Overwhelmed with new puppy

[PamelaAromin]

We just recently purchased a Golden Retriever puppy. Buddy is so cute.... but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We have taught him to sit, crate trained him and have him pottying outside as long as the doors are open. Haven't tested the waters with the door closed. I am not sure how to transition him from going out on his own to alerting us to his need to potty. We have attempted a bell with him but his hasn't got the idea. He is very quick to learn things so I don't know if I'm doing it wrong or the bell isn't for him. Meanwhile, he is jumping up on people and furniture, chewing on furniture and wall corners and attacking our older dog Zella. I know Buddy has a need to chew (we have lots of chew toys and bully sticks) but I have mobility issues that affect my ability to get to him quickly, tell him no and give him a chew toy. By the time I get to him, he has stopped chewing so the reprimand won't be effective. Zella's and Buddy's relationship is a concern. The doctor suggested leaving them alone to work is out but Buddy doesn't take no for an answer. Zella has always been reserved and easily intimidated. When Buddy started this aggressive behavior (I believe he is playing but his bites hurt.) he was much smaller than Zella and I was concerned Zella might hurt him but now in just a few short weeks, he has grown to be just slightly smaller than Zella. He is strong as an ox so my concern has shifted to Zella. He is easily going to outweigh her in the near future, so now is the time to get this behavior under control. As you can see, I have many concerns and am not quite sure where I should begin with him. Zella has appeared defeated, so I am concerned about her wellbeing as well.  Any advise you can give me would be much appreciated. We watched the video on correcting jumping behavior and found it to be very helpful. Buddy is very sweet but in his exuberance to get to something, he jumps, bites, claws, whatever it takes. As he continues to grow my concern grows. I am afraid if we don't get a handle on it now, it will be impossible to control him later. I believe he is very trainable but we need guidance as to where to begin. Thank you for any advice you can give us.

Jun and Pam

 

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[JMFS]

Golden Retrievers are amazingly trainable, so that's the good news!  Look at him already carrying his leash - you could capture that behavior and train him to get his leash for you!  That's a bit more advanced, though, so let's get you started on some basic things.  🙂

Right off the bat I'm with you - mobility issues.  I'm mobile, but have to be careful with how I move or my muscles will lock up.  My solution is what Adrienne has referred to as the Umbilical Method.  Depending on your specific needs this could be tailored, but for now I'm going to assume you're not in a walker or wheel chair.  It can be tweaked if you are.  Umbilical Method means he's tethered to you via the leash.  This is how I start all my dogs.  Some have been able to "cut the cord" sooner than others, so don't worry if he has to be on the leash for a while.  Esther is nearly 2 and still not trusted in the house on her own - she's a late late late bloomer!  Gertie was done with it in the first month and Momo took about 2 months - he was much younger than the girls when I adopted him.  When they're not crated I tie the leash around my waist (my leash has a belt option which is magnificent!).  Then they're with me as I putter around here or there, or sit on the couch.  I can also tether her to the stair railing or I'll slip the hand loop over an interior handle, run the leash under the gap, and close the door to secure them.

If that's an option then you have a simple way to keep him within range to help you close the gap because yes, they're quick little things!  This also prevents their ability to play keep away.

Bless Zella's heart!  There are a couple options here.  Umbilical Method will hep with this, too, because his access to Zella will be limited.  Another option is to create a safe zone for her to retire to.  We have a 36" gate we use for our senior puppy (one of the reasons Esther isn't allowed to wander).  When the girls are upstairs with me they're corralled into my office area, which I have picked up and managed so I know they're safe.  Abbi has a corner in the office to herself that we close off with that gate.  She has a tiny couch (she's 10 lbs on a good day), a donut bed, a pillow bed, and water in there.  It's like her own suite!  On the couch Abbi sits to the husband's right, Esther to his left, and Gertie next to me.  Esther doesn't let me crochet so she gets to sit next to "Pop Pop," lol.  Priorities!

That's my emergency you-can-do-this now advice to hold you over until Adrienne can respond.  🙂  I'm just a regular ol' member, but I've been hanging out here for about 4 years now and try to help get folks started because I know how much we all look forward to answers.  Here are some typical questions asked that will help Adrienne form a response:

Is he neutered?
How old is he?
Did the breeder comment on potty training?  (Usually breeders do ensure their pups are mostly trained.)
How old is Zella?
How much exercise, and what kind, does Buddy get?
What type of play do y'all do with him?  Tug?  Fetch?  Wrestling?
What type of chew toys?

I'm going to also lightly touch on the vet's advice - thus far I have not seen a situation in which dogs have "worked it out" for themselves.  With sharp teeth and powerful jaws it's not something I'd recommend leaving up to them.  For older or less assertive dogs we need to be their champions to prevent bully behavior.  It's not as daunting as it sounds!  It's doing simple things like I mentioned to ensure the safety and security of both dogs.  Esther is of some herding stock and she's constantly pushing Gertie out of the way.  Gertie is a relaxed dog and usually just moves, but I can see her body language is not happy at other times.  In those cases I insert myself between them to prevent Esther's pushiness.

Oh, and another thing about Goldens.  My brother's Golden, Stella (or as I say it, Steeeeeeeellla!) is a prime example of how bratty they can be before turning into some of the best dogs ever.  She used to wrinkle her little nose and bare her teeth, which was a precursor to nipping heels, ankles, or calves.  She was Such a rotten little you-know-what, lol.  Now, though, she is an absolute lady.  Gentle and sweet as can be.  Buddy will get there!  He has to get through the teenage "years" first (6 months - 18 months for them).  Smaller dogs usually mature faster than larger dogs.  That's the bad news, but with training we can get them through it quicker, or at least with less frustration.

Have you visited the training articles yet?  These are some to get you started:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-training/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/biting-mouthing-nipping/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/brain-training/the-importance-of-keeping-your-dog-mentally-stimulated/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/rough-playing/

There are many many more - it's a wealth of knowledge!  To avoid overwhelming you, though, I selected articles related to items you mentioned.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there! 

Welcome to the forums! It's normal to feel overwhelmed when getting a new puppy, there are so many things to deal with at once:  puppy chewing things, puppy biting, puppy peeing and pooping, puppy not wanting to be left alone. Pups also move so fast, one minute they're playing with a toy, the next they're chewing the leg of a table, then as they're moving away, they dribble pee- so much going on!. If it makes you feel better, most new puppy owners deal with these feelings. It gets better with time on some of these things, but I agree with you, it's best to tackle behaviors early for some other behaviors. 

 

So let's tackle some of the issues you are facing:

 

1) With young puppies, I am not too fond of giving pups the responsibilities of alerting us by ringing a bell. This is because:

 

1) they may not make it on time to walk by the door, ring and wait for us to open. 

2) if we live in a big home, we may not hear the bell

3) pups may learn to take advantage of the system and ask repeatedly to be taken out just to go play and explore. 

 

Because of these disadvantages, I prefer putting the pups on a pottying schedule, taking them outside on a 6- foot leash, and if they potty, we can praise, give a treat and unleash them, and if they don't go, we go back inside and try again, while always watching them carefully. I also highly encourage training puppies to go potty on cue: 

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-on-command/

 

So how to transition from an open door to a closed door? We would close the door and keep taking the puppy out at our scheduled intervals. If the puppy heads towards the door on his own though, we should acknowledge that (wanna go out?) and take him out, always leashed.  

 

Then, if they go, we can praise, give a treat and unleash them (if safe to do so) and if they don't go, we go back inside and try again, while always watching them carefully. The use of the leash is to prevent them from having too much fun, and to create a habit of pottying first, otherwise, we may get stuck with a pup who always wants to be taken out just to have fun. 

 

I don't see his age posted, but I assume he's maybe 14-16 weeks old? If so, he should be able to hold it for at least 2-3 hours so start to take him out for those intervals and closely watch for signs if he wants to go earlier. If he does well with that, then you can gradually try to take him out a little later, but always closely monitoring him if he wants to be taken out earlier. 

 

When not out to potty, he should be supervised indoors either in a room with somebody always watching him carefully, with no obstructing views and nearby the door or in an exercise pen/ crated when it's time for nap time/ chew on something good or when nobody can monitor him and he's not too close to his potty trip. 

 

Meanwhile, he is jumping up on people and furniture, chewing on furniture and wall corners and attacking our older dog Zella. I know Buddy has a need to chew (we have lots of chew toys and bully sticks) but I have mobility issues that affect my ability to get to him quickly, tell him no and give him a chew toy.

 By the time I get to him, he has stopped chewing so the reprimand won't be effective. 

 

I would suggest trying to manage these behaviors for now. Place items on the furniture so that it's inconvenient to jump there (like upside down chairs), give him a comfy mat or bed to lie down on (if he chews these, use a Kuranda bed) prevent chewing by removing as many things you don't want him to chew out of reach, but leave out chew toys of different types, rotating them so that his interest is kept alive. 

 

Poor Zella!  Young pups can easily overwhelm adult dogs and if your pup is persistently pestering her and she is unable to get her message across, you will need give her access to place that isn't accessible to the puppy. Puppies can be really a pain to adult dogs, think grandma dealing with a toddler pulling her hair and skirt, screaming in her ears and not understanding her requests to stop. 

 

So keep them separated and introduce them for short periods of time when Buddy is calmer. Practice obedience training when she's around with your pup leashed, asking your puppy to do sits and downs nearby Zella. Zella can turn out being a great teacher dog by teaching him the art of being calm. Another helper can train her too at the same time so that she can be a good model for him. 

 

Does Zella ever play with the puppy? Or is it straight avoidance behaviors most of the time? In the first picture, it's blurry, but I assume she was trying to avoid your pup from trying to mount, more than engaging in play, in the second picture her ears are back, her weight shifted to the side, with you in between and maybe, while "rolling her eyes," she was thinking something along the lines of:  "Oh, boy! puppy monster is approaching, what did we get into?"

 

For the behaviors of jumping, clawing and biting to obtain things he wants, if these are safe things you can provide to him like a treat, food puzzle, his bowl of food or a toy, teach your puppy to say "please" when he wants something.  Ask for a sit and once he's sitting nicely, reward him with whatever he likes. Basically, use the Premack Principle as outlined here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/

 

With access to Zella restricted, we reduce the problem of her getting overwhelmed, but we may though run into another problem, the puppy protesting and wanting to be with her and/or the puppy wanting to interact with you more since he lost access to his favorite playmate and that often means nipping more and more. I will be posting more on this shortly. 

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

So assuming your puppy is around the age of 16 weeks or 4 months, your puppy is at the peak teething stage. So you would have that double whammy of a strong need for play and interaction coupled with the need to chew and get relief from those sore gums!

Here are a few tips for nipping: 

Provide a Variety of Interactive Toys 

You want your puppy to gain more reinforcement from interactive toys so that he chooses them more and more over playing roughly with you. Look for toys that offer some form of engagement. Some of the best toys are the ones that offer reinforcement under the release of kibble and treats. Examples of such toys are Kong Wobblers, puppy Kongs, Buster Cubes, Licki mats and Snuffle Mats. 

You also may want to do some brain games like:

The muffin game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/

The treasure hunt game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

Hand targeting:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

Airplane game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/airplane-game-training/

You may also include the smacking sound so to teach him to pay attention to you:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

These games encourage play that doesn't involve you, or the games involve you, but interacting in a different way that doesn't involve biting or jumping. Some also allow some level of impulse control (the treat in the airplane game is released only when the dog doesn't jump and decides to make eye contact).

Encourage Alternate Play

Encourage your golden retriever puppy to play games that do not involve physically jumping up on you and nipping. Ideally, you should catch your puppy *before* he has had the opportunity to jump on you and latch on. Once your puppy has jumped up and latched, it will be more difficult to interrupt the behavior, you allow rehearsal of an unwanted behavior and you also risk creating an unwanted behavior chain if right afterward, you distract your pup with a toy. 

These forms of alternate play may require you to carry some items with you or keeping them extra handy, but it's totally worth it!  Here are several options for alternate play (make sure to offer these as soon as you notice your puppy approaching you with a possible intent to jump/bite). 

-Carry kibble in your pocket and treat bag. The moment your puppy approaches, toss kibble the opposite way. Rinse and repeat. Your pup will love the game. If your puppy knows how to sit, you can ask that before tossing the kibble or you can train a little later. Here is how to train sit: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/

-Use a long tug toy and encourage your puppy to play tug with it the moment he approaches. If your puppy knows how to leave it and drop, you can add these cues in the game. Here is how to train these:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

-Keep a flirt pole handy. I like to carry one on my shoulder or keep it around my waist. The moment your pup approaches, let him play with it. 

-Keep several balls in your cargo pant pockets. The moment your puppy approaches, toss a ball the opposite way. 

-Ask your puppy to target your hands. To help your puppy succeed, practice these while you're sitting keeping your hands low so he won't feel like jumping, then gradually progress with asking this while standing up. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

Teach Bite Inhibition 

You want your puppy to learn to bite less strongly before his permanent teeth set in and he develops stronger jaws. This can be done by providing feedback, such as training your puppy to take treats gently: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

and through bite inhibition games:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

Ensure Your Puppy Gets Sleep 

Puppies are generally very active pooches, but their batteries tend to discharge quickly. One minute they're up and running, the next they are exhausted as they used up all their energy and need to re-charge. Pups have a lot of growing to and they need to get all the rest they can get. After all, it is known that growth hormone production increases while the puppy is resting or sleeping. 

Similar to children, they may be reluctant to go to bed and you may have to enforce naps by placing them in the crate with something to chew and providing a quiet environment.

Avoid Wearing Tempting Stuff

Watch carefully when your Labrador puppy jumps up and bites, is your puppy trying to reach something in particular? What exactly is your puppy nipping? Puppies with high prey drive are strongly attracted to anything that moves and captures their attention. Watch carefully what your puppy does when he jumps up and nips.

In many cases, puppies are after your loose sleeves or your pant legs or that scarf or necklace that is dangling. Some pups may also be after your shoelaces, long skirt or even your hair as it moves around as you walk or from the wind. To puppies reaching these things are irresistible, because they are moving and stimulate their desire to chase and grab. 

It may help to avoid full exposures to things that attract puppies so much at least until we have their behavior better under control. So it may help heaps temporarily keeping hair up, not wearing dangling jewelry and using shoes without laces. Tucking flapping pant legs in  socks may help too and so does wearing tall Wellingtons if the pups aim to bite feet and ankles (I know, with this heat, last thing we want is to wear tall boots!). Once we have strongly reinforced other ways to interact with us, we can gradually re-introduce these. 

Go to Puppy Classes 

Puppies benefit from puppy classes for the socialization, foundational training and the opportunity to play with other puppies and  to further refine their social skills. These sessions give your puppy the opportunity to engage in the type of play he craves so badly and this further helps drain some excess energy while allowing him to socialize with other puppies and people in safe place. Look for puppy classes run by positive reinforcement dog trainers who put an emphasis on ensuring safe and happy interactions. 

I hope this helps! Puppy biting won't stop overnight, it's a process rather than one-time done ordeal, but with these interventions, you should see a gradual and steady decline with an increase in more desirable behaviors, especially if you reinforce them with great rewards!

Happy training! Feel free to ask any more questions or post updates. We can always do deeper troubleshooting as needed. 

Best,

Adrienne 

[PamelaAromin]

Thank you so much for your feedback and countless ideas. I have lots of reading to do and most importantly lots of implementing to do.  I am feeling hopeful and not quite as isolated. I will paws (LOL) to digest all you have shared. Talk to you soon.

Regards,

Pam

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome! Keep us posted, feel free to post any follow-up questions and send pats to Buddy and Zella from us!