Re: Sheer Exhaustion Don't panic, things will get better and you will look back on these times and laugh, and tell funny stories of all the weird things he's eaten and chewed up. I know everyone keeps saying this but it is true - he will grow out of it. Generally by around two years old they will have calmed down dramatically, though for some dogs it does take longer. I never thought I would see an end to the days when Penny was a little whirlwind with sharp teeth who used you as a chewy stick, but we got there. In the last two months I've noticed she has actually calmed down a great deal. She's almost 18 months old now and apart from having a funny five minutes now and then she's getting quite chilled out. We took her calming this weekend - something we never could have done three months ago.
Re: Sheer Exhaustion Oh I've laughed at Edsel...I'm exhausted just reading it! Dexter used to have a mad half hour in the evening,he would fly round the house like a loon,then dash round the coffee table like a nutter all the better if he'd been able to grab something in his mouth as he did a fly by!
Re: Sheer Exhaustion I have had a fairly peaceful few evenings this weekend, mostly because there has been so much activity through the day Edsel is exhausted by evening! But he has had a wonderful few days full of new experiences and people and has finally started to make some progress in recall! He's had 2 days of playing with his 17 wk Golden Retriever buddy, Oscar. Behaved quite nicely at a neighborhood barbeque at our place, went to a birthday party including puppies and children of all ages and played his paws off and by the end of the day was doing very well at not jumping and leaping on the little ones. I see him really starting to understand more commands and what's expected of him. Quite fun to watch. ;D
Re: Sheer Exhaustion Oh well done Lorilou and Edsel! I'm sure there is something about giving them lots of activity during the day (not every day, but every now and then) so that they learn to love rest as well as play. We use doggy day care for Pongo about once a fortnight (and sometimes overnight). It took me a long time to get over feeling like a bad mother as I dropped him off - but he obviously absolutely loves his day playing non-stop with his mates, and he is definitely an even more relaxed and chilled pup for a couple of days afterwards. We've got a lot of respect for the couple who run it, they obviously know and love dogs and care a great deal about giving them a good and positive socialising experience (as well as a couple of country walks each day in addition to pack mayhem at the day centre). So perhaps if you can find some more opportunities for Edsel to play his little socks off with other dogs you might get an easier time in the evenings....!
