Golden Retriever Dog Forums banner

Advice please Sudden change in behaviour in 7 month old.

3K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  goldy1 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi All
Our 7 month old has always been very calm and placid, He goes to a great day care where the dogs can run free in contained fields and woodland. From an early age the dog walker / trainers taught him whistle recall and he has been amazingly consistent. He hasn"t jumped up unless invited for a few months now and heels stays very well. They have always said he is a great dog who knows his place in the pack.

But this week apparently he is running round the bigger dogs barking in a strange high pitched bark , steeling other dogs toys, Jumping on top of a new puppy pack member ( he is normally very gentle with pups and little dogs) and nudging this pup onto its side . He is refusing to stop or come when called.

I was shocked to be told this as at home we are not seeing this behaviour at all. He very rarely barks at all and has never barked at another dog. The staff say he has never barked in their presence before at all either but this barking goes on for up to 10 minutes at a time and they can't get him to stop.

Today he knocked one of the staff over and broke her camera then ran off and it apparently took 25 minutes to get him to return.!!!

I know he is hitting his teens but the staff have said his behaviour change has happened in the space of 2 days and is very rapid and dramatic.
They think he is getting over excited and had too much excess energy and have suggested he goes back to basic training again.

He seems totally the same at home and is eating sleeping normally still obeying all commands. So why is he behaving so differently when at day care? The staff there are great and very dedicated and say this is just a phase which will pass.

He is a high energy boy who gets a 30 minute walk plus some free running each morning and double that each evening. Then he gets between 1 and 2 hours free run / play with other dogs during the day should we do more?

Should we be concerned or is this normal teenage behaviour.
Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.
Thanks Anne
 
See less See more
#2 ·
A dramatic behavior change like that is something that would concern me also.Since he is fine (the same gentle boy) at home, could there be something that is upsetting him at day care that would have him acting out this way? Maybe a new dog? A new worker? Even something like construction in the building or nearby or thunder in the distance? It seems like something is stressing him and this is how he is showing it. Getting involved again in training with him would be a good idea in any event. Maybe you could work toward the CGC. Or Rally-O or Agility. These are great ways to challenge a high-energy Golden and a lot of fun for the person too.
 
#4 ·
Hi
Thanks Goldy1 and Krissi
Will go back and quizz the staff some more to see if we can identify something which is stressing him. Know there are no new staff and the area consists of 2 open fields and woodland so no construction nearby. They were asking if we had relaxed the rules at home and he was acting up but this is honestly not happened, which is why we are so concerned.
At first we thought they had confused him with another dog when they were telling us what he had been doing I know he is young and no where near perfect but it all sounds so out of character for him.
They are going to put him back on lead when he goes next week and make him earn his freedom again.
The training sounds like a great idea; we had considered the agility when he was younger so will research some local training sessions. Thanks for your help.
 
#5 ·
I am unclear whether you participate in any training of your boy? It almost sounds like all training is left to others?

I would strongly urge you and your family to make training him part of his daily routine. There is a new semester starting at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy June 1. FDSA is an online school where you can either submit videos for world class trainers review and provide feedback on or audit the courses with full access to lectures and other students videos, while you work on your own.

The class I am thinking might be a good fit is BH150: Management for Reactive Dogs taught by Amy Cook
and the website is fenzidogsportsacademy.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tiny R Astar
#6 ·
Hi Sunrise
Sorry I did't make it clear regards his training.
We did daily basic training with him at home from gotcha day and did the basic training course too and once he started day care the staff worked on the same commands we were working on each week so he had consistency and was generalising learning at both places. We have a really great relationship with them and the consistency in training worked really well.

I put that they had been training him because a neighbour had mentioned about needing to generalise with a pups training and questioned if they had been teaching him the commands we were teaching. She assumed they had been letting him just run around without boundaries hence the difference in his behaviour at home and day care this week. I know that is not the case they are a dedicated bunch who love the dogs.
They did teach whistle recall before us though and passed on to us that he had mastered this as we were still walking him on lead at 16 weeks and wouldn't have considered that he was ready for free walks so young.

In all honesty since he mastered consistent basic commands: sit, down, heel wait, fetch, paw stay and come (we can consistently get a sit , stay or come with a hand signal across the garden now) we have not been doing the daily training because we felt he had mastered it and they have, quite understandably, been busy training their new puppy members, not established pack members. But we do use the commands all the time.

When I said the staff adviced us to go back to basic training I meant daily going over the commands he has learnt already and also following the same commands they are going to work on each day, as we did before, so that he gets the consistant message again.

Thank you so much for the great information on the training courses will do some research and try some out , looks like fun for him and us.

I would just like to end by saying that we have worked very hard on his training and he is a very well mannered, obedient dog which is why I found his behaviour unsetting enough to post on here for suggestions.
Thanks again.
 
#7 ·
Your description sounds a lot like the bratty behavior my dog engaged in at that age. At five months -- perfect, sweet, did everything I asked for, obedience class star. At six months (the first day of a new class for dogs right before they take the CGC), he stole a toy from the instructor, ran around the ring with zoomies, and then guarded the toy when she went to take it back... and PEED on the floor. I about died. He was about to take the CGC.

My dog also started a game of knocking over my children and stealing their stuff from their hands. Mind you, I trained this dog daily. He was constantly supervised. He would barely offer "sit" during this period.

The place you take your dog sounds amazing, but it also sounds a lot more exciting to a young dog than a home environment. In a thrilling place with other dogs, toys, and people, teenage behavior might be more common than at home, which is less distracting.

My dog finished his horrible teenage period around a year. During that time, we upped his exercise, took him swimming whenever we could, and drank wine as needed. We also restarted training at square one for a while. I hope your dog passes through this phase quickly. With patience and firm guidance, he will stop testing his boundaries and eventually return to a place of sense. :)
 
#8 ·
Hi sorry I did't make it clear regards his training.
We did daily basic training with him at home from gotcha day and did the basic training course too and once he started day care the staff worked on the same commands we were working on each week so he had consistency and was generalising learning at both places. We have a really great relationship with them and the consistency in training worked really well.

I put that they had been training him because a neighbour had mentioned about needing to generalise with a pups training and questioned if they had been teaching him the commands we were teaching. She assumed they had been letting him just run around without boundaries hence the difference in his behaviour at home and day care this week. I know that is not the case they are a dedicated bunch who love the dogs.
They did teach whistle recall before us though and passed on to us that he had mastered this as we were still walking him on lead at 16 weeks and wouldn't have considered that he was ready for free walks so young.

In all honesty since he mastered consistent basic commands: sit, down, heel wait, fetch, paw stay and come (we can consistently get a sit , stay or come with a hand signal across the garden now) we have not been doing the daily training because we felt he had mastered it and they have, quite understandably, been busy training their new puppy members, not established pack members. But we do use the commands all the time.

When I said the staff adviced us to go back to basic training I meant daily going over the commands he has learnt already and also following the same commands they are going to work on each day, as we did before, so that he gets the consistant message again.

Thank you so much for the great information on the different training courses will do some research and try some out , looks like fun for him and us.

I would just like to end by saying that we have worked very hard on his training and he is a very well mannered, obedient dog which is why I found his behaviour unsetting enough to post on here for suggestions.
Thanks again.
 
#9 ·
The phases a youngster goes through are tough. I honestly train my dogs throughout their lives-yes they are competition dogs but the training is also much enjoyed one on one time :)

The course I mentioned will put some tools in place for you & your dog...especially given he might well have a few more bratty time-frames as he matures, FDSA may use different techniques than you are used to or comfortable with, but they can give you ideas and/or alternate ways of addressing these phases in a way that leaves everyone ... Well sane :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tiny R Astar
#10 ·
This is a tough one: adolescent dogs can be very bratty. Mine is just coming up to 6 months old, so we're approaching that phase with him.

If his bad behaviour occurs only at daycare and not at home, in your shoes I might consider taking him out of daycare, at least for now, before he has a chance to "generalize" the unwanted behaviours. Although running free in a field with a bunch of other dogs sounds like fun, it might be the thing that's sending him "over the top". I occasionally walk on our training club's off-leash forest trails with a friend and her two dogs, and my pup is much wilder on those walks than when I walk alone with him and our poodle. I'm considering stopping the group walks for a while, until he settles down a bit.

Taking him out of daycare would in no way be a negative judgment of your daycare staff, who sound like they're dedicated and knowledgeable. But something there is setting him off - maybe simply the fact of being in a group of dogs and having a bit more freedom than his teenage brain is able to cope with right now.

Best of luck, hope you find a solution.
 
#11 ·
Thanks Lise123 and Sunrise
Guess I will stop worrying that my dog has had a sudden personality transplant.
Its reassuring to hear it fits with normal behaviour, I guess.. Will go back to his daily training definitely and look up the different training tools.

He, he, poor you Lise, did your dog go on to pass the cgc?

Waiting to hear how much that replacement camera is going to cost. Mmm this teenage phase could be incur some unforseen expenses. Good job we have insurance, if this first teenage performance is anything to go by, we might be needing it.
Still, he is absolutely worth every penny and every minute spent on him.
Thanks all.
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Carnelly

Is your boy eating and drinking normally? Is he acting normal otherwise. Was just thinking perhaps a trip to the vet might be a good idea.

This is most likely the terrible twos early!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tiny R Astar
#13 ·
Hi Ceecee

That is definitely worth considering, would have to broach it to staff carefully as can imagine they would see it as a judgement on them.

Karen he is eating drinking playing perfectly normally, I have thought about a vet visit but my husband thinks it is an over reaction because
he is absolutely fine otherwise.
 
#14 ·
But this week apparently he is running round the bigger dogs barking in a strange high pitched bark , steeling other dogs toys, Jumping on top of a new puppy pack member ( he is normally very gentle with pups and little dogs) and nudging this pup onto its side . He is refusing to stop or come when called.


It sounded to me like what changed was the pack and that this puppy addition is stressing him out. For some reason maybe he is not excepting the pup or feels like it is getting all the attention when he used to be the new guy.
 
#15 ·
The dog that is trained and quiet at home, is not always a trained and quiet dog elsewhere. I have a barker when we are in class or at dog shows, I never even heard her bark at home for the first year - and you know why she is barking, because she is bored, wants my full attention and wants to do something. I am told I need to take this type of energy and put it into something like agility. I have gone to some "baby agility" classes and she loves it - but then she barks when she is waiting her turn, but this is what we will be doing in the future.
 
#16 ·
I think the change in pack dynamics with the new pup was the trigger in that particular instance.

I know Elsa has been getting brattier and ignoring her recalls more and more, enough so that I am considering putting her back on a long lead for awhile. She has also started trying jumping up on me more again, and bity stuff. In my case, because of her cautious nature, she is an angel in public and new places, and and acts out at home.

I have also noticed with Elsa, the longer she is exercised, the more she loses her self control. Elsa still naps most of the afternoon away. She really only gets one big outing a day. It sounds like Albie gets a lot more exercise than that. I couldn't help but wonder if Albie is not getting enough down time. They are still puppies after all. Perhaps less, not more might be what he needs, just a thought.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Hi all
I have been back on to the day care manager , I didn't think that the puppy could be the issue when posting because they have had new puppies start every month and he has never had an issue with any. However they post pictures and videos on your account at the end of each week and we noticed that Albies best pal wasn"t on any and the new pup we assume he is hassling,( as not seen it before) looks like a mini version of his pal!!!!

So we spoke to the manager and it seems since they like to distribute pups amongst the packs but keep packs to 8 or 9 dogs his pal was moved with owners permission to a different pack.

His pal, a small dog would jump on his back, mouth and follow him as a pup sounds to us that Albie is just doing same to this pup as his pal did to him when he first joined but this time the size difference is an issue As Albie is much bigger than the pup whilst when Albie started he and his pal were the same size.
So he has lost his best pal and another pack member and gained 2 pups; one he is fine with the other ' best friend mini" he pesters or maybe is just trying to play like he did with his pal?

They are going to bring his pal back to the pack and put his mini version elsewhere.Since he has only done the 2 days they think he will be fine moving to another pack in which he can then stay. The manager had a 'Doh" moment when we said how like his friend the pup was and asked where his pal was?
So I am just hoping it was something as simple as the pack change.
We will still be doing the daily training and have found a beginners agility course starting soon 15 miles away from us.

We will also try a week with more down time see what hsppens, but he has only ever slept for an hour or so at a time during the day since young puppyhood then played. Now he wakes after a nap and brings you toys or a ball asking to play so we just assume he is getting enough rest Also he is so calm around the house and walks with us we have never considered that it may be that he struggles to unwind. We will try everthing in turn and see what helps .Hopefully the other behaviours are linked to the stress of losing his pal.

Thank you all for your fantastic insights - some times you just dont "see the wood for the trees'.
Fingers crossed for Monday and the return of our happy day care pup.
 
#19 ·
Fingers crossed you have figured out what is the cause and this will fix it. Sounds very likely!
So glad you were able to find an agility class nearby. It was a blast for Chance and me - some of our best times. Hope you and Albie enjoy it as well.
 
#20 ·
Thanks Goldy1
A fellow dog owner told me about a local farm which has a field with agility equipment in which you can hire to use at your own risk.
Would it be a good idea to take him to try out the equipment before the course or would you recommend waiting? Great find as we will have somewhere local to practice between sessions. Excited about this.
 
#21 ·
I would wait and go to the class so you get the trainers instructions on how and what young dogs his age are allowed to do. They should not be taking jumps or going up A frames, dog walk, etc. until they are at least 18 months old. (They also should not be taken on long jogs/runs either.) That's to protect growing bones and joints. Agility is great fun, but start with professional supervision, that way you start on the right foot, introduce the obstacles in a positive way, and can enjoy it going forward.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tiny R Astar
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top