell him he can come out. I will only tell him to wait only once. If he tries to leave before the command, I simply close the door (no locks) and wait some more. He is truly a very intelligent dog and recovers and knows what he has to do to leave the crate.

So, both Moxie and Levi get rewards for good behavior throughout the day, have nylabones, real bones, and play toys to play with. They have a large backyard to run and play. I walk them (we are now up to 2-1/2 miles) together (one on each side) and we stop at all crosswalks, do sits, ask them to 'watch me', treat as a reward and only move forward when I give the command. They both look forward to their walks. During the day, I take them with me to the drivethrough at the bank, to Lowe's or Home Depot where we not only get what I need, but also interface with people and do some training while there.

Moxie has agility training one day a week and Levi has obedience training one day a week. Outside of that, their training at home and around town continues. At one point, my husband and I had three Goldens (two therapy dogs during 911) and one Labrador (therapy dog as well). And, I rescued two additional ones over the last 5 years that have passed on. So, Goldens have been in my life for quite some time. But, I have never had a dog so destructive like this. He wants to lick and taste everything. I've looked at so many YouTube videos on getting help, I've read all of these posts and switched out his food, I've changed my way of training him by walking away when he mouths my hands/arms and wants to lick versus telling him no. Being non-verbal has been working a little as I'm not rewarding him by speaking to him.

So, as you can see, I'm trying everything I can think of and so appreciate all of the advice given on this website. We are now working with a scat mat laying on the tile at the kitchen door along with a gate and chairs against the gate. In testing the mat, he saw me step over and actually did the same. Stepped over with his front paws and then over with his back paws. I didn't think of how big his gate was when I purchased it and he figured a way around it. So, another one is on it's way so I can widen the path and his gate shouldn't be able to just walk over without touching.

Anyway, thank you again! I love the picture of your two!


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Sorry I am so late in getting back to you. We add water to the cayenne pepper until it forms a paste and then brush it on the surfaces. It worked for our Max and Rocky. Both actually like the bitter apple spray.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

My dog was diagnosed with IBD in 2017. I have joined a support group on Facebook and have learned how prevalent eating inappropriate things is among IBD dogs. It’s not a bad idea to rule out medical before assuming it’s behavioral.

My guy was 5 when he was diagnosed but used to eat things like drywall, sticks, rocks almost obsessively. I always thought it was behavioral.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Berna (Jun 14, 2016)

Mine used to eat walls too when he was a puppy. Then he just stopped it on his own. I thought at the time that maybe he needed more calcium, even though I fed him good-quality kibble. Maybe talk to your vet about supplemental calcium.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Thank you for your response and suggestion. I am making a vet appointment today to see when I can get in to have him checked out and talk about a day to neuter him. I found scat mats and put two side-by-side (his stride is so long, one wouldn't work) in front of the kitchen windows along with putting the table up against the middle section. This has worked...then he decided that the door frame to the front door works just as well. So...to the vet we go!


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Thank you...I plan to speak with the vet today to make an appointment to have him checked out and also talk to her about when to neuter him. He either wants to taste or lick everything, to include me...which means his teeth have hurt me and my neighbor. Nothing intentional, just too much mouthing.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Our Max did a lot of chewing and mouthing as a puppy. I had cuts and puncture wounds on my hands and forearms for a long time. He chewed dry wall, baseboards, the bottom edges of cabinets and the base framing of wooden chairs. We attributed most of the chewing and mouthing to teething. Max is a big boy and he has big teeth. He was neutered at 8 months. He already weighed 99 pounds. Unfortunately, while the neutering improved his behavior in some respects, it had no effect on his chewing. Then one day, I noticed that my hands and arms were healed and noticed that Max had stopped the excessive chewing. That happened at some point between 12 and 18 months of age. The most effective thing we used on the wood to prevent the chewing was a cayenne pepper paste. He seem to enjoy bitter apple. While Max was neutered at 8 months, and has suffered no ill effects from the early neutering, I would encourage you to not have your boy neutered until he is at least 12 to 18 months of age. Max is 7 years old now, and matured at a very young age.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

My vet visit with Levi went well. Because of his behavior, and obnoxious attention and obsessive behavior to my other dog, I will have him neutured next month. Hopefully, that will calm that side of him down. He is now 8 months old and weighs 74 pounds. All muscle! He doesn't realize his size and has hurt my other dog several times from body slamming her in the yard to shoving her to the floor and then sitting on her while he chews on her head and ears. He simply has no manners and she won't tell him no. So, I'm the one that has to step in and help her.

Not sure there's anything I can do outside of crating him when I need to be out of the house. It doesn't matter if I'm cleaning out a flower garden or running errands. If he is given any freedom at all, he will let me know he wasn't happy that he wasn't with me.

So, his crate now has a total of 20 clips on it to prevent him from stretching the wires and getting out. We also are changing his food and will watch his behaviors more...hoping that some of his chewing is nutritional.

Do you have any suggestions on how to get him to not mouth and lick? He appears that he truly has no idea that what he is doing isn't acceptable. His big teeth have gotten in the way several times and has hurt me and my neighbor. He just can't do this.

Thanks again for sharing your story! Love your picture!!


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Neutering usually doesn't can a dog down, that pretty much a myth. Usually you need more training and lots of exercise. Neutering doesn't change a dogs personality. Your dog is probably very easy going and well mannered so it never put your 8 month in it's place and that is just how he's learned to play. This honestly is a training issue. Not a hormone issue.

When my dog was a pup and she got to crazy and snarled, growled and nipped at other dogs I would pull her to the side and tell her no and lock her down so she couldn't get to the other dog until she was calm and then was praised. It took about 2 months before I felt she was good to go. This was from about 9 weeks too about 4 months of age.

I would advise looking into the info on early and late neutering (before or after 12 months) and make that choice on long term health that those studies suggest. I wouldn't ever make a choice to spay/neuter because of a hope to calm a dog down when that is likely not going to help that situation, exercise and train is compared to potentially having increased health issues from something preventable.


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## rockcp21 (Dec 29, 2011)

We used Zip ties & cut the excess off to make the crate secure. My 2 dogs were never left unattended, even outside, so when the zoomies kicked in & the playing got too rough, I grabbed them with a very firm & loud "Settle", if one dog was still holding the other I said loudly,"Out!" & It better let go, which he did. Our younger dog is always the culprit & is learning. At 2yr & 6yrs, the younger one goes into the crate when I go out. Still can't trust them alone together for an extended time. Your is still young, so give him time & more obedience training helps.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Thank you! I haven't been on here for awhile so I decided to try to catch up. My boy, Levi, will turn 1 year old this month. His mouthing is a little better and he's only gone after the walls once in the last couple of months. And, that was because I stepped out front to give my neighbor something. I hate to think he needs to be crated when I walk to the mailbox! I certainly appreciate everyone's comments and help.


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

Well...Levi will turn 2 years old in July. His 'eating walls' got better so I plastered, sanded, and painted away. But...he decided once again that the only way to get to something outside (me pulling weeds or mowing) was to try to take the walls down again. That was about 5 months ago. The walls are still waiting for work to be done. Not ready to try to fix as the next time he does this I will have to have a contractor come in and do a cut and paste of new sheetrock!

Okay - new subject with the old twist. Levi's food has been changed twice since my original post. I thought nutrition could have been the issue. But, he now continues to lick me, the furniture, the carpet, etc. He understands the words no and leave it. He will respond and stop. But, it isn't long before he is doing it again.

I taught him the command kiss to try to put a new perspective on licking me. That helped tremendously, but it's difficult to teach him to kiss the carpet or furniture. He just loves to taste everything, to include pulling up St Augustine grass and eating the roots, grabbing weeds or just nibbling on the ends of longer grass by the fence line. His sister, Moxie (4 year old Goldador) is now eating along with him outdoors. We have a vet appointment soon for his yearly shots and I will talk to them (again) about his habits.

In the meantime, any suggestions? I've watched countless videos and just not getting anywhere. He was enrolled in Rally Obedience until COVID kept us home. We still walk every morning and training is in the front yard and driveway.

Thanks once again for listening!!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

vschroeder52 said:


> I am now leaning towards a 7-mth Golden that 'wants what he wants when he wants it' theory!! I believe his destruction is due to not leaving the house with me. He can't always go. His escaping his crate has become a battle between him and me. He will upend it and walk it several feet away from using his brute force against it. I just purchased 4 addtional Round Eye Bolt Snaps for the crate. I think that brings me to about 14 total. For his size (68 pounds), I'm so surprised how he can get out of such a small area. His long, lean body is his best friend, whereas, for me, it's causing havoc.
> 
> Anyway, his destruction is always related towards the front of the house where he can see out. I also believe it's in response to who is walking by and if another dog happens to be with that person. He definitely reacts to my neighbor's voice and her dog. He loves them as they do him.
> 
> ...


never mind, just saw this is an old thread.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

vschroeder52 said:


> Well...Levi will turn 2 years old in July. His 'eating walls' got better so I plastered, sanded, and painted away. But...he decided once again that the only way to get to something outside (me pulling weeds or mowing) was to try to take the walls down again. That was about 5 months ago. The walls are still waiting for work to be done. Not ready to try to fix as the next time he does this I will have to have a contractor come in and do a cut and paste of new sheetrock!
> 
> Okay - new subject with the old twist. Levi's food has been changed twice since my original post. I thought nutrition could have been the issue. But, he now continues to lick me, the furniture, the carpet, etc. He understands the words no and leave it. He will respond and stop. But, it isn't long before he is doing it again.
> 
> ...


He actually sounds very normal to me. Golden Retrievers are very oral dogs, they are bred to pick up birds and carry them, so it's understandable if they use their mouth on other things. Every dog is an individual and will do it more or less than other dogs. The best thing to do is distract him with something else more interesting to do.


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