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 Maybe your adopted Golden
has spent the day chewing up a $400 pair of Prada shoes. Or maybe
he's developed a habit of barking excessively at the
sound of a door-bell. With proper direction, most dogs
can become wonderful additions to any family. If you are
having a tough time communicating with your Golden, find
a good trainer or behaviorist who can answer your
questions, give you clear direction, and can help make
problem correction a simple and speedy process. In the
meantime, here are some tips and hints that might get
you started. |
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chewing
Your Golden chews because it is super
fun, because they are bored, anxious, or have too much
energy. When they tear up the linoleum, shred a
pillow, or rip up the carpet – they are having a
wonderful time. There are three steps to stop a chewer. Prevention, Redirection,
Correction. First, you must prevent your Golden Retriever
from chewing in the first place. If you have a problem chewer, keep him
with you at all times, and crate him when you are not home. You must be
able to catch him in the act in order to teach him that there are more
appropriate things to chew on. When you do catch him, say seriously,
“no,” and then redirect his chewing by giving him a sterilized
bone or a raw-hide, then praise him enthusiastically when he takes the
chew from you and starts to play with it. Teach him that there are toys
he can have his way with, but your suede throw pillow isn’t one of
them. In order to correct his behavior, you must find a way to
make chewing on your things unpleasant. Spray Bitter Apple on anything
he isn’t supposed to chew. You can also booby-trap items by tying
“shake cans,” (coin-filled soda cans,) to them. When your dog runs off
with his favorite chew, the shaking noise might be enough to keep him
from that item. |
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hyperactivity
If your dog is like a wind-up toy that
never winds down, you may have a hyperactive dog. It is
common for young Golden Retrievers to have bounds of
energy. The best solution is to exhaust them mentally
and physically. By giving your dog structure, you
create the rules of the game – something your
hyper-active dog is aching for. Obedience work helps to
calm and focus him – and should be part of his daily
life, not just for that Saturday training class.
Obedience is vital in teaching overly active dogs self
control. Diet can also influence hyperactivity. Ask
your vet about a mild food that might help calm your
pet. Along with proper diet, there are many calming
agents that your vet can also recommend. |
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digging
Golden Retrievers dig mostly because they
are bored. Fixing it is not easy. You can try to put
his feces in the bottom of his favorite digging holes.
This deters most dogs and they won’t want to dig in that
spot again. You can try to booby trap him from the
house. Try lobbing a couple of “shake-cans” at him when
he starts to dig. It's best if he doesn’t hear or see
you do this. Or, redirect him and give him a place
where he can dig. His own sand-box and fill it with his
toys. This way, if you can’t stop him from digging, you
can control where it happens. |
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jumping
Every Golden Retriever owner knows all
about jumping. In order to stop jumping, you must be
consistent and stop yourself from rewarding him when he
does. No petting or giving attention when they jump up
and demand it. Teach your dog “Off” by praising him the
second he stops his jumping. As soon as he gets the
idea (and it may take a while) you can teach him
“up” He knows how to jump, but can learn only to do
so when invited. |
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housebreaking
Sometimes a change in schedule or change
in routine can upset your rescue dog and cause
mistakes. Always check with your vet if your previously
housebroken dog suddenly starts doing his "business" in
the house. Otherwise, the quickest way to housebreak
your dog is to give him a routine. By creating a
regular feeding routine, and a regular “outside”
routine, you give your dog the chance to do his business
where you want him to. Take him out first thing in the
morning, at lunch, mid afternoon, after dinner, and at
bed-time. Every time your dog goes where and when you
want him to, praise with lots of love and attention.
Until your dog is housebroken, you shouldn’t leave him
unsupervised in your home. Keep him tied to you, or in
a crate. This ensures that he won’t go unless you know
about it. When you do catch him, try a low pitched,
stern “no.” Then immediately take him outside to
finish his job where you want him to. After he
finishes, praise praise praise. You cannot give your
dog enough praise for doing a job well done.
some common misconceptions:
Don’t Rub his nose in it.
Your dog doesn’t understand what you
are doing, and only learns to distrust you.
Don’t spank him with a rolled up
newspaper. Any kind of
violent correction is a major cause of anxiety, submissive urination,
and aggression. Your dog doesn’t understand why he is being beaten, and
only learns not to trust you, and to fear you.
Don’t scream or yell at him when you
catch him. Catching him in
the act is key, yelling at him teaches the dog that you don’t want him
to pee in front of you. He will become afraid to go to the bathroom in
your presence whether outside, or in.
Don’t tie him near
it and leave him there.
If you teach him
anything by doing this, you are teaching him that laying in his mess is
"ok." A clean house requires that your dog WANT to stay away from the
mess – a desire most dogs were born with.
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aggression
When you rescue a dog, you are giving
your dog the wonderful gift of life. You’ve done your
part to make sure that one more dog didn’t find himself
on the euthanasia table. Luckily, Golden Retrievers
aren’t bred to be aggressive animals. But, maybe
your adopted Golden had to use aggression to survive the
streets, or was taught aggression by an abusive owner.
He probably at some point wanted to defend his food,
protect himself, or his territory. If you are afraid
that you have an aggressive dog, or if your dog shows
any signs of aggression, get in touch with a trainer
immediately. Don’t reward aggressive behavior.
Don't try and calm him by saying, “It’s ok, don’t worry,
it’s just the mailman." Yelling,
screaming, hitting and harsh corrections actually
increase the problem. Do practice obedience. This
redirects your dog’s attention, reinforces your position
as the leader, and focuses his attention on you.
The better he follows your command when practicing, the
faster he’ll respond when you need him to the most. And
if you haven’t started already, socialize your dog. Take
your dog with you when ever you can, and try group
classes. The more you introduce him to different people
and places, the calmer and more stable he will be. |
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