Golden Retriever Adolescence: The Soft Teenager (Six Months to Two and a Half)

Somewhere around six to eight months, the Golden who came when called starts to hesitate, the teenager who was calm at home starts chewing again, and the sensitive dog who was fine with the bin lorry suddenly isn't. It is normal, it is temporary, and Goldens typically settle between two and two and a half: a little earlier than Labradors, a little later than you'd like.

What's happening

Hormones, a brain rewiring itself, and a body that can now outrun you. The dog hasn't forgotten the training; the world has become more interesting than you, and the impulse control that was there at four months has temporarily gone. And Goldens are soft: they feel pressure keenly, and a teenager who is shouted at or yanked learns to worry, not to comply.

What to do

• Long line, everywhere the recall isn't perfect. A seatbelt, not a punishment. Reward every recall like it's the first one.
• Go back a step in every skill and pay better. Easier versions, more often, higher-value rewards.
• Give them a job. Retrieving with rules, scent games, tug with a start and a stop, a training class, a snuffle mat. A tired brain is worth more than a tired body; a Golden who only gets exercise becomes an athlete who needs more exercise.
• Manage the environment so they can't rehearse the wrong thing: chews available, shoes up, doors shut.
• Keep the rules consistent. The whole family, the same rules, every day. Teenagers test edges and find the soft one.
• Protect sleep. Adolescents need fourteen to sixteen hours and often don't take it.

The fear periods

Goldens have them, often noticeably, somewhere between six and fourteen months. A dog who was fine with something is suddenly spooked by it for days or weeks. Don't force them to 'face it'; let them look from a distance, pay for looking, and move on. Forcing a soft dog through a fear period can build a lifelong fear. It passes.

What not to do

Don't punish the recall failure when they finally come; you've just punished coming. Don't add hours of running to burn it off; you build stamina, not calm. Don't use harsh corrections; a Golden shuts down and stops offering behaviour. And don't neuter to fix it. There is little evidence it helps adolescent behaviour, and good evidence that neutering Goldens early affects joints and raises the risk of some cancers; talk timing through with your vet.

When it ends

Usually gradually, around two to two and a half, you notice the dog you trained is back and better. Everything you did during the difficult months is what that dog is made of. Hang on. For the specific manners, jumping and pulling is the next read.