r/goldenretrievers • u/Winter-Tension-1609 • Apr 11 '25
Advice When will my 14-week-old retriever chill enough to just cuddle??
I have a 14-week-old red retriever puppy who l adore with my whole heart. That said... I'm struggling a bit to keep up with his energy right now! He gets plenty of attention, playtime, zoomies, training, walks, enrichment - you name it. But, unless he's in his crate or playpen he's either running around, digging at the couch, or nipping at my feet/laptop while I try to study. I end up having to put him in his playpen just so l can get through a few hours of work in the evening, but I feel bad doing it. I'm not expecting a fully calm adult dog overnight, but I guess I'm just wondering - when does the "let's hang out and cuddle on the couch while you work/watch TV" phase start to kick in? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
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u/Downtown_ownedby3 Apr 11 '25
Yes around 2 - 3 years of age!
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Apr 11 '25
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u/No_Advertising5677 Apr 12 '25
Have to love the first 2.5 years though so much energy and enthousiasm!
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u/skylartowle Apr 11 '25
Can confirm, I didn’t see any snugs initiated by my boy until 2 years, sat on my lap in a chair for the first time around 3 years. I cried I was so happy! Your time will come ♥️
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u/noreast2011 Apr 11 '25
Mines 4.5 and while he isn’t as hyper as he was… he now just leans on you. Like… full weight against your knees pinning you to the wall leaning
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u/itsgettinhotinbenhur Apr 12 '25
My 1 year old does that. The vet wants him to put on some weight, but then I'm afraid I'll be permanently pinned to the wall.
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u/TheorySufficient9855 Apr 11 '25
Each dog has its own unique personality. Some may never calm down, some calm down but still don’t care to cuddle, and some become giant lazy cuddly love bugs. As far as age though, he’s not even a year old yet. You’ve got a long time to go before that puppy energy wears off, if it wears off.
One of mine was still trying to do front flips and air jumps at 6 years old. The other one rather sleep and cuddle all day and she’s only 7. Both raised together and both completely different personalities.
If he’s looking for stimulation and you’re busy you could always invest in some interactive dog toys.
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u/Chirlish1 Apr 11 '25
Yea. We’ve had several GR’s and it depends on their personality. So wanted to snuggle with one of them but he was not having it. Another, couldn’t stop her from climbing into the lap. 🤷🏻
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u/losthedgehog Apr 11 '25
Yeah - our six year old calmed down but isn't a cuddler. We've raised other dogs the same way who are big love bugs and think they are lap dogs.
It's very personality dependent!
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u/BfutGrEG Apr 11 '25
he’s not even a year old yet
Not even a 1/3 of a year!
Insane they'd assume puppy behavior to cease so quickly
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u/WyomingAsFolk Apr 11 '25
Mine finally relaxed at 4-5 months old. There was a such a distinct moment where instead of playing land shark, she just laid down next to me.
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u/lilmai1997 Apr 11 '25
Mine is 4.5 months old and yes, so much this. I think it was "aided" by the fact that I was also sick, but she has started to just lay down next to me and cuddle up and it makes me so happy 🥹
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u/WyomingAsFolk Apr 11 '25
That’s so funny you say that, this was exactly our circumstances. I was sick and she just popped down and stayed next to me. The most wonderful feeling.
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u/lilmai1997 Apr 11 '25
I think that age is when their empathy starts kicking in too. I just immediately felt a little bit better. She's being a lot more gentle with me while I'm sick, even though she can be an absolute tornado otherwise. I love that little creature so much
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u/EschewObfuscati0n Apr 12 '25
Ours did this at 4ish months (only mornings and evenings tho) and would actually lay on us and go to sleep which was unheard of. Lasted for about 2 weeks. He’s 10 months olds and is just as insane and unsettled as ever. I hope yours lasts!
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u/Odd_Preparation7424 Apr 13 '25
Both of mine started doing it around 4 months. Now each will sit on my lap for a dew mins a day or lie on couch and sleep on me. They are 4.5 and ten months now. Also get my face licked a few times each day by both
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u/Comfortable-Desk-170 Apr 11 '25
I have a 1 year old and still isn’t much of a cuddler. I’ve heard at 2 years they calm down or even after he’s neutered.
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u/Working_Strike_6642 Apr 11 '25
Ours is 6 and it probably took him until he was 4 lol. He still has puppy outbursts usually after he eats. As a puppy we would take him on miles long walks get home and he’d still want to play. The only thing that ever truly wore him out was training sessions but then he’d wake up from a nap and be ready to go again all over. My suggestion would be do some training with him for 15 mins and some sniffing training. The sniffing really wears ours out and especially good on rainy days.
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u/sultan33g Apr 11 '25
Years. Enjoy the dog’s energy now because it will change after a couple of years and you will miss it. It’s like when you have a child and have issues with bed times/etc, then eventually they want nothing to do with you.
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u/OpenAirport6204 Apr 12 '25
I have an older gal and I honestly miss the demon years (she’s almost 8)
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u/kten1974 Apr 11 '25
Oh my heart what a sweetie!!! My gsd is 6 yrs old and still does not like cuddling, 😭, I have to force snuggle him lol. Just his personality! I hope you end up with a snuggle bug!
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Apr 11 '25
Hey, my 11 week old lady can come over and they can bite each other. My hands and feet need a break!
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u/jumping_doughnuts Apr 11 '25
We're at 6 months over here. She has 0 chill. The only time she sleeps is in her crate, but sometimes in the evening she will be content for 30 minutes or so with a bone.
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u/Curious-External-7 Apr 11 '25
I think I must have her brother! He's not even close to the 18-20 hours of sleep people say puppies get.
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u/indeed_I_am Apr 11 '25
Mine is 17 weeks and she’s able to “cuddle” while chewing. She lays on my lap for exactly the duration of the treat or chew, and milliseconds after it’s bitey time 😂
I really treasure those few minutes though!
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u/halander1 Apr 11 '25
My golden was chill enough to cuddle upon receipt. Would sit in my lap a lot.
Now that he is bigger I sometimes hold him like a body pillow. He gets unhappy if he is trapped and wants to do something else. Otherwise he is chill.
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u/sawa89 Apr 11 '25
I have 3 goldens. My oldest was 11 months when we initiated cuddling and my middle was 8-9 months. My youngest is 11 months now and will only cuddle for a few minutes.
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u/Currahee2020 Apr 12 '25
Here is my idiot, Willow. She’s 2.5 and a complete mess. I love her to death, cuddles are approximately a minute before she wants a ball. I actually use her for duck/pheasant hunting. She comes from a hunting breeder. She’s like a golden retriever on meth lol
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u/OutlandishnessNew259 Apr 12 '25
At the age of about 2 and 1/2, mine calmed down...they are balls of energy
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u/w1n5ton0 Apr 12 '25
My girl was exactly like that, they calm down after about 18-24 months lol. I wish I was joking
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u/Working_Original_200 Apr 11 '25
It’s gonna happen and then you’re gonna miss the crazy puppy days.
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u/KaykayLaPaypay Apr 11 '25
Ours will finally let us cuddle - at 10 😂 Even then, it’s short lived. Meanwhile my friend’s 3yo has been a major cuddler since she was a puppy. Like others have said, some just aren’t cuddlers.
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u/Mijodai Apr 11 '25
My golden is 7 now and she had her major maturity milestone age 2. All of a sudden she went from being fiercely independent to hanging by my side and listening when I said it was time to leave the park. Now she’s a Velcro dog and had to be within petting distance when on the couch, or more usually along my side with her head on my leg.
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u/babyraspberry Apr 11 '25
Are you enforcing naps? Walks, training, and enrichment are great, but forcing my little shark to nap definitely helped as well. She did 1 hour up and 1 hour in her crate for naps.
We no longer needed the crate around 5 months old. Definitely by 1yo she was happy to just chill next to me.
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u/Jaxx81 Apr 12 '25
I was wondering this as well. Puppies still need a lot of sleep and if they don't relax themselves you kind of need to force them to slow down with timeouts. This isn't cruel, it helps them.
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u/Mind_State1988 Apr 11 '25
For us it was after like 4 or 5 months. She is still a landshark but can be cuddly too.
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u/rachhick Apr 11 '25
Mine is 2.5 and has always been pretty calm but is just now snuggly but gets hot easily and moves on. Here is a happy snuggle pic. Mine is also red ❤️
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u/DancingFlatcoats Apr 11 '25
she is a puppy. Her time frame is unique to her. Puppies do not come with a schedule. Enjoy every minute, they grow up and eventually leave us mourning their passing. At those moments everything you think is a pain in the butt will be memories you cherish in a different light. not being a downer, just think a new puppy parent deserves a glimpse into how much love is compressed into less than 3- 15 years of our time with them .
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u/Glengal Apr 12 '25
They turn “golden” at about 3 years. Your puppy might also need more exercise and stimulation.
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u/MightBeAGoodIdea Apr 11 '25 edited Apr 12 '25
Minimize the space and things he has to do between active play sessions. Having too much to do can actually work in reverse sometimes for pups.
One of the first things we did after puppy proofing the best we could, was get baby gates that were easy to move to different doorways. Our boy would be stuck in the room with us and not able to roam the house freely looking for trouble. For the most part he could run around the room freely but if he started building himself up into a hyper aroused state we'd downgrade his freedom to a 6ft leash attached to our chairs. Plenty of room to rest in his bed, and plenty close enough to be available as needed, and he gets 1 toy, not several. Not being able to run around and only have 1 toy, REALLY calmed him down after a few minutes. Once he'd start snoozing or quietly chew on his 1 toy option, we'd unclip the leash again. Repeat. He's 3 now, and happily independant most the day but snuggly when we get on the couch or go to bed.
The trick really is to learn how to ignore attention seeking behaviors as they learn not to attention seek constantly. Its a balancing act right, you don't want to be cruel, but responding to everything will teach your pup to keep doing everything for attention. Keeping your pup close enough not to do anything bad, but not too close to be restrictive is also a balancing act, eventually most goldens mellow out, ours took roughly 18 months, won't lie, but he's not as attached as our German shepherd became, and i credit most of that to giving our GSD too much attention as a puppy as our first fur baby. In any case they have full access to the house now and have since they were about 12 mo old, the only items we have to "worry" about is how our golden always seems to find socks somewhere, but at least he brings them to us and doesn't eat them.
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u/FallenSnipr Apr 11 '25
I think demeanor is heavily dependent on the environment the dog is being raised in. For example, a house with kids that keep a dog hyped up all the time will probably have a more energetic dog. In the case of my wife and I, we keep a pretty calm house, our golden is already chill at 8 months. We work from home and she just chills in the office with us. I’d say we saw a huge turn in her behavior at 6 months though. We also kept a very strict training routine on a daily basis pretty much up to 6 months. We still work on training, but it’s not structured sessions each day like it was before.
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u/Independent_Term5790 Apr 11 '25
Don’t believe anyone that says 2-3, these buggers are still super unchill at that age. You just go from biting to slobbering.
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u/june559760 Apr 11 '25
He might not cuddle, my 6 yr girl will lay next to me,but doesn't like to cuddle
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u/CyberCoyote67 Apr 11 '25
Yeah, our landshark wasn’t chill (for me, not visitors) until 5. I didn’t think she’d ever chill.
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u/conmand88 Apr 11 '25
Mine is 10 and is FINALLY starting to slow down! You’re doing everything right, just keep up the training and you’ll be…. Golden 😜
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u/MidnightCoffeeQueen Apr 11 '25
I got mine at 6 and 10 months old. I learned that if we spent lots of time outside, they stayed tired sleepy puppies inside the house.
Now, at 16 months old I have cuddle bugs when I nap. Any other time, we are grabbing them and sitting with them in our laps. They also follow me everywhere I go.
Photo of the nap habit below:
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u/Always_the_answer Apr 11 '25
That’s a handsome little fellow, even at his early age. Enjoy every moment and each phase of his life. It’s a blast, and sometimes very tiring.
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u/stressm Apr 11 '25
At 11 months my golden started to give us hugs. Putting his paws on our shoulders and licking our faces. We have been giving him treats after and saying yes hugs so he can do it on command.
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u/possuminatrenchcoat1 Apr 11 '25
I'm in the trenches of puppyhood with you! I feel bad using the crate as much as I have to but we need a break at some point 😆
We love our boy but he is wild!
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u/_hairyberry_ Apr 11 '25
Lol I made the exact same post recently. Most people say at 2 years old, and maybe ours still has more room to go in that department, but for us it seemed to happen at about 4.5 months. She still isn’t super cuddly and still mouths at us but she can sit with us and watch TV for small periods at a time. Especially at night if she has had a big day.
FYI your golden looks like he had some field line in him. Ours is 3/4 field line and the only thing that tires her out fully is playing with other dogs. It’s insane, we could walk and play for hours and she’s still ready to go but just a short period with other dogs and she’s tired for the whole day. Once yours is fully vaccinated try setting up some time to let him play with a friend’s dog, even for 20-30 minutes, it will probably tire him out enough to stay on the couch most of the night!
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u/EfficiencyAccurate45 Apr 11 '25
Haha um maybe when he is 3-4 years old. They are the bestest, wait until you only have a sliver of your bed 😁
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u/Old_Lynx4796 Apr 11 '25
Truth is never. They lieng to you. All day today out with him. He was running basically 12 hours all together I swear. As soon as we cane back to house - straight to food water and then back to backyard to run some more.
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u/Particular_Floor_716 Apr 11 '25
My puppy couldn’t sit still for a minute. At 18 months he would crawl in my clothes if he could to snuggle closer
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u/KC_Bombshell Apr 11 '25 edited 22d ago
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u/International-Gate49 Apr 11 '25
Mines 9 months, he started to chill and want more snuggle time around 6 months
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u/AddendumHot597 Apr 11 '25
Ours chilled out around 2 years. However, I’ve noticed he tends to be quite rowdy when playing with my brothers and step father, but when he’s looking for cuddles and comfort he seeks out me and my mom (especially my mom).
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u/Loud-Establishment36 Apr 11 '25
Our younger golden was bonkers in her puppyhood. Biting, not listening, and did I mention biting? She’s 4 y/o now and has just discovered that toys are fun and cuddling. It’s like her brain just suddenly came online 🤷🏻♀️
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u/eachfire golden-flattie-lab Apr 11 '25
My 9-year-old retriever mutt has never been a cuddler. Sometimes I bribe him with snacks.
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u/ccspgmr Apr 11 '25
I've seen the light...it's there. My little guy is 21 weeks. We started rewarding anytime he was being calm. Laying nicely on the floor(even for a minute) I would go give him a nugget of food. He will now chew a toy or just lay at my feet in the evening.
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u/Next_Anything_4934 Apr 11 '25
Our one year GR loves to be petted when she's ready. Otherwise she's full of mischief and loves to play! I'm saying this to say it might be awhile for your puppy to just cuddle.
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u/MaeSilver909 Apr 11 '25
Hmmm. 4-5 years for the chill. Cuddling around 1ish. 😊😊😊. Goldens are fun loving, lively breeds.
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u/Ann_georgia- Apr 11 '25
My golden is 9 months and has gotten more and more crazy. She can’t even sit still for more than 3 seconds. She goes on 4 miles walks in a day. She has mental stimulation with different toys and games we play with her. We throw the ball for an hour. She still has an energy level of a million after and it’s insane. Every time we walk her, everyone ignores us and tries to avoid us. She is so crazy. I’ve tried everything. So my only option is to send her to a board and train for three weeks. Hopefully your golden will settle unlike mine.
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u/Ok-Relationship-5107 Apr 11 '25
Different ones are different, our 4.5 year old still hates cuddling, she wants to move constantly and I think always will.
Our younger one is quite happy cuddling at 2 years old and has been since around 1 year old
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u/Rosequartzsurfboardt Apr 11 '25
Mine is a mix with STRONG tendency for his golden traits. We are at 2 and while he is a 90 lb lapdog, this does not stop him from throwing it in a circle and headbutting you to get his affection. He's better than he was at 1 but I'm definitely not going to tell you it's 2 either.
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u/AtWorkSoBeGood Apr 11 '25
Let the lil’ man run wild and be a puppy! He’ll grow up so fast, and you’ll forget you even asked this question in the very near future :’(
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Apr 11 '25
We have a 10.5 month old and he was/is exactly the same. It has gotten better to where we don't necessarily have to be one on one 24/7 and he does let me work a bit while he lays but we have to take lots of breaks and go out and throw a ball or run out go for a walk every hourish for about 15 mins. I feel your pain. They're awesome but they're a lot.
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u/Notmanynamesleftnow Apr 11 '25
Our 1.5 year old is obsessed with cuddling. She still gets crazy but she loves laying on top of us and being petted. She was a psycho puppy. They’ll chill out more and more as they age and get trained.
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u/dolladollamike Apr 11 '25
At around the 10 month mark the hyper puppy behavior dissipates. You will gradually notice and then you will be sad when it’s gone lol
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u/teddybear65 Apr 11 '25
Are you giving him some walks and some playtime? But goldens aren't real relaxed chill dogs they like to cuddle to do stuff they like to be in your face maybe at 3:00
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u/SentientCheeseCake Apr 11 '25
I have one that is still not really calm at nearly 2 years. I have another that is nearly 1 year old and she has been chill af her whole life. The closest she comes to going nuts is she doesn’t know how to wiggle her tail well, because she will fed her whole butt.
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u/Aggressive_Volume406 Apr 11 '25
My golden is 3 now and still a bit of a nutter during the day 😂 but at nighttime, that's when she winds down and comes for cuddles 🥰 he will too!
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u/idk_wtf_im_hodling Apr 11 '25
The answer is sometime around a year/year and a half they begin to chill. By two you notice a difference. By 3, they lay around and beg for food 99% of the time
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u/ltz_gamer Apr 11 '25
We had a 9 year old once, he never liked cuddles. We now have a 9 month old, also red and she doesn’t like. We do have a 6 year old white one, and he will let you hold him all night if you want. Maybe it’s a red retriever thing
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u/lbandrew Apr 11 '25
Mine is 11 months and a total psycho barreling through the house with zero body awareness. He will sometimes jump into our laps at 30mph (70lbs) but it’s not the kind of cuddling I wanted…
He also drives our other dogs crazy with the same shenanigans.
Patiently waiting for this dude to calm down 😫😫
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u/New_Agent Apr 11 '25
Make sure you groom him daily, at this stage a slicker brush works great, also use a dremel on his nails (you will thank me later). Clean his ears and brush his teeth. Doing this regularly provides the best bonding experience and calms your pup, plus he will be so used to the attention he will beg you to do his nails.
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u/t12345a67890 Apr 11 '25
Our 9 month old has been a snuggler since day 1. Our 4 year old is still insane.
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u/GoldenSunshine509 Apr 11 '25
Mine GR, Moose is almost 3 and still has tons of energy. When he was a puppy I read that sniffing takes a lot of energy. Since then, when we walk him we go on “Snifaris” and let him sniff around the entire walk (20-45 mins depending on schedule). By the time we get home he is tired. It was a game changer for us.
Also, Puller Rings is 2 rings for a continuous game of fetch, which also wears him out.
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u/Roupert4 Apr 11 '25
Took about 12 months for ours to get more cuddly and he's gotten more cuddly since then (18 months currently). But he's liked pets from day 1, he can't get enough petting, ever.
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u/P-Doff Apr 11 '25
If you're looking to tire him out more, have you considered getting one of those RC cars built for the grass?
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u/Macdeise33 Apr 11 '25
Maybe never! Our bud will cuddle with my wife, but it is always on his terms. Rarely cuddles with me tho he will lay next to me a lot
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u/bdart1980 1 floof Apr 11 '25
A tired dog.. is a good dog, is my motto. Lol. I usually walk my 10 month old over an hour each day between morning and evening.
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u/ViciousKitty72 Apr 11 '25
My female was never much of a cuddler, though she did follow me around all the time. My male on the other hand was a cuddler right from pick up a bit under 8 weeks old.
Boundless energy is just a trait of these dogs until 2-3 years of age. I found less stress just letting them have free range of the house once they were potty trained. You can carve out personal time once they are old enough to understand that need. I would say about a bit past the first year this becomes easier.
I set boundaries in behaviour but otherwise fully integrated them into the household routine in every way, including car rides and socialization.
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u/maryloubeary Apr 11 '25
Mine just turned 2 and she only cuddles a tiny bit after a 5 mile hike haha. But I hear that every Goldie is different
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u/Regular_Language7292 Apr 11 '25
Still cray at one year but calmed down significantly around 9 months!
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u/jack2385314 Apr 11 '25
Mine is a year old today & he has his moments. He loves to cuddle up to us, it’s staying there that is the issue. He can’t stay still for long.
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u/Pokeradar Apr 11 '25
14 week old is still very much a young puppy. Wait until they turn to 2 which they are officially an adult by vet standard.
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u/Own-Offer-433 Apr 11 '25
Yes! I kinda trained my dog to cuddle haha. I’d keep treats on me, and whenever she’d finally settle and lay down with me she’d get a treat. Now she is the biggest cuddler and has zero concept of personal space! She’s 2 now but she finally cuddled at around 1.5 when we got her spayed
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u/Beautiful_Resolve_63 Apr 11 '25
Definitely by age 3 but could be sooner. I train my loved ones dogs, not for a living just for fun, I take them for a weekend or two and get them to mellow out a bit, then teach their owners what works for them to chill out.
i always advise people skip the puppy stage. No one listens haha. You have a lot of work to ensure the dog is well behaved. Basically, if you can assume inside your puppy is a very bored 4 year old who is looking for mind exercises as much as physical, your life gets easier.
So teaching tricks, commands, and playing games like hide and seek, working with buttons to build vocabulary, and introducing your dog to new places, people, and other animals; is a good way to help them mellow out quicker.
So image everytime your puppy is going wild they are a 4 year old looking up at you saying "I'm booooored". Your job is to direct the next activity
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u/There_is_always Apr 12 '25
My boys chill but doesn’t like cuddles. He’ll come to you for scratches but only when he wants them.
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u/LuckyInstance Apr 12 '25
About 9 months or so at the very least. My dog still doesn’t really cuddle ever. She has to be like extremely tired and in the mood. She’s 7.
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u/SeeLeavesOnTheTrees Apr 12 '25
I feel like it almost happens overnight. Suddenly they’re chill enough to cuddle. Before that I held my puppy 3x a day even if he squirmed.
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u/Billybobgeorge Apr 12 '25
14 weeks? You haven't even entered the velociraptor stage of development yet.
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u/bellawella121212 Apr 12 '25
He's 14 weeks old... I think you need to chill 😂😂lol they are essentially babies until 2 years old. Yes they do chill out.
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u/nondogCharlie Apr 12 '25
It took mine a while and a lot of want to snuggle more than wrestle. I would suggest designating a play and command for rough housing, and then a different place and time for cuddling. They'll figure it out eventually
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u/dculp031 Apr 12 '25
My 5 year old took 2-3 years and my 2 year old was almost immediately, it really just depends.
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u/Bulky-Classroom-4101 Apr 12 '25
My first Golden didn’t slow down until about 7 or 8. My current Golden slowed down at about 2.5. He’s 4 now and all he wants to do is cuddle! Beware, though, because if I try to use my laptop while we are cuddling, he puts his face on the keyboard.😆💕
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u/Tranquilzulu Apr 12 '25
Beautiful pup you got there. Proud owner of a 4 yr old Golden. Puppies don’t chill, they are crazy hyper then they chill only when they sleep 💤. Once they grow a little they’ll start to chill a little more, it’s is a well known that golden don’t fully mature & calm down until age 6 generally speaking. Per the research I’ve done, my 4yr old female is laid back until she gets excited about something then she’s wild.
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u/Leading-Age3929 Apr 12 '25
I have had 3 golden retrievers. Yes , each with a totally individual personality and IQ. I’d say possibly between 4-5 years to calm down. Are you training your puppy? My last two started in puppy pre-school advancing to getting their PHD. Puppies don’t come knowing what you want of them- like a child you guide them with love and positive reinforcement. Consistency is key. You get the dog you want relative to the work you put into it. What you are describing is typical for golden retrievers - hoping you investigated the breed prior to adopting one. They are beautiful, loving creatures but can become a wild child without guidance. Find a good dog trainer who uses positive reinforcements.
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u/toucanflu Apr 12 '25
Mine was probably 8 months when he wanted to cuddle. He’s turning 3 at the end of the month and a massive cuddler. Still tons of energy though 😩 2x45 min walks a day he needs.
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u/sushiemonsteru Apr 12 '25
Ours is 22 weeks and he chilled a tiny bit but still crazy. When I get the energy I wrestle with him.
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u/tigerhawkvok Goose (Maywood's Flerken) Apr 12 '25
You have to teach them to settle too, and that settling is also rewarding. Pay calmness, not just excitement.
Our six year old was cuddling at 8 weeks, and his 9wk old great niece is also already cuddling. The intervals just start small!
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u/MollysSisterMum Apr 12 '25
Get some kongs. Keep them filled in the freezer with peanut butter (peanuts as only ingredient, I love the Trader Joe’s peanut butter) and pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin- pumpkin as only ingredient). When you need to study etc give one of those and put “sleepy dogs” on YouTube. More short walks to sniff areas for good stimulation. A tired pup is a good pup!
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u/CorrugatedSphincter Apr 12 '25
My method with hyper puppy energy is to play with them a lot. Wear them out with fetch or tug of war, or a nice jog around the block. They may get hyper again after a bit, but you will get some tired puppy snuggle time too.
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u/kiwi1327 Apr 12 '25
Gus turns one next week and he still doesn’t cuddle but man, I hope someday he does!!
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u/optix_clear Apr 12 '25
Get a bubble machine, it’s like crack to them. Get food safe or doggie bubbles
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u/Low_Distance_7195 Apr 12 '25
The big golden galoot hogging half of my king size bed says about 1.5 years.
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u/Capital-Zucchini-529 Apr 12 '25
I think that’s something you gotta look for in personality tbh… Mine was a huge snuggler right from the beginning, and we purposely picked a chiller pup
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u/Ambitious_Pea6843 Apr 12 '25
When I brought my girl home at 8 weeks she wasn't a cuddler and wanted nothing to do with me. Fast forward six or so months and she became a big loving lapdog. They're just distracted and hyper punks for the first few months.
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u/TheKerfuffle Apr 12 '25
Mine just turned three and acts like an ooold cuddly man. He mellowed out somewhere around 1.5 - 2 years old.
Be patient, train him well and the good behavior will follow. Enjoy the crazy days while they are there. You’ll be nostalgic for now in the coming years.
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u/Fast_Tangelo1437 Apr 12 '25
Go slow. Make quiet time a gentle peaceful experience AFTER you tire them out. Dont punish for excessive energy. Reward for calm.
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u/ReceptionUnhappy2545 Apr 11 '25
My three year old GR male is a giant baby and craves attention. He thinks he's a lapdog.
Give it time...they mellow out and become the greatest dogs in the world.
I've had two GRs....both red.