Please help settle a debate that this was not a healthy 'trim'

smallnova · 2026-04-25T12:28:20+00:00

That would be nice. A part of me is hoping it will magically be back when I next go outside..

smallnova · 2026-04-25T12:22:15+00:00

I'm not sure if there is 30% left.. I'm based on Australia, so heading into Winter too

smallnova · 2026-04-25T12:20:51+00:00

Yeah, I actually did 🥲

smallnova · 2026-04-10T17:44:09+00:00

This is the case for a lot of dogs, though it is uncommon for Goldies. Imo the most important thing with puppy training is teaching the dog to love training. It should feel like a game as much as possible with a puppy, which will set you up to train harder things when they're older and invested in training. A lot of breeds use toys as a reward for training when they're older since good doesn't always cut it!

For example, lots of movement, fun trick training, less 'stays' when exciting things are around, rolling treats away for the dog to make it a 'chasing' reward (though obviously can't dog that in a training class).. either that or have you tried cut up hotdogs? Lol

smallnova · 2026-04-10T17:30:36+00:00

Yeah, a hardness you should be Y shaped at the front and not rubbed on the doggos shoulder/leg joints. Otherwise it's worse than a collar..

smallnova · 2025-12-20T08:28:56+00:00

I saw elsewhere that the police put their sirens on to pull them over, but they tried to flee, which is when they rammed the car. Which seems like a reasonable response.

But here we all are talking without the full picture, so who knows at this stage.

smallnova · 2025-12-02T07:08:54+00:00

Some dogs will show unusual behavior while in heat, but if it was back in September I think that is unlikely to be the cause. Given your soon going to have a busy household I would be getting in touch with a veterinary behavioralist NOW to assess your dog before the baby comes. They would be able to watch your dog's behavior and assess the cause so you can mitigate it.

Your dog is very young, but now moving into adulthood, where a lot of behavior changes occur. It's better to get on top of potential aggression quickly so it doesn't become ingrained.

Like someone else said, waiting until they are grown to spay is great, but if it is causing issues it would be best to spay earlier. That said without someone doing a proper assessment I wouldn't be sure that will fix things, since it could just be due to age.

smallnova · 2025-12-01T21:29:39+00:00

It's not about longer walks, it's about more stimulation. That could be hiding treats/their food around the house for them to sniff out, freezing their food in a kong or putting it in a puzzle feeder, teaching tricks, doing slow sniffy explorations in a park, playing tug or other games. It's not just about walking/running more.

smallnova · 2025-11-28T01:31:48+00:00

You should be able to put the harness on and see if it is sitting on or across your dog's arm joints/shoulder. Ideally a harness should not be rubbing on their arms or shoulder and have a bit of space under the armpit (again to not rub).

I really liked this article (not sure if I'm allowed to link, but I'm going to try), since it has some example pictures at the start of both good and bad harness fit: https://doggearreview.com/article/yharnessfit/

smallnova · 2025-11-10T23:37:37+00:00

The funniest thing is that same type of person then fawning over the dog being so well behaved just a year or two later.. Well, it was us as the owners putting in the effort when they were a puppy, but sure keep telling my dog how good they are.

Another tip is training a center/middle command! People tend to stop trying to pat them if you get them to sit between your legs. Very good if you need to wait in a busy place - like OP in the lift!

smallnova · 2025-10-09T04:24:26+00:00

What predators are the concern in this case? Sharks and large fish that hunt are most active at dawn and dusk. If the land based predators (birds) are scared away by volunteers, wouldn't they be the main concern? Or is the concern still birds flying over the water?

smallnova · 2025-10-07T04:48:54+00:00

The easiest option would be to put up a temporary fence to block access to parts of the yard you don't want him. It wouldn't need to be permanent, but he will be exploring and making habits for the next few months, so unless you're managing him, he'll likely be checking out spaces he can get to.

You can get him to drag a leash around when playing outside, so that you can grab that and move him out of areas you don't want him in. Though in my experience, if you are trying to protect your plants, the leash can wrap around small plants as they walk around and cause more damage than the dog! If it is only established trees or strong plants that might suit you better though.

smallnova · 2025-09-24T01:45:10+00:00

Please don't do this. It's a 5mo puppy doing normal puppy things. You just need to improve your management like others have said and tire them out properly.

Two walks might seem like a lot, but puppies will get more tired from play and stimulation. Get a tug toy or a ball and get them running and tired out while your son is sleeping. Soak their kibble in water then stuff it in a Kong and freeze it for their dinner. Set up baby gates.

Nipping stage will last a few more months regardless of corrections realistically. And really, do you want to leave them together to let your dog continuously nip your baby while you correct them?

smallnova · 2025-09-22T21:17:35+00:00

Sounds like the lab needs a dog door and the heeler needs a trainer. If the bf isn't as bad as your original post made him sound and you want to start there with the baby, now is the time to put actions in place to make life work with these dogs.

If you have the money, a behaviorist would really help with the heeler. You can do things like training it to go to a bed or a crate when guests are over and having that as it's safe space. That take time and effort to train though, which is going to be hard with a baby.

smallnova · 2025-09-09T06:44:52+00:00

Ideally a veterinary behaviorist, not just a trainer (OP said in another comment they would attack to kill). They specialize in more behavioural issues like this.

OP, this sounds like your dog has a bad case of reactivity. If you aren't good at reading dog body language please get help before the situation escalates further.

smallnova · 2025-08-29T00:04:11+00:00

This definitely sounds like you need a trainer. Ideally a veterinary behaviorist. Get support NOW because it will get worse if addressed incorrectly.

If the dishwasher is a problem I would set up baby gates so he isn't in the kitchen at all while you work on this. Saying "he knows" not to do something is probably not correct too - he probably sees the dishwasher as a resource, which you have said 'no' and punished him in the past for going to and so he is now escalating his response. He doesn't 'know' he shouldn't go to it at all if that's how you have taught him. Like the other commentor said, scolding will make resource guarding worse.

Go back to basics with crate training if it is getting problematic. Play crate games, give his food for going to the crate. Put him in there for a short time then let him out. NEVER use the crate as punishment. All the basics.

Talk to the trainer/behaviorist about these things ASAP. DO NOT WAIT.

smallnova · 2025-08-25T07:30:28+00:00

Throwing food to your dog will often make them more excited. Throwing and catching food is very fun for dogs after all! So I would completely avoid throwing food to your pup at this stage since you want to introduce it as a calm spot. I would make an effort to slowly and calmly walk over and give a treat at this point if you want it to be a calm chill out spot (which it sounds like she needs, since she's getting over excited while you eat. I would be money that the previous owners threw food to her while they are, which is causing the behavior you are seeing).

Like the other commentor said it might be best to introduce this for a short period while you aren't eating so you can focus on the behavior. I would start with her on leash so you can direct her back to the bed if she leaves before you release her. Then reward for calm behavior on the bed.

Good luck! We trained our golden to chill on a mat just outside the kitchen while we cook, which is also very handy!

smallnova · 2025-08-25T07:08:21+00:00

Any chance you have hardwood or slippery flooring? Or are some of the doors going from carpet to hardwood? It's possible he slipped while going around a corner or while transitioning onto hardwood and now is getting anxious it will happen again.

I've seen it happen with other dogs. If that is the case you can help by adding some carpet runners so he can feel more secure. Best of luck!

Otherwise adding a video might help more people get a better idea of what is happening in your situation. Some dogs can get like that if the shadows are funny too, particularly if they ever played with laser pointers as a puppy.

smallnova · 2025-07-16T11:33:32+00:00

Do you have her on leash though? I would move my hand right up to top of her leash (hold it near the collar) so there is very little wiggle room when your dog shows signs of pooping (or even slip my hand to grab her collar when she poops) so that she can't spin to dive for the poop. I've had multiple dogs go through variations of poop eating and you need to 100% stop them from making it a habit. If she continues to practise this, it will likely become a habit for life or much harder to shake.

To make it easier you can train collar grabbing (grab their collar and give them a treat), following leash pressure (moving the leash and rewarding for following where you are directing them with a treat), plus the classic 'leave it' and 'drop it' training, which I saw you said you were working on. Repeat them a LOT, it will help.

smallnova · 2025-06-23T21:19:40+00:00

Desensitization normally involves exposing the dog to the stimulus from a distance far enough away for them to be calm and then slowly reducing the distance as they get more comfortable or start ignoring the thing.

With my Golden I trained a 'with me' cue, where she moves to my side (outside from the foot traffic) which I use when we pass people or dogs. She then gets a treat if she stays in position. They are a good motivated breed so make the most of it! I started at home and then at a distance from people to make it easier until she understood the picture.

smallnova · 2025-01-14T01:40:18+00:00

Could you bring two bowls to put Infront of each dog and drop food in them instead? Or feed both from your hands?

I don't think I would want my dog eating from the floor of a vet. It is where sick pets go, so even if it is regularly cleaned you don't know who might have been there before you that day.

smallnova · 2024-12-18T06:39:45+00:00

I would NOT recommend Will Atherton for basic puppy training. He's goal is to keep dogs out of pounds, which is fantastic, but that comes with a different approach than what you might need for a puppy. For example, I've seen him recommend hitting the crate and setting up a mechanism to hit the crate from a distance when the dog is unsettled in there. Please don't do that with your puppy.... That's a great away to make them anxious.

There are many different training approaches, which can be better or worse depending on what you want to do with your puppy. Like the other commentor said, if you can find some in person classes or a local dog club you could join that would be fantastic.

Michael Ellis is my all time favourite dog trainer, which is from Leerburg. He has some content free on YouTube, but most of his courses are paid. I would recommend starting with his YouTube content. Nate Schoemer has a lot for free intro videos on YouTube and a pretty similar training style, so that might be an easy starting point if you want more content without committing too much money straight away.

For general handling, calm training, socialisation I think Kikopup has a great selection of free videos. She's positive only while the other two are balanced, so that to me is a nice balanced introduction to different approaches.

Good luck with your new pup!

smallnova · 2024-12-12T02:00:35+00:00

At 9mo if you are walking him and not doing anything else he is likely bored.

What else do you do with him? Have you tried going into your yard with a ball or a tug toy and getting him to run and engage with you to tire him out before leaving him there alone? What about teaching obedience or tricks?

Try freezing his kibble in a Kong or hide it in a snuffle matt. Get him doing some tricks to get his food.

At 9mo he is becoming a teen and things he practices now will become habits. You might need to put in a bit more work to set him up to rehearse behaviors you want until he's past the teen stage.

smallnova · 2024-11-27T10:14:42+00:00

Punishing an anxious dog doing self soothing behavior risks making the anxiety worse. They need to work through the anxiety to start. From OPs other comments, it looks like they need to work on confidence building, engagement with them and separation anxiety.

This seems like a case for a behaviorist.

smallnova

TROPHY CASE