excitement

Question

Our Golden, Winston, is going to be 4 soon. He is great with us and very smart; however when anyone visits us he goes nuts, jumping on them rolling around and just besides himself with excitement He means no harm; however he is a big dog and some people are afraid of him. I have read that they calm down at about 4, and we are still waiting. Any suggestions?  Don Sheehan  

Answer
I wouldn't count on it.  Try obedience training.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

When somebody comes, make him sit.  Don't let anybody touch him if his butt isn't on the floor.  It can be tough managing people, including kids.