Go to obedience class because you need to train her, especially to come, sit, lie down, and stay. If you could make those behaviors consistent with her, you are probably going to be her boss. Right now, she doesn't really respect anyone if she's doing all that. If she has so much energy, do you walk the dog? You should walk the dog long and far.
Keep your dog leashed when people come over. Otherwise, as you train her, the crate is a good idea. It's not a permanent answer though!My dog is out of control!! Over exuberant, jumping, nipping hands and chasing people that enter our yard?
The golden retriever unfortunately was ranked number 3 as one of the most toothy attacker of other dogs, etc. I always thought they were perfect dogs. The chow chow was the number one. Can't remember #2
Puppy training is the most important to stop this. It sounds like you didn't have her when she was younger and if you did, you should have trained her about this in the first few months. It's not too late. You will have to devout a lot of time from now on by doing the suggestions above, to separate her from the situation. You will have to train her to stay, sit and then give her treats again to get control of her again. Other than that, you will need to get a trainer.
She sounds like she's in need of a lot more exercise than she's getting, first of all. A tired dog is a well-behaved dog. Make sure you're taking her on nice long walks at least twice a day and providing other more intense exercise that will engage her mind as well. Goldens were bred to be hunting dogs, retrieving in the field- they can require a huge amount of exercise. Walk her before visitors come to reduce the energy level, then leash her before letting them in. If she jumps, pulls, or otherwise is behaving inappropriately, clap your hands or say 'uh-uh' to let her know her actions are not OK, and remove her from the room into a quiet, boring area like a bathroom, utility room, etc for a 'time out'. Do not use the crate for this, it should never ever be used as a punishment. Leave her for several minutes or until totally calm, then allow her out again. Repeat each time she misbehaves. Given time, she will come to understand that she gets to have no fun if she behaves rudely to your guests.
Hi,
My parents' dog is similar, tho not biting.
I've been looking into getting them a book or DVD by the so-called Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan. His shows are on early evening TV in the UK, if that's where you are.
He does brilliant work improving pet behaviour. With dogs it's all about them not being the leader of the pack, but you. Sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
Either get some books on dog training, sign up for a class, AND be prepared to do a lot of work -- or start trying to re-home her.
First of all, people should not be running from her when they come over, so she should never ever have the opportunity to chase. If someone runs, they are essentially inviting her to play and strongly reinforcing chasing behavior. Sounds like you need to work on training not only your dog, but also your visitors.
You should have started working on good manners a long time ago, from the moment she came home. When someone comes over, keep her on a leash. Never allow your visitors to approach and interact with your dog unless she is acting calmly. If she jumps or nips at them, turn right around and walk away to a location where she can not see the visitors and make her sit and be as boring as possible until she has calmed down. Then take her back into the room, but as soon as she starts to act up, away she goes again. Physically removing her from your visitors will help teach her that her behavior gets her the exact opposite of what she wants, which is to interact with your guests. You can also have a secure tether in the room to which she can be attached to physically restrain her from going over and jumping on your guests to help her learn that she can indeed be calm around people. Another thing to try for the nipping, since she is a retriever and has a basic instinct to have something in her mouth, is to teach her to pick up a toy when people come over. If she has a toy in her mouth she can't nip. Crating is not necessarily the wrong solution to your problem, but you are right in that she will not learn to control herself if she is only removed from the situation and not given an opportunity to offer appropriate behaviors instead of her bad manners.
You're right - crating doesn't help and usually the dog becomes more frustrated that they can't go say hello. They also don't associate their exuberant behavior with the punishment, so they don't learn.
She should be on a leash when people come over so you have more control. Have treats at the ready and make sure your guests know that it may take anywhere from 5-30 minutes for them to actually get inside the house. Start with the house and tell people to avoid coming into the yard (unless they've come in through the house first.)
Start by trying to control her when they come to the door. Let her join you at the door to greet but if she barks, jumps on the door, nips, etc then you need to walk her back into the other room with you until she calms down. When she is calm, go greet your guests and allow them inside. If she jumps/barks/etc while they are stepping in then have them step right back out and close the door. Point of this is that door opening means dog has to be calm.
When they are inside let her say hello on YOUR terms - meaning she is not allowed to pull you over, nip, or jump. If she does you turn right back around and keep her in another room AWAY from guests until she is calm. Then try again.
Note: You can either remove her or have the guests walk back outside when doing this exercise. Either way it works because in her eyes, her behavior is chasing these people away - and she wants to BE with them.
Have guests pick up treats on the way in - they give her pats and treats when she SITS for them. If she jumps up they leave the house or she leaves the room. She gets NO attention - not even a glance - unless she is behaving accordingly.
For outside, it should be the same. No attention unless she's relatively calm. No running around (IE don't have kids or people run around with her) and remove her if she gets too rowdy (i would keep her on a long line so you can catch her without playing a game of chase.)
This worked for my dog. It took a while, but dogs want to be with people. So if people leave when they do certain things the dog learns to NOT do them (sort of like teaching a puppy not to play roughly.)
My GSD does the exact same thing and he is currently being kenneled for his bad behavior. Part of the problem is lack of trust in your leadership ability, which can be resolved with dog training with a qualified trainer.
My dog is a foster dog and he was bounced around quite a bit in his young life. So, I am trying to rehabilitate his problem areas with help from my vet and his trainer. Another issue that my dog suffers from that maybe a symptom that your dog has is the inability to properly judge their bite inhibitions.
This problem occurs when they think that they rule the house and lack proper socialization skills. So, try giving your dog a toy or a chewy every time someone comes to visit. Also encourage your guest to reward your pet with a small biscuit treat when they remain calm with follow up praise from you.
Please understand that even though your dog does not mean to be overly playful. Some people may not tolerate your dog's nipping and could report it as an aggressive dog. It is very important that you follow up these issues with a consultation with your vet and a qualified dog trainer.
Best of luck to you.
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