Tired of fighting with DIMITRI...

Ah, Rodrigo, Rodrigo,

Dimitri is still a puppy. He is doing puppy behaviours. I wouldn't want him doing them to me either! But patience and persistence is what will win.

For charging thru the door before you: can you put a short (1 foot) lead on his collar; something you can grab as he charges by?

For nipping: Have you yelped? Have you tried giving him a 15 second time-out?

For all his naughty behaviours: How much exercise does he get? Is he supposed to get it by himself in the yard or do you take him for frequent walks? Labs are very energetic and he needs an outlet.

Unfortunately, puppies need patience and persistence to finally become that "perfect dog."

Good luck,
kjd

OK, Rodrigo,

I think I see your problem. What you have is a very tired husband, a sick wife, and a very energetic puppy.

Dimitri needs a lot more exercise than he is getting. Think of your early school days: when recess came, didn't you charge out onto the playground, ready to work off spending hours at the desk? Dimitri does see you as the pack leader. He may understand your wife is unable to play with him like he wants. So you get home and it is "Daddy! Daddy! Let's go out and play! I want to play! Come on!" When you leave in the morning, it is "Daddy! Don't go! I want to play!" As a puppy, trying to get this across to a human, he jumps and nips. Not knowing his own strength, he hurts.

Unless he gets the exercise he needs, Dimitri is apt to get worse. Is there anyone in your neighborhood you can trust to play with Dimitri during the day? Or take him for walks? If you could get some children to do this for you, you'd find Dimitri greeting you at the door with "Hi, Dad. It's awfully late. Could we go to bed now?" Ok, he might not get that tired, but he would no longer be a pest. You could play a few quieter games in the house before bedtime.

If not neighborhood kids, is there dog-walking service that could come by twice a day and take him for a long walk? The walks let him experience new things while he is getting exercise.

Third choice: Get a treadmill and teach Dimitri to use it. Then have him on it a couple of times a day. This isn't as good as the other choices because it is pretty boring. But it will provide his muscles an outlet.

Once the edge is taken off his energy, your wife may be able to play some quiet games with him. I use to kick a ball to one of my dogs. She would bring it back and I'd kick it again. When doing this, I didn't have to get out of the chair and I didn't have to touch the ball -- it was all floor work. Actually, I'd kick it to the dog and she'd nose it back at me!

I don't know how sick your wife is or what she can do, but if she is confined to bed, you might teach Dimitri to bring things to her -- out of tissues? Dimitri, get the box! Phone fell on the floor? Dimitri, bring me the phone! He can even learn to turn the light on and off at command. If she is simply, miserably sick (the "leave me alone to die" kind), Having Dimitri out of the house for a few hours everyday will help them both.

Remember that Dimitri is a happy, energetic, youngster. He does not know how to entertain himself in an appropriate manner. He is looking to you, his leader, to give him what he needs. Both of you are frustrated because you haven't been able to communicate well with one another. As the leader, you have to take responsibility for the communication gap.

Rodrigo, you have a tough job ahead of you. I hope you have neighbors that can help you. That is the best, as well as the cheapest, solution. I also hope your wife gets better.

Good luck, let us know if any of these suggestions helped,
kjd

Hi! thanks a lot for your help

We were thinking of getting another pup... so Dimitri can play and have a partner while we are out.

We love Dimitri and want him to be ok all the time.

Do you think it's a good idea? I know there will be other issues maybe until we adjust their pack behavior... We would like another Golden Retriever male.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance!

Rodrigo

Hi Rodrigo,

I am totally in agreement of what kjd said.

Getting another dog doesn't solve your problem. It will only double or triple your problem. You will first correct Dimitri's unfavorable behaviors.

It will take a lot of patience to correct his bad behaviors but it is a part of owning an animal. Bringing Dimitri another dog is just like buying a lot of toys to a bad behaving kid. The kid will be happy and play with the toys but it does not change his bad behaviors.

It is your decision at the end but I thought you should be aware of the worst case senario.

Work on his problems for a few months before you consider adding another dog. Also, not all dogs can get along perfectly with each other, so it is possible that you will end up having 2 misbehaving dogs that fight all the time

Take care of first thing first

Rodrigo,

I'm happy to see you are able to take Dimitri out for walks more. It is good for you all.

Soon you are going to have the "best dog in the world"! (But you will have to get through his adolescence.)

Good luck to all three of you,
kjd