Hello!
I'm a 2nd year student and live with two of my friends in a flat and with mine 1 year old Golden - Sammy.
The problem is that two months since we've been here he's acting just awfully.. When we start eating and get him out of the room in the coridor,first he was moaning ,now he is barking until someone lets him inside.. I even tried taking him outside the front door with his collar on,but that didn't seem to work either. He's dominant and when someone tries to yell at him he starts barking again and makes faces likes he's about to bite,but thank god he doesn't do that at least.. The thing is that even though the people that live are my friends,they are annoyed by that and even I am,because he doesn't listen at all , but I just can't give him away because I love him too much and when he's calm it's the awesomest dog ever.
I'm asking you for an advice in how to teach him to know his place and expecially when he grabs a sock or something to learn to drop it and give it to me , not start barking at me again..

You have to start with training basics. Teach "out" and use some high value treats. Trade for low value items first. Trade for toys. Teach out, give a great treat and give back the toy. Work up the chain to bigger value items. Teach a reliable sit and down. Watch some video on YouTube on Kikopup. Lots of great training ideas. I doubt he's a dominant dog, just a confused one.


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Barb, Rick and Tayla (STAR Puppy)



Cheyenne (CGC) and Jesse (CGC) who will be always loved and never forgotten.

My advice is find a good trainer and get him in some classes! Also you need to be sure you are exercising him enough during the day. Goldens can be very high energy dogs.

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I am a student, I don't have that enough money and I take care of him with my own money,because my family doesn't want to help me with the money for him. So that means I can't take him to any classes..
He knows the basic stuff , but doesn't listen at all and it's getting too much .. If it continues that way I must sent him to my village..

I have a couple of suggestions.

1) Do you have a crate for him, or can you get one? If not, maybe you can use a blanket or mat on the floor. When you are going to eat dinner, get him a special treat that will keep him busy while you eat. A lot of people on here use Kongs but I'm not sure if you have them in Bulgaria. You can stuff them with peanut butter, mashed bananas, along with treats or whatever he likes. Put him in his crate or on his mat while he enjoys his treat. It should keep him busy for a few minutes at least.

2) When he is stealing socks or doing something you don't want him to do, you need to distract him. Personally, I would NOT give him food or a treat because you are rewarding for the wrong behaviour. Maybe trade him for a special toy or bone that he likes.

3) try clicker training. Clickers are relatively cheap to buy and you can look up clicker training on You Tube. I would train him basics like "sit" "stay" "out" and "leave it". Look up how to clicker train these commands on You Tube.

He is just lacking training from the sounds of it. Also, how much exercise is he getting? A tired dog stays out of trouble because they are sleepy! I find with Libbie, even just training tires her out sometimes. Brain exercise ! lol

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Liberty - 10 months




Kim - Mommy to fur-baby Liberty and 2 human daughters 12 and 14 years old

I am not an expert but yelling doesn't work. He is probably not getting enough attention and exercise. I struggle with my dog too. I am still in the midst of teaching her to drop as well. You are not alone, but your dog needs more exercise. From the looks of it, your housemates don't seem to be willing to help you exercise him. I wish you the best.

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Birthdate: February 5th 2012

Gotcha Day: March 30th 2012

Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and it doesn't seem like you are up to the challenge. It also does cost a lot of money to raise a dog the first year and training classes are a MUST. How much are you exercising him?

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When he is barking at you, he is trying to engage you in some kind of play, or is talking to you. It sounds as if he has energy that needs to be diverted to constructive activity (do you like to run or at least walk fast with him?)
You don't have to buy any kind of classes or training, go online and watch videos or go to the library and check out a dvd on dog training. Plan to work with your dog every day.
Do you feed him kibble? Instead of pouring it into his bowl and letting him eat, make him earn each bite of kibble. Never reward bad behavior by giving a piece of kibble, give him a piece each time he does something that you want. Goldens typically love food and will work to get some.

Hang in there. I'd suggest you some specific training on the issues that most concern your flat-mates. You should most of it when they are out, and then ask them to help with it. Let them know that you are training your dog and that things should get better soon.

Regarding the barking when eating, find a place where you can put a mat or dog bed (a towel is good). Put treats on it and practice having him go there with your command (go to bed or go to mat). Work with him several times a day. This is handy for when people come and knock on the door too, to keep him in one place.

After he's got the mat idea, you can move it around. Put it about 5-10 feet from your dining area, have him go there, and then you should sit down and eat something. If he leaves the mat, put him back on it. While he's on the mat, toss him a treat once in a while, and tell him "good boy." I trained my dog to sit right outside the kitchen door while I'm cooking by tossing him treats when he was in the spot I wanted him. He got nothing if he came to me in the kitchen, but he got treats if he stayed outside. Once your dog has learned these things, ask your friends to help. Have them toss him treats during a meal. Ask them to use exactly the same words you use. Eventually you can skip the treats.

Also, I'd suggest you look on the Internet for training videos. There is so much available that you can do on your own. Just be sure to choose positive methods, not punitive ones. There are bad and good training videos out there.

Good luck. I hope you'll come back and tell us how he does. And post a picture. We all like to see each others dogs!

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Kathleen, mom to one human, age 17, three canines, and a bunch of fish.

Just wanted to add that there is a dedicated thread on GRF about working with teen/adolescent dogs. It's quite lengthy but you're welcome to join the group, and it might help you to read through many of the posts. It will give you lots of ideas and you won't feel so alone. It sounds to me like you have Avery normal teen Golden!

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...ml#post1625349 (Parents of teenage pups)

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Kathleen, mom to one human, age 17, three canines, and a bunch of fish.