Sorry I wasnt sure exactly where to post this.. Please someone help. Started three days ago. Axel is almost 6 months old. Will be on the 23rd. Not neutered. Axel has started acting a lot more dominant. Or at least what I consider dominant. He is now "talking back" when I say no. And barking constantly If I tell him no or quiet. Even started to mouth me a couple times. He has been doing things he has never done before, such as taking all the pillows off the couch and running to his bed to chew them. I don't chase him but I do go up to him and ask him to leave it while I have a treat in my hand, which Then he drops it. But if he doesn't notice the treat he pulls on he pillow and shakes it so hard I can't even hold on to it so I keep saying "leave it" Then repeat 10 or so more times. I just don't understand. This behaviour has never been an issue with him. At 3.5 months old he was talking back at me but then puppy classes started that week and it was all forgotten. I have thought maybe it's because the weather has been very hot so he hasn't been able to go outside much. But the last three days the weather has been a lot cooler so I have been taking him for walks. Letting him play in the yard. Go to the dog park. Do training sessions at home just him and I. Going to people's houses. I try to play games that use his brain as well. We play hide and seek, where I get him to sit and wait while I hide a bunch of treats all around the house then i say "ok find" and he runs off until he finds them all. But even after all that he is still bad!! Is it the hormones? Do they start showing up around this age? Is this a sign I should neuter him now? Or is it something that will fade off? (Hopefully soon) I read on someone's thread once on here that this is a place to come and share good times, bad times, frustrating times and just basically a shoulder to cry on. And that's exactly how I feel right now. A shoulder to cry on. I just though by 6 months old we would be past the crazy puppy stage. Yet here I am with this sweet puppy who had turned into a completely different dog and I am feeling a bit defeated. I'm sure Axel can sense my frustration which I know isn't helping.
You poor thing. I'm sure this is really frustrating and also stressful. It often happens that we get through the puppy stage, everything is going great, and then a teenage doggie monster emerges... Not sure why it happens. Might be a developmental stage, might be that we started resting on our laurels a bit after we got the puppy stage behind us... But, for whatever reason, the crazy, jumpy, mouthy, exuberant (and very strong!) 'teenager' does seem to make an appearance in the later half of the first year. Just like the puppy stage, this passes and gets better. But also like the puppy stage it's essential to stay cool and keep up the training. I don't think that desexing will do anything to change things. When we got our dog Obi he was just like Axel is now (but a bit older at 9 months) and he'd been desexed at 7 months. Training, consistency and patience are the key factors. And wine. And coming here to share it! You'll get lots of sympathy with this, because lots of people have had to manage the same thing and have felt the same way too. Don't worry though, your doggie is not broken!
This page on the main site has a bunch of links to different behaviour articles. Might be good to look through the ones you think are relevant, for behaviour management and training ideas: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-behaviour/ Hang in there
Yes, exactly - hang in there. My dog was a really terrible teenager - bless him, poor thing, he was also injured and spent all of his teenage months on crate rest and restricted exercise, which seriously did not help! He was big, and strong, under exercised, and going nuts. It was honestly such a difficult time. For him more than me - and it's probably important to remember that. Your pup is growing up, is viewing the world in a different way, experiencing different and perhaps confusing emotions. It's not easy, being a teenager..... I don't think neutering makes any difference to this - your pup is just growing up, and that's a bit difficult. Keep training, be consistent, and it really is the case that a lovely, loyal, wonderful adult dog emerges in time.
Yes, hang in there. You will get through this and come out the other side with a well-mannered dog, if you persevere and keep up the training. But it might be a few months before you feel like you have passed that stage and things are settling down, so don't despair. There is plenty of company for you here when you feel defeated! And plenty who will cheer on your successes!
Ah I'm just stopping by to cheer lead you on too....it's all about sticking with it and training through it,don't give up.You might think your dog is the naughtiest dog alive and has forgotten everything you ever taught him it he hasn't , it's all still in there and emerges again when you get past this stage. Dexter was a demon for nicking tea towels ,so we just stopped having tea towels out ...if he's making you crazy with the cushions put them away for a bit ,it won't be forever ( we've all had interesting interior design phases in our dog owning lifetimes!) but carry on with your drop and leave training. I know it's hard when they are trying your patience but try not to repeat the same thing over and over again if you aren't getting what you want,it's easy to teach them not to drop until you've yelled it for the 10th time,you want them to do it when you calmly say it the first time ..... Dexter had me in tears many times when he was around 7 months,I'd totally screwed up my lead walking and I would have been in real trouble if I didn't have the Forum to come to for help,advice and a good old wail.I hope you you feel a bit better now.These dogs of ours they drive you nuts and then all of a sudden you look at them and remember again that you love them!
Teenager! - still going through it with Ripple at just over one year. In fact Ripple has been a whole range of awful phases ever since he arrived, hoping there's a good dog in there somewhere .
Sam will be 6 months on the 23rd also! You are definitely not alone , I too have a mad bouncing , chewing , theiving pup who also likes to 'go visiting' neighbours , whether he's invited or not . We'll be grand eventually , I'll be stocking up on hankies , alcohol and cake xx
Just want to second Angela's (Dexter) advice about putting things like tea-towels out of reach and packing away cushions. Molly was just the same for pinching them - but it doesn't last forever. I now have cushions on chairs and tea towels hanging within her reach and she doesn't touch them. A combination of training and maturity does the trick. Hang on in there.
Just echoing everything that everyone else has said. Canine teenagers are horrible. You have worked so hard training them and just when you think you can rest on your Laurels, this monster takes over your lovely dog. It will pass. I found I had to go back to basics with a lot of training, which is disheartening to say the least. Just stick to your guns and be consistent. Just to prepare you, it may well get worse before it gets better. But on the upside, doggy adolescence only lasts a few months. Human teenagers are totally obnoxious for years.
Oh yes, we packed away the couch cushions for a few months but I'm happy to say that they're back out where they belong (Ella is now nearly 14 months)
The crazy puppy phase, followed by a lull of a false sense of security, then the crazy teenage phase! The crazy teenage phase is like the crazy puppy phase only they are bigger, stronger, more determined and self willed. Think of toddler tantrums vs 13-16 year old teenager. Give him lots of training and lots of different activities to keep his mind occupied. From what I've learnt from Homer is that setting your perameters when they are teenagers is even more important in setting the behaviours you want than puppy training.
To give you hope, I've seen lots of posts where someone has observed the exact opposite, that their wild hooligan puppy has seemingly overnight been switched for a nice calm, obedient dog. I think the key word is "dog" They are more mature then, probably adults, not puppies any more.
Thank you everyone for the replies! Ah what a relief it is to hear this is normal. It certainly has calmed me down. I did end up putting away the couch pillows yesterday. Then for the first time ever he then went for the kitchen tea towels. Which I caught him before he ran off and he left it alone. But I'm sure he will try again today My husband is home for the weekend now so it will take some pressure off my back and give me a little break. This past week he has officially destroyed all of his toys except his Kong (first time every destroying toys and he destroyed all but one) so I need to buy some news toys. Any suggestions ? He basically rips everything apart. He had a big rope toy that he ripped apart in one short sitting.. Ha he is pooping rainbow still from it I love him, but I can not wait for this teenager phase to past. So thankful for this site once again! There were a few tears but now I feel stronger and capable again.
I've one of these who I think is a bit of a late developer as the teenage stage didn't appear until recently. Mabel has just turned 18 months. Apart from when she was on restricted exercise she has been an angel but not anymore. She will do a good impression of the Queen a master at the walkabout visiting all my neighbour's in the close. Luckily they are all lovely, and don't mind. I do, I just keep on training, training and training again. Often going back to the beginning. Don't get disheartened it will be so worth it in the end.
