Hello all, it's been awhile since my last post, and well it's not a good update. Lily is 11 months old now. And since I last posted not a lot has changed.il not sure where to even start. Well to be honest the reason I'm posting today is because something happened an hour ago that left me very concerned. I took lily out to play for around a half hour, and she came inside the house and she was still hyper. I had to make some food and eat before I had to go to work, so I went to put lily in her crate and she was having none of it. Yes, she still hates her crate, she barks, whines, crys all the time she's in there. She is in there the most of the day because my family is still super busy. Anyway she wouldn't listen and was running everywhere. I usually use a treat to convince her but today I had none. I went and grabbed her collar to try to let her and calm her down. She instantly began to bite at me and growl and snarrel. She bit me every time I try to get close to her with the off hand. And this wasn't a play bite. She would lunge at my wrist and hand and bite. Showing her teeth and everything. The whole time she tried squirming and laying on her back to get away. Biting and lunging at me constantly. It tried to calm her down but it was of no use. Then she bit me really hard so I had enough and tried to bring her to her crate. She kept squirming and biting me and trying to get away. I got close then my hand got really twisted so I let go. She ran all over the place away from me etc. I finally got her and after a short stilt again she finally just went in her house. So it was very traumatic and from what I have read so far not a good sign. She still bites whenever she is played with. That's all she still does. And she has endless emergy. I take her on 2 hour walks sometimes and as soon as we get back its chaos. She still sprints around the house and can never sit still for more than a few seconds unless commanded to. She's in the crate a lot and whenever I can and my family we take her out run her and play with her but it never seems like enough, she hates her house, and she still bites and she also takes things like shoes and runs away and doesn't listen. She's a very smart dog. Listens extreamly well when she wants to. But this isn't the first time she's what I feel attacked me and this was by far the worst. Other times she likes me. We were outside right before and we were cool, playing and stiff then this. I need some serious help. We've put yearly $1500 into her but after what just happened I'm kind of afraid of her. PLEASE HELP!
Hi, did you crate train Lily? Leaving Lily in her crate most of the day is not kind, she needs to be stimulated, needs to be with people so this is probably why she shows the hyper behaviour. Could you arrange to put her into day care or pay a dog walker to walk and play with her, spend some time with her throught the day?. I'm not surprised she plays up. Also you shouldn't grab a dogs collar and this is why she was biting you. Imagine if someone grabbed you, you wouldn't like it, you also wouldn't like been trapped in a tiny space all day either. Do you do any training with Lily, take her to classes, play games and have fun with her? You could do some clicker training with her as training the brain wears them out too, also builds a bond. I hope I'm not being harsh but I think you really need to sort out some sort of care for Lily in order to make her happy and well balanced. You will get lots of advice so please stick around.
Sounds like the crate is a punishment for her and she is hyper when out of the crate because she spends too much time in there. Can she not be out and with the family? You need to spend time training what is expected of her in the house, for example, you can train her to settle on a dog bed while you cook dinner each night. A routine can really help, as dogs thrive on knowing what is expected of them and routine. Quinn is always in the same room as us and sits in the kitchen while a meal is being cooked and is rewarded with some veggie pieces most nights. We also play lots of mental games in the house in the evening, which is a good way to focus them when they are hyper (we play hide and seek, finding toys, leave it games which will help with the shoe stealing, etc). Chasing and grabbing her is not helpful - personally, I think when we act aggressive the dog responds to that. I echo @charlie, sounds like she needs more stimulation and training.
I'm sure it must have been frightening to have been bitten, but you do also say that Lily was growling before this and I think because you ignored these warning signals she upped it to a bite. As the others have said, I think your dog is in her crate too long and that is why she is so full of energy and frustration. You say you sometimes take her for a 2 hour walk, but she needs regular exercise every day. Molly has a minimum of two one-hour walks every day, plus training classes twice a week and play. I do realise it's harder when you work, but when I worked full-time with my previous dog, I got up at 5.30 every morning in order to walk him before work, someone else walked him in the middle of the day and I walked him again in the evening. I think you need to look into day-care and / or dog walkers if you can't commit to giving Lily the exercise she needs. Could you start taking her to an agility class or flyball? I don't want to appear unsympathetic, when you have clearly been frightened, but try to look at it from your dog's point of view. You can change things, with a plan to give Lily the attention she needs - and then she'll turn into a peaceful dog.
Unfortunately you won't be able to get her to calm down unless she has mental and physical stimulation. How many hours a day is she in her crate? Is she walked every day? She's still a pup and really does need kind guidance and training. I echo the above comments in regards to daycare or dog walkers as it is unfair on her.
I guess put yourself in Lily's shoes... Someone puts you in a crate for a really long time. They finally let you out. How are you going to behave? Not calm and chill, that's for sure Now let's say, you've finally had some freedom, running around, having a good time...and they want to put you back in that crate. And let's say, you don't have the gift of language, as Lily doesn't...how are you going to respond to that person, wanting to put you back in that crate? You're going to fight tooth and nail! So, really, the problem is Lily doesn't want to be kept in a crate for most of the day. No one would. To echo everyone else, you need to find some kind of dog daycare situation for her, if you and your family are too busy during the day to play/exercise/socialise with her. If that's not an option for whatever reason, perhaps you might think about re-homing her.
Oh dear, how worrying for you. Unfortunately, as people have said above, it sounds like Lily is spending far too much time in her crate. This is causing her to be hyper active when she is allowed out and to be reluctant to return to it. Here are some articles which you might find helpful: How to raise a puppy when you work full time Crate training guide Exercising Your Labrador I hope that you are able to find a way, either through a change of schedule, doggy day care or a dog sitter, to give her the attention she requires so that you can live together happily. You may also find it helpful to have a session with a behaviourist. Ask your vet whether they can recommend someone in your area who uses positive reinforcement methods.
