Aggressive Golden Retriever – any tips on how to calm him down?

C
Camiller Icon representing the flag French
Report

Hi everyone,

Recently, my 9-and-a-half-month-old Golden Retriever has been giving me a right hard time. He wasn't an easy puppy, so I was prepared for a challenge, but now he's right in the middle of his "teenage" phase, things aren't getting any better!

Ziggy isn't a mean dog at all, far from it. He’s still very immature—which I suppose is normal for his age and breed—and he's very energetic and playful. He’s never had any issues with other dogs; he plays several times a week with various dogs in the neighbourhood, off-lead, all breeds and sizes, and there's never been a problem. At home, he’s very stubborn and it’s not easy teaching him to behave (especially since we live in a flat), but he’s still young so I know I need to be patient.

However, lately, he’s started being aggressive towards me. I think it might be over-excitement, but I’m not sure. It started during play: he escalates very quickly, loses his self-control and starts showing his teeth, growling at me, and trying to bite my hands, arms, or clothes. I should mention he doesn’t clamp his jaw shut, but with his teeth, it’s still not very pleasant. When it happens, I stop playing immediately, but he chases after me and I have to leave the room or shut him in the kitchen to get him to settle down. He’s also started showing this kind of behaviour when I tell him off for things he’s not allowed to do. Finally, just recently, he’s started doing the exact same thing on walks for reasons I can't quite pin down. Sometimes it’s in the morning, at the start of our usual walk, I try to lead him a certain way and he starts jumping up at me. Or when I stop to chat with a neighbour. Or simply when I stop him from eating something off the ground. Usually, when I'm outside and can't just leave the room, I try to distract him by scattering treats on the ground. But for example, this morning it didn't work. I had to pin him to the ground because I was worried he’d hurt me, and in the end, I had to just go back home.

What do you think is the best way to react in those moments? Do you think it’s just adolescence? Or stress?

Translated from French
icon info

The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.

Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.

Write your message and upload a photo if you want to! Please remain courteous in your exchanges.

Your post will be visible to all members of the international Wamiz forum.

22 answers
Sort by:
  • Show previous comments
    • P
    Poupinouchette Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Hello there,

    Right then, looks like you've got a teenager on your hands challenging your authority! He’s practising on you because you’re the closest person to him. However, giving him treats to calm him down is counter-productive. Your dog wants to interact with you to play (he has good bite inhibition), but he’s realised that by doing this, he gets treats. His logic is: "I can do this because I’m being rewarded, but she’s not happy? I don't know what to do anymore!!!!"

    At home, stick to calm games and commands like sit, stand, down, roll over, etc. Outdoors: fetch, scent work, and so on.

    When you're at home and he starts nipping, don't run away. Just a firm "no" and then ignore him. Don't repeat yourself, don't look at him, and don't talk to him. He needs to feel that he doesn't win this way and that you won't give in.

    As for being outside, I think you reacted well by showing some authority and heading back indoors. He’ll start to understand that acting like that isn’t the right way to go.

    I’m telling you all this, but obviously, it’s not easy to give advice when you're not there in person. Still, there are a few basics: stay calm, don't repeat a command twenty times, and don't look at or speak to him when you're meant to be ignoring him. Those are just a few thoughts after reading your post. If you want any more explanations, I'm happy to help. Hang in there! Speak soon.

    Translated from French
    C
    Camiller Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    I should point out that he only does this with me. My partner, who is much less involved in his care, has no trouble at all: one word and that's it, the dog obeys. Mind you, he isn't exactly "put to the test" much since I'm the one who handles all the walks.

    I’ll also add that even though we live in a flat, Ziggy gets a long walk of an hour to an hour and a half in the morning, with at least half of that spent off-lead in the fields. He has several toilet breaks throughout the day, usually a quick 20-minute stroll at lunchtime, playtime at home during the day, and then another long walk of an hour or more in the late afternoon. We often go for a swim in the lake, too, and he plays with other dogs quite a bit, off-lead then as well. I don't think he’s lacking exercise... he sleeps quite a lot during the day too, about 4 hours of naps every day.

    Also: he’s very cute:

    Translated from French

  • 22 comments out of 22

    • Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!
    These topics could be of interest to you!
    Find out more