My goldie is now 7 months. He is quite big, excitable and strong willed and has taken to suddenly running off to other dogs. He is sooooooooo good at the beginning of the walk leaving others alone when I tell him to "Leave" and rattle my bottle of stones, or I call him to me treat him and either get him to stay close or put him on his lead if the other dog is walking nearby as he is very excitable and jumps all over the other dog. He gets too much for some of the older dogs.
But when he gets it into his head to go he runs hell for leather completley ignoring my stop command, shake of stones, whistle.....everything I have tried so far.........and races off to a dog. On a couple of occassions now they have been smaller dogs and much to my mortification and their owners anger he has chased them round  and nipped at them. The first owner rightly yelled at me to get my dog. I was running over as fast as I could knowing he would not come back if called. The other owner was about to hit him with a stick he had saying he was biting his puppy (poor 5 month old springer) I could only apologise..............I cried all the way home. The other was a terrier and the woman pulled mine off and he actually came back to me as I was running over. She gave me lots of dirty looks and stormed off before I could ask what he had actually done....I guess he nipped!
He is so good the rest of the time I do not want to resort to extending leads, muzzles etc. I am trying to walk away from home...so we get in the car and drive out when I have time. I am so worried, especially in the current aggressive dog climate. HHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEllllllllPPPP!!!!!

Sorry Lyn - but you ARE going to have to use a long lead (I personally use a lunge lead) - and maybe even a muzzle - until you can train him out of these bad habits.   Yes, he is still a puppy - but he is a BIG puppy - and he does have to learn good manners!

There is no point in crying all the way home - it isn't going to help the situation - you have it in your control to take control - and this you do have to do, if you are going to have a well-mannered boy.   It will happen - but YOU must be in control - and if you can't trust him to come back every time, then you do have to keep him on a lead.

Margot

i agree you must keep him under control. becasue one day he is ging to pick the wrong dog to mess with and is going to get seriously injured.

a small terrier type i useds to own hated other dogs comign over and messing with her, and she woudl nto of thought twice at attacking a dog that started on here. even thoguh she was good as gold other than that.

a long line and a muzzle is going to have to be your first point of call, maybe some training sessions. your pup has learnt that this behaviour causes alot of attention and so is fuled by this.

nipping it in the bud now, coudl hopefulyl mean that when your dog matures they will no longer have to ware the muzzle and long line. however if not sorted now, you could end up with a dog that continues to do this for ever.

Yes, I agree,  labs especially are still in training mode and can be quite a handful for at least the first 2 years you need to be on your guard and not let it down.  I know he is a big boy and you proberbly think of him as an adult almost ;-), but he isn't, infact he is a looooong way from being anything like an adult.

Therefore you can not trust him off lead, he will run off, he will get excited, he will bounce and jump all over other dogs, children, old people, pregnant people, and us ordinary folk just wanting a nice plesant walk, he may also get the urge to chase a jogger or two or a cyclist, you can not let your guard down, he is also testosterone charged or coming up to it and that will cause him to run and seek out every dog he can find, which could also account for the nipping of other dogs and nasty male to male encounters. I agree with a long lead, practise and practise some more with the long line on for recall, and walk to heal work, you seem to have the jist of what you are doing, continue with your training, but you have a moral and legal obligation to protect other people and dogs from your bouncing, charging loveable youngster.

He will absolutely calm down with age, but you must keep up the training and keep in control of him, labs are extremely bouncy as youngsters and you have a while to go yet until he calms down.

Good luck and get that long line. :-)

just agreeing with what everyone else has said really, i know what you are saying, i have been there, however i eventually realised when i got upset at my dogs behaviour that it was my fault because i had chosen to trust him with freedom that his training was not ready for.
its up to us what our dogs do and it all comes down to where and when they are let of the lead and keeping up regular training. you cant just wait for him to grow up and i think a long lead is a good idea, that way you can call him back for regular reward based recalls in the face of distractions and set him up for sucess, it worked for me and believe me i'm a complete novice.hang in there good luck.

I havent tried the long lead but I have used a muzzle as a 'just in case' precaution.  I dont use it every time but I just wondered why you were against them?  I've been told by behaviourists and trainers - dont be afraid to use these training aids to manage the situation while you continue training... I would suggest its worth trying both and see what makes you most relaxed.  My dog is older though and it isnt a recall problem with him - he has always come back - he just doesnt like little dogs running up to him - he has snapped but never nipped them - but I like to be safe.  Why not just give it a try and if you cant bear it then put it away -
Good Luck
Max 

No one has mentioned controlled socialisation with other dogs.  does he ever get to meet other dogs or do you always try to get away from them?  If the later then it could be that he is frustrated at never being able to interact with his own kind and also not knowing how to do it correctly.  Also he will see the other dogs as more exciting if he doesn't have regular canine interaction.

I agree with Brainless, a lot of dogs go mental when let off because they have not been exposed to controlled situations with other dogs since puppyhood and so the lure of other dogs becomes overwhelming.

However, in the interim I would strongly suggest that you DO keep your dog on the lead if you do not have a reliable recall because you are putting your dog at risk from other less sociable dogs (and owners) and possibly risking his life if he decided to leg it over a road etc etc etc.

Perhaps you could find a good 1:1 trainer, or go on a course such as the following by a well known and respected trainer who is a member of the APDT?

DOG TRAINING -- FOR CONTROL

AT A DISTANCE!



Do you have a stop command?

Do you have an instant recall?

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                                                        Sunday 12th November 2006

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It's not a behaviour workshop

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Registration: 9.30 a.m. Coffee    Workshop: 10.00 a.m.-- 4.00 p.m. 

I understand that point about the socialising and it has crossed my mind. I do allow him to go to bigger dogs but often they do not want to know as he is so boisterous. I have been looking for classes to take him to but they are often evenings or saturdays and we both work then so it is hard. But I have not given up. I live in Bedfordshire/ Hertfordhire if anyone knows of any classes or anyone who has similar dogs who want to play!!??
For a couple of days now he has been good. I have walked in less busy fields and he has left other dogs and people even being off his lead. I call and make him stop and wait if he goes too far ahead or about to go out of my sight on a bend and he is really good at that until I get there so I can see who is around. I have bought a little squeeky toy to attract his attention which works well and I got an 8 meter lead which I put him on if there is a small dog around.

Goldens are big looneys until around 3yrs my male was a hooligan at the same age and you are entering puberty, nip it in the bud now, walk him on a lead and near other dogs as others have said, he needs to get used to other dogs, do you take him to classes, if not maybe a good idea, for him to get used to other dogs.
He will calm down eventually you just have to ride the ride and nip bad habits now...
Good luck.

I am going to a class on friday and I have told them about this "problem" although he seems to be getting better?

I have tried some of the previous suggestions but have to let you know that I am now suffering from a rope burn and a bruise the size of a golf ball on my right hand and my right shoulder is agony. I explain.......I was trying him on a training lead when after unwrapping us from around a tree I turned to set off on the walk I thought we were heading on when my arm was pulled almost out of its socket and I landed with a thud on the ground. Pep shot in the air at the other end of the rope as he reached the end at high speed and the rope around my hand was pulled tight leaving me with a burn and bruise as mentioned. Slightly winded I staggered to my feet my shoulder and hand throbbing. Poor lad rushed over to his mum all worried. Bless him it wasnt his fault he was just running around as he usually does and forgot he was on the end of a lead.
Nice to know it gets better in a few years time???!:rolleyes: In the meantime I keep trying.

Your dog is my dogs worst nightmare! He's only being a big puppy, but its these big pups/over excited dogs that jump on top of my small terrier and terrify her- after a couple of these incidents she started to react aggressively, and now if a big dog approaches her boisterously she will just snap and nip as she is so scared of what they are going to do to her!
You mention its your dog thats doing the nipping- what if he jumps on a dog that aint having it- and injures you pup? Keep trying, try basic recall methods. Start in the home, make a noise that he connects with treat and once he comes to you, treat. Condition him to the noise and reward, then go in garden, using bigger spaces.

goodluck!x