Help!i have a 11month goldie and she is fine when walking off lead when no ones about she will return to me no probs. But as soon as she sees another dog, or person she runs to them to play! she can be playing in the water quite happily and she hears them before i do and runs before i get a chance to put her lead on.She also follows people without dogs!!! it seems a shame to keep her on a lead all the time, but i dont know what else to do! please can soneone help?

You need to make yourself more interesting & train her! so you build up a lovely partnership! At the moment she sees others as more interesting & fun than you.

Id be training her lots to build up your "partnership" using Key words to "switch" her on to you, with the use of toys/titbits.

Have you ever taken her to a training class?

i did take her to training classes and she was excellent except for she barked all the way through every session ,,the whole course nothing would deter her toys, treats. the trainer tried all methods and had to shout throu every session!She was only happy when she was demonstrating, she has also just started royal canine sensitive food cause she had a bad tum so i wasnt able to give her any treats everything went throu her. I did find training classes very very helpful but im worried about going back because of the frenzy she causes by barking

Keep up your training, do little bits every day & really play with her too, this will build up your bond. As shes a Gundog she may like Retrieve & searching games,

My friend does Scent on Leaves this time of year with her dogs!!!!

Ah We've all been there Marie, your girl is at the teenage stage I'm afraid were all previous training pretty much gets ignored in favour of her doing what she wants

The trick is perseverance, maybe use an extending lead and a harness until she's over this stage - or unless you're in an enclosed space where you can be sure you won't see anyone else. This may seem a bit drastic as she's probably very friendly, but you don't want her getting into the habit of ignoring you. Try never to call her when she's distracted (just for the next wee while), for example if you know she's not going to come back don't call her, go after her. Never scold her when you get her. Practise recalls in the house, the garden, the park when it's quiet and other times when she's not distracted - call her and give her lots of praise and yummy treats for returning. Try never to call her to get her lead on apart from in an absolute emergency - at all other times just try to walk up to her and clip her lead on when you want to go home. That way calling her is always positive, and she'll soon learn that it pays to come racing back to you.

Other things to try are taking a toy on a walk and being as entertaining as possible but to be honest I don't think that works that well with most breeds, it does with my collies who very easily become toy obsessed.

If you stick to the above as much as possible she'll get better pretty quickly. They do obviously outgrow the teenage stage anyway, but you want to get through it with positive connections :)

Oops sorry Michelle, it took me so long to type my reply that you had posted meantime. I certainly didn't mean my post to be contradictory to yours. Both systems work well with different dogs :D

Its not contridictory, yours is a training method ! & the dog needs training! Goldies are lovely dogs, only want to please,just need showing the right way!

I agree with what the others have said, (I have a Golden too) you need to make yourself far more interesting to your girl than anythign else is, easier said than done at times!

What is often helpful is if she learns that whatever she is running towards is not that interesting anyway, so if you have a friend or friends with dogs, or even friends without dogs, get them to help you. Go to a park or field at a time when there are no other dogs or walkers about, have your friends walking around as if they don't know you (dogs on leads so under control if there are any) and when your dog runs up to them, get them to completely ignore her. Let her get to them, and then call her back, giving lots of encouragement and offering her a really tasty treat or a game with a toy when she gets back. Do this a few times, and in different places if you can,. and she'll soon start to think it's more fun being with you.

I do find that contrary to popular belief, Goldens are not realy food orientated.

Its nice to know its just not me, Imust admit i do call her to have her lead on whilst we are out. And she always comes sits as good as gold to have it on.O,f course unless another dog is around then i have no hope! I have a extending lead which i used to walk her on, and believe it or not on a short lead she actually walks to heel. I will persevere andf try your methods thank you all for your advice, I have taken on board everyones advice and help, thank you all.

"Other things to try are taking a toy on a walk and being as entertaining as possible but to be honest I don't think that works that well with most breeds, it does with my collies who very easily become toy obsessed."

Yep have to agree, except in the most Velcro breeds Mum is never going to be as interesting as other things as she is there every day.

Lots of training so that recall becomes almost second nature, lots of fun and treats while being recalled when not needed, so she doesn't associate recall with the end of her fun, but being taken away from play or to go home.

It might also pay to link recall with what she wants to do, in other words she gets to greet people after she has come back to you ans is on lead, rather than get marched away.

In the park it is likely people will be happy to say hello to her if you ask once she is on lead.  Same with other dogs, get her back and walk over ans ask if she can say hello and play.  Especially if the other dog is reliable on recall she can be allowed a short game, other owner calls their dog so yours comes too and you can get her on lead and praise.

Many people are happy to help with you training your dog as they will see that it pays them to have your dog trained then it will not be charging up to them and their dogs in an uncontrolled way.

Goldies are very very very trainable though ,they are THE most successful Gundog breed @ obedience, holding their own & beating the Collies at all levels

Ah but that is in the hands of someone who can train, the average Golden pup is pretty immature and headstrong if those I have met are anything to go by.  Once the owner gains their interest then the training can progress.

I meet a lot of very untrained and madly disobedient Springers, another very trainable breed for those who know how, but often very hard work for a novice owner, as the dog is just way ahead of the owner s abilities all the time.  Not to mention totally neurotic manic collies that chase people, cyclists, and dogs nipping at them.  all breeds that are very trainable, but conversely they need the training to be livable with. 

The average dog owner is ovedogged when they own a high drive or very willful dog, a good trainer will rub their hands with glee as they can work with this material.

Which is why people need to continue training! People do a 8-12week course & think thats it (not talking about OP here but in general) & then dont do anything else, think that its trained for life, no further input required1!!!!!

I had a springer before my goldie and he never went to training classes in his life but was a beautiful dog for all the 15 years that i had him. He was so well behaved and im sure part of it was due to him spending lots of time with my parents dog who must have taught him a thing or to! which is why i have asked the question as well as going to training classes which i shall be doing does anyone think its a good idea to have another dog?

Catch 22 Dogs do learn from each other, so you could end up with 2  running off! get the goldie sorted first! You sound quite sensible so im sure you will sort it out!

Yep, been there too. :D Good news is they do outgrow it, and in the meantime I'd go with what Mish and Tigger have said. I have a flatcoat and a gsp and for short periods I can get both of them focused on a tennis ball so they'll ignore all else and walk to heel. I keep tennis balls for short exciting fun play sessions - and they both love to hunt for the ball in the long grass. The flatcoat will do anything to get to retrieve it from water (it's how I've finally taught him 'watch me'!). They are by no means perfect, but when I compare it to when they were younger.... :rolleyes:

Hi everyone well i have just taken her for a walk very successful i spent a lot of time on recall zig zagging across the field and she came to me every single time but on the way home another dog came out of a field and she layed on the floor and wouldn't move! as you all know goldies are quite heavy dogs i tried treats to coax her but she just lays there in a submissive position to the other dog help! she moved eventually when the other dog passed but then just wanted to pull and follow which i corrected does anyone know why she is so submissive is it just a play thing??:rolleyes:

She's being perfectly sensible, lying down shows the approaching dog she's not a threat, and its the way to avoid trouble. Keep going to the training classes, no dog behaves at them at first as there are so many distractions - but thats the point of them :) Eventually they do start to listen to you no matter whats happening around them. Also very importantly training classes are great for socialisation.

yes i can see what your saying about her showing she isn't a threat to the other dog, she will do it every time even when she runs off after other dogs she lays down. With the training classes all the other people had other dogs at home who were older and had seemed to teach the new pups their manners. I will go back to training classes and persevere, because i really do want to do whats best for her and give her the best and make it a pleasure for everyone when we are out,she is very inteligent and very quick to learn but just seems so far away in the areas im worried about.Does anyone think it would be a good idea to get another dog now or in the near future, I would love for her to have company but am worried that im not training her properly first

No no and thrice no.  You only get another dog once the first is trained to your satisfaction and beyond.

lol, it may seem a bit harsh but Brainless is right. You shouldn't ever get another dog until the one you have is fully trained. If she is having problems and you get another dog suddenly they become not twice the work but 3 or 4 times. Dogs copy other dogs and if close together in age will bond more with each other than with you and then they'll both take off I'm afraid, and you'll have an even harder time getting their attention :)

i did think that myself but just wanted reassurance that i was making the correct decision

You've described most of the young GRs I've met (and two of them live with me :-D) My dog was a horror for wanting to meet every living thing he saw (and yes, goldens are always on their back!). I kept working at it, went to training classes every week, did some training every day. I have 3 long lines. :-D He got through it and at about 18 months old turned into The Good Dog. He finally figured out that most other dogs weren't really all that fun - not compared to chasing the long kong in the ocean waves. :) I know a lot of goldens that aren't that toy obsessed so I really struggled on the fields but I discovered that retrieving in water was his favourite thing to do. When we were still working at it I always tried to instill in his head that he only met dogs when I said he could. So if close enough than a good recall meant I'd tell him to go play (always did this with dogs I knew from walking in the same place). If he was too far and I couldn't count on him coming back I told him to sit. I'd get a sit easier than a recall. When he did as I asked he got the good dog, go play release. 100% recall would have been better but you take what you can get sometimes. ;-)

His recall is great now. My second puppy came home when he was just shy of 2 YO and that worked for us. He is such a good, steady dog; great manners with people and other dogs. Thank goodness! Looking back getting a puppy sooner would have been horrible. My bitch puppy has never been that interested in other dogs and has been much easier to work with. I think that it's partly her nature as she's more biddable than my dog, and partly because I'm a better handler now. Raise your girl now and you'll be all the better prepared for your second dog when she's grown up. :)

i bought a long kong for her .but she retrieved it once and that was it she seems so easily distracted she will play with her toys indoors, but whilst out she wont retrieve a ball she just wants to explore! or try to pick up a stick that is far far tooo big for her and drag it along.I always have to keep her on her lead once she has run after other dogs else she will just follow them. Only once they are out of sight and she is once again alone can i let her off

Oh my dog wouldn't retrieve on land unless I really asked him to, certainly doesn't enjoy it. Retrieving in the ocean is another story.

In the fields I found that large branches were my friend. Like your girl Milo loved them so I made them dance, ran around the field dragging them, spun around bouncing them and he chased them. Much better than any boring old ball! That's the trick, to find out what your dog thinks is a toy, it's often not on the shelves in the pet store. :) If you do meet someone who doesn't mind their dog playing with yours use them. Let her play, when she looks at you call her, make a big fuss, give her a great treat and send her back to play again. A lot of dogs only get recalled to come away from the fun. Make playing with other dogs her reward for coming back (think Brainless mentioned that one above somewhere)

i definately think she is the same ball games are boring to her,. thou she plays indoors. thou lately she has been standing shaking her toys from side to side and ends up going dizzy which is a worry!its just her way of playing on her own, but i do worry that she may do some damage to herself!maybe i should only let her have toys to play when we play together?i will try your suggestion about the branches and try that with her because she does love to play with branches and she loves to retrieve rocks from the river bed.

>thou lately she has been standing shaking her toys from side to side and ends up going dizzy which is a worry

Awww LOL Bless :D

You sound like such a good and caring owner :) Dont worry,most dogs "kill" their toys and shake them from side to side first.

That's the trick, to find out what your dog thinks is a toy, it's often not on the shelves in the pet store.

That is so true Lori - our GR does not retrieve toys or balls, is not interested in toys at all when out on a walk but, find and throw fir cones and you have 110% focus and attention :) I now have pocket fulls of the things and even use them at training club when introducing something new :)