Hilarious Reality of Owning a Teenage Golden Retriever: 'Always Scheming'

For many dog lovers, owning a golden retriever might seem like the ultimate dream, but one woman has shared how the reality is far from the picture-perfect lifestyle that most people have in mind.

Brittney Bonfield from Orange County, California, may only leave 18-month-old Winston alone for a matter of seconds, but that's more than enough time for retriever to wreak havoc. The mischievous pup loves to sink his teeth into just about everything, from kitchen utensils to remote controls—anything he's not supposed to have.

As this happens "multiple times a day," Bonfield told Newsweek that she's accustomed to chasing her teenage dog round the house with whatever he's found. "Winston will chew on anything he can get his mouth on. He's a big fan of socks, remote controls, and paper towels. It's a golden retriever thing," she said.

In the short space of time when Bonfield went to the bathroom, she could already hear Winston using the opportunity to go searching for his next discovery. As she returned to the living room, she found that he'd gone into the kitchen cupboards and chewed some paper plates for a birthday party.

She shared the hilarious footage in a video on her TikTok account (@whata_bout_winston) to show that "life with a teenage golden retriever is never dull." While Bonfield may not be overjoyed by Winston's actions, he has certainly been a hit on social media, as the clip has already been viewed more than 51,200 times and received over 2,900 likes since it was posted on December 14.

Bonfield continued: "I was going to the bathroom when he got into his shenanigans, and he was running around the house with a Tupperware bowl that he pulled out of the cabinet all by himself. I typically try to get him to drop whatever he has, but he gets very proud and he tends to trot around the house with whatever treasure he's found."

While Bonfield can see the humor in her dog's naughtiness, bad behavior is never something that owners want to encourage. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), it can often stem from a lack of training, not enough daily exercise and stimulation, or the dog may simply be an adolescent. Between the ages of five to 18 months, dogs enter their teenage phase which means they will regularly test their owner's patience.

The AKC recommends that owners remain firm and consistent with their training to continue establishing boundaries, and not to mention being incredibly patient. Dogs like Winston will grow out of their teenage phase, and hopefully they will be far less troublesome after.

Unfortunately for Bonfield, she joked that Winston is "always scheming" and she doesn't even have to leave the room for him to pounce. "He can swoop something he shouldn't have right in front of us," she said.

Bonfield regularly shares her daily life with Winston on social media, and that goes for the good times and the bad. Plenty of fellow dog owners even found it "very relatable," with many people commenting on the post to share their own experiences of owning such a brazen pup.

One TikTok user wrote: "The trot away from you after they make sure you know they have something that they shouldn't."

Another person responded: "I relate so much, I have second sense when she gets into stuff she's not supposed to."

"You need a toddler lock for the cabinets," suggested another TikToker.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.