# Jumpy Mouthy: The Resource and Support Thread



## NGolden (Sep 29, 2015)

How long it took you to stop that behaviour? Is it completly gone now?


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## Driggsy (Jun 12, 2014)

I have one of those! Especially loves to grab gloves and mittens and run off with them, which is a real problem in Maine winters! I"m going to read the old thread with interest, thank you!


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Driggsy said:


> I have one of those! Especially loves to grab gloves and mittens and run off with them, which is a real problem in Maine winters! I"m going to read the old thread with interest, thank you!


Casper got one of my mittens last winter, slobbered all over it, and dropped it. It stuck to the sidewalk!


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

One thing I have learned about this behavior is to, strangely enough, not panic. The more you worry, the more you think your dog doesn't respect you, the more you wonder if your dog will be a liability, the more you just wish this wasn't happening . . .the slower progress will be. You do have to assess why this is going on-- what is your dog trying to tell you-- but then work on it methodically.

We are working with a new trainer, the best I have found who is local to us. (We learned so much from our wonderful long-distance trainer, too.) What is key for me with this trainer is that she is very calm about this behavior. She doesn't see it as a tremendous problem, she is very matter-of-fact, and she has had great insights in helping us. 

If I could turn back time, the moment this happened, I would have put on Shutzhund (well, not really) gear. No matter the weather, I would have dressed in clothes that protected me and didn't care about getting torn. Then, from day one, would have stood *absolutely stock-still EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.* with zero response, zero attention. I tried it often-- but I wasn't consistent. Let's face it. Our dogs are smart, so if it works even once, they will keep trying. ANY sort of attention (moving hands, eye contact, pushing, etc.) will only serve to reinforce this behavior.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

NGolden said:


> How long it took you to stop that behaviour? Is it completly gone now?


I would say that the behavior is not completely gone, but that we are careful to put our dog in situations where he is more likely to succeed. Because we have raised criteria slowly, he is developing greater impulse control and his threshold is increasing in many situations. 

For example, in training class yesterday, he did jump on the instructor, but she would quickly walk away, wait, and repeat. She did this several times, and eventually he would sit when she came or just stay in a lying down position. When he DID jump initially, he never mouthed. And for him-- that is real progress. 



Driggsy said:


> I have one of those! Especially loves to grab gloves and mittens and run off with them, which is a real problem in Maine winters! I"m going to read the old thread with interest, thank you!


I hope the thread helps!



quilter said:


> Casper got one of my mittens last winter, slobbered all over it, and dropped it. It stuck to the sidewalk!


Probably wasn't funny at the time but it makes me laugh! Casper! No more freezing mittens on walks!


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## MarcWinkman (Oct 28, 2015)

This describes Riley precisely...she ruined my suit when I was taking her out for a personal convenience break before I put her in her crate so I could go to work this morning. It's seriously aggravating, and I'm not having any luck with the positive training methods of redirecting, time out, etc.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

I am so sorry about your suit! How old is Riley and when/where does this happen? Can you find a pattern?


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## carolinehansen (Sep 16, 2015)

Going to Florida for a week tomorrow and my friend insisted that her family would watch my little guy while I am gone. He's so sweet to people he isn't around a lot, quite submissive actually, but I am nervous that once he settles in with them he will start jumping and biting them. Crossing my fingers that it goes well :crossfing I think a lot of people assume Goldens are naturally 100% sweet and calm and trained, but anyone who thinks that has never had a golden puppy before :


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Caroline, likely he won't do it! I have had my dog walked by dog walkers and boarded him overnight and he didn't do it to them. I interviewed them ahead of time to see what they would say they'd do if he did, though, and their answers were perfect so I trusted them. Just make sure you give them clear instructions as to what to do, what NOT to do, and all will be well.


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## MarcWinkman (Oct 28, 2015)

Anele said:


> I am so sorry about your suit! How old is Riley and when/where does this happen? Can you find a pattern?


Riley is 20 weeks old. This typically happens after she's been out for a long walk and has been in the house playing for 30 to 40 minutes. I can temporarily re-focus her by grabbing the bag of apple chunks out of the freezer and playing touch (targeting) with her and having her off leash heel with me, but this only works for about 10 to 15 minutes. After that, she's right back at it. My house is such that even though I've puppy proofed, there are still pieces of furniture (display cabinets) that she can topple and break everything inside of, and she LOVES nipping and biting at the bottle necks in the wine storage rack in the kitchen. I also can't just flat ignore her because once I do that, she moves on and gets into something that she shouldn't...like the knobs on the washer and dryer, or chair legs, or (right now) the Christmas tree/tree skirt, etc. Ultimately I end up having to calmly corral her into her crate if for no other reason than to give myself a little time to decompress. Below is a picture of her from a couple of weeks ago getting ready to attack the wine bottles on the wine rack...something else she does routinely if I'm not paying attention. It seriously seems like she gets jumpy and mouthy when she's overstimulated.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Anele said:


> Our dogs are smart, so if it works even once, they will keep trying. ANY sort of attention (moving hands, eye contact, pushing, etc.) will only serve to reinforce this behavior.


Not only are they smart like this, but if you are still for one or two or three jumps and nips and then break and react, the dog will learn that it requires at least two or three jumps and nips to get you to react! So you've essentially taught the dog to be _more_ persistent!

I love this thread and your advice, btw. For undesired prosocial behaviors (i.e., behaviors intended to intended to start play or prolong it), the best punishment is to take away your attention. And if you follow it up with giving your attention to a desired behavior (like when the dog changes tactics and tries a sit or even just not jumping), you can reshape the behavior pretty quickly.

I teach a family dog basics class every week, and this is probably the _most_ common issue we deal with. People typically scold and/or push dogs for jumping, which, for many dogs, is enough attention to reward the behavior, even though the people intend it as punishment. We see amazing results when we teach those handlers how to remove their attention effectively (no voice, no touch, no eye contact).


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

tippykayak said:


> People typically scold and/or push dogs for jumping, which, for many dogs, is enough attention to reward the behavior, even though the people intend it as punishment. We see amazing results when we teach those handlers how to remove their attention effectively (no voice, no touch, no eye contact).


Not to mention that the scolding sets the dog up for some serious conflicts about people greetings. Meet people, try to be nice, get whacked.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Marc, she is super cute! Yes, overstimulation is likely the culprit. You might want to cut her playtime down to 20-25 minutes, and then give her a chew or stuffed Kong in the crate or ex-pen. This stops the cycle. Ex-pen for watching while awake, and crate when she needs a nap. What I found with my pup was that he was/is always ready to go and, especially younger, would rarely fall asleep on his own. He would readily accept a nap if I put him in a crate, however. Some dogs (and people!) need help learning how to settle and not fight sleep. 

You can also use an ex-pen part or fireplace screen to temporarily block off the wine bottles, if it's not possible to move them. But, owning a mouthy dog myself-- I spent a lot of $ on chews and always had a ready supply of stuffed and frozen Kongs to keep that mouth busy on appropriate items. 

Don't be afraid to decrease her real estate space. It's easier to give them more access once they are trustworthy vs have them get in bad habits by giving too much freedom. Let the expen and crate do their jobs.

Tippy, that is such good advice-- by "giving in" we have taught the dog not to "give up" and have just worsened the situation! They learn that chain of behavior very quickly! 

Quilter, yes! We have Goldens for a reason, and for many of us, the friendliness is what we look for. If we want a dog that we don't have to train to be polite with greetings, it is probably a good idea to look at a different breed. Sure, some come "out of the box" ready, but most of us have to work on it. How confusing for a friendly dog to be hurt when trying to be friendly!


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Just checking in to say-- if you have a dog with this issue, teach your dog tug with rules. Make sure to practice, practice, practice in an environment with low or few distractions so that it becomes automatic.

For me, tug has made all the difference on walks. We took a long (for him) walk yesterday, and there are certain areas (unavoidable) that are triggers. But, because we have played tug on walks to get through them, he can release his energy via tug vs. on me. Is his energy nervous, excited, anxious, aroused, or all of the above? I don't know, but by the end of one especially vigorous tug game, he started rolling around on the ground very relaxed and contentedly and I pet him, and we were able to finish out walk calmly. Imagine the difference if I had pushed, yelled, or choked him with a collar? Instead, it became a bonding activity.

Later in the day, my daughter accidentally let him out of the yard TWICE when I was in the driveway getting ready to leave. And both times? He came right to me-- that's why he wanted to get out! Now, I know part of it is the breed, part of it is temperament, but at least part of it is our bond. 

We play tug this way:
Prep
(1) Teach dog to take an object in his mouth 
(2) Put this on cue
(3) Teach dog to release object
(4) Put this on cue

Tug
(1) Hold tug toy up for dog to see
(2) Wait for automatic sit
(3) Give cue for tug
(4) Play
(5) Cue release, reinforce with food or more tug, but always end with a positive 
(6) Let dog win, give food for trade of toy when game is ending (I can't let my dog keep most of the toys because he would rip them up)

His mouthing is almost non-existent now, even in stressed situations. He will jump but not mouth. But, we always have objects handy for his mouth because he can use them as a release.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Thanks Anele this is awesome! You wrote it out and explained it much better than I ever did. 
"We play tug this way:
Prep
(1) Teach dog to take an object in his mouth 
(2) Put this on cue
(3) Teach dog to release object
(4) Put this on cue

Tug
(1) Hold tug toy up for dog to see
(2) Wait for automatic sit
(3) Give cue for tug
(4) Play
(5) Cue release, reinforce with food or more tug, but always end with a positive 
(6) Let dog win, give food for trade of toy when game is ending (I can't let my dog keep most of the toys because he would rip them up)"

I hope you don't mind if I add a little more to this. In this type of situation we want to actually lower the dogs arousal level by training them impulse control during a highly arousing game. So it is important to keep each little tug game only about 20 to 30 seconds before stopping play. Once the dog will sit or whatever cue you want you can start again. During the process not only do I cue the sit but I may ask for a few more behaviors before offering to play tug again. Maybe a sit/down/stand or a sit/hand touch/spin etc. I wouldn't add more cue's until the dog is doing exactly as Anele suggested. But after they got it you want to up the anty so they get more and more impulse control. Using the food reward also lowers the arousal level. This game can be amazing as it teaches the dog to respond to cues while highly aroused.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Anele - I just want to say what an asset you have become to this forum, sharing your experiences and your thoughtful and meaningful posts.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Solinvictus, thank you so much for adding in about learning to settle in play. For some dogs (like mine) certain foods can be too arousing for tug; I find low or middle value work best.

To further expand on that topic, this video shows some of learning to settle after being aroused and demonstrates the proper way for treat delivery (to help decrease possibility of mouthiness).

Training Sit: Say Please and Settle (Dr. Sophia Yin)

2 more tips:
(1) Keep a short leash on your dog at times/places he/she gets aroused. Then you can remove your dog from the situation without using a collar grab. (The one I linked isn't very high quality but it's fine for home use.) Be sure to practice collar grabs at other times. High-arousal dogs are more likely to get mouthy when they are highly aroused, so the last thing you want to do is grab their collar to get them away from a situation when already aroused.

(2) My dog gets predictably aroused in certain spots on walks. What I started doing is carrying along a small glass jar of baby food with cream cheese or PB in it and use it in those spots. Then my dog licks the food instead of jumping and getting aroused. You can also use this method for going in/out of arousing situations (like when you are first walking into a training class). Thank you to my trainer for this tip!

Also-- I want to emphasize how much holding our dog down has NOT helped. We had a trainer who always held our dog down (in a sit) by his collar when he got jumpy/mouthy. It always took time to settle him and he would still try to mouth. We haven't seen the trainer in months, but the first thing our dog did when he saw the trainer again was jump and attempt to mouth-- and he rarely mouths at all these days, but now made that association with him. 

Compare this to our new trainer. She consistently turns away or we hold him on leash as she walks away each time he jumps. She doesn't interact with him at all. By the 3rd time (we start over each class!) he sits to be pet. He has never mouthed her.


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## Wellsathom (Jun 26, 2019)

My golden is 7 mths old tomorrow. He is biting us. He really hurt my husband tonight. He does it when we try to get something out of his mouth. He's an only dog but socializes often. This is a bad situation. For the 1st Time he snapped at me but I moved from his bite. I was saying "leave it" something I have done for a while. Very confused & hurt that our Rocco, that we love so much, is acting out like he is.


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## Wellsathom (Jun 26, 2019)

My golden is 7 mths old tomorrow. He is biting us. He really hurt my husband tonight. He does it when we try to get something out of his mouth. He's an only dog but socializes often. This is a bad situation. For the 1st Time he snapped at me but I moved from his bite. I was saying "leave it" something I have done for a while. Very confused & hurt that our Rocco, that we love so much, is acting out like he is.


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## vincecarter55 (Apr 11, 2020)

Anele said:


> Just checking in to say-- if you have a dog with this issue, teach your dog tug with rules. Make sure to practice, practice, practice in an environment with low or few distractions so that it becomes automatic.
> 
> For me, tug has made all the difference on walks. We took a long (for him) walk yesterday, and there are certain areas (unavoidable) that are triggers. But, because we have played tug on walks to get through them, he can release his energy via tug vs. on me. Is his energy nervous, excited, anxious, aroused, or all of the above? I don't know, but by the end of one especially vigorous tug game, he started rolling around on the ground very relaxed and contentedly and I pet him, and we were able to finish out walk calmly. Imagine the difference if I had pushed, yelled, or choked him with a collar? Instead, it became a bonding activity.
> 
> ...


Hey Anele,

I'm trying to pick your brain again about how to deal with our almost 1 year old golden retriever who is jumpy mouthy when aroused and it looks like you're someone who has some ideas. A couple of questions for you:

You said you have used tugs on your walks to get through difficult situations. Our dog is very toy-motivated so we could definitely make use of this... However, we have tried in the past and noticed that when we use it in situations where he is already over-aroused, that the toy just gets him going more. In those moments, he also doesn't want to give the tug toy up (e.g. if I pulled it away during normal tug, then he would sit and wait until I was ready to play again). When you play tug on your walks, how long will the tugging go on for? Do you let him have the tug toy afterwards (e.g. carry it on the walk?
I feel like I read somewhere that if you could deal with the arousal jumpy biting thing again, you would go with the complete ignore method while he does it. This is definitely something we have not done whole heartedly as I was worried it would be self-reinforcing in that he would be playing tug with our clothes when he does that. Do you still believe that fully ignoring him while he's doing this could work or would have worked with your dog? Or would you recommend tying his leash to something and walking away? Using the tug toy to redirect?
Thanks for your help once again. There doesn't seem to be that many people that understand this problem (even trainers) so talking to someone who has actually gone through it is invaluable.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Hi, Vince. 

You are past the point where you can ignore your dog. For that to have worked, you needed to ignore the behavior consistently from the start. But that's OK, there are other things that will work. That means no tug on walks because, for now, you will not be walking your dog for anything other than to do his business and *only* for that.

*The 8 step protocol in this link, click here* (the one I gave you before) *WILL work*. But you have to follow it. Right now, your first priority is to give your dog zero opportunities to practice this behavior. That means *NO walks.* Do you promise me that you will do that? NO WALKS. Of course, you will be taking your dog out as frequently as he needs to to relieve himself, but then you are going right back inside. 

Stay on steps 1-6 for a long time...minimum a month. Keep checking in with me, maybe weekly, but promise me you won't venture out on a walk for at least a month in the meantime. Deal?


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## vincecarter55 (Apr 11, 2020)

Anele said:


> Hi, Vince.
> 
> You are past the point where you can ignore your dog. For that to have worked, you needed to ignore the behavior consistently from the start. But that's OK, there are other things that will work. That means no tug on walks because, for now, you will not be walking your dog for anything other than to do his business and *only* for that.
> 
> ...


Thanks again for the response! You've got a deal. So we've stopped the walks, but now he's doing the jumpy mouthy behaviour in other instances, specifically with my wife (e.g. during play when overexcited, when she is going to pick his poops up for some reason). What would you recommend we do in those situations when he starts being jumpy mouthy? Leave him? Ignore completely? Pull him into the pen for a timeout? Shove a toy in his mouth to redirect?


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Great! That's OK that he's doing it other places. Sometimes with behavior, it gets worse as they test it out before it extinguishes. Next step...write down all the times he does it. Include the time of day, location, and what happened before/during/after. You will find a pattern. Or tell me and I will help you find it.

How does play occur? Do you give him a start and a stop cue? In other words, do YOU initiate play and end play? If not, that's what I would do. Look for my tug with rules post for an example or look up Susan Garrett. Play has to be according to your rules right now.

When your wife is picking up poo, when/where does this occur? Is it right after he goes?

My suggestion for what to do next will depend on where you are, but it will come down to managing him right now so he no longer has access to people when he starts this behavior. But an easy solution is to have him wear a short lead so that you can lead him away to his pen or crate. You can have some treats within easy access (not to him) around the house so you can immediately start training him while you direct him to the crate. Teach him a cue for his crate or expen if you have not already and reward heavily. If you are outside in a yard, he can be tethered while you interact. Then you can easily step away from him when he starts this up. He will get the connection...oh, I "play" this way and the people go away. When I stop, they come back.

Have you been having success with the other steps in the link I sent? It's very important he learn how to have an off switch.


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## vincecarter55 (Apr 11, 2020)

Anele said:


> Great! That's OK that he's doing it other places. Sometimes with behavior, it gets worse as they test it out before it extinguishes. Next step...write down all the times he does it. Include the time of day, location, and what happened before/during/after. You will find a pattern. Or tell me and I will help you find it.
> 
> How does play occur? Do you give him a start and a stop cue? In other words, do YOU initiate play and end play? If not, that's what I would do. Look for my tug with rules post for an example or look up Susan Garrett. Play has to be according to your rules right now.
> 
> ...


Yeah we've been doing a list for a little while and right now the triggers seems to all be with my wife... The only time he has done it with me of late is when he's frustrated during training but I've been avoiding that pretty good. So right now the triggers are poop with my wife (specifically when she's picking it up with the poop bag), play with my wife (sometimes it's fine and sometimes it's not and she can't figure out why). These happen in the morning since that's when my wife takes care of him (I take care of him in the afternoon). He's also got a weird fetish for sticking his face in my wife's crotch right now and if not stopped immediately, that leads to humping (but I think that's a little different). He's being neutered on Monday so maybe this will decrease the humping at least?

My wife and I are both vigilant about playing with rules (e.g. we initiate although we don't have a 'start' word, 15-30 seconds of tugging, 'give' command and then have him sit to get it back).

When you put your dog into a timeout because he's being jumpy mouthy and put him in the crate/pen, I'm assuming you did not give the dog treats for going into the pen/crate in that case right? 

When we do timeouts, we usually just leave the room when we're inside and wait until he settles (usually after a minute or two) before coming back. If he gets jumpy mouthy during play, we usually just completely end the play session. Is that not a good idea?

We've had some success with the other steps in the article but we've been doing a lot of it already. I feel bad because he's been pretty good for me lately but my wife is struggling with him and she really is trying. I could probably give my wife a break from taking care of him for a bit (e.g. a week) if that would help since I'm home from work right now but do you think that would even help?

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Does it seem like it's getting better overall? 

To answer your questions:

(1) Picking up poop-- your wife needs to put him in a down or sit while she does it. She can practice INSIDE (with no poop, haha) but just the act making him sit, using the bag, pretending to pick it up. Then we can see exactly what the trigger is. Sounds silly, but it has to be isolated... is it the timing, is it the bag, is it her bending over?
(2) Video your wife playing and interacting with your dog. Really study it. She might be using body language that makes your dog excited or anxious, if that makes sense. I would have her avoid eye contact, don't come directly toward him, speak in a calm voice, etc. Is she anxious being around him? 
(3) RE: neutering...this can have negative consequences, esp. at this age. If your breeder is OK with you waiting longer, I'd do it. Dogs who are neutered can have more anxiety (contrary to what you hear, it can cause MORE dog aggression), and it's not recommended to neuter a golden until after the age of 2, at least. The humping is a sign that your dog is conflicted/doesn't know what to do with himself. Focus on training to deal with this. Time and training usually work.
(4) After play, put your dog away in a crate or expen right away for a little break. Same for after training. Do it BEFORE he jumps/humps.
(5) My dog was not jumpy/mouthy in the house, but since your dog is, if you want to put him in the crate, don't make it a big deal. Make him do something like sit or down and THEN give him a treat so he doesn't associate the treat with jumping/mouthing. Then put him in the crate--a treat is fine.
(6) Keep a leash on your dog or slip one on like this: SLIP LEAD When he's being a goof, you can slip it on and lead him away. Put it high up under his chin for max. control. 
You are at the worst age. This too shall pass!


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## vincecarter55 (Apr 11, 2020)

Anele said:


> Does it seem like it's getting better overall?
> 
> To answer your questions:
> 
> ...


Appreciate the words of encouragement! I will definitely watch him with my wife a bit more. I'm sure she does get a bit nervous around him sometimes but I'm not sure if it's as simple as telling her 'don't be nervous' lol. So not sure how to solve that one. 

The breeder is not the one who recommended having him neutered. Our vet actually recommends that dogs be neutered at 6 months but we held off. However, we are seeing a trainer who said that because he's shown some dog-dog aggression on a leash and because he's sniffing my wife's crotch/humping consistently, that she would recommend having him neutered. If I'm going to cancel the neutering, I would have to do so by tomorrow since the appointment is scheduled for monday. Why do you say that it can have negative consequences especially at his age? Is there any research to support this? Figuring out whether to neuter him or not has been one of the most frustrating things I've ever had to research because it just seems that there is a million different opinions on it even among vets. So at this point, I have no idea what makes sense.

Also, I'm kind of surprised (but not against it) that you recommended a slip lead since you seemed very pro-positive training and this seems like a pretty aversive tool no? Like I said, I'm just learning as a dog owner so I'm not against it but I'm just curious about whether you used it for success with your dog and how. If we have to move to a less 'positive' approach then I will definietly do so but have been hesitant to thus far because I don't want to make things worse.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

What does your breeder say about neutering at this age? Many breeders specify in the contract that they want you to wait for male dogs until they are 2. Here is the research as it relates to health: Golden retriever study suggests neutering affects dog health

Now that you are saying dog aggression is an issue (this is not something that my dogs have), I would think that your dog may be feeling insecure. Have you taken your dog to dog parks or dog daycare? In any case, neutering is not a guarantee that your dog feel more secure/easygoing..and might do the reverse. There are studies pointing to both outcomes, but I will say that if you wait, you always have the option but once it's done, it's done. There is a 2nd surge of hormones at this age so it can be esp. bad, but it tapers off by 18 months. (I know that sounds like a long time, but for health, it's important to wait.) I would work on activities that build your dog's confidence, such as nosework. This is also great as a mental activity that promotes focus.

As for your wife, the video will reveal her body language. Yes, she might be feeling nervous, but she can change her body language even if she's not changing her feelings. And as an experiment, I want her to try this. When your dog starts humping her, I want her to walk toward your dog with her arms extended out, as though she is going to go up to him and hug him. She can talk to him in a calm voice as she does it. If the dog sits, she can pet him, but she should repeat walking toward him as I suggested if he hints at starting again.

RE: the slip lead, no, I do not use it for corrections. It is just to maintain control to walk your dog to a crate, expen, etc. and something you can quickly slip on over his head. I do not like my dogs wearing collars in the house...and you don't want to be doing collar grabs with a highly aroused dog anyway, unless you have conditioned them for it (which I suggest you do, forever). I do not recommend aversive training. This is to prevent him from practicing unwanted behavior as he is led away for a little break.


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## vincecarter55 (Apr 11, 2020)

Anele said:


> What does your breeder say about neutering at this age? Many breeders specify in the contract that they want you to wait for male dogs until they are 2. Here is the research as it relates to health: Golden retriever study suggests neutering affects dog health
> 
> Now that you are saying dog aggression is an issue (this is not something that my dogs have), I would think that your dog may be feeling insecure. Have you taken your dog to dog parks or dog daycare? In any case, neutering is not a guarantee that your dog feel more secure/easygoing..and might do the reverse. There are studies pointing to both outcomes, but I will say that if you wait, you always have the option but once it's done, it's done. There is a 2nd surge of hormones at this age so it can be esp. bad, but it tapers off by 18 months. (I know that sounds like a long time, but for health, it's important to wait.) I would work on activities that build your dog's confidence, such as nosework. This is also great as a mental activity that promotes focus.
> 
> ...


Honestly the breeder is not the best and in hindsight I should have gone elsewhere. So I don't really value his opinion. He probably could care less... that seems to be the gist of his answers when I ask him anything. Anyways, the link that you sent about neutering is in regards to neutering before the age of 1 and he will pretty much be 1 when he's neutered. He's also getting hips on his x-rays so I figured we might as well just have him neutered at the same time. I appreciate your input here but we've had a trainer, a behaviourist and 2 different vets say that they would neuter. That said, I've been wrestling with the decision non-stop.

I have taken him to a daycare twice and then when I saw how the daycare owner ran the place, that was the last time I sent him there. I don't think it was a good experience for him. We have gone to a private dog park where he meets one dog at a time... However, not all of the dogs he has met there seemed all that friendly so I try to avoid it when there's other dogs. So that leaves not much interaction with other dogs. However, my wife's aunt has an older golden retriever that was really good with him since he was a pup but the last time that they met (a couple of weeks ago), he just continually tried to hump her even though she wanted nothing to do with her. So I ended up having to pull him away with the leash multiple times which was absolutely what I wanted to avoid... Sigh. So I don't know what to do there.

In what ways would you suggest my wife change her body language to make her seem less nervous?

When you say you "want her to walk toward your dog with her arms extended out, as though she is going to go up to him and hug him"... do you mean do that before he starts humping or literally as he's humping her leg? What if he does not sit and just keeps humping her leg? I just assumed the humping was self-reinforcing and that by allowing it to happen would make it happen more often?

We usually keep him on a leash in the house even though we almost never use it. However, our upstairs is pretty much comnpletely puppy proofed so our go to strategy for bad behaviour is to just walk behind a door and leave him wherever he is since there's not much to get at/do if we leave.


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