Our new puppy nightmare...opinions please...

#3
It's hard to evaluate your situation without actually seeing the dog. There are many difficult puppies that grow up to be wonderful dogs. I may have missed it in your other thread, but exactly how old is this puppy? Have you taken her to the vet for a physical evaluation yet?

It sounds like this puppy is going to require a lot of time and work (but then most puppies do:smile:). I gather you have only had her for a few days and if she is upsetting you this much, perhaps you should return her to the breeder.
 
#4
I'm not a vet or vet tech, but it really sounds like you need to have your vet check him/her out. Maybe there is a physical problem or some type of hyperactive issue. I have no idea... A lot of the issues sound behavioral, so maybe the trainer can help. I don't know how often the dog is exercised, but heavy exercise seems to be really helpful for dogs with behavioral issues. Also, is the dog alone a lot of the time? It could be some separation anxiety... hope your vet and the trainer has some advice for you.
 
#5
I just read through most of the puppy posts in your previous thread. I too have a golden retriver puppy and maybe I can help relate!

How old is your pup? Katie -- my bundle of joy -- was an absolute angel for the 1st 4-5 months. She is now hitting hormones (which means we have to reaquaint her to noises for the 3rd time and get her to stop humping people), she chews on people (she is just finishing teething and we have to keep trying No Bite), and was recently spayed (so had to rest for 2 weeks... try telling a golden she can't expend energy -- she was a mess of so much energy and hard to handle!).

She is jumping up on people to greet them.... We are going the have to re-do all of her training. And not so much re-do, but continue even with more gusto and believe in the fact that repetition and consistancy will pay off in the long run! She made it through doggy kindergarten and now we are ready to start obedience training.

Golden's have an amazing quality to really want to please! I mean really really!! The training is probably more for me... to learn how to channel her energy and learn how to ask her what to do. I can't wait to let you know how it goes!

In regards to the chewing... wet a rope (think big rope from Home Depot) or wash cloth and freeze it -- it's cheap entertainment. Plus, Katie thinks it's a special treat and will do so many tricks to get one! We call it the bait and switch. If she goes for my hand I quickly put an approved toy in her mouth instead. You still have to supervise her when chewing to make sure she doesn't eat it.. but it keeps Katie busy for at least 20 mins.

When Katie started eyeing cabinets and other items we didn't want her to chew we started a game called, "Take it, Leave it" our trainer recommended.... it's incredible the way she loves to learn the commands. PM me if you want more on how to do it!

When none of the above worked... (she started to nibble on our dressers) we resorted to putting a dab of hot sauce on a small part where she was chewing. Yes, she went over and licked it... but after 900 licks she finally realized it was yucky! Now, even a quick sniff has her convinced not chew on what ever we put it on. It's worth a try. And, we found Tabasco to work the best (and it blends into wood colored items).

I guess I can ramble about this forever! Please don't feel you have to give up. Puppies are ever so trying, but I am going through it now and I am happy to share all the things that worked or didn't! The first 3 weeks with our dog made us seriously want to jump off a bridge.. but once she rounded the corner and started following the first command it was all worth it!

They also say that dogs are soooo forgiving.... so if the previous owner really didn't train her, she will totally forgive you and let you start from scratch. You really can teach dogs anything at any age! Don't hestitate to PM me with questions or anything! Best of luck to you and your pup.

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#6
I'm sorry the new pup is giving you so much problems. I think I was lucky that my dog was not like that as a pup, only thing he destroyed was a corner of the sofa, and the hole is not that big.

Kittybag has given you some great advice. Start with a trainer coz I think your pup def needs one. Pups are easier to train coz the habits havent stayed for long. Good luck.
 
#7
She's just a puppy. Everything you listed is normal puppy behavior, which can be frustrating to deal with it's nothing a little training won't help. Right now she's teething and doesn't understand why she can't chew everything in sight, so you're going to have to work hard to train her and break her of this habit. You mentioned that she went to the bathroom in the house - well, if you only got her a week ago how can you expect that she'd be housetrained by now? Puppies take a lot of time and energy to train, but you have to be willing to put in the effort. Let us know how the meeting with the trainer goes, he or she would obviously be a lot better at evaluating her than any of us. I wish you the best of luck, I'm sure everything will start to work itself out!
 
#8
Thanks Kittybag...You sound like you have had your hands full, but are on the upward swing of things with your golden.

Ours was evaluated last night for almost two hours by a training specialist. Today the vet was consulted and it's very clear to all that she was NOT socialized at all in the home she went into before ours. The trainer did not give us an idea if she'll be able to pull out of the behavior, but said the breeder has a total responsiblity in this as she went immediately from the first owners home to ours with only an overnight at the breeders in between. The dog was in that home for over a month. She said we have no way of knowing what happened with the first family that had her other than she was left to lanquish and develope bad habits. Sort of like a child who is left to raise themselves. The vet said she must be returned to the breeder. Her socialization skills are impaired. The vet knows the breeder and said this is unacceptable. Also, he said she needs somebody with her 24/7 and she would benefit from being back with her parents at the breeder for a period. Needless to say...we were not prepared for this. This is why after our run of being dogless we agreed to go with a "top" breeder and pay for a "good" line. This is not what we had been prepared for and it's turned out to be heartbreaking. My 10 year old DD is heartbroken and I forgot it was her big brothers birthday today...talk about being distracted...Totally. :shame: I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Probably more tears as after just a few days you do grow attached...the vet said that the dog won't feel at home until it's been somewhere for about two weeks. We are only on day four.
 
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