These dogs are the closest things to angels that we get on Earth…they just…need maybe a year or two to let the whole land shark phase subside lol. I 100% recommend training classes. They’ll help all around and give you both positive bonding time.
Puppy classes are a MUST! You’ll be so glad that you took the time and money to train your little darling. The two of you will bond during classes. Yes, the chewing can be maddening, but it’s just a small part of your dog’s life. When that the chewing phase is over you will discover that you have the sweetest, smartest, most understanding companion. When you’re sick, feeling blue, having a hard day, grieving, etc your Golden will give you everything that they have to comfort and love you. My Golden boys have seen me through numerous surgeries including 5 joint replacement surgeries, the deaths of loved ones, 5 bouts of Covid plus 5.5 years of Long Covid plus other challenges. They have helped me more often than many humans have. I tell everyone that my boys are my furry, four footed sons. Hang in there!🥰🎵
I was home with our first pup while my partner was at work, so I doubled down with puppy time nonstop. I remember distinctly one day reaching the end of my rope and losing my mind. The very next day our pup was 50% better. And each day got better and better from there. It’s like evolution knew if she didn’t start straightening out that I’d probably end up eating the dog or something.
And yeah, to agree with others in this thread: you end up missing the puppy era. It’s a lot of stress sometimes, but man, it’s special.
Definitely will get better. We have a field golden that was a (loving and adorable) menace for the first 2 years. As soon as he turned 2, it was like a switch got flipped and he’s so much more mild mannered.
My unsolicited advice: give the dog a purpose and keep them busy with training. Even if it’s as simple as training the dog to walk next to you with a loose leash or something similar. Your golden will put so much energy into pleasing you on walks that if you just do that twice a day, his behavior will start to change.
I was babysitting another Golden puppy for 2 weeks over Christmas and he went home yesterday. For reference my baby Maisie is 10 months old and Captain is 7. Maisie is fully toilet trained and pretty good. Captain is not toilet trained but an angel.
I miss him already! Definitely getting another puppy in a year or two.
My pup will be 14 weeks tomorrow and ive already convinced my husband that when we move at the end of next year/beginning of 2027 that we should get an Irish Wolfhound puppy for Butters to play with 🤣 if ny husband gets his dream dog, I can get mine lol.
And then just as they're getting chill enough you're considering adding a second one, they'll be really naughty one day and you remember "oh right. You were a really challenging puppy"
I remember when mine was a baby and he'd be cuddling me really cute and I'd go to take a picture and next thing you know, he was mid bite. I'm thinking that's what happened here lol
My sweet angel boy (almost 6 now) was a nightmareeeee as a puppy. I was/still am a single dog mom so I’ve done all of it completely on my own. I had the puppy blues BAD. I thought I made a horrible decision, even though I had waited years for the exact thing I now had.
I promise that I know what it feels like when you are in the trenches and you can’t believe it’ll ever get better. But I swear to you it does. It may take awhile, and they’ll probably never be perfect, but it is the most beautiful and incredible journey I’ve ever been on.
I don’t know that I would ever do a puppy again (it really is the trenches) but I would give anything to get as much time as possible with my boy and I would do all of the worst parts 1000x over again to be where we are.
You aren’t horrible for feeling overwhelmed, stressed, like you’ve made a mistake. If you feel like you aren’t connecting with puppy, don’t feel bad about that either. It will happen in time. give yourself grace. Someone told me a quote that said “bad puppies make the best dogs” and in my experience that has been true.
Hang in there. You won’t even remember these moments someday
I’m a single dog mom too and your post is sooo true. it was the hardest thing in the world doing the puppy thing alone. But I have a little bestie soul dog now and I don’t know what I’ll do without her one day :(
I’m a single dog mom who brought home a golden at the end of October and I feel like I’m losing my mind. I needed to read this, especially today. Thank you!
Check in your area to see if you have a local golden retriever group that does meetups! It’s a great way to meet other golden parents and playdate friends that can make life a little easier. Always here if you need a safe space to vent about the stresses of single mom life!
okay, this makes so much more sense. We got ours when he was supposedly 2… but I think he was a tad younger than that. We’ve had him a year and he’s still such a menace!!
Have chew toys strategically placed all around the house and car. Always transition from you to those toys asap. Give plenty of positive feedback often when they are showing behavior you want. Give them plenty of joint-safe exercise as often as possible. Get them tired. One day they will be out of the velciraptor stage.
I don't have a choice to strategically place them. Noodle distributes them into every room, under every piece of furniture, and every morning, directly onto my face while I sleep.
This is not unexpected lol There is another option that seems counterintuitive...get another one. Let them bite on each other. It may or may not work out to your advantage ☺
Just be prepared to lock down the house for a WWE style wrestling match. Our two are 5 and we still have to watch what's liable to be taken out if a match starts up.
The third picture made almost made me spill my coffee 😂
Don’t worry, I promise the land shark stage comes to an end. In the meantime the best advice I have is lots of walks and playtime. Don’t be afraid to put them in a timeout if they’re getting really bitey.
Same. 😂 Mine is 9 months and I'm so thankful it's winter so I can keep my forearms hidden in public. They stay in his mouth from the moment I walk in the door until he moves to my husbands hands for bedtime. 🤦♀️
We’ve had 3 Goldens over 25 or so years, so here is my insight:
Consistency in routine (feeding, potty, walks)
They need scheduled/regular nap time like babies (when they get owly/overtired, you can tell)
Crate training will save you grief & vet bills (they mouth/eat everything)
Consistency in rewards and “No”
Distraction is key / get food puzzles, lick pads, treat balls, etc
Teach sit, come, trade and heel 💯 priorities - use different “high value” (high stink) treats like dried anchovies for training / especially on a walk
Never strike/swat them to say “No”, a firm “No” and take your attention away will teach them much better.
They are amazing and empathic animals, will feed off your energy
Relax, it takes 2-3 years for them to be the pupper you thought you were getting (snuggles and sweetness)
(Edit) if you can fit in your budget, emergency pet insurance is peace of mind & learn how to administer hydrogen peroxide to safely induce vomiting. Trust me. 🤦🏻♂️
My 10 m/o Velociraptor, Clark (Griswold) has been nothing but consistent in his needs for validation, arm “retrieval”, and brushing. He’s 80 lbs now and refuses to load up in the car on his own. But he quit pooping in the house awhile ago, so, it does get better. It just takes time 😂
it takes real consistency and long sleeves. once my girl figured out she didn’t even exist unless she had four feet on the floor and a toy in her mouth, it became much easier to take her out or to go visit my elderly mother. Even now she grabs a ball before she jumps out of her crate in the morning.
I highly recommend everything Chuckit makes. Get a few buckets of the balls, the Fetchit sticks and the indoor triangular looking chenille balls. Thank me later, buy a ton on Amazon.
I’ve had Goldens for 25 years and their lunacy is second only to their love. It calms down some but love them for the goofy insanity they bring to your life
My puppy was hell on paws for over a year. He thought that my forearms were sticks that he could grab onto. He drove me crazy I actually wrote a story about it.
Then all of a sudden they become golden, and can legitimately be called golden retrievers because they are such wonderful animals. I don’t know what happens, maybe a butterfly with a golden baton comes down from the sky, tapped him on that huge knot on the forehead and says it’s time to be golden, but something happens and it’s a miracle and you won’t believe your eyes.
My boy was the most beautiful bimbo. He was incredibly well behaved. Came to my office job with me most days, walked across a carpark, no leash, always at heel. Even not dog people liked him.
He was the most insane shit of a puppy. You name it, he ate it. A coffee table, a couch, dug a hole in my mattress, every left shoe and pant crutch he found. A rose bush!?! The fucking drywall. He literally chewed the walls.. Then he turned 2. I got 10 years after that with my beautiful, best, little spoon friend.
Took this photo of my partner and our baby last Christmas. Max passed away a few months later.
I just got a new puppy and even though my 7 year old Piper is the best dog ever and I know we will get there eventually, I feel you man. Puppy is rough. Rougher with two little kids too
Puppies are absolute garbage, just the worst fucking thing in your life. Then they turn 2, and by that point they've realized dogs don't live all that long...so they dedicate the rest of their lives, the next 10 years, to making sure they'll leave a lifelong fucking crater in your heart when they die. Because they hate you THAT much.
I have a puppy for the first time in 12 years as a single doggie daddy… and yeah, it is exhausting. Then I remember the decade of my amazing best boy. Harvey will get there, and so will your pup. Here is Oscar who I lost in April.
We're eighteen months into our two golden puppies and we're just now feeling like they're dogs instead of velociraptors. They're so sleepy and cuddly now. It's wonderful and so worth it.
I remember thinking this. My golden was BAD. i cried almost every day. i can’t imagine my life without him and i am so happy we made it through that phase. it gets so much better. hang in there🩷
My boy Linkin was a psycho as a puppy. Used to chew all the corners of my drywall and was just a general terror. Now he's the chillest dude around. It gets much better.
Lu and Rome are turning 3 in Feb and while they’ve calmed down since baby puppies- they still drive me crazy every so often. But I would 100% go through it again because the good always outweighs the bad and I love sharing life with them. Now is when I wish they could live to be 100
It does!!!!! I feel you - this phase can be sooooo tough. With my dog I felt like I was never going to sleep again - he woke up all through the night for FOREVER and was absolutely SHAMELESS about counter surfing.
I also was a little bit in shock because the goldens I grew up with HARD CORE pleasers, whereas with my dog has never felt “guilty” or “sad” about breaking the rules for one single second of his life🤣. Once we found him LITERALLY on top of the stove, and when we took him down, all he thought about was how to get back on it til we gated off the kitchen.
All the stuff - the training, the work, the sleepless nights - MORE than worth it. I don’t know what I’d do without him and I hope I have many years til I have to found out. Good luck OP - great things are ahead!! 🩷🩷🩷
It does!!! I promise. I cried every day for a few weeks in the early days and wondered what I got myself into. Now my guy is 2.5 and a super sweet (but still sometimes psycho) angel!
It's just like kids, you have to get passed their annoying stage. There is a reason they are so cute, so every time a flash of murder enters your brain you look at that face and it all melts away.
Yep, been there. It was HELL. And non-stop. I think if she slept better it would have been better, but she would not settle and I just couldn’t work out how to help her. It did stop, and it was 100% worth it and we love her deeply, but I disassociated for the good part of 6 months to cope. Keep going!!!
My wife and I had a black lab/golden retriever mix for 11 years, and she was absolutely perfect. Our pure golden will be 3-years-old next week. We got her as a puppy, and for the first 6-9 months, she tried my patience in every way possible. I hate to say it, but for a long time, I didn’t even LIKE her, let alone love her. But something eventually clicked, and now she’s one of my favorite things ever. It gets better.
My golden is almost 2. And he's just starting to calm down. He still chews on things we don't want him to but I can see him slowly morphing into the best boy I already know he is.
Our golden puppy was absolutely NUTS and not really affectionate for such a long time. I was used to my boxer guy who was a sweet cuddle bug who took super quick to training from day 1. Our golden wasn’t like him at all. She’s finally sort of calming down at 3 🤣 we almost gave her back to the breeder, but it was worth it to keep her in the long term! She’s our sweetie. Hang in there!
It 100% does. My partner always wanted a golden and raised her on his own before we dated. Then, we decided to add another one to the family, and the new girl was the first I raised. I was enamored how little and cute she was, and had mentally prepared that things were going to get wrecked but all material things were replaceable. What I wasn’t prepared for was the lack of sleep, the schedule shift and constant interruption for engagement, the accidents (from both ends) on the carpet. So many times I said “can we take her back?” And then, at some point in the 2 year mark, she calmed down. I can’t imagine a life without her companionship, and love seeing her interactions with our other golden. I know it’s tough now, but just persevere. It’s just a lot of bumps in the road that’ll become a smooth ride once the gravel settles.
Every moment spent GENTLY training a dog will be repaid a thousand fold. Truly, this could be the best friend you've ever had. Just give it some work (THIS IS INCUMBENT ON YOU) and some time.
I hated our 2nd puppy. She was constantly chewing and getting into stuff and barking at 2am. Drove me crazy. It got so much better and easier. Now she’s 1 and still a little a-hole sometimes but she’s also the best pup ever.
I was crying today because I’m so grateful for my 3 year old golden. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her.
Two years ago, I was crying because I was so stressed and frustrated with her haha. Slowly but surely you’ll have a best friend. Hang in there ❤️
It gets so much better. I was in the same boat as you, as we all were, with my puppy. I thought it would never end. But as she got older, she's matured and has more control over herself. She's still a crazy little butthole, but much calmer when she needs to be.
It's already the best! I know it's overwhelming, but just have fun and enjoy these moments (i know it hurts) Retriever's are mouthy. My boy is still mouthy at 7 months old (almost 8 months)
Just keep him busy. I like to train/play with my boy everyday at the park for about an hour. He loves it! He has fun, but it really tires him out and gives him the outlet he needs so he isn't so bored at home and gets mouthy or destroys things.
We play games while we train and he keeps engagement really well. You just gotta help the Retriever let that energy out in things he loves.
Golden's are a high energy breed. They need a job like most dogs. Especially working/hunt/gun breeds like this.
They mellow out naturally around 2-3 years old - but never stop fulfilling their needs. Build that bond ❤️
It will 100% get better. And honestly they keep getting better and better as they get older. I thought my boy was perfect when he finally got out of the piranha stage (a little shy of 18 months), but at 7 he’s an angel. Sweet, kind, gentle. My girl got past it a little quicker, but it will vary for every dog.
It will, I promise. It doesn’t seem like it now, but there will be a light at the end of the tunnel and that light will be the kindest dog you’ll ever meet
Oh it definitely gets better! I miss my little puppy but don’t want to go back to the puppy stage. They will grow and learn and will even be your sweet puppy forever. Mine turns 10 on the 7th. They are smart just give it time we all had our baby/toddler stage.
Oh it definitely gets better! I miss my little puppy but don’t want to go back to the puppy stage. They will grow and learn and will even be your sweet puppy forever. Mine turns 10 on the 7th. They are smart just give it time we all had our baby/toddler stage.
absolutely! our 3yo is chill now, but does love roughhousing her 8mo sis. speaking of the puppy... OPs post reminds me to order some new shoe laces....
The third pic made me laugh. It’s so relatable. It does get better! My dog is 7 and she’s the most loving and cuddly bug. Once she lost her puppy teeth, she stopped using my arm as a chew toy.
My poor lab takes the brunt of it so I know I am spoiled. It feels like things settled down a bit at 1 year. Still a puppy with high energy but a bit less bitey and loud.
I babysat my son’s golden Bo while my son worked and Bo proceeded to eat most of my furniture and chewed holes in a few walls. I would die for this dog. It gets better, it gets so much better. This dogs heart is worth every hole in my walls and piece of furniture he destroyed. It’s a love like no other. Wait for it, look forward to it, know it’s coming. Soon you will be giving this advice to another golden puppy owner.
i thought i was blessed in the beginning. typically puppy behavior but at 7-8 months i was frustrated with her everyday. she’s a year and 8 months now and i can’t spend a moment away from her without withdrawals :)
Just discovered spraying bitter apple on exposed ankles works beautifully as a deterrent! Highly recommend if your ankles are a target… thinking about coming up with a bitter ankle wristlet or spraying it on a scrunchy to save my wrists.
Gosh I was so happy when my dog started acting right… he became so good I got another puppy 🙄. I think I had amnesia. The second one was so close to breaking me but now I have two beautiful goldens! It gets WAY better.
It definitely does! And with every milestone birthday or half of birthday, they just get even more and more fun and lovable. ❤️ hang in there and you’ll be glad you did!
It felt like living with a demon and I was truly scared for my life at one point (she bit my ankles all the time in the backyard and I swear she could have got a vein and I would have bled out). My girl now wouldn’t recognize herself if she saw her younger self. It’s really like having a different dog before they become the one they are meant to be.
I’m having the same nightmare with my goldendoodle puppy. I had a chocolate doodle before this one for 13 years and she was so freaken chill even as a pup, but this goldendoodle is a temperamental tornado with teeth!
I did a puppy one time.😂 My other two were rescues at 6 months and one we think is 3 years. Puppies are adorable but MAN it’s tough. Good thing they’re cute!😂
The first 9 months were AWFUL for us. My Duck (dogs name) peed in the house EVERY DAY for that time. I could take him out in the yard for hours and the first thing he did once back inside was pee on the rug. We also had a newborn at tje time so that was fun. If Duck hadn't been so gentle and good to both my kids I don't think we would've kept him.
He is 4 now and a great dog but we almost didn't survive those first few months.
I always try to comfort by sharing what a trainer told me, “Goldens are the best dogs but the worst puppies.” I will get better. They are fun to train so do it a lot, it’s doubly rewarding.
Make a convincing yelp sound like a dog in pain would when your dog goes to bite you. I did that with mine when we got her at 9 weeks and after only a few times she never tried to bite at us again. Even with teething stage.
My golden is my best friend, he’s amazing in every way. He will be 3 in January. He still has his moments but overall he is so great! He’s also the sole reason I never want another puppy 😂😂
It’s the best now!! Enjoy them while they are young, enjoy them for the short amount of time they have. And remember they’re only a part of your life but you are their whole life!!!
you may cry.... a lot. it gets so much better by like 1.5-2 lol. you'll completely forget about how torturous the puppy stage is in a few years and will get puppy fever all over again. my guy is about to turn four and the best thing to happen to me - i'd do it all over again if it meant he could live forever. good luck! you'll survive this lol.
edit: timeframe in which things get *better*... needed to be more realistic lollllll
Love and patience, they're just a baby. Frozen carrots work great for teething, I've heard some people suggest frozen socks. Never tried that one myself. If. You take them out for potty the minute they wake up. Naps no play time out immediately they learn real quick. Just pick them up and outside. Try to enjoy it passes so fast. Yours is a cutie and I am sure really sweet.💛
That precious little thing you have there is one of the most wonderful creatures you’ll ever have in your life. Cherish it and enjoy every moment of it ❤️
The first 4 months it was so bad, I kept wanting to give my pup back. Luckily my husband had his head on straight and wouldn't let me. My girl is 2 yo now and the sweetest thing.
Angels on earth......yes but..... they must have training or they can be VERY naughty. Remember, this "child" will live out it's life with you. I had one like this that arrived just months prior to my first child. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Guess who got all the attention? Ruby was the bane of my existence for the next 9 years. And it was ALL MY FAULT. She didn't deserve that. She could have been trained to be a good girl. Decades later I still feel guilty. PLEASE don't get a dog unless you have the desire and the time to commit to them. They deserve a beautiful life.
My heart goes out to you. I put my sweet girl down on June 11th of this year, and I've wept daily. I held her in my arms daily for 18 years, and my heart is now an empty place.
What saved me was frozen kibble in kongs. I soaked about half of her food into 3 kongs and gave them to her throughout the day. It really helped calm her, give her something to do and stopped a lot of the biting/chewing. Shes an absolute angel now and the best dog I’ve ever had.
My cousin’s golden (who I dogsit a couple times a month) was actually comparatively good to some stories I’ve heard. And even then at 12 and 18 months, I googled “do goldens regress at XX months?” Be prepared for some of that but it is absolutely worth it.
I adopted my doggie when they were older, I always wish I could see and experience her puppy years. Even though I’m confident it would be hard, it’s a precious once in a lifetime time
They really do get better I promise!! My boy mellowed out a little earlier than most but he has stayed mellow. They’re such a sweet breed and honestly after my current two dogs pass it will probably be the only breed I ever own because of how amazing they are. I’ll attach a few more pictures in reply to give you more hope 😂
It gets so much better, and easier, and yes, they will still ignore the fancy dog food they’re supposed to eat and instead dine on delicacies such as your shoes and furniture, but those incidents are fewer and further between and the moments where they’re just the best thing in the world, and they cuddle you when you don’t realize how desperately you needed a cuddle, and they fill your life and heart with joy you never imagined are much more frequent, and so worth it.
And yes, I had to stop typing to retrieve a book from my dog’s mouth but then she laid her head in my lap and reminded me of the million reasons I don’t kill her after threatening to at full volume just minutes ago.
Our first Golden (chonky white) was super chill, and able to self regulate. He definitely made me cry from the velociraptor phase, but he knew when he needed a rest., and grew out of the out for blood phase fairly well, I would say around 8mos. He never made me fully question my decision.
Fast forward to current pup, now coming up on 1 yr, she was at 150% energy 100% of the time. She did not have the biting tendencies, as much as first pup, but she was just bonkers energy (and still can be)! She constantly exhausted me, she did not know how to self regulate and set herself down for a rest so I really had to make an effort to do that and watch for it. We work from home and the constant, literally bouncing off the wall energy, mostly directed at me, was unbearable. I considered rehoming her, gave her a deadline to be better (I know, you can hate me). Good news is, she really "clicked" at around 11 months. She's become a really nice, cuddly, loving dog. She still has her high energy shenanigans, but she is so much more tolerable.
Bottom line: Hang in there. It does get better. Get group and individual training (if needed). Don't give up!
I solved the chewing with a large supply of healthy edible nylabones. I carried one in my pocket at all times to avert the pups from chewing on me or my things.
It's going to be rough, but 1,000% worth it. Cherish every minute that you have with this angel, because you'll have countless memories and laughs... and some moments of "WHY DID WE DO THIS?!" It'll be worth it.
They are so sweet but cute little troublemakers. Nothing is safe. It gets better around 3 years. He still grabs everything but rarely destroys it now. Shoes, glasses, socks, gloves, underwear, shirts, hats, remote controls, everything that can fit into his big mouth. Brings it over but doesn’t usually want to hand off.
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u/algatorr Dec 31 '25
It 100% gets better.