# 8 month old with CRAZY energy



## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

Golden puppies are definitely difficult and it sounds like you got a very active one. Neutering him won't make any difference in his energy level and will in fact just impact his growing, he needs those hormones right now to grow properly. Definitely get him in a training class. My goldens have been in almost continuous training class from 12 weeks to 2 years old, they need that outlet. These dogs are sporting dogs, they are high energy and very smart. 

Your dog needs off leash time to run around and burn that energy off. Taking him for walks aren't going to suffice. Get a long line and start training a solid recall, a training class will help with this. 

I get its cold, but you got a puppy, time to put your big kid pants on and exercise your dog. I'm in South Dakota and yeah it sucks some days, but I'm the one that chose to get that dog, they deserve to get out of the house and be a dog. Putting him outside isn't going to help either, goldens are people dogs and they want to be near you. You need to be outside with him. 

Lastly, static correction collars (E-collars) are not for teaching, they are for correction of already known commands. Stay away from them unless you have access to a professional that can evaluate your dog and teach you how to use it properly.


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## ryanf (Oct 26, 2016)

What do you do for exercise? How much do you give him? What's your typical routine?

At this age they just seem to have an endless amount of energy. I find that when we have visitors, take a long hike or Autumn has a bath (I know that seems silly but...) it seems to bring her back down a notch but she can still have a ton.

What is the temperature right now where you are? We were out all the time when it was -20 to -30 C (-4F to -22F) burning off energy. We have a sweaters and boots for her but we still made sure she wasn't out too long. Really it was the wind that made it hard to handle.

Training is definitely needed. Without it you haven't taught him how to behave. Neutering at this point would help much or at all (you will probably want to wait for health reasons anyway). Stay away from collars unless they are your last resort, and even then I would be wary of them.

I'm certainly no expert and I'm sure others will have better advice.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Do some training with him. Angel is the exact same way, until we start training. You could do some nose work as well. He needs something to do and training with him is perfect.


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## Cindy in GA (Jan 27, 2018)

Our 8-month-old, Angus, also has a crazy amount of energy. I feel like our days still often revolve around making sure he's getting plenty of attention and exercise and is being monitored and kept busy. We LOVE having him, but it's intense! I do recommend training; we're about to start our second 6-week class next week, and the first class was very helpful. Also - a rotation of good chewing opportunities you're comfortable with. We also have a smaller dog, and I try to give her something to work on at the same time if Angus is getting a filled Kong or something, and we separate them when needed (we still have gates up to make this easier). Angus is a huge chewer and very strong, so there are few chew toys/treats that last more than a couple of minutes. One thing that works for us: I fill a large Kong with treats, frozen green beans, and canned pumpkin, then freeze it overnight to make it last longer. I had someone recommend compressed rawhide bones (supposed to be safer/more digestible than regular rawhide), so I invested in a few of those to try. 

I go for runs with him a couple of days/week, and often my husband will take him on a neighborhood walk after dinner and longer walks on weekends. We're working on "fetch" and "drop it" with tennis balls. 

We're right there with you on the destructiveness (digging holes, chewing on the house siding and deck, etc.) if he's out in the fenced yard by himself for any length of time, so we take him out on the leash a lot now rather than allow him free run of the yard unless we can keep a close eye on him. When he whines by the door or window, we try to distract him with attention or toys or take him with us to a different room of the house. I'm just holding on to the knowledge that eventually this will be easier!


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## Natka81 (Dec 18, 2017)

I have 8 months Goldie too. If you can buy 50 ft. Leash (you can buy 2 and connect them), and let her run around in the backyard with leash dragging behind her just in case, so you can grab by the leash if needed. It's ok if it's cold, remember this dog has double coat. Give her about 1 hour to run, sniff, dig... Maybe in the morning is the best time.
She is probably ruining your 
Porch furniture because she is alone 
And bored there.
Choose a time, specifically for dog, when you can bring her inside the house and train her around the house ( get a handful of meaty treats). 
I have inside and outside squeaky toys that look like real animals that's the only toys she plays with. When she is outside by herself I can see her playing by herself with those toys. 
You said you have toddlers, that makes it harder on you.
I don't know how old they are but if 5-6 year old, they can grab a handful of treats and "train" dog some sits, downs and come commands, of course in your presence.
Be prepared to spend about 3 hours a day, little here and little there, for dog only.
It's lookes like GR are crazy as puppies, but it's mostly because of their size.
They grow up large unbelievably fast.
My trainer said that they remain puppies in their mind until the age of two.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Training and exercise. Find a training class and sign up, then sign up for the next level. Keep training. 

He's tearing things up and digging because he is unsupervised and bored. Go out with him (yes it's cold) and throw a ball. Play hide and seek in the house, put the Westie in another room and play find the treat. Do training sessions, start teaching him tricks. You can tire him out mentally that way.

Put a baby gate up and keep him away from the toddlers when he is being wild. Teach him a "place" command, where he goes to a dog bed and lays down and stays there. Keep in mind puppies can only mentally handle a "stay" for about a minute per month of age at a time. 

Neutering him will not reduce his teenage energy level. A shock collar is not the tool to address the things you mentioned. They are only used to reinforce a command the dog already knows, not to punish them for bad behavior or try and stop unwanted behavior.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Like everyone is saying... training and exercise. He was bred to run in the fields for hours. If you don't give him a constructive way to burn off the energy he will invent a way to do it on his own.

E-collars are extremely effective training tools in the hands of an experience trainer. In the hands of a rookie... it can give you a horrible outcome. Some dogs never recover from the misguided use of an e-collar. 

These things were designed to enforce a trained behavior not as punishment for bad behavior. Zapping this dog for being a dog will have really bad consequences and create behaviors you don't understand. All the dog knows to do is do something... anything it can think of to avoid the pain.

Much like your kids your dog needs your time and commitment to teach them the behaviors you want. Think about all the behaviors your kids learn before sending them off to school for 12 (sometimes more) years. 

Dogs and kids alike don't come pre programmed on how to behave in the world. That's up to you.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

_We put him outside with the other dogs when it’s nicer but he either screams at the door or tears up my new patio furniture
_
How old are your other dogs? Do they play with him? One easy activity to give yourself some time while he's outside is to scatter smelly treats around the yard and have him find them. Make it easy at first and keep him company. Then you can make it more challenging once he understands the game. You can also get a flirt pole and use it outside with him... just make sure he gets a little warm-up and don't have him overdo it in terms of jumping or twisting.

_I got him a kong to keep him busy hoping he would stop chewing my little ones toys (he eats everything he can get in his mouth) but my older Westie causes a fight over the kong. _
You're on the right track, but yes... it's a good idea to keep dogs separated around high value items unless they are well-trained or naturally respect each other. So, use the Kong, but put your puppy into a crate, ex-pen, or some other place where he won't be bothered. In fact, you can even give it to him outside (when the other dogs aren't out).

_When inside he runs like crazy knocking over my toddlers and bounces off the furniture. _

He needs a lot less freedom, believe it or not. My 7 month-old puppy is highly managed. He does not get free reign. He can be in our finished basement (but we have to make sure that everything is picked up), his ex-pen, his crate, the kitchen (which is gated and he's never alone in there), or the living room if we watch him like a hawk. At this age, he never just "hangs out" when he's with us. (He does when he's in his ex-pen.) He is always busy with an activity like chewing on a bone, playing, or training. Unless he's in his ex-pen or crate, I am always monitoring him. 

A good item to have is a combination leash/collar. You slip it over your dog's head to help get him from point A to point B-- for example, if you need to take him from his crate to outside. I know it's a lot to manage a dog with young children! Makes it a lot harder, but if you do it right, then you will have a dog who loves kids! But get yourself some "tools" like the crate, expen, and leash/collar and it helps.

_I am at a loss at how to fix some of this behavior. Take him to training?_
YES. Then _you_ will learn how to train him. And, it's a great bonding experience.

_Neuter him now?_
Nope. This is not a hormone issue. You have an adolescent hunting dog...

_What we thoughts on static correction collars? _
You need to start at the beginning and train your dog with time, patience, and knowledge. Not shock your dog for acting like a normal dog. He can't be corrected if he's never been trained to begin with.

You are at a hard age, but it gets better if you put in the work now!


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