# Attacking



## goldenSkye1 (Oct 9, 2014)

My golden is 10 months, and I just got her about a week and a half ago from a great breeder. I got her to be a therapeutic animal for me, but this is turning out to be completely opposite. When I first got her, she was so loving towards me, and the only problem we had was a known problem -- she jumps on people when she sees them and gets way too excited. I'm okay with working on that. Now, that is the least of my concerns. Just a couple of days ago, I took her out to go potty, and she started prancing around the lawn (big yard – she's at school with me), and she sprinted up to me and jumped up in my face snapping at me. She jumped up and grabbed onto my legs and waist with her claws, and when I was trying to push her off, she was biting my hands. I finally got her down and the ground and she was growling and twisting all around trying to get out of her collar. She would NOT stop, and she was starting to hurt me. I finally got her to come back to me, and I dragged her back in my room. Earlier today, she jumped up at me again, and this time I ignored her but she wouldn't let go and her claws were digging into me. She was chewing on her leash (I hadn't even taken her off yet) and snarling at me. I finally got her to stop, and we went along on our walk and everything was fine! Until tonight, I just tried to take her out to go potty again, and she straight up attacked me again. She was jumping up in my face, trying to knock me over (I'm 5'8" and pretty athletic - hard to knock over) and snapping at me. I honestly thought she was trying to get on me to hump me, but it doesn't seem like that is her goal. She seems like she's retaliating against me and wants to be the alpha instead if me being her alpha. I have scratches all over me, and I'm really upset. Now she's afraid of me because I yelled at her and dragged her, so now I feel like I am the one who's supposed to apologize to her, but then she'll never learn her lesson.

I love this dog, and I love golden retrievers. They are ranked the number 1 therapy dog. Skye is the sweetest thing, but I can't deal with her acting like this towards me. I don't want to get rid of her. I'm crying writing this post because I am so upset that maybe this isn't working out for us. I need a dog to cry to, not a dog to cry about. I just didn't see this coming, and I'm frustrated and scared of her. 

If anyone has any advice, please help me. Also, if anyone knows anything about goldens being therapy dogs or has a success story about conquering their dog's behavioral problems, I'd love to hear positive stories about them.

I love Skye, but I can't keep getting beat up, physically and emotionally.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

It seems that she's highly excitable and trying to play with you. She's 10 months old and they can certainly be a handful at that age. Are you sure she was snarling and not play growling? If you can find a way to burn some energy off of her it would help calm her down. A tired pup is a happy owner. Get her and yourself into an obedience class because they will help you learn how to work with her effectively. She needs guidance and structure.


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## Marcus (Aug 24, 2014)

goldenSkye1 said:


> If anyone has any advice(


Yup, That what they do at this age, frustrating as it is, as for advice... see below



4goldengirls said:


> If you can find a way to burn some energy off of her it would help calm her down. A tired pup is a happy owner. Get her and yourself into *an obedience class* because they will help you learn how to work with her effectively. She needs *guidance and structure*.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

She is behaving like a teenager, and that is exactly what she is. She is just a big puppy who doesn't have any impulse control. You got her just at the age they are the hardest to handle, just because they are big puppies. 

All of this is training issues. Find a good private trainer, not a pet store class, and get started working together. She can and will be the dog you wanted with some work, and maturity.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Have you asked her breeder for their advice? If not, that should be your next step.


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## Bwilson (Mar 25, 2014)

I have a 10 month old in the midst of her first heat that has been trying to jump up and grab me to hump. I just work on redirecting her to another activity because we cant get out and about yet for our walks or dog park. She is really mouthy if she really wants my undivided attention or wants to go outside. May want to get a short leather lead so you can move her and redirect her. If River is being really pushy for attention I will take her to another room and do repetitive sit, down, stand, forward, sit over and over which works her mind out and tires her out. She then will let me know when she has had enough. The teenage phase has many ups and downs them growing pains. She was much easier as a little one. I know it will pass and in a few years when I want to get another puppy I will be shocked again how stressful and painful it can be. I have had one episode of tears with her where I thought I was losing my mind. My other dog when he was a teenager brought many episodes of tears but he is the best dog ever and so glad we worked through it. Try a trainer or great out door activity to burn some energy. Does she like to fetch? Mine doesn't unfortunately. I am going to try out a teether tug product to see if she has some interest working out with it outside and hopefully it will be a filler inbetween our walks, dog park visit, and playing with the other dog.


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

I agree with what everyone else has said. Ten months is a difficult age. You have a puppy in an adult size body. I would suggest the two of you get into obedience training as soon as possible, and then practice what you learn often. Skye will get better, but it will take time, patience and more practice. 

BTW, Max did not achieve his therapy dog status until he was nearly 3 years old. At 10 months of age Max could be a handful, plus he was already over 100 pounds.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

How much exercise is she getting? If her only time outside is to go potty then you are adding to the typical teen age problem behavior. She needs to get out to drain some of that excess energy on a regular basis. At 10 months she is at her peak for exercise needs. She needs to RUN and SWIM and come inside tired 4 times a week. That is not just being put in the yard for an hour or taking her for a walk. What you are describing is classic for a dog that is begging you for more activity as well as better boundaries (training). 

Give her a week of hard activity and see how that changes her behavior inside and outside the house.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Oh I remember those days! Maybe get yourself a good trainer.......
She sounds normal to me. When she starts to jump turn your back to her and don't move for a few seconds.
Good luck....she'll be great....give her time.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Everyone has given you some very good advice, and she is like my Rusty at that age haha. Hang in there, and one day everything will be fine


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## boomers_dawn (Sep 20, 2009)

I agree with what everyone else said, PLUS if you got her at 10 months, was she sitting at the breeder for 10 months getting no training?
What kind of training does she have, if any?
I got Gladys at 5 months with no training. It was harder than starting from a little puppy because you miss that age when they're little and think you're like a god and get some good teaching in.
I had the hardest time with jumping.
I would turn my back and cross my arms and not pay attention to her until she was sitting.
Sounds to me like she needs A LOT of training. I hope that's the case because that's fixable, but you have work ahead of you.


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

You aren't alone in this. Four years, ago, I wrote a similar post http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ral-problems-issues/88246-getting-bitten.html

Our 3 year old rescue had had no training at all and wasn't at all socialized. The first couple of weeks we had him, he would attack me, a couple of times a day, jumping and biting hard. I was getting scared of him, and felt like my dream had become a nightmare. It came down to a total lack of self-control (he'd never needed it), a lack of training, and over-excitement. We hired a trainer who came to the house and worked with us. We learned how to work on his self-control, and how to calm him down and how to train him. That took time. 

One immediate thing we did was to spray him when he jumped on me. That was only necessary a few times. He would see the spray bottle and stop whatever he was doing. It shocked him. The attacks pretty much stopped completely within a couple of weeks. 

Long term it took daily exercise, obedience classes and building the trust and bonds between us. The advice I was given four years ago here in the forum was really spot on. We worked hard on the automatic SIT. When he starts to ramp up the excitement, he either sits or lies down and soon becomes calm. We pay attention to the things that do excite him and try to avoid the big triggers (i.e. bikes and horses). He gets a lot of exercise and a lot of attention. One thing I was told, that absolutely worked, was that when he bit my arm, I should hold my arm still, not pull it away. A tug toy is a lot more exciting than a still arm. He doesn't bite at all now.


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## goldenSkye1 (Oct 9, 2014)

Thank you all SO much!! I am going to look for a trainer to work with us ASAP. We had a much better day today, thank goodness! Instead of our daily walk, we walked and ran some, so I think that wore her out well. Thanks for the replies. I'll keep updating!

Also, she has had basic training. She was with an elderly couple for about 9 months before she became too much for them. It's funny because she s a really good dog... after growing up in a house with a lab puppy who TERRORIZED my family, I really know she is an exceptionally good dog haha. She knows what to do, I just think she's testing me for whether or not I will make her stick to the rules she used to go by. I think you guys are right -- a trainer is a must for us!


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Oh no! I'm sorry you are dealing with this dear. It sounds like your dog is going thorught the adolescent stage. Just keep working with her and it should pass.


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## Tucker's mommy (Nov 9, 2011)

Yep, that was exactly our dog at the same age. Tucker is now 3 and rarely gets that ramped up with me, but boy, outside when he was younger, he was a total nightmare at times. We've noticed a huge difference in his ability to calm down quicker just in recent months. It has taken THAT long for him to grow up! We've been working a ton with him over the years, both in obedience class and on our own outside, and it has helped greatly. Lots and lots of exercise and brain-stimulating games help, too. Lots of good advice on these posts. If you're interested in reading what worked for us, just search some of my older posts. I was at my wits end when he was 10 months! Hang in there, it will get much better if you work with your pup.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Oh I remember those days. It was a nightmare time. When I was going through this with Tayla, Tucker's Mommy was one of my best resources as she was a bit ahead of me. Her posts were a source of comfort to me as I knew I wasn't alone. Tayla will soon turn 3 and she still has her moments of excitement when she jumps and will occasionally get so ramped up that she does the biting again, but a firm command of sit and she snaps out of it. Now instead of it happening multiple times a day we are good for about 1 time a month.


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## carol23m (Jun 13, 2014)

I'm going through the same thing, probably worse. My golden male is 9 months old and he is jumping and biting very hard at us. He does not listen to any commands. When we go on walks, he grabs the leash and wont' let go. Then he proceeds to jump at my hand and grabs and bites it aggressively. This goes on and on and does not stop. He bites my hands, arms, back, and any body part he jumps at.

It is impossible to ignore, because he is literally "attacking" me and hurts very much. My arms are black and blue from all the bruises he leaves on me and he does draw blood at times. 

I've tried dropping the leash and stepping on it. When he finally gets tired of tugging on the leash, he proceeds to jump at me and bite me. Turning my back does not work, he just jumps at my back and bites my back or grabs my hair. I am so frustrated I don't know what to do any more. This happens at ALL times. Going for a walk, going to potty, inside the house, during fetch play. I just don't know what to do anymore.

We go on a 1 mile walk/jog in the mornings and evenings. He also gets time running around/fetch our large yard. I do basic commands with treats at last 10 mins a day. I have also tried "time out", and that works at times, but I have to repeat it about 3 times before he "gets" it. This is also very hard to accomplish when we are down the block during a walk.

I'm running out of hope.... please help!


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## kbear (Aug 27, 2014)

carol23m said:


> I'm going through the same thing, probably worse. My golden male is 9 months old and he is jumping and biting very hard at us. He does not listen to any commands. When we go on walks, he grabs the leash and wont' let go. Then he proceeds to jump at my hand and grabs and bites it aggressively. This goes on and on and does not stop. He bites my hands, arms, back, and any body part he jumps at.
> 
> It is impossible to ignore, because he is literally "attacking" me and hurts very much. My arms are black and blue from all the bruises he leaves on me and he does draw blood at times.
> 
> ...


i would say i know exactly what you are going through but my dog isn't nearly that big yet. but i can certainly sympathize with getting bitten and bruised.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

Does the OP and Carol23m have a garden?.
do both dogs retrieve?.
If yes, take a ball and plays hard, for about 10mns before attempting a walk.
Both dogs have pentup energy and need that excess, out before any leash walk or training.


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## Craigjames (Oct 25, 2014)

Squeel like a pup when he bites or jumps as this is what pups do to each other when they have had enough. And a spray bottle with water in it is magic. Stopped ours in her tracks and only ever sprayed her once - now the sight of the bottle stops her in her track.


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