Desperate dog mom worries for her boy Kaida when he comes back from dog hotel completely different, the internet assures her that there's a light at the end of the puppy tunnel: 'You are just in the peak teen stage'

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Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Jul 16, 2026 10:45 AM EDT

A teenage puppy is akin to a teenage boy: you have to have patience. 

We all need help from others, to take advice from them. We can't do anything alone, and when it comes to raising a kid or a puppy, it's important to talk to people who have gone through the same things. When we get advice from people who have done it all before us, we can save ourselves (and our pup) a lot of frustration. In Reddit's r/goldenretrievers, this woman based in Johannesburg, South Africa writes about her 10 month old golden retriever puppy. His name is Kaida, and in the first few weeks he was an absolute joy for the owners. They lived in a really nice suburb for the first weeks and he was exploring and socializing. He was doing really well and the owner was working hard to help the puppy grow up to be the best dog he can be. What changed everything was when they went on vacation and left him at a dog hotel. It was after this when the golden came back a little different. 

When Kaida came back from the dog hotel he was more aggressive towards other dogs and also reactive. The worried owner put him in an obedience class and takes him on calm walks to burn some energy, but he still has been a bit off. She's so concerned, and decides to turn to the internet for help. People ask their questions, and basically reassure her that since he's a teenager. It's normal behavior for a teenage dog, and that she can feel better about her efforts. Read the full story below. 

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    Hi everyone! We are based in Johannesburg, South Africa, we got our golden, Kaida, from an
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    ethical breeder registered under KUSA, and at 8 weeks he was already fully potty trained from
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    the breeder, as the breeder is located on a gorgeous farm with other therapy dogs and horses.
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    ETA: he's 10 months In the first few weeks he was an absolute, we live in a really nice
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    suburb so for the first weeks before he got all his shots I'd hold him in a little back pack so he could explore and get some
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    socialisation. Once he has all his shots and kennel cough we started puppy classes and he
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    did really well and we have never stopped with his training and we took for for regular walks and let him run loose at a very safely run dog park near our home.
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    During his really bad puppy stage I got an animal behaviourist who specialises in goldens and she
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    C
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    gave us a ton of advice with how to train him, exercise him and ways for him to get stimulation.
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    So I've spent thousands on Kong toys, lick mats etc. we generally try to walk him twice a day, take
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    him on slow walks to sniff and there's an amazing dog park that's well run near us and he generally goes there and has the best time with all his furry friends.
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    Recently we went on vacation and left him at a dog hotel and that's when all the issues started, I was used to and aware of the fact that
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    KING MAM
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    during his teens he'd regress a bit and I was prepared for it. However, when he came back
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    from the dog hotel he was more aggressive towards us and started being reactive towards other dogs. So I enrolled him for
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    another obedience class and I always take him on a calm walk to sniff around and burn some
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    energy before the class but for some reason when we're at the class, he completely ignores the instructor and he's started biting
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    on his lead and collar - initially we were using a harness because he was pulling but the trainer suggested we use a collar.
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    I've spent thousands at this rate and I'm just looking for anyone with some advice.
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    Also wanted to add he's very well socialised, coffee shops, grooming etc and I try not to
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    overstimulate him as we have two cats so we've also had to put in a lot of work so that he doesn't chase them around.
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    Just want to know when it gets better and is it normal to feel completely frustrated even when you're doing your utmost best!
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  • It's a positive story despite it looking heavy on the outside. There are countless stories about dogs learning their way, and going from seemingly impossible behavior to the best dogs in the world. I have seen it with my own eyes, and it was also a golden retriever. His name was Brody, and he started by trying to get in fights with other dogs, and digging in the backyard. It didn't take much, and suddenly after some training he was a new dog overnight. 

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    ETA: the pulling is a new thing, and weighs over 30kgs! I'd love any advice that does not resort to
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    violence or using e-collars to help with this! I also work most days from home so he's never alone.
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    Also ETA: we used a play pen instead of crate training and he's generally good with his sleep routine, he generally puts himself
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    in his pen at around 7/8pm and sleep through the night. We've never had a single potty incident or any potty training issues.
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dogs advice golden retriever Dog Rescue
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