Golden Retrievers are great dogs to bring into your family. They are lovable with a lot of energy to share with everyone and a happy smile that can make them fit right in. For the most part, Golden Retrievers are easy going and fun to be around, but sometimes you may wonder why is my golden retriever so crazy?
Your Golden Retriever may act crazy because they are left alone too much and need more attention or they are jealous of other dogs. This could be a jealousy for other dogs in the home or when you meet with other dogs while walking. Sometimes this new behavior is a result of your dog being fearful or getting aggressive from any punishments you use.
The first step to solving this problem is to find the root of why the behavior changed. Once you find that, it is easier to come up with a course of action that is best for your pet. Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons that your Golden Retriever is acting crazy and then explore the steps you can take to help them get back to their lovable and fun self.
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Reasons My Dog is Acting Crazy
If your dog has started to act crazy, it is likely that something is bothering them. They may be fearful or need more attention. Some of the different reasons why your dog is acting crazy include:
They are Left Alone Too Much
Golden Retrievers are social dogs. They like to spend time with their owners, getting time to play and go on long walks. They do not like to spend too much time alone. If you leave them alone all day while you are at work and then ignore them once you get home, it is likely they will feel isolated and may turn aggressive or sad.
Your dog will crave the company of humans and other dogs. Leaving them alone is going to be detrimental to their mental health. They may get agitated and irritated. It is fine to leave them alone for a few hours, but you then need to give them a lot of attention to help with this as soon as you get home.
If you are busy and can’t be home much or you need to be gone for a longer period of time, then it may be time to consider having someone come and give your Golden Retriever some attention while you are gone. Even half an hour a day around lunch can be enough to help calm your dog down and make them feel better. Many professional dog walkers or dog sitters can help with this.
Any time you own a dog, it is important to make sure you can give them all the attention and care they need. Try not to leave your dog alone too often, making it home for lunch and breaks if possible. No dog wants to spend all day feeling alone so give them the attention they deserve.
They are Jealous of Other Dogs
You will quickly find that your Golden Retriever is possessive of you. If they notice that you are interacting with another dog, especially if you have not given them enough attention, they will not be happy about this. This jealousy can show up with other dogs in the home, even if the Golden Retriever is older. You may feel like it is not a big deal, but it is something huge for your dog.
It is likely that if your dog is acting crazy, then this jealousy has accumulated over time. This can eventually become an aggressive outbreak. Pay attention to your dog and give them the attention and appreciation that they need so they don’t start to feel left behind and act crazy around others.
If your dog has been alone at home all day, do not stop at the park and play with other dogs. Your Golden Retriever was good all day and needs your undivided attention. If you give that well-earned attention to another dog, your Golden Retriever will get jealous and other bad behaviors may start to show up.
They are Showing Fear Aggression
One of the benefits of bringing home a Golden Retriever is that they are a calm and pleasant dog to own. They get along with everyone and do well with children and most other dogs, as long as you give them attention. However, if they feel fearful, then there could be problems. Once the Golden Retriever feels endangered by other humans or dogs, they may get quiet. But this can turn into them being aggressive if the fear stays around too long.
Pay attention to who is around when your Golden Retriever starts to act crazy. It could be another animal, one of your friends, or something else. Your goal here is to learn what frightens and scares your dog so you can avoid any other issues with aggression in the Golden Retriever.
They Don’t Like Their Punishments
No matter what type of dog you have, harsh punishments are not a good idea. All dogs can learn, but they do not want to have negative reinforcement to teach them how to behave. In fact, using negative reinforcement, like yelling, hitting, and other options can have the adverse effects than you want. These actions will make the Golden Retriever aggressive and can cause other issues too.
As you train your dog, it is best to use positive reinforcement. This type of reinforcement helps them to learn how to behave, and teaches them right from wrong, without having to cause harm. For example, you would teach your Golden Retriever how to behave with treats, praise, and extra time spent together.
How Should I Handle My Dog Acting Crazy?
The very first thing you need to do is figure out what is causing your dog to act crazy. It is a lot easier to come up with a course of action if you know what is causing the problem to start with. This will help you give your dog the exact care and treatment plan that they need. For example:
- If your dog is feeling lonely, it is time to give them more attention. Hire a professional dog walker or someone to be with your dog when you need to be gone all day. Make it your top priority to take your dog on a walk if they feel alone.
- If your dog is jealous of other dogs and other humans, it is time to give them more attention. Positive reinforcement with extra games and lots of petting and praise can help here. When you give your Golden Retriever more attention, they will stop feeling jealous about other dogs.
- If your dog is scared of something, it is time to help by removing the thing they fear. There are a number of things that could cause fear and anxiety in your Golden Retriever. Learning what this is and then removing your dog from that thing can make a big difference in how they feel.
- If your dog does not like their punishments, this is a sign that you need to try something new with training. Positive reinforcement is the best way to help solve this problem.
The more you know about what is causing your dog to act this way, the better. This will ensure that you can solve the problem and help your dog have a fun and great personality all the time.
Finding the Root Problem
Your main goal here is to find what is causing the new behavior. Look to see what has changed in the environment for your dog recently. If something has changed, that is the most likely issue that you need to get fixed as soon as possible. You will likely find that once that item is removed, your dog will start behaving like normal again.
If nothing has changed in their environment, it is time to pay attention to who is around, or what is around, when your dog starts to show the strange behavior. This will help point you in the right direction of how to fix the problem and help your dog happy and back to normal.
Working with Positive Reinforcement
Yelling, hitting, and other negative reinforcement tools will just make the situation worse. They will make your dog aggressive and mad at you, which will just make the crazy behavior that much worse overall. A better solution to use if you want to stop the crazy behavior is to work with positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement is a much nicer and more effective training method to use with your Golden Retriever. With this method, you get to use a lot of fun techniques to show your dog how to behave, rather than getting mad at them and “punishing” them when they do something wrong.
For example, you would ignore it when your dog does something that you do not like, perhaps removing them from the situation if necessary. However, when your Golden Retriever does something good, you will give them a lot of attention, praise, petting, and even a special snack. In this way, your dog starts to learn what behaviors will reward them and which ones will not. And if you do this the right way, you are sure to see tremendous improvements in the behavior of your dog.
Conclusion
There are a number of reasons why your Golden Retriever is acting crazy. They may feel lonely or need some more attention from their owners to help them get out their energy. Once you find the root of the problem, you can work on it, ensuring that your Golden Retriever goes back to their normal, happy behavior.