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Puppy is a teenager and a brat!

6K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  nolefan 
#1 ·
Cedar is 9.5 months now and what a big brat he is!

He's always not very good at handling frustration and over stimulation, except he's pretty big now and doing more damage. For example, he starts chewing the curtain, and I get him out of the room and shut the door, he shows his frustration by jumping up and nipping me. Given how strong he jaws are and that he's not drawing blood, its not the worst damage he can do, but its still painful. Other times, when I stop playing with him or I shut the door to the backyard or something, he does this jump and nip thing. Just like when he was a 12 week old puppy. If I can, I just try to get out of the place he is in and let him calm down on his own, and something else that works is hugging him from behind so he can't turn around and nip and coo to him.

I read that to help him manage his frustration, you should get him to wait for things he wants so he learns to manage his frustration at not getting what he wants immediately. Anyone has more ideas?
 

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#2 ·
Penny turned 10 mo on the 8th. She has been a snot nosed brat for a couple months now. Occasionally starting to see some light. Any time she really starts to act up Ive been running her through obedience drills for 5 min or so to redirect. Helps a little bit. If it gets to bad she gets attached to the leash for a little while
 
#4 ·
I got Luke when he was 8 weeks old and he was as sweet and calm as could be...for about a week. Then he got into that crazy, mouthy, bitey puppy stage, and became quite the "brat." I often wondered if I had made a mistake getting a golden retriever! But I hung in there and that crazy time lasted for...oh, at least 18 months. :D After that, he finally started settling down and became the sweetest, gentlest, most obedient dog I had ever had. He was perfect, actually. Those pictures or movies you see with the calm, gentle Goldie chilling out by the fireplace? Playing catch, jogging alongside his owner, and lovingly following the kids around? That was Luke. I almost forgot his crazy stage. He died unexpectedly at the age of 9, and we were devastated. We recently got a golden puppy, Sammy, because we just missed Luke so much. Sammy is quickly getting into that crazy, bratty stage. I am constantly being flooded with memories of Luke's puppyhood, but I know it will pass. Thank goodness!
 
#5 ·
Have you taken any puppy/obedience classes with him? Puppies at this age need more structure than ever. This is the exact age when they will start to challenge you, just like a human teenager. First off, I would stop hugging him from behind as that is his blind spot and it can cause a less than desirable reaction from the dog if he doesn't see/expect you. There could be a time when you approach him from behind and startle him, which can result in him swinging right around and biting out of fear, so I would stop doing that immediately. Also, do not coo him. That only reenforces his inappropriate behaviors. How much exercise is he getting? A tired dog is a good dog. Hang in there and continue working with him. I highly recommend getting into some classes ASAP. This does get better and is only a temporary phase of adolescence, but it will take work on both your end and his.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
Really? It was pretty much the only thing that stopped his biting and tantrums. He would flare up on walks just getting overexcited cos there's so much interesting things outside. Also immediately after the zoomies he would jump and bite. Some of it frustration, some of it overtired and some of it overstimulation. I don't think I approach him from behind, but I certainly manoeuvre him into that position, because he can't bite. But he has been like this since 10 weeks, just got worse got better then got worse again. Once upon a time, he did that just cos he couldn't figure out the kong!!

Yeah he can do all his sits drops stays, and probably knows at least 10 other commands and names of toys + variations. He went to puppy school for 4 or 6 weeks but I can't get him there anymore, so taught him on my own. One way is to run through his commands and it might get him to focus, as someone else also mentioned. Certainly cooing to him and talking in a soft voice calms him down, because he is very sensitive to my energy. Also, he gets at least 2 walks a day, one of them is 1 hour enclosed dog park. I really don't think he's not getting enough exercise...
@Pilgrim123

I just read 'The Dog Trainer : Frustration Tolerance and Impulse Control :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?' and they make a lot of sense, similar to what I've read about helping them learn patience. Cedar is fine with waiting for food. About waiting for the door, we're still working on it. But basically if he doesn't wait for me, we go back and shut the door and we start all over again. So the house door is getting some progress. But the dog park door is really hard, he pulls on his leash, doesn't wait even though he knows what wait means, we redo this a million times with all these other people at the dog park laughing at him and some telling me off about how strict I am with him.
@TanyaS

OMG 18 months!!! :crying:

Also I've been wondering if it's also sexual frustration?
 
#9 ·
Try some obedience training.
One that I like a lot and it's very easy is to make the dog "wait" for his food.
I take the bowl, put his food in and show it to him. I ask him to sit.
I start lowering the bowl very slowly and as soon as he starts to get up I lift it.
I keep doing this until I manage to put the bowl on the group and he hasn't got up.
Seems kinda silly and sometimes takes quite a while to put the bowl on the ground, but after a while the dog realizes that he can't always get what he wants when he wants it.
 
#10 ·
I think you need more rules - and he needs to learn that they aren't up for debate. As Diego said above, he has to sit and wait for you to put the bowl down. He has to sit at the door before you put on the leash. He has to sit at the door before you go in. Anything that you can make him sit and wait for - do it.

I know a couple of people have said this is typical teenaged behavior, but I don't think it is. I would do more training, and work on his walking nicely on leash. It takes a lot of patience and consistency. But this is not behavior that is acceptable, to me anyway. A) he should not be chewing on curtains. B) he shouldn't be jumping up at you and nipping.


I'd make his day very structured and increase his exercise. I know you say he gets lots, but if he is chewing curtains, he is likely bored and looking for activity. Make sure he gets an hour of running at the dog park before you leave in the morning, and halfway through his day. If you can't take him to classes, can you hire a trainer to come to your home?


Also - if he is chewing on curtains or whatever - I'd go back to crating him when he can't be supervised.
 
#11 ·
Walking nicely on leash is hard. I already turn around or stop when he pulls but I've done that consistently for months with little progress. When he sees something off he goes, but if not he might walk ok 50% of the time. Time of day makes a difference as well. We don't leave the house until he can sit nicely and not rush out the door.

About waiting for his food it is perfect, not even fail once and has done this since 12 weeks. He waits for my OK signal.

Yeah I see, he does get a half hour walk in the morning, and then the 1 hr park in the afternoon and sometimes a short one at night. There's no way I can walk him more or park in the morning, until I get a car (which is Soon!!). He can't walk too much as well. And it depends on the temperature outside. But once he goes past his threshold, he starts jumping and nipping or bites everything in sight or does not want to keep walking. On some days, it is as little as 15min. I consider 26 degrees hot for him and changes the amount he can walk. Then he goes home and sleeps immediately. But of course I'm sure after 3 hours, he's up and ready to go.

The other thing is he tends to chew the curtains, roughly only when I'm on a phone call, or he wants my attention. And its not because I get home and ignore him, I don't! Everything could be fine and he's just chilling and I receieve a phone call and he's off the bats. Or he's fine up to a certain point in the phone call and then jumps and bites. What's that for?? Perhaps sometimes I have stopped playing with him to answer a phone call.
 
#13 ·
Yeah I see, he does get a half hour walk in the morning, and then the 1 hr park in the afternoon and sometimes a short one at night. There's no way I can walk him more or park in the morning, until I get a car (which is Soon!!). He can't walk too much as well. And it depends on the temperature outside. But once he goes past his threshold, he starts jumping and nipping or bites everything in sight or does not want to keep walking. On some days, it is as little as 15min. I consider 26 degrees hot for him and changes the amount he can walk. Then he goes home and sleeps immediately. But of course I'm sure after 3 hours, he's up and ready to go.

The other thing is he tends to chew the curtains, roughly only when I'm on a phone call, or he wants my attention. And its not because I get home and ignore him, I don't! Everything could be fine and he's just chilling and I receieve a phone call and he's off the bats. Or he's fine up to a certain point in the phone call and then jumps and bites. What's that for?? Perhaps sometimes I have stopped playing with him to answer a phone call.
26 degrees is hot, especially if there is high humidity, too. It's true. But he can walk much more than 15 minutes in it. Is it that hot first thing in the morning? Can you get up a little earlier and extend his first outing of the day? Is there any water he can go in or walk through (like a splash pad or something?) Shala still plays ball in 26+ degree heat - we just have lots of shade and water breaks, and she goes in the splash pad afterwards. It doesn't sound like you can take him to a beach - will you be able to when you get a car? Swimming is the best in the heat.

The fact that he is acting up when you stop paying attention to him is interesting. And he's clearly figured out that he gets your attention back when he acts up. It may also be that he thinks you're talking to HIM when you get on the phone. Because if it's only you and him, who else could you possibly be talking to? (He doesn't know what a phone is) So he may be responding to that. Shala brings me all her toys anytime I am on the phone. I think it's kind of sweet - but she is not jumping or biting at me. When he jumps and bites at you, what do you do? I would either turn my back, or leave the room entirely. I read somewhere that when your new puppy is overstimulated and biting and jumping at you, one of the most effective things you can do is to move to the other side of a baby gate and stand with your back to the puppy. It learns that acting up gets them what they hate most - the loss of you. It also gives both of you a short chill-out period. If you still have a baby gate around, you could try that. But for sure, turn your back and ignore the bad behavior - don't give him attention for being bad. Wait til he's quiet, and then praise him and give him attention.

I'd also look into getting a trainer to come in and help you with these issues.
 
#12 ·
How about teaching him to come away from distractions at home first of all? If he knows 'leave it' You could start by putting a low value treat on floor - have cedar on the lead. Stand off to one side and call him really excitedly when he comes to you treat with a higher value treat. Build up the difficulty as he gets better - higher value treat, position yourself so he has to walk over the treat etc. Move the exercise outdoors. Then eventually when he sees something outside he wants uses the same excited call to get his attention.
 
#15 ·
He needs a complete overhaul of training, lifestyle and management if you really want to make changes. You may be strict with him in some areas, but if he is still jumping on you and putting his teeth on you at this age, he doesn't really respect you.

1) Obviously you have to work, because we all like to live indoors. Think about what this is like for a puppy. He sleeps 8 hours, wakes up and spends and hour with you before you leave for the day at work (if I'm understanding your posts correctly). That means he's spending approximately 10 hours alone sleeping while you commute and work. At 5:30 you need to put your feet up and relax but he has just spent 18 hours charging his batteries with a brief breakfast break and walk in between. You said he gets two walks a day? I'm guessing if one is to the dog park where he runs, the other is around your neighborhood to potty and get out? A walk around the block is good exercise for your 80 year old grandmother, it is not exercise for a healthy golden retriever puppy. It's just not. They need hard, aerobic work that gets their heart rate up for a good 20 minutes and leaves them panting and flopped on the floor for it to make a dent in their energy level. A leash walk is not going to do this. Less than an hour at the dog park isn't either.

Golden Retrievers are hunting dogs, they are in the sporting group and they were bred to run, swim and retrieve game over short distances, all out, with brief rests in between, for hours at a time. We have forced them to become suburban lawn ornaments without giving them a proper job and physical outlet for their energy and mental outlet for their intelligence (Goldens are top 3 smartest dog breeds) and then we don't understand why it's so tough to live with them. I'm not picking on you, this is the vast majority of pet owners. They are smart, energetic working dogs and we expect them to lay around waiting on us to get home and be patient while we perform necessary chores and then behave like model citizens in public till we let them run around for an hour in a stimulating setting. Think about that, it's a huge expectation for a puppy, most adult Goldens don't have that kind of self control. Try to come up with places you can take him to get more exercise. Purchase a 30 or 40 foot long line from the hardware store and clip it to his collar, practice long distance stays and have him run to you for a treat. Get on line and find some videos (Bill Hillman is a good one or Jackie Mertens "Sound Beginnings" DVD is excellent) and teach your puppy a formal retrieve where he returns to heel and wait till you take the ball from him to throw again. Have a special "Bumper" (retrieving toy) that is only used for this exercise. It will become high value to him, it's not used for tug or any other game except retrieving. Eventually you can begin hiding that item in the house while he waits on a down/stay and you hide it. Then you release him to go find it. At first you'll have to help him but it is a great game to get him work indoors when the weather is bad.

So he has all his commands down at home, but he doesn't have them down in public with distractions and excitement. Your next step is to start training him to focus on you. All these things will take time to learn and maturity on his part to be reliable.

1) Is he food motivated? ( I hope so, it makes life easier) Start cutting back on his kibble the tiniest bit and start training him to focus on you in public using food. Pop a piece of popcorn (or a goldfish cracker or a piece of a cheese stick or the best thing is a snack like cheetos, on the potato chip aisle - only they are in the shape of a ball, crunchy cheese balls, ) don't eat it, have him sit in front you and say "watch" or "watch me" and when he makes eye contact with you spit the treat into his mouth. It will hit him in the nose and hit the floor at first but after a while he will get good at it and you can eventually get him to pay attention where you can take a few steps of heeling on leash with him "watching" you and then spit a treat at him. This will eventually transfer out of your house and you can begin practicing outdoors with distractions until you can expect him to start practicing at the dog park. It's a very useful tool. He will learn what "watch" means in 2 sessions I'm guessing. After that, if something distracts him, give him a tap on top of the head with your finger to remind him that he's supposed to be watching you and don't reward him for ignoring you. This will help you keep him under control to listen to you tell him to 'wait' before going through a gate at the park etc.

2) Start having him wear a leash in the house when you are home, about 3 feet long, use it to control him when he acts up. It sounds like you're doing a lot to show him what you expect, since that's not working, it's time to let there be unpleasant consequences to his actions. Absolutely no more letting him jump on you and nip. Ever. Step on the leash when this starts and it will be self correcting. You give him a noise to let him know you're unhappy. "Eh-Eh" in a deep tone of voice - not loud, deep. If he doesn't stop immediately use that leash to put him in his crate for a brief time out to calm down, cover the crate if that helps. Start practicing "nothing in life is free." You can google it and see it's a training protocol for teaching him that you're the one in charge of the good stuff and he has to earn it. You're on the right track having him wait for his meal. Start increasing it by making him lay on a small mat or rug while you fix the meal and place it on the floor next to him and then release him.


A big part of the problem is treating him like a human child with the cooing and baby talk in response to bad behavior. All dogs feed off their owner's energy but a better response would be to calmly crate him when this happens at home and to stand on the leash about a foot away from his collar when it happens away from home. He's not a furry human, he's a dog and he needs to be given more structure. We adjust the way we handle bad behavior with children to different levels of response with a 5 year old or 9 year old than what how we'd handle a 1 year old toddler. It's time to adjust your methods with your dog. You say you've been strict, but it must not be consistent enough or you've set the bar too low. He needs more hard exercise and he needs to know that you're not putting up with his jumping and nipping. Set him up for success, if the curtains are a problem for him, take them down for a few months or loop them up out of his reach. Try rearranging your schedule to get him more exercise that is aerobic and if this doesn't help, I would suck it up and spend the money on having a trainer come to your him to work with you on getting this under control. Make sure it's a trainer who has a lot of experience with large sporting breeds and also has some behavioral training. If you don't he's going to continue to be disrespectful and the nipping makes him a bite risk if he ever gets too frustrated one day. He will continue to get cockier over the next year if you don't make some drastic changes immediately.
 
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