Naughty Behavior help

Chewing: Every puppy and dog is prone to chewing. This is a guaranteed phase when puppies are teething as their teeth and gums will hurt causing them to want to chew. Puppies have 28 teeth and later 42 in adulthood. Puppy teething lasts up until they are 6 months. Keeping them in a chew proof area, providing them with lots of chew toys, and correcting them when they chew undesirable objects, are all critical methods to successfully getting through a golden’s chewing phase.

Barking: Goldens actually hold the world record for loudest bark! While many forms of barking are acceptable and healthy, barking can also manifest in unwanted ways as well. It can be useful to correct barking at objects, sounds, or events as a go-to response, especially if you live close to neighbors or live in an apartment. If your puppy is barking at you often, ignoring the behavior altogether can be a smooth way to correct the behavior early before it grows.

Marking: Male English Goldens can be surprisingly dominant and try marking in the house. The good news is that neutering corrects this problems 99% of the time. We like the 2 year mark for neutering (males) as new research supports allowing more time for The English Goldens’ Bones and Physiology to develop. We recommend waiting through two heat cycles to get your female English Golden spayed.

Pawing: This behavior is not a big deal in our eyes but you may have a reasons for not wanting your English Cream to physically paw at you. A firm no is often all it takes to wean a puppy or dog out of this habit. Ignoring the behavior, as well as rewarding the puppy when “all four are on the floor” is a good way to end a pawing habit.

Jumping: Some English Goldens will naturally jump up on you with their back legs still on the ground but their front legs on your chest. It can be a nice chance to train as a command such as “dance” or “hug”. Having this as a command will allow your puppy to let this energy out in an approved, productive way. Similar to pawing, rewarding a “all four on the floor” puppy with treats and pets is a good way to stop unwanted jumping from happening.

Digging: I could write a book on Goldens and their love of digging! It’s important to divide digging into wanted and unwanted categories.

Desirable Digging: While opinions vary, a shallow hole dug by a golden to lay in is not problematic and is almost an expected behavior. This can turn into undesirable digging if you want to keep a pretty lawn and your puppy begins numerous holes.

Undesirable Digging: This includes digging out under the fence, digging under the foundation of the house, and digging multiple holes in the yard. English Goldens are escape artists that hone their craft throughout their entire lifetime. The best way to keep your Golden from learning the craft is to prevent them from ever escaping in the first place with a no-dig underground fence.

Maintaining an approved sand/soft dirt area is a great way to let your English golden dig in a desired manner. Constant digging can be a sign of boredom or high energy so other forms of play and activity can help abate the bad habit.

Dirtying Up the Water Bowl: Your new English Golden puppy may take to pawing at the water bowl or trying to swim in the water bowl. Keep the water bowl up high is a good way to prevent your puppy from constantly dirtying up its water. A separate play pool is a good way to let your puppy swim to its hearts content. Goldens absolutely love the water so we highly recommend a pool!