Hi All,

I need a little advice. My very friendly 7 month old golden retriever gets too over excited at visitors when they come in, and I'm at a bit of a loss what to do.

Example - last night we had a guest who, when he knocked on the door, we walked Roxy clamly out of the front room so we could let him in. The reason we do this is that when we open the door and not keep hold of her she runs right out of the house to greet whoever it is. So when we try to hold onto her while we opened the door and she strains like a looney until we let her go. She then rushes up, jumps up (usually with a paw in the groin - which she did last night - I could have died!) and almost knocks people over!! This is going to be a huge problem when she's fully grown/children are around.

Without fail, we've always advised our visitors to turn thier back until she's sat down, but in those first few seconds she's uncontrollable. Favourite foods/toys mean absolutely nothing - she just jumps all over people. If we put her in the dinning room she goes absolutely mental, and doesn't really get to the root of the training issue. We try to tell her to sit, but she utterly ignores us.

This love of everyone is also a problem in the park, when she's off as well as on lead. I'm so careful to ensure that I only let her off when I know I'll be able to call her back - i.e.no other dogs/distractions - but when she spots someone the other side of the park who's just come into view she's off. And I mean she goes really far. I have tried liver cake,toys, tuggies, the ball, sceaming like a banshee, running in the opposite direction to get her attention, and seriously, nothing works. So if I pop her on lead if I spot someone first she then goes utterly utterly mental because she can't go where she pleases - mental as in running and jumping and gasping and straining.

Is it because she's just a puppy? Or am I a rubbish trainer?

Thanks for any help...
Karen

If we put her in the dinning room she goes absolutely mental, and doesn't really get to the root of the training issue.

Is that with an actual DOOR closed, or a gate? If it isn't a gate, get one! She can then still SEE what is going on which helps. Then she will just have to like it or lump it :) and learn that she only gets attention when she has calmed down. :)

Afraid Goldens don't usually calm down until about their 8th birthday, its just their way. :D But they are easy to train and don't take long to realise what is expected, OR what they can get away with. :)

Afraid Goldens don't usually calm down until about their 8th birthday

Oh dear,my GR pup is only 14 weeks old - we've got a long time to go then :rolleyes:....... :D :D :D

I can fully sympathize as I have for the first time in all my years of owning dogs got one who behaves exactly the same, that I am failing to stop.  She is a rottie x GSD and now 11 months and huge and heavy.  I have tried everything and she will just not calm down when people visit.
I think part of my problem is she competes with my little JRT for attention as the day he was in the vets having the snip she was much calmer around people.
I have never had this problem and all my dogs until her have been good mannered around people, but she really has given me a big task.
People turning thier backs and ignoring doesn't work as she just jumps up thier backs wildly knocking them all over the place.  Tried a gate and she jumps it.

Bev

Most of my visitors are dog people so the jumping is not such a problem, but my Jozi (now 6) has to be first to meet visitors, so gets very OTT.

I use the water bottle mostly with people we know and dog people, but if I really need them not to get in your face then I keep hold of her for as long as it takes for her to calm down, ignoring her the whole time.

With the others it is enough to get a few stern 'Off's' in, repeated for each ones benefit, as of course they think it doesn't apply unless directed at them specifically

Once Jozi has relaxed totally (by this time visitors have been chatting having a cuppa etc) then I let her go and make sure people ingore her if she gets too pushy (head under hands, and trying to climb in their lap).

My daughter who isn't into the dogs these days only has to tell them 'out' and they leave the room as she rarely lets them say hello to her friends (boyfriend alergic and other friends likely to be in their glad rags on way out somewhere). 

It is the rewarding of the behaviour that causes it to go on, and if it doesn't work then they try even harder, as it has worked before (extinction burst).

So never answer the door without putting the pup on lead, and keep it so short she cannot get her feet off the ground (stand on it if needed), talk in low tones and praise very softly for appropriate calm behaviour.

If you must introduce her to visitors, put her on a short lead and make her lie down by your side when you are sitting down :D

Daisy

Anther tip is to put them behind a childgate as someone suggested (was it Goldmali?) and then just take guests into the kitchen for a while. After half an  hour the dog has usually calmed down and you can get guests into the room; dog can then be on a lead or tied to somewhere immoveable and given a stuffed kong to chew...after a while, a few weeks, dogs get to understand and usually get more keen on the kong than on visitors (this won't happen straight away though and is best if they are hungry, so if your dog has just had tea, treats etc and maybe a stuffed kong won't work - if visitors are expected, give the dog a LIGHT tea and then they will be more keen on the stuffed kong...;) ).

Usually then they lie around and forget to jump up...

Lindsay
x

"Tried a gate and she jumps it."

We have a SP puppy (12weeks) and were thinking of getting a full height wrought iron gate made for across the kitchen door, but found one specially for dogs at 42" high made by Lindam.
She's never tried jumping anything yet, and where the door is, there's not much room for her to get a run at it, so it'll certainly do for now.

Our dog tends to get a bit hyper after guests have gone !

This was going to be my suggestion too.  When someone comes to the door put her on a leash and keep her on it till she's calm.  ONLY pet her when she's calm.  ONLY allow the guest to pay attention to her when she's calm.

We actually use the water spray with the whippets but I suspect that would just be too much fun for your dog.

In whippets we call this EGD - Excessive Greeting Disorder - and believe me it's a LIFELONG disorder in Whippets!

Wendy

Well Karen you just described my 13 month old GR perfectly. He doesn't jump on people but the visiting in the park is just like mine. Still working endlessly with treats, training, long leads... He's an absolute angel at the training club. Perfect recall through dogs, great off-lead heelwork. But take him to the park and his brains turn to puppy-mash. I feel so bad that my choices are having an adolescent that never gets to run and play because so many people are upset by doggy visits or feeling so bad that my youngster has bothered someone.

8 years Goldmali - you have fully depressed me. He was restricted to lead only, light exercise between 7-12 months of age and I was hoping he might start calming down. I even thought I might get away with removing that long line by 2 years old. sigh

sorry no advice. Just a fellow rubbish trainer empathizing with you ;-)

Listening to others going through similar experiences is as useful as advice IMO. It's really reassuring to know that we don't have a completely unique nutter on our hands - everyones got one!!

This is the first dog I've owned, and I soooo want to get it right....

perhaps you two could come and walk with me and my 8 month old GR. He does go off lead and has a good recall UNTIL he spots a person walking in the distance and then he just wants to rush up to them. I have a neck like an owl now  - it constantly swivels almost 360 degrees where I have to scan the horizon ready to put him back on the lead if I see someone coming :) .  Once on the lead he will walk past them if a reasonably controlled manner and he is at last getting the hang of not jumping up at visitors to the house.

we have had similar difficulties with our 1yr old staffie , at last she is calming down. A tip i was given was to ensure that any one coming into the house ,wether family or friends, is to ask them to ignore her . No touching or even looking . After about half an hour we usually say a quick hello. Sometimes if i know people are coming over i give her either a stuffed kong or a toy when they knock, it keeps the dog distracted and busy, this has worked for us , its taken perseverance but paid off.

My goldie used to be like yours on walks, luckily he has calmed down and unless someone has eye cotact with him he walks straight by. Other dogs are another story. He also gets excited with visitors as well, which also seems to have calmed down as he used to go loopy. He now shows a little excitement then settles down. I think he thinks the our guests are coming to see him specifically. As everyone who comes round loves tyler he gets lots of attention, so i can't see him settling down any time soon.

No advice but just sympathy. We have a 7 month old retriever and I had to laugh as I clicked on the title knowing it would be another retriever owner! have exactly the same problem, our biggest one is with jumping up and the puppy trainer told us to ignore and then praise when he ists down but we have very few people to practise on as he doesnt do it with us. Also on walks, i see these people with dogs who arent interested and I think "how fantastic is that!" You dont live near in the new forest do you???!!

My 12 month old GR is exactly the same! :D  I do tell people to ignore him till he calms down but unfortunately they think he is adorable and ignore me instead! :( :p

>Also on walks, i see these people with dogs who arent interested and I think "how fantastic is that!" <

I feel the same way Cocopops. I ran into a woman in the local park on Friday with a 8 YO GR dog and he was just not interested at all. She said he never has been a silly, bouncy dog. Poor Milo, he doesn't find many dogs that are interested in bouncing around with him. I'm in Newcastle but my mother-in-law lives next to the new forest. I'll keep my eyes open for another silly retriever when we visit.

Is this another Champ dogs competition? I win I win!!!! I've the maddest people greeting dog ever!!!!   Mine can rocket launch and missile greet our guests!  Anyway....can we set up a match to see who's dog wins ...? :D 

...but I'm sure if guests weren't so excitable and just stopped their awful screaming then my dogs would be much much calmer.

;)

>I think he thinks the our guests are coming to see him specifically

pups and children can be so alike! only my youngest son was an absolute terror for attention-seeking with visitors when he was about 3 and i can still remember telling him that not every guest had come to see him. his response was "but they want to really so i have to make sure they know i'm here!".

he did improve with age i'm pleased to say. as did nips who now, at the advanced age of nearly 10 months, actually does stop the yap and sit down quietly after the initial joy of greeting visitors. but i reckon it's luck rather than any skill on my part! that and the fact that we've managed to train visitors to ignore the gobby little divil if he gets gobby. ;)

My two and a half GSD is just the same. We have tried all sorts with little or no success. The best we have so far is to put her in her crate and leave her there for 30 mins. By this time she has calmed down but as soon as I go to open up the crate she gets exited again but not as much as giving her free reign. My daughter has an ageing Doberman x GSD and she was seven before calming down so there is hope yet, just need to be patient.

Good to read that other puppy owners have exactly the same problem.  My nearly 10 month old Welsh Springer Spaniel is just mental when it comes to visitors.  On Friday I locked her into the kitchen after we got three visitors and she could see us through the glass panelled door, but what howling noise she made.  I feel so embarrassed...the same when out for a walk...I'm always on the look out for other people, dogs, cyclists and joggers.  Fortunately being a Spaniel, she has her nose commonly on the ground and that gives me a fair chance to spot all these "great give it a chase" objects first and I can call her back and put her on a lead.  
I totally agree, that visitors are difficult to train, because when I say, to please ignore the dog then I normally get a "but, ohh, she is lovely, I don't mind" answer and I get ignored.  If the dog doesn't listen to my warning "no" and "A-A" she is put in the kitchen.  I fell that esp. dog people seem to think that I'm awfully strict and fussy with the pup, after all "she is so lovely".

Maybe we should put the naughty visitors in the kitchen and ignore them and leave the dog in the lounge! :D :D

Great idea!!!  That would be also the last time that they disturb the peace in the house :) :)

and they could do the washing up while in there! :p

At last!! there  are more of us!! my golden retriever 'Sasha' is a right buggar. I have actually had success (well to a degree), with the lil bones from pets at home? basically, when on walks, wait for a reasonably quiet moment off the lead, ive found that calling her back every few minutes, making her sit, then praising her works. Coupled with making her sit and holding half of 1 of these bones in front of her whilst any distraction passes whenever shes on the lead in the park, this works as long as you dont look away to ackowledge the person/cyclist. If this doesnt work, take up running...if you cant get her to stop you might aswell join her

at 6 months my dog was all over visitors, now after a brief sniff he looses interest, unless its someone he adores.i dont think its anything I did, just age, hes 3.

I thought I was the only person to have this problem.  The Gruesome Twosome (BC litter mates!) go absolutely barmy when visitors arrive...Trouble is they are also competing with each other in getting the attention...Tara is very good when firmly told to 'Sit' she sits obediently in front of the visitor one minute and then she launches herself into the air and often manages to lick the tip of the visitor's nose...Very scary for some people even when they have been duly warned...

>'Sit' she sits obediently in front of the visitor one minute and then she launches herself into the air and often manages to lick the tip of the visitor's nose...Very scary for some people even when they have been duly warned...

My 14 month old Newfie does exactly the same thing, given the chance!!

I had the same problem but luckily buffy is only small though can still pack a punch!! usually in the groin!! We taught her to "in the front room" with clicker training, we then started closing the gate... then asking her to lie down behind the gate.. we then started asking her to do this when someone came to the door, this took a while.. we even use this when someone leaves the house so she doesnt leg it down the road out the front door. She then wouldn't get to say hello until she was calm we would just stand in the hall (very inviting to our guests...not!!). This worked for about 6 months and then she started yapping (and oh my god is it loud and high pitch!) from the time the door went untill she got to meet the person. We tried everything, she would still be in the front room behind the gate lying down :) but god would she yap.. after some perserverance and failure we have got a spray collar and some help from our trainer and it is working my dog is now sitting/lying behind the gate quietly then you let her out, she flys at the visitor at 90mph braking hard then sitting in front of them to say hello, about to burst-  but she is doing it!! i'm so proud...! However with the summer - she is using her sit pose to lick feet in sandals... such a nice welcome!!

This is one of our success stories.... I still cant leave her and cant let her off the lead!!