# From a breeder's course examination question



## kowey (Feb 28, 2006)

From a breeder's course examination question....
 For which problematic behavior are the dogs of your breed (here GR) most prone?
Any ideas? Let's discus this.


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

I'll throw out digging..... Though it's not a huge problem now, Samson goes through phases where he loves to dig...


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Abbie and Maggie are world"s most famous diggers...................:doh: :doh: :doh: Mine do it being supervised ...........


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## jeffreyzone (Feb 8, 2006)

So, we don't have a list of the "probematic behaviors?" That question is written as though it's referring to a list. 

Without a list, it's hard to come up with a general Golden behavior that can't be addressed with proper training and socialization. But from my rescue experience, I can think of the most-common excuses that people come up with to dump their Goldens...

Let's see. _"The dog is wild and out-of-control, knocking over my three-year-old_ (substitute 80-year-old)_ regularly."_ So, perhaps a problematic behavior can be "over-the-top exuberance due to lack of self-control."

_"The dog needs room to run."_ The need for exercise is not a problematic behavior.

_"The dog is destroying my yard." _ Digging can be problematic, but is anyone surprised when an unsupervised Golden digs a huge hole in the yard? It's a natural behavior.

The *Dog Breed Info* site mentions the following: "This breed needs to be around people to be happy. If isolated from human contact, or left alone for long periods of time, the Golden Retriever may become mischievous. They can be over-exuberant and distractible."

So, what more can be said? Goldens are perfect!!!


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## Baileysmom (Aug 5, 2006)

I would say over-exuberance (including friendliness and jumping up to greet people).


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## PeggyK (Apr 16, 2005)

I would say overexhuberance can be a problem. Can you imagine-we have to work on our dogs being TOO HAPPY!!??!! In my experience the goldens that are so very exhuberant as puppies are the ones that stay active in later years. I love that Coach is crazy with love-but we taught him early on that jumping on people was not acceptable.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Digging is the only behavior I give up on. I have the rake and shovel on hand to fill in the holes. Since none of my other dogs did this to Lucky's extent I classify it as a GR issue. And it all boils down to boredom as he isn't motivated if I'm out there with him. So maybe boredom is a GR issue.

Mouthiness can be a GR issue more so then other breeds I think.


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## LauraEyes2 (Sep 16, 2005)

Chewing, destroying paper products, shredding plush toys. Vinny still hasn't outgrown that one...


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

LaurJen, you brought up the only one I could think of. Chewing paper can be huge with goldens! 

Maybe, many of them believing they are 60-pound lap dogs? 

This is tough!


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## kra (Oct 2, 2006)

Nugget is in the chew'n phase at this point! I haven't had a container of Bitter Apple out my hands for the last few days. At this point me and the 
Bitter Apple sprayer are like the Linus and his blanket of the comic strip fame Peanuts! Know what I mean!.... But if I didn't want to have this much fun 
I would have gotten a single goldfish in a bowl.
That reminds me, Question: Do you know what's stranger then seeing a catfish?

Anwser: A goldfish bowl!


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

I guess I'd add overexhuberance to my list, too. Though, I'm fond of how happy he is to see me when I come home.....

But he's the same way with every kid coming home, and also any kid who happens to walk by our house.


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## Gldiebr (Oct 10, 2006)

Bailey, my 7 month old digs whether supervised or not. We can be in the middle of playing, and she just gets the urge. I too, keep a shovel handy, and refill when she's not looking. (I don't want her to think I'm playing too, or she'll play the game for life!) 

She also loves to chew rocks. Though I suspect it's a teething issue (between teeth, she stops), I'm lucky in that she doesn't try to eat them... so far. She actually brings them too me and drops them in my hand. She gets rawhides and chewtoys, but prefers rocks and sticks. With the doggie door, we did have to teach her that sticks stay outside. I was vacuuming constantly!


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Hyperactivity (which covers chewing, digging, barking, and greeting too exuberantly  ... but the problem is the owner not exercising/training enough, the dog isn't defective or anything ...


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

katieanddusty said:


> Hyperactivity (which covers chewing, digging, barking, and greeting too exuberantly  ... but the problem is the owner not exercising/training enough, the dog isn't defective or anything ...


You're right....most of the breeds problems are because of lack of exercise....


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

they take stuff personal.. and remember
they can be pretty independent.sometimes not good team members
slower to mature than labs


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## FranH (May 8, 2005)

Lack of exercise.....the root of most problems. Where's Monomer? Haven't heard from him lately.....


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I agree lack of exercise,for the most part, but I can also say that Maggie walks anywhere from 3-5 miles a day sometimes more and has plenty of attention during the day since I am home all day and she goes up to a field everynight for atleast a hour a night and chases tennis balls that have been launched and she still digs .. she actually can be running full speed ahead and stop for 3 seconds dig and then takes off running again....


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

FranH said:


> Where's Monomer? Haven't heard from him lately.....


I've wondered the same thing......


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## kowey (Feb 28, 2006)

OK, thanks for all the replies. I can concoct the following statement from them:

GRs are energetic, powerful dogs, (originally) bred for hunting. They need to have something todo. So behavior problems often arises when the dogs are bored, when they have no outlet for their exces energy. They will occupy themselves with

digging
chewing things: paper, furniture, shoes, etc
jumping etc

GRs tend to build up a strong bond with their owners, their place is inside the house. Is it common to have problems when this need is not fulfulled? (Separation anxiety, shyness, excessive barking? etc)


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

I think you've summed it up perfectly!


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

my dog splits time inside and outside.. my first golden was outside all the time.. I really don't see any difference in behavior as a result of having them outside... 
but then neither have my dogs been hyperactive.. so, as usual, I go against the grain on this forum... I have lost a shoe or two however and a few socks..


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## kra (Oct 2, 2006)

Dogs just like people need daily exercise which can be applied in many 
different forms. I see this all the time, a client will come into gym and 
I can see and feel the "STRESS" they had in their day.
After a good balanced workout, maybe a hour later, new person with 
a completely different out look. 
Dogs are not bookends or large rocks either, we were meant to move!
Exercise has a very positive affect on our physical and mental well being.
And goldens are a high energy dog, they are much more happy and condent
day after day exhausted in the evening from physical activity.
A vet commented to me a long time ago, "A tired puppy is a happy puppy!"

When they require a higher degree of activity in the form of walking, swimming or ball toss, disk throw, yard play, and the owner doesn't supply it. The dirt flys, they become a hairy fur covered,
four legged schredder with a tail. Bad juju!
It never works if the GR owner just opens the back door to the house and lets the dog into the fenced back yard and then returns to their morning paper or TV. A good example here, I have friends who have GR and the live in a condo or apt. they don't have a fenced yard, they walk their goldens. And the goldens are very well balanced, between the ears and heart, muscle & health wise! Hmmm!... There may be a connection here. 
Sorry I got on my soapbox! I don't mean to step on any golden owners toes here. We just what what is best for our goldens, which turns out to be a good healthy habit for us with two legs also.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

KRA, I agree with you 100%. It's been a long time since we've had a fenced yard, but we do a lot of walking and simply a lot of interaction with our dogs. 

When does Brandy (our "baby") get into mischief the most? It's nearly always on the days when we were not able to give her as much attention as usual.


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## kowey (Feb 28, 2006)

(Remember these questions are from a breeders course...)
Suppose you are a good breeder who has the wellfare of the pup in mind. You have one pup to sell. Which owners will get the pup: 
a young family with a large enclosed garden but they work full time, kids to school etc
or
an older person in a small appartment. Pup will rarely be alone.

The breed is GR, of course.

Let us discuss this, please!:uhoh:


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

I don't think you could make a decision by how either household looks on paper. The older person in a smaller apartment may do plenty of walks, have plenty of time/money to devote to the pup, and may be spry enough to endure puppyhood. 

The younger family with kids may be so busy with extracurricular activities that they ignore the pup, who gets shoved out to the backyard because he chews the kids toys and misbehaves from long hours of being alone. 

Or another possibiliy, the older person may be best suited for an older golden. And the younger family may be completed devoted to raising a puppy correctly. 

That's why personal interviews, vet references and gut instincts are so important. And still they are never 100% right. There are dogs returned to rescues and breeders, even puppies, because they were the wrong match.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

My Ist choice is digging,digging,digging
Then rubbing themselves when they are nice and wet,just coming out of water or shaking just next to you.


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

kowey said:


> a young family with a large enclosed garden but they work full time, kids to school etc
> or
> an older person in a small appartment. Pup will rarely be alone.
> The breed is GR, of course.


It depends on how physically able the older person is to control the dog, walk the dog, play with the dog, etc, whether the older person has enough money to care for the dog, whether it's a nice active older person so the dog is going to get a lot of exercise and socialization, whether the older person can reasonably expect to be able to care for the dog for 15 years, etc. And whether the family is able to have someone come home at lunch to potty/exercise puppy, how young the children are, whether the children are morons who would hurt the puppy, whether the family is committed to giving the puppy plenty to do all day and spending a large portion of their time at home with the puppy, etc. And whether either potential owner is a moron who's going to feed the puppy Fido Bites, hit the puppy with a newspaper, and rub the puppy's nose in crap.


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## kra (Oct 2, 2006)

katieanddusty said:


> It depends on how physically able the older person is to control the dog, walk the dog, play with the dog, etc, whether the older person has enough money to care for the dog, whether it's a nice active older person so the dog is going to get a lot of exercise and socialization, whether the older person can reasonably expect to be able to care for the dog for 15 years, etc. And whether the family is able to have someone come home at lunch to potty/exercise puppy, how young the children are, whether the children are morons who would hurt the puppy, whether the family is committed to giving the puppy plenty to do all day and spending a large portion of their time at home with the puppy, etc. And whether either potential owner is a moron who's going to feed the puppy Fido Bites, hit the puppy with a newspaper, and rub the puppy's nose in crap.


I agree with you, you have hit the nail on the head. The GR owner be it 
a retired couple or a family with youngsters and two working parents.
In both cases they must clearly understand the responsablity of raising
a healthy and well balanced dog. A high percentage of so-called GR's
with issues are the result of a GR owners oversite / poor judgement / lifestyle
changes etc.
Knowledge is power, the dog owner has to understand what the dog needs
short term and long term to maintain their quality of life phyiscally and mentally. 
The GR be it a adult or puppy has to learn the rules set by and taught / enforced 
by all of the family members and by the Sr. couple.
I teach by eample, we learn by example, and by recalling mistakes,
Here is a good e.i., If I want to get my vet and rescue friends on a 
red zone rant, two things will set them off. Santa bringing a Christmas GR puppy
to a family with young kids and very busy parents. 2. Summer GR puppy, then 
school starts and everybody's routine does a total toss-up.
In a high percentage of cases the GR may end up in a Rescue.
The points you mentioned regarding Sr. GR owners have great merit also.
The GR owner has to understand what they are about to take on.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

I think it depends on which one is going to take him duck hunting..


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## kra (Oct 2, 2006)

greg bell said:


> I think it depends on which one is going to take him duck hunting..


On the subject of ducks, the hunting won't take effort, but if you are
interested in a road trip south east of your home stead, I would 
encourage you shooting the *&%#* ducks that keep "do-do'n" on
my boat dock.
You could hit them from my deck as they approach the dock.
The neighbors across the cove may be a little upset at first until 
I explain to them you are getting rid of the ducks! :dblthumb2


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

and the conservation agents might be a little upset since the season isn't open.. send that dog after em........


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