How to Train a Golden Retriever to Stop Chewing

Hello, When puppies are very little they chew because its a way to learn about the world around them and they are teething. Around six months a puppy's jaws begin to develop in strength and its normal to see a new resurgence of chewing, but this time the jaws are strong enough that the chewing is more destructive. You are likely in that phase and that's the reason for much of the chewing. First, I would purchase more durable toys. I would either stuff hollow toys like the black rubber kongs with treats to make those toys more enticing than household objects, or choose other chew toys that are durable and pup loves. Second, even if pup is fully housebroken, they still need to be crated at night and when you leave at this age. I generally don't recommend stopping daily use of the crate until at least 9-12 months of age (exact age depending on the dog). The main goal right now is to avoid this chewing phase turning into a long term habit that developed from Bella chewing while unattended without interruption. Practice your Leave It command again, and never reward with what pup is supposed to be leaving, give a separate treat. When pup does well with practicing with treats, then also practice with household objects pup likes to chew, rewarding for disengaging from that object and not lunging toward it when you drop it. Replace her bed with something more durable for a few months so she isn't developing a habit of chewing her bed. www.primopads.com or k9ballistics crate mats or cots are a couple of options you can look into. Exercise is always good, but mental stimulation can tire a dog out twice as fast as physical exercise alone, so even just adding some training into your daily routine or exercise you are already doing can work wonders. For example, when you play fetch, practice having pup Sit, wait, fetch on command, come, drop it, ect... Keep her guessing and having to practicing self-control amidst the excitement. During a walk, practice a structured heel where pup stays right by your side and pays attention, periodically practice sit stay, down stay, watch me, staying right by your side during sudden turns, ect...Make it fun with rewards and genuine praise but keep your energy at the energy you want her energy to be at. Have training sessions where you rotate what you practice, like Come, sit-stay, long down-stay, wait, leave it, place, heel, tricks, ect... Make her have to really think to earn rewards but also keep the training just easy enough she can still get it right and stay encouraged working with you. Feed meals in devices she has to work for, like pouring kibble into a kong wobble, easy puzzle toy, or regular kong. Most of all, try to stay encouraged, knowing that a lot of this is due to age. There are ways you can teach her and help, but time will also help if you can ensure the chewing isn't happening while unattended constantly. Retrievers are particularly prone to such chewing as bird dogs who work with their mouths. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Dec. 30, 2022

Hello Kaela, I would go back to the crate, but for to train pup to address the escaping and destructiveness in the crate, using a video camera and remote training collar, along with treats, to do so. Separation anxiety e-collar and treats video – James Penrith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3j882MAYDU The first step is to work on building his independence and his confidence by adding a lot of structure and predictability into his routine. Things such as making him work for rewards like meals, walks, and pets. Working on "Stay" and "Place," commands while you move away or leave the room, and teaching him to remain inside a crate when the door is open. Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg5DVPWIWo Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ I suggest hiring a trainer who is very experienced using both positive reinforcement and fair correction. Who is extremely knowledgeable about e-collar training, and can follow the protocol listed below, to help you implement the training. Building his independence and structure in his life will still be an important part of this protocol too. You will need an interrupter, such as a remote electronic collar, e-collar, with a wide range of levels. I recommend purchasing only a high quality collar, such as E-Collar Technologies Mini Educator or Garmin Delta Sport or Dogtra for this. If you are not comfortable with an e-collar then you can use a vibration collar (the Mini Educator and Garmin should also have a vibration mode) or unscented air remote controlled air spray collar. DO NOT use a citronella collar, buy the additional unscented air canister if the collar comes with the citronella and make sure that you use the unscented air. (Citronella collars are actually very harsh and the smell - punisher lingers a long time so the dog continues to be corrected even after they stop the behavior). The vibration or spray collars are less likely to work than stimulation e-collars though, so you may end up spending more money by not purchasing an e-collar first. The Mini Educator has very low levels of stimulation, that can be tailored specifically to your dog. It also has vibration and beep tones that you can try using first, without having to buy additional tools. Next, set up a camera to spy on him. If you have two smart devices, like tablets or smartphones, you can Skype or Facetime them to one another with your pup’s end on mute, so that you can see and hear him but he will not hear you. Video baby monitors, video security monitors with portable ways to view the video, GoPros with the phone Live App, or any other camera that will record and transmit the video to something portable that you can watch outside live will work. Next, put the e-collar on him while he is outside of the crate, standing, and relaxed. To learn how to put the collar on him, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLxB6gYsliI Turn it to it's lowest level and push the stimulation button twice. See if he responds to the collar at all. Look for subtle signs such as turning his head, moving his ears, biting his fur, moving away from where he was, or changing his expression. If he does not respond at all, then go up one level on the collar and when he is standing and relaxed, push the stimulation button again twice. Look for a reaction again. Repeat going up one level at a time and then testing his reaction at that level until he indicates a little bit that he can feel the collar. Here is a video showing how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cl3V8vYobM A modern, high quality collar will have so many levels that each level should be really subtle and he will likely respond to a low level stimulation. It's uncomfortable but not the harsh shock many people associate with such collars if done right. Once you have found the right stimulation level for him and have it correctly fitted on him, have him wear the collar around with it turned off or not being stimulated for several hours or days if you can (take it off at night to sleep though). Next, set up your camera to spy on him while he is in the crate. Put him into the crate while he is wearing the collar and leave. Spy on him from outside. Leave however you normally would. As soon as you hear him barking or see him start to try to escape or destroy the crate from the camera, push the stimulation button once. Every time he barks or tries to get out of the crate, stimulate him again. If he does not decrease his barking or escape attempts at least a little bit after being stimulated seven times in a row, then increase the stimulation level by one level. He may not feel the stimulation while excited so might need it just slightly higher. Do not go higher than three more levels on the mini-educator or two more levels on another collar with less levels right now though because he has not learned what he is supposed to be doing yet. For example, if his level is 13 out of 100 levels on the Mini Educator, don't go past level 16 right now. The level you end up using on him on the mini educator collar will probably be low to medium, within the first forty levels of the one-hundred to one-hundred-and-twenty-five levels, depending on the model you purchase. If it is not, then have a professional evaluate whether you have the correct "working level" for him. If he continues to ignore the collar, then go up one more stimulation level and if that does not work, make sure that the collar is turned on, fitted correctly, and working. After five minutes to ten minutes, as soon as your dog stays quiet and is not trying to escape for five seconds straight, go back inside to the dog, sprinkle several treats into the crate without saying anything, then leave again. Practice correcting him from outside when he barks or tries to escape, going back inside and sprinkling treats when he stays quiet, for up to 30 minutes at first. After 30 minutes -1 hour of practicing this, when he is quiet, go back inside and sprinkle more treats. This time stay inside. Do not speak to him or pay attention to him for ten minutes while you walk around and get stuff done inside. When he is being calm, then you can let him out of the crate. When you let him out, do it the way Jeff does is in this video below. Opening and closing the door until your dog is not rushing out. You want him to be calm when he comes out of the crate and to stay calm when you get home. That is why you need to ignore him when you get home right away. Also, keep your good byes extremely boring and calm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5GqzeLzysk I would also put a food stuffed Kong into the crate with him. Once he is less anxious he will likely enjoy it and that will help him to enjoy the crate more. First, he probably needs his anxious state of mind interrupted so that he is open to learning other ways to behave. Once it's interrupted, give him a food stuffed Kong in the crate for him to relieve his boredom instead of barking, since he will need something other than barking to do at that point. I would purchase a high quality crate that's more escape-proof as well. https://www.k9ofmine.com/heavy-duty-dog-crates/ Once pup is at least eighteen months old, has gone at least six months without destroying anything in your home they should leave alone, is fully potty trained, and is okay with being left alone after doing training in the crate, then you can ease pup into more freedom out of the crate while away gradually. To do this, leave the home for just five minutes while spying on pup with a camera from outside. If pup does well, leave for ten minutes the next time, then fifteen, twenty, thirty, fourt-five, one hour, hour and a half, ect...If pup doesn't do well one of the times, go back to crating for another 1-3 months then test again after that time. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Dec. 20, 2021