18 month old chocolate male will jump on and nibble on and then start barking at my husband at night after dinner and won't take no for an answer. This is after he has been exercised quite a bit and fed. He doesn't lack for attention. He is an inside dog and we have a large fenced in back yard. He doesn't do it with me. We are at a loss. I am dreading night time. What are we doing wrong? Thank you so much.
Hi @Iss1104 Saying no to the dog doesn't help, because it doesn't tell the dog what it should do. What does no actually mean to a dog? It might means stop nipping my left knee, but it may not mean stop nipping my right knee. And it certainly does not mean go on you mat. Consider from the dog's perspective. A fenced in garden is not going to match a real human, particularly one who gets really animated and loud (?) If I play with him. And I haven't played with him all day. Where is he? Where? Although it would be useful to oberve the dog it sounds as if he still wants to play. It's very difficult to tire a young dog with exercise. And one has to also tire the dog mentally. Shaping is good for stimulating the dog's brain, and thereby tiring the dog mentally.. Perhaps you husband can teach hand targeting. Or teach retrieve by the shaping method. Or go to mat by shaping.
With my hyperactive, attention seeking dog no amount of physical or mental exercise makes any difference if he's in that kind of mood. In fact, he's at his worst when over-tired. The only thing we have found we can do is calmly leave the room, he then invariably falls fast asleep and we can rejoin him. Sometimes it's enough for just one of us to leave the room, it seems he cant relax with two of us talking and he feels he has to be involved in some way!
Our dog Duke does exactly the same thing to my husband. The only solution I have found is to put Duke on a lead and give him something to chew to distract him until he settles. This often takes 40 minutes before he is prepared to leave my husband alone.
