quilter on the eastern edge

I have a spinning Golden as well - always clockwise! Henry will be 5 years old next month and still gets very excited when anyone comes to the house. I tell him "Paws on the Floor!" and he eventually calms down in a couple of minutes.A friend told me that it takes 5 years for male Goldens to get a brain. I look for that FedEx delivery truck every day!! ;)[/quote]

Well good luck with that 5 year thing.. lol.. my "CASH" will be seven this year and the only thing slowinghim down is his hips..
Funny mine turns counter clockwise and he always turns 3 times before laying down or Pooping . lol.. If you have a ball in your hand he will spin spin spin spin i do not know how he keeps from getting dizzy lol..[/quote]

Henry's dad is 7 and I am told that he is finally settling down -- hope springs eternal!

Jo Belmont

We've used this technique with training all our dogs over the years. Works so well and fast.

quiltbuddy

We have an excitable golden puppy that's 4 years old. When ever we have company he can't control himself. We have an electric collar for him to take him on walks etc. We have found this really works indoors as well just when we have guests. We have never had to use a full strength zap on him, just a little buzz. Our collar has 3 buzzing levels and 127 power levels (first a warning, 2nd a stronger warning and then a zap). He doesn't even like a second warning so we hardly even use that one. It also keeps him safe outdoors.

Edie

Get a Gentle Leader, when she jumps, pull down and she will stop. A choke collar is not the nicest thing to put on a dog. Sorry, but I don't believe in them. A good collar and a Gentle Leader. I don't believe in kneeing a dog either. Kindness and praise. We have had two dogs now, both sweethearts, but all puppies start out the same, rambunctious, happy, and they don't know anything yet. Why start being mean to them right off the bat. We have a neighbor that just got a puppy on Saturday. By the time I went home, I had scratches on my arm and little tooth marks. I just said "NO"! That did it! At least with me and her it did it! Now she knows not to do what she isn't supposed to do, but still, it is perfectly normal. Kindness and praise and a few goodies in your pocket to reward. Edie

Sandygirl

It's called a "puppy". Yes, excercise and take him to obedience classes. they really train the owner!

winter012

We've always used a spray bottle of water. It startles them, doesn't harm them in any way, but they sure don't like it. Consistency is key!!! So is patience & never hurting your dog. You have to kill them with kindness!!! The suggestion to watch Sog Whisperer is a good one. He seems to have a lot of good ideas.

piepolly

Good luck. My Cricket is a 4yr old Golden and she still jumps and claws when you enter the house. But once she settles down, she is such a sweetheart!

Walter'sMom

I kept a spray bottle of water handy - a spray in the face doesn't hurt them but sure has got their attention. Now I just have to say 'do you want me to get the spray bottle?' and that was 10 and 12 years ago for my 2 yellow labs. For barking control, I used a few pennies in an empty soda can and shook it when they barked. Both methods worked like a charm. Obedience training and exercise is also key for smart dogs like retrievers.

OrangeSherbet

Check out Victoria Stillwell on "It's Me or The Dog". She has great common sense training methods.

gspsplease

The puppy jumps up because it is excited and to get attention -- so any action you take to push the dog down, knee it, tell no etc is giving the dog attention (even though to our eyes it's not nice attention!)So you need to ignore the dog when it jumps up by turning your back to the dog -- just keep turning away. As soon as 4 feet are on the floor, praise and reward. All this may be hard to do when your dog is going crazy because you are just home from work, so also teach an alternative behaviour that is rewarding to the dog. Try a tug toy that is only given to the dog when you first meet it --just push the toy into the dog's mouth, tug around and then release the toy. Nearly every dog will then race around, shaking and "killing" the toy for a few minutes, then call the dog over, give a treat and put the toy away until the next person comes home. (It is important that this toy is not left around for the dog to play with whenever he wants, or the toy will lose its value) Eventually, if you have taught a solid sit command, and your dog has matured, you will be able to get him to sit for a pat, but it's expecting a lot from a young puppy to exercise this sort of self-control. Incidentally, check that no one in the house, especially children, encourage the dog to jump up "because it proves that he loves me!" All your training can be undone if everyone is not consistent. Keep a spare lead and some treats near the front door, and slip lead on when visitors arrive. Using the treats you should be able to get your dog to sit to say hello, and then walk the dog outside using the lead. (It doesn't matter if the dog only sits for a split second and then stands up--just keep doing sits and rewarding -- it just gives you more opportunites to practise sit and reward your dog when visitors come. Try to regard this as a training opportunity rather than a nuisance!