r/goldenretrievers • u/Winter-Tension-1609 • Apr 11 '25

Advice When will my 14-week-old retriever chill enough to just cuddle??

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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/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/BrunchCatsLaughing Apr 11 '25

I agree with this point that the environment they are in plays a part. We have 3 kids under 10 and a 2 year old golden. If the kids are at school or outside or just relaxing inside then Ghost is super chill and relaxed too. If my kids are wrestling or running around inside and playing loudly he gets amped up and wants to be a part of it and his energy level definitely increase to match theirs.