We got our girl pup at 4 months and it was tougher than I ever expected. She got a little bit better gradually but was always badly behaved if I'm totally honest. Then she went into season at 11 months and after that a big improvement in her behaviour occurred and i thought I'd cracked it. She's now at about 14 months and she's as bad as ever. Digging holes in the garden, ripping plants out of pots, chewing up trainers and running off with them, destroying her bed, running off on walks, jumping up people, chasing the cat and barking very loudly at literally nothing at least three or four times a night. I exercise her lots, over an hour every morning running after a ball, swimming, socialising with other dogs and then perhaps another 30-45 minutes lead walking in the evening. I give her brain games like hiding food around the garden for her to sniff, toys with treats inside, stuffed and frozen kongs, loads of cuddles and affection (I'm with her all day every day). There's not much more I can do to keep her stimulated, I've tried positive distraction techniques (they don't work), I've tried a tap on her bum and shouting 'NO!' (she wags her tail), I've tried completely ignoring her (that doesnt work). Literally nothing does. She's a lovely dog and I'm certain she'll make a good pet eventually but we've now had nearly 10 months of this and it's starting to cause problems in the household. Has anyone else had anything like this and when will she calm down or will it be a bit like this forever?
Hello , it is a tricky age as they still very much a pup, but big with it. Any training is not proofed and very much in progress at this stage. You dont mention what training you have tried , but an obedience class would probably be really helpful, training around distractions really makes a difference. Also have you taught her to settle, sounds ike she does not know how to switch off. We taught Meg to go to bed from a very early age, just by simple reward of a piece of kibble for when she was calm on her bed. I am no expert, but teaching to be calm and not over stimulated might help.
I agree that obedience training might help. As for the hole digging...... This may sound a bit ''out there'', but when I had this problem with my girl, a very experienced dog owner told me to put her poo in the hole as a deterrent. Worked like a charm! She never dug another hole.
Maybe she can't settle on her own? She sounds over stimulated honestly. Do you enforce naps in a crate or have her sleeping in a crate? It does wonders for over stimulated puppers. Make sure you get one right for her size with a cover and put it in the quiet part of the house. Over stimulated dogs will act out as much as understimulated ones.
Mine would probably just eat the poo Some of the comments about over stimulation are interesting. Maybe I am trying too hard to keep her interested and sufficiently exercised and should try to do less with her. She's not bad all day long like she used to be as a little pup but still has these traits that do come out every day. Maybe it just needs more time and a little bit less from myself. I'll see how it goes!
