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I'd do what the other people here are suggesting. Get a large dog crate and crate train him, but be advised that leaving him in a crate for 12 hours a day isn't the solution to your problem either. Forcing him in it and forcing him to stay in it for long periods of time will only add to your problems. If the dog is destructive now because he may be bored, think what he will be like after he's spent a couple hours in a crate! However, if you build up to it and crate train correctly, your dog should be able to stay quietly in his crate for several hours and not be a slobbering idiot when he gets a chance to come out. A crate should be his home away from home and a place of refuge for him.
If you can, take him to an obedience training class. He may still be a handful for a while, but later you can always do advanced exercises that involve jumping and retrieving. And speaking of which, you may want to see if there's a gun club or a dog club in your area that uses dogs in hunting. People there understand hyper hunting dogs and they may have a group you can join to teach your dog how to retrieve like a hunting dog. You may not ever hunt with him, but it will work off a lot of energy.
The very, very first thing I would do, though, is take the dog to a vet and make sure he's OK. I had a friend with a St. Bernard that chewed a hole in their wall. It turned out the dog had a bladder infection. You may have a dog who loves to chew but you may also have a dog with a problem tooth. Make sure the dog is physically feeling well.
After that, you need to sit down and figure out what you want your dog to do and not do. I know that sounds funny, but if you take a couple of minutes and have a written list ready, it may become more clear how certain behaviors he's exhibiting are connected. Plus it's helpful to have a list of things your dog does that annoys you if you are going to talk to anyone about training.
Then you have to figure out which behavior is the most important one you want to work on first and how you plan to correct it.
Once you have a plan for changing behavior or teaching new ones, you need to have a talk with everyone in the household, kids included. A lot of people will tell you only one person can train the dog at a time, but that's hogwash. Everyone in the family can work with the dog (after all, he's going to live with the whole family) but ONLY if they use the same methods the same way every time. So make sure everyone knows what those methods are. For example, if you don't want your dog to jump on you, all of you need to be agreed on what word you are going to use.
I'm not sure how your house is set up and exactly, besides chewing, what problem your dog has. However, one thing you can do in the house is put a leash on him. If your dog is dragging a 6ft leash, you don't have to chase him to get him. You can take hold of the leash first, and THEN tell him to come to you and he has no other option because you have the control. Even a 1 ft loop on his collar will be helpful in getting control if you don't want him to tangle up the leash with table legs and so on.
It goes without saying that he should never be put in his crate or outside with a choke collar or leash on him unless you are going to be right there.
You may want to "set him up", by getting an empty coke can filled with rocks. Then take him outside where there is a rug or something you know he will chew. When he picks it up in his mouth, rattle or throw (but don't hit the dog) the can and startle him while saying 'no' at the same time. If he's a retriever, he probably wants something in his mouth though. So I would get a plastic bumper and after I took the rug away, I would offer the bumper to him. Every time I had to tell this dog 'no' and take something away from him, I would offer him his bumper. That way he learns that putting his mouth on anything but his bumper is not cool. And you can tell him 'bad dog' while you're taking the rug away from him, but 'good dog' when he takes his bumper. Carrot and stick.
Don't call him and punish him. Very hard to do, but you never want him to be punished for coming to you. If he has his long leash on and you catch him at something, grab hold of the end of it and walk up to him.
Most important of all, you are allowed to sound angry, but never BE angry if you make a correction. You'd be surprised at how much you can accomplish with the tone of your voice alone, but if let yourself become upset, you've lost control and that's what this is all about.
You may have to specifically set a couple hours a day when the dog is confined to one room and you are right there watching him. Watching him may mean no reading or watching television. You're there to control his behavior. You can't control it when you're not paying attention to it. I know it's a time constraint, but for this type of dog, it may need to be done. You want him to learn how to behave in the house.
Maybe start with 20 minutes or a half hour. Remember, you're doing this to prevent things from happening, not to punish him after he does something. That's why it's essential that you're paying attention to the dog. If he starts to chew on a chair leg, you're right on top of it. If he's already gnawed it before you've noticed, it's too late.
Training can't be all negative. You have to be prepared to praise the dog when he does something good, even if he's just sitting by your side. Goldens naturally like to please people, so getting his attention and telling him good dog for coming over to see you can be a positive thing for you both.
If you absolutely can't get to a training class, try the library and see if they have any books on training. Even in another city, you may be able to call a training club and talk to a trainer over the phone. I would hesitate to send him anywhere for training because you need to learn the ropes too. I've trained dozens of dogs and 99% of the time, I've had to train their owners, also.
We've had about 20 dogs over the years and not one needed training. They were all well behaved and not crazy like this dog. This dog is on my last nerve. I am ready to take him to the mtns and leave him there.
Since you don't have the ability/desire to handle a normal young GR...the retriever breeds are genetically mouthy and many are high energy when young...and the shelter apparently doesn't know how to properly place a normal young GR...the retriever breeds are genetically mouthy and many are high energy when young...I agree with the poster who suggested you contact GR rescue. It's not the dog's fault that he is a normal young GR.
Maybe we should take you to the mountains and leave you there? Or is it not your fault that you adopted a genetically mouthy and energetic young dog?
Last edited by Oldhag1; 01-30-2016 at 03:33 AM..
Reason: Fixed formatting
When I say they don't accept returns I meant they don't do refunds. Of course they will always do owner surrenders but like I said I am worried he will be adopted out again instead of being put down.
Put down? I've read a lot of C-D posts but yours is the most extreme I've come across yet. Please get that dog into GR rescue. They will place the dog in a suitable home. He sounds like a great candidate for competitive agility/obedience/hunt or search & rescue. There are people who would love to adopt a dog like that!
The kindest thing you can do is to turn him over to a golden retriever rescue group. They will vet him and the foster family will work on any behavior issues as well as take time to train him. Right now no one is winning. The dog is just as miserable as you are.
The national golden rescue is grca-nrc.com . If you are in the vegas area, try grrsn.org or rescuegolden1@aol.com
You are frustrated. I totally understand. Over a year ago, we adopted an Aussie mix that I called the Aussie Terror.
My husband and I don't fight, but we fought a LOT when this dog entered our lives.
We couldn't face returning her, knowing that she was close to being euthanized when we adopted her.
But she was a wild child. OMG, so wild. Nobody had ever worked with her.
My husband took over her training, and we worked and worked and worked with her, and adopted another dog to help us because she is so energetic.
It took SO LONG but she has become a really good dog. She still jumps on people, and pees when she gets excited, and digs up my yard, and is a super-fussy eater. But these things are so minor in comparison to the things she used to do (she bit through my thumb nail once).
Your dog is going to take work. If you're not prepared for it, there's somebody out there who is.
Give it to a rescue group.
Just to add - I've had 2 goldens over the years , and have learned that while young they ALWAYS NEED SOMETHING IN THEIR MOUTHS.
So, in addition to the training and exercise recommended by others above, simply supply your dog with plenty of bones (I find them at the local farmer's market - there are 2 grass fed beef guys who sell bags of scrap bones cut to a size perfect for dogs), rawhides, tennis balls and squeaky toys. This alone will solve most of the destructive behaviors you've been experiencing.
If you don't have the patience to do the above, please let us know the region in which you live so that we can help you find a golden retriever rescue group, which will take the dog off your hands and see that it is properly trained then find it a good home.
I see that you post a lot in the Las Vegas forum. Here is a Golden Retriever rescue group I found listed on Petfinder.com: Golden Retriever Rescue So. Nevada (GRRSN)
Las Vegas, NV
Phone: (702) 598-GOLD [598-4653]
We've had about 20 dogs over the years and not one needed training. They were all well behaved and not crazy like this dog. This dog is on my last nerve. I am ready to take him to the mtns and leave him there.
Well, you can take him with you on your daily 3-4 hour runs in the mountains that you say you like to do to avoid having to see fat people at the gym.
The fact is, you should not own a dog if you are not willing to let them be a part of your family. And ESPECIALLY if you are going to blame the dog for the fact that you did not take any time to train him simply because "all your other dogs" did not require training.
Put down? I've read a lot of C-D posts but yours is the most extreme I've come across yet. Please get that dog into GR rescue. They will place the dog in a suitable home. He sounds like a great candidate for competitive agility/obedience/hunt or search & rescue. There are people who would love to adopt a dog like that!
A high energy golden retriever that likes to have something in its mouth? An entire nation of flyballers would stab their favorite auntie to get their hands on a dog like that.
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I've read a lot of C-D posts but yours is the most extreme I've come across yet. Please get that dog into GR rescue. They will place the dog in a suitable home. He sounds like a great candidate for competitive agility/obedience/hunt or search & rescue. There are people who would love to adopt a dog like that!
