# Meet Max my first Golden 13 weeks



## Trickedyfz450 (Dec 4, 2012)

Hello. Great to see such a useful site dedicated to Goldens! I got Max when he was 11 weeks old from the akc breeder (now 14 weeks). I haven't decided if I will pay to cert him. Any benefits ?

I have been working with him and spending as much time with him that I can allow. During the day he's home with my wife and her dog Mason (shitzu). She works with as well. We have taught him sit, shake, and lay down. I was so proud to be his first shake. We crate him in our bedroom every night since day one. He is doing ok with house training him but he still has a lot of accidedents. He doesn't seem to get to let us know he needs to go out. I find myself watching him and trying to determine how he is sniffing. Lol. Any tips or hints? Is this normal? We have been taking him out nearly every 45 minutes during the day. We have a bell by the only door our dogs use to ring to notify us when they have to go out. We ring it and show him how nearly every time we go out. ( exceptions being emergency runs). He knows were to go and usually goes right away and then listens and comes back inside. I try to control his water intake to only when I feed him and no later then 6. He would gulp down 4 decent size bowls if I would allow him, followed by multiple accidents. 

We also have problems with him wanting to bite our other dog. He will nip at his ears and side. It seems like he is only playing but this isn't something I want him doing. 

Any help is appreciated!


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

What a cutie!

Our dog didn't give us any potty signals (and still doesn't). So we took him out after waking, after eating, after playing, and every 20-30 minutes at that age. I think his last accident was around 4 months or so. It's hard to remember now, but I think at 4 months, he could wait about an hour. By six months, it wasn't a factor as he went out often enough that it didn't matter how long he could hold it.

I tried withholding the water late in the evening, more like 9 than 6, but then I read that if you do that, then they will actually drink more water. So I let him have access to water all the time, and he actually drank less in the evening. Also, there is some hormone (so I read) that shuts down urine production while they sleep. Since he was sleeping through the night without problem, I decided not to worry about the water bowl.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Congratulations on your new puppy, he is really cute! What is his name?

House training, you need to take him out sooner, every 20 minutes to start with when he is awake and active. The reason he's having a lot of accidents is that he physically can't hold it 45 minutes. He just isn't old enough and hasn't had enough practice to know how to tell you he needs to go out. Just be consistent, take him out more often and he will learn over time.

Biting the other dog, this is totally 100% normal puppy PLAY. The other dog will tell him when to stop. You can of course decide yourself if you need to stop it, but for the most part it is better to let the older dog teach the puppy what the limits are.


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

Congratulations on your new Max. He is quite handsome. 

We also have a Max. We got our Max at 11 weeks. Sorry to say, have no advice on housebreaking. I am sure he will get it soon.


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## ebenjamin85 (Apr 13, 2008)

Great advice so far! Go out before and after eating and drinking. Go again 20-30 minutes later. Plan on lots of short walks. 

You will have a potty trained pup in the end! Samantha's last accident was on her 6 month birthday. It can take time. I would invest in some urine odor removing spray and a small steam cleaner. It makes cleaning up quick messes super easy and fast. Be consistent and it will eventually sink in!

As for the rough house, that's how golden's play. If you feel he is too nippy I would try to redirect him to a bone or toy that he can chew on. We call golden play "bitey face" for a reason... it looks brutal! If your shitzu is okay with playing that way I would not worry. Only redirect if it's a problem. Good luck and congrats on your handsome fella!


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## Trickedyfz450 (Dec 4, 2012)

Thanks for the advise. I was out of town today and when I got home I heard the dog bell ringing. To my surprise it was Max! I opened the door and he bolted over to his area and peed. So proud!


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

Good job, Max!


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## Trickedyfz450 (Dec 4, 2012)

We got about a inch of snow tonight! Max loved it!!


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## leesooim (Nov 1, 2012)

He's adorable! Congratulations on your newest addition!

You received some good advice here, and I agree that Max being mouthy with your other dog is normal puppy play. Best of luck with the housebreaking, and hope to see you and Max around here often!


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

So adorable!! Welcome to the forum!

As for the play - it is obnoxious, yes, but totally normal. My puppy Winston makes a day job out of harassing my older dog Riley.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

So adorable!! Welcome to the forum!

As for the play - it is obnoxious, yes, but totally normal. My puppy Winston makes a day job out of harassing my older dog Riley.


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

Max is a cutie patootie and seems to be getting the hang of the potty thing. If you keep re-inforcing the potty schedule, he will become more and more reliable. Good job, baby Max. 

Glad he enjoyed the snow dusting. We have had snow only twice in 10 year so I long for a little bit of it.

Play time at our house has always involved teeth flashing, noise, squirming, body slams, butts in the air and is quite the production. We limit the antics to one room of the house. We also stop it after a few minutes so that nobody becomes overstimulated.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Max*

Max is so adorable!!


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## ally1h (Nov 27, 2012)

Congrats on the puppy! My Bentley is 14 weeks old as well. Our house training is going well. I am certainly no expert, but I can share with you what I have done with Bentley.

I have a small room in my home that I deemed the "den". It is where there is no furniture. Only the crate, food and water bowls, some toys, and a baby gate reside there. Most importantly, I bought a tarp. Yes, a full 9'x12' tarp. I covered the floor with it. 

I did both pee pad and outdoor training simultaneously. And for the first week I did not let him venture out past the baby gate to the rest of the house. I took him outside every 30 min to 1 hour. I also taught him how to use the pee pads. Now, fast forward 6 weeks to today. He has, maybe, 1 accident indoors a week. And that accident is always on the pee pad or on the tarp where a pee pad should be (but now I'm trying to wean him off the pee pads...). In 6 weeks he has had 1 poop accident indoors. And has had 2 pee accidents not on the tarp. That's it. I plan to take away the tarp after he has no 0 accidents in 2 consecutive months in a row. Vigilance is the key. Watch him like a hawk!

As for the nipping. Golden retrievers are mouthy to the extreme! He is playing with the other dog. If he gets too rowdy the other dog will let him know. But you should learn to understand his growls and barks and mannerisms. Learn what is play and what is not. Then you will know when to intervene. I've heard, though have yet to experience, the mouthy behavior gets better after they teeth and lose their baby teeth.

I wish you luck!


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