Need help with a 16 week old Golden Retriever! Any advice will sure be appreciated!?

The main reason we bought a dog is to avoid strangers, and burglars. Our friend had a golden retriever as well and it was pretty friendly, so we bought one. Now it is 16 weeks old and it doesn't bark at any strangers, but it actually is excited to see people walk down the streets along our neighbourhood. He runs up and down and licks and jumps on them, happily wagging its tail. I don't know how to train it so it will not be so friendly with strangers, but so that he will bark at strangers, because that's what we bought him for. Sometimes I think its he nature of this breed of dog.. or can we train it? Another thing...my dog keeps on digging muddy holes everywhere in the backyard. Nearly everytime I look in the garden he is digging huge craters everywhere. Also, he picks out the plants we plant in the vegetable patches. Any advice will be greatly appreciated =DNeed help with a 16 week old Golden Retriever! Any advice will sure be appreciated!?
The golden retriever breed is known for its friendliness, gentle nature, and soft mouth (lot's of skin, fur, and fleshy lips that cushion accidental contact with the mouth) which makes it a fabulous dog for children. So, in order for you to get a dog that will bark at strangers you need to make it feel a bit more territorial. Remember that the more contact the dog has with outsiders (including friends and family) the more he will regard just about anyone as a friend. So, you might consider keeping the dog around only your family, and completely away from other people for months, until he comes to know that you are his family. He'll develope a natural desire to protect you as a result. Right now he's too young to have developed that ';pack'; instinct. Your family will essentially become his pack, and he'll regard others as outsiders.





But, keep in mind the nature of his breed, a MOST friendly breed.





As for your garden and the holes that he digs. Well, if you don't wish to have to babysit him while he's outside, you might consider getting one of those collars with the virtual fence. They really are completely humane if you set them up correctly. I wasn't a fan of these until I found out exactly how they work, and now I think they are completely humane. The collar can be set on a very mild shock setting, and simultaneously set to audibly beep (without shocking) progressively faster as the dog approaches the mild shock zone which is 5 to 15 feet of where you place the virtual fence. Our dog learned not to run away by using the mildest setting which we first tried out on ourselves. It basically feels like placing a AA battery to your tongue and feeling a mild shock, it's more surprising and annoying (and not particularly painful). Our dog now turns around well before he gets anywhere near the fence because we have it set to warn him with beeps before he reaches the point where he gets shocked. This keeps him from getting run over by cars and from getting himself lost, which I think is a very humane thing to do. Just place the virtual fences around your gardens.





To actually get him to stop digging altogether you'll need to consistently catch him in the act (preferably at the beginning stage of digging) and do something he dislikes such as shaking a can of pennies loudly or squirting him with a water squirt gun and saying ';NO!'; at the very instant he begins digging. You have to be consistent with what you do, and praise him when he does well, and scold him when he doesn't do well.





By the way, golden retrievers are also known for wanting to please their masters. They are not headstrong dogs, so that makes them good candidates for training. Good luck.Need help with a 16 week old Golden Retriever! Any advice will sure be appreciated!?
LOL...you have definately made a boo boo in choosing a breed of dog to be a watchdog....the goldie is far the worse watchdog around because they would rather lick an intruder to death than alert you! Goldies rarely bark too! This breed of dog is too human friendly to be a watchdog. If you wanted a watchdog than you should have done your homework prior to choosing a goldie....as for the digging, well he is a goldie and they just love to do puppy things such as digging holes and uprooting plants...sorry to tell you this but goldies take a few years longer than other breeds to mature...so your boy will still be in the puppy stage when he is 3 years old... LOL...get him a variety of toys such as a Kong and fill it with treats etc...(log onto the Kong website) he maybe bored as well and he is only amusing himself by digging. You need to fence your vegie garden off as he will keep going into it, gardens and puppies do not mix ;-(
Every one said most everything I would have about the breed you chose. I do have digging suggestions we fenced of an area just for our dogs to do what ever they want in an area we didn't care about and it looks like the surface of the moon now! Also if that's not an option some people have had luck with supplying one ';area'; in the yard they can dig to China. A sandbox or a box shape area marked w/landscape ties. You do still have to put the effort in to train them to that spot. Good luck.
You chose the wrong breed, goldens are friendly by nature. They weren't genetically bred for protection, they are meant to bring things back to you! That doesnt mean he'll be a bad dog, probably will be the best. I'd recommend goldens to everyone. You may be able to train him, but I'd seek out the help of a trainer for that. Remember though that if you train him to bark at anyone, he'll probably bark at everyone. Do you really want a dog that goes nuts every time it sees a person walking by the house? He may grow out of it, remember he's just a puppy and puppies dig and chew and play. If you dont want him in your garden, you need to train him not to go there. Give him some kind of visual clue that seperates that area from others, like a fence or flags. Then when you catch him in the act, remove him from the forbidden area, correct him and put him in an appropriate place to be.
you are gonna need dog obedience class for this one I would definately invest the money golden retrievers are the best dogs
Goldies do not have natural guarding instincts such as Rotti's and Dobes so I really think you should have done some more research.





Also this is only a puppy you're talking about, let it mature.





You should definately not try and train you dog not to be good with strangers yourself, this is extremely dangerous.





If you want a protection dog then find a protection training school, however your dog being a Goldie is unlikely to succeed in this role.





Your dog is a puppy, puppies will dig holes, adult dogs will dig holes if they are bored, you're clearly not providing enough mental stimulation for the dog.
While Golden Retrievers are wonderful dogs, you have chosen a breed that is best known for its friendly attitude, its intelligence, and its desire to bring you what you ask for. Most of them don't make the best of watch dogs. There are exceptions, and right now your dog is a little too young to have adopted a protective view of you.


As for the digging, many large breed dogs do it to relieve boredom. Take your dog for a long walk daily to eliminate energy. Goldens have lots of it! Play fetch games and perhaps jog with him, he'll love it! Have ponds or lakes near by? They love to go swimming and even play fetch in the water. Many people don't realize how high energy they are.


You have chosen a wonderful breed of dog, if you work with him through his puppy phase he will grow into a wonderful companion.


Cheers on your addition.
I'm afraid you're going to need some professional help. The good news is, Retrievers are generally easily trained and very smart dogs. Remember, this is just a puppy and he has only has good experiences with humans so he/she thinks all humans are nice. Seek out a professional dog trainer. You will be glad you did in the long run.
You chose the wrong breed for protection. Goldens are guard dogs. They were bred to be friendly, outgoing, and submissive. It is possible to get a dog to bark at strangers but mind you a golden wasn't dog best dog to put up for the job and probably won't excel in it or will be hard to train to do so. I wouldn't recommend you train him for it because it would be a waste of time or ruin the dog. You said your friends dog was nice so you got one. If it was nice why would you expect it to be a good choice as a protection dog.





For the holes and other backyard issues- you are just goin to have to go out there with the dog and watch him. If you catch him in the act then correct it. It helps to have a designated area for a dog to dig. Fill holes up with its poo to discourage more digging. Don't leave him unattended in the yard- this way he doesn't have the opportunity to misbehave.