They really are landsharks as puppies, especially while they are in the teething phase... they DO grow out of it, I promise you!! And the #1 rule is a tired puppy, is a good puppy... lots of exercise, lots of mental stimulation, and a little maturity that'll come in time, and you'll have a great friend. Don't give up yet

 

As golden owners we are sworn to secrecy about the the puppy stages of nipping, chewing and general mass destruction of your home. We are not allowed to divulge this information because of the fine print in our puppy buyer agreements. I'm sure the same language is in your contract also.

Smile, snap lots of pictures and remember that puppyhood goes by in a flash. Just be consistent and kind and you will survive. We have all been there and would do it again in a second.

 

The really are wonderful dogs. And really once, the puppy stage is behind you, you have a tendency to forget about their shenanigans. But a golden is as much work and as much trouble as any other puppy -- sadly they don't come as the wonderful dog you expect, it does take some time and some work to get them there. But they are so worth the work.

 

Brady was the most exhausting puppy I ever had. I would take him places and people would come up to me and say "It is going to be a hard year, but then it gets better."

I did read what I was getting myself into, but until you are living it, it don't realize how exhausting it is. Putting kids in the mixture just makes it worst.

Now he is three years old, and he is the best dog I have ever owned.

MacKenzie was not half as bad as Brady - possibly because she had Brady to chew on instead, and Brady to exhaust her. She is now a year, and she too has become an awesome dog.

Over the years we have also learned to change some of our habits to prevent their bad habits.

I would say between 10 - 20 weeks is the hardest.

 

It has been posted here many times before, "There is a reason why they are so cute. "

 

It's not just goldens, it's most puppies. I hear this from new puppy owners all the time!

1) Prevention
2) Management
3) Be non emotional. It's not personal. Your puppy doesn't hate you, he's just being a puppy. It's not about you or him, it's just behavior.

#1 reason I tell people to adopt an adult dog...but most don't believe me.

The other thing to think about, in 10, 12, 15 years you will feel like you would do ANYTHING for your senior golden to be like that again. There WILL be a time you miss these days... next time you see the teeth coming for you, picture the grey muzzle and slow moving dog you'll have in the future, and smile and enjoy the puppy antics.

 

There WILL be a time you miss these days... next time you see the teeth coming for you, picture the grey muzzle and slow moving dog you'll have in the future, and smile and enjoy the puppy antics.

Such a true, poignant response. You brought tears to my eyes, because you do find yourself bargaining with God at that stage...please, please just one more year/month/week/day....

So true.....

To the OP - we pick up our puppy in 8 days, and I'm horrified by what I keep reading about this land shark stage. I've read so much I almost feel this will be worse than any other puppy I've ever had. But it is not personal, I'm sure, and just wear a lot of long sleeves and pants to work to hide the scratches!

 

That's definitely true RedDogs... I find myself missing Sam's puppy days a lot.. even though back then my hands were covered in bloody scratches and bite marks and I couldn't even touch him without him deciding I was the best chew toy in the world. Even so I miss him being that age... though not quite enough to think about getting another puppy any time soon LOL

 

My wife and I did a lot of research before deciding on our golden. I think I signed up for this forum a month or so before we got Tobey, and read thread after thread about landsharking, zoomies, mouthiness, etc.

I think my only major concern was the extent of his mouthiness, and wasn't sure if it was aggression or just typical mouthiness. Besides that he's pretty much all that we thought he would be... Very loving, the constant shadow (if i stop walking too quickly, he usually comes plowing into the back of my legs).

I think puppies are nuts no matter what breed... My cousin has a tiny Fox Terrier/Pappilon(sp?) mix, it weighs maybe 3lbs... but that dog has done more damage to my cousins house then Tobey, or currently 54lbs has done. Tobey is 6.5 months now, and he's still a dorky clumsey guy, but we love him... I wish we could get another, but it looks like we will be getting a smaller dog...

 

Puppyhood will pass all too quickly, and that land shark will blossom into the the totally loving companion you wanted. They just burrow into your heart and you are never the same. There is something special about Goldens, when they give their heart to you it's like nothing you've ever experienced.

I guess it's a little like childbirth, the joy after makes you forget the labor pains.

 

Puppyhood passes quickly... and I don't think most owners remember the extent of the damage until someone else mentions it, LOL. But the best way to insure what you're looking for is perfectly outlined in RedDog's post. I always say they don't come perfect out of the box.... it's you who makes them what they will become. Best of luck with your pup... I'm happy you've found this wealth of information to help you through the trying times ahead.

Julie and Jersey

 

I can't really remember Brooks being that bad as a pup. We didn't have any small children in the house at that time, so there were never any things left on the floor for him to get. We kept every door to every closet and bedroom closed off for the first almost year of his life. The only chewable things left out were his toys.

 

Thanks so much for all the responses...I especially like the comment about puppyhood being like childbirth and how you forget about the pain after it happens. I know I look back on that and say "that wasn't so bad"!!

Of course, he's being his usual lovable self this morning so today is a new day! I am so not going to give up on my puppy and we're working on behaviour so I'm sure he will be (and really is now) a wonderful Golden!!

 

Morgan (almost 17 weeks now) has managed to only chew on only the cheap furniture. This gives us a good excuse to buy some better stuff when he gets older. He's about 99% housebroken but still has his moments. This week especially since our grandaughter is visiting. He gets so excited and can't help dribbling. Remember when you were a kid and got excited? For dogs, every day is like Christmas for them and thy can't help it. They're just puppies and they're not doing anything on purpose. I envy the happiness they project and easily forgive. Keep telling yourself that and it helps. I can see a difference with the nipping now as he matures and is getting his new (big dog) teeth. We take him out for a good run and ball chasing around 3 in the afternoon and when suppertime comes around, he's usually sound asleep. Exercise is a great way to calm them down. Another thing is training. Morgan is very smart and so in our spare moments we like to get him to do new things. The other day we took him to the lake and he swam for the first time. It was great and we'll be going back again today. All of this is just like raising kids....enjoy it because it won't last for long. Pretty soon that big old dog lying there on the couch with his head on your lap and looking at you with one eyebrow lifted will make it all worthwhile. Remember, all of the really good things in life don't come easy.

 

& don't forget it is ok to have some YOU time. An hour away from you in his crate or safely penned area won't hurt him & will keep you sane! i am ever so thankful for our fenced area where I can just say "OUT!" when i am tired of tripping on them or trying to get a task done.

 

I just don't know how to describe how much I love the whole experience of puppy time. I love traveling through the process of bringing a wonderful little ball of fur home as almost a blank slate and watching their little brains turn as they grow and mature. Like I said I think of it as a two year roller coaster ride.

IMO, puppies experience a large part of their world thru their mouths. Goldens more so as this is one of the genetic behaviors that are bred into them to make them goldens. As RedDog said prevention and management are so important. As they grow and with our loving guidance at different stages (slightly different for each individual pup) they can be given more freedom. What I see happening over and over is that many of us give them to much freedom to soon and they end up through their intelligence and creativity learning bad habits. If they don't have the opportunity to learn bad habits as they mature their ideas of change and we don't end up with those habits.

We need to challenge their little minds with good manner training, we need to give them lots of exercise and we need to give them a safe enviroment when we can't have total focus on them.

Prior to owning goldens when I asked any golden owner about their golden they would tell me they are the best in the world. But if I asked the right questions I got told how much work went into getting the dog to the place it is now.

When looking at the internet on things about goldens I have always come across good solid information that does tell the story that they are not sweet passive gentlemen and ladies without good solid training.

I love puppies and I love goldens and I can't imagine a life without them and I love to travel the path through their entire life.

 

Golden puppy ownership is a lot like childbirth...you forget all the pain as your baby grows into a beautiful, wonderful child.

A year (or 2!) from now you will look back and laugh, but mostly forget, about that biting, peeing/pooping in the house, chewing, jumping and zoomies. They do grow up to be wonderful dogs.

My daughter has a poodle/beagle-X, he's 4 mos. and quite a pistol. Still not housebroke, chews, runs off, a barker. I used to have a lab-X that was a total terror even at 1 yr. I'll take my Goldens anytime.

 

Ha! Yes, I'm convinced that there's a vast, Golden Retriever Conspiracy. :

When we got our first Golden back in '96, we thought we had done our research. We didn't know about forums back then, so we "read up" on the breed and we, too, kept reading and hearing that they're easygoing, calm, loving, gentle dogs.

So we got Cooper. Oh boy... what a wake-up call he was! We expected the normal puppy stuff, but ... wow! We'd had GSDs my entire life (which are typically horrible little beasts when they're pups) but even that didn't prepare us for Coop. He was just crazy.

It does get better, though. And believe it or not, you'll probably miss his antics when he's an older, well-behaved dog.

 

With time, patience, and consistency it will get better. However, every puppy only acts as good as you train it. Eventually the biting stops and often the snuggling and cuddling starts.

 

I would say that I duped myself. My Bridge boy Sam was our first pet as a married couple with children. He was a very mellow pup and did now chew on anything, much less everything. He potty trained easily, learned commands quickly, and was a dream pup who became my very best friend. When Sam passed in '07, (yes, sadly, that muzzle will gray much sooner than you can imagine...) we were heart broken and missing a Golden presence in our lives so we started looking for our next Golden pup...Ike. At the breeder's he was the best behaved pup in the litter. While the other pups were all over me, biting and scratching, Ike climbed into Hubby's lap and calmly sat there watching me. We made our pick, the calm puppy was ours, he'd become my new best friend and his name would be Ike.

Well....no sooner was he home than a transformation took place. He became a landshark, biting and scratching any and all exposed skin presented to him. I thought I'd gotten a defective puppy! He also decided to put everything in his mouth and chew it into an unrecognizable mass...thankfully he never swallowed anything, just chewed it up and spit it out. He also became a bit of a daredevil and jumped out an open window onto the porch roof while hubby was cleaning the gutters (Hubby didn't make that mistake again). He was smart as a whip too, which was a blessing and a curse. BUT, this phase was over quickly...by the time he was 6 months old these antics were behind him and he became the good boy he is today. He's already 3 and I'm wondering where the time has gone.

We call Ike our 'Nut Pup' and he earned the title...he'll always be my Nut Pup, even when he can no longer run like the wind chasing lizards, or joyfully leap at butterflies, or race up the stairs when the doorbell rings...

I have been blessed to have had two wonderful Golden boys, each very different from the other. Sam was the exact dog we needed when we had young children and the hectic life of a young family. Ike is the perfect companion for the empty nesters we are today...he makes me smile, laugh, sigh, scratch my head, and be Thankful every day that he's mine. Landshark? What landskark?....

This thread has made me a bit teary...

 

Sometimes it is the harder to train dog that we miss the most.
I've never had a golden puppy but I did have a GSD/Rottie boy that nearly drove me insane at various times throughout his life. What I wouldn't give to see him just one more time...*tears*

 

Golden Retrievers are hunting dogs, active and mouthy. Yes, they become wonderful pets, but they are intelligent, active, curious and need to be trained and managed until they are trained.

A co-worker was just telling me yesterday that his 10 month old son has taken to biting noses and pulling hair - young ones, no matter the species, need to be trained in acceptable behaviour and loved for a lifetime

 

Hang in there. It DOES and WILL get better. We joined this forum after our first month with Maggie. Don't blame the breed. It's puppies. What's wonderful about goldens is how smart they are, how quickly they learn, how much they love to be challenged. What surprised me the most was how much hard work and vigilance it required of us.... to get an obedient, loyal, loving pup. We're not 100% there yet with the obedience but she's almost 10 months now and it just keeps getting better. Yes, many of these posts brought tears to my eyes as well because I don't want to rush her short life one minute... but I know that day will come.

 

I love reading all these blogs! Lucy is 11 mos. and I didn't know about this blog when he was in his worst puppy stage. I would have felt alot better about all the bityness, carpet pulling, wanting to play when I wanted to go to bed, I felt like he was combatative, eatting everything til practically took everything out of our yard because didn't want him to eat anything he shouldn't. Put in all hardwood flooring downstairs best thing I ever did. Now she is an angel, well almost,lol. Somebody actually came up to me outside a starbucks our hangout, and asked if she was a service dog. I thought what a compliment. As we all said it does pass. And also this was our 3rd golden and the other 2 never did any of this.

 

Our first Golden was a stray, she was only eight weeks old when we found her. She was a dream dog never chewed or bit, house trained easily. Our second Golden Millie was a little hard headed beast. Her nickname was Devil Dog. She was the best dog we ever had. We lost her to cancer in January. I miss her so very much. When I look back on her puppy hood I wonder how we coped.

 

I'm sure if you read the very, very fine print on your sales receipt you will see that there is a clear warning that some of the adorable little puppies come with piranah teeth. Natasha was one of those puppies... I eventually began dragging a leash or a length of rope with me at all times... and she would grab that and follow me around.

Bob was too. But Natasha suffered most of the effects of his puppy teeth. At 2 1/2 Bob is still very mouthy. But every time I inspect a tuna can that he has licked clean and then completely crushed in his effort to squeeze every last bit of flavor out of the can, I realize how very gentle he is when he tries to grasp my fingers with his teeth,