Does a male influence make any difference to behaviour of puppy

Sorry folks but i feel a bit downhearted today. Do puppy's behave better for males?. I Penny is 17wks old and i love her..its an all female house myself and my daughter ..today i feel like keeping her behind the baby gate in the kitchen ..she is ruling the roost today ...biting ..jumping ..new bed getting chewed to death ( had to put it in the hall )..took her for a walk and some play time ..pulled me all over the place ( at least 4 people quoted " who's taking who for a walk" )..ripped a hole in my jacket sleeve..and before getting her out i nearly gave up trying to get harness on . I know all the pit falls of puppyhood ( reading everyone else on here) and while i am writing this she is looking at me with those puppydog eyes ..i think i just needed a rant ..thanks in advance

 

I don't think the sex of the carer makes a jot of difference ! But I do think its a good thing to get them used to men, women and children at a fairly early age , so maybe a male relative could visit occasionally ? You rant away , it sounds like Penny is displaying very normal behaviour , they do behave like lunatics at times and then need time out to calm themselves down ! Re the walks , I remember coming home from one walk with Sam who is now 6 years old , he was a youngster at the time and I cried , how pathetic is that ? I do think they try our patience at times , its hard to remain calm let alone sane , but it will pass, honestly !

 

Things will get better, honestly! If you drive, how about taking Penny by car to an off-lead area so you're not being dragged along? Take a tug toy, play for a few seconds, then throw it and run like mad in the opposite direction.

 

You rant away we've all been thereit's does get better honesly. She's sounds very normal to me. Mine never have beds until they were caperable if not eating them just a piece of fleece.i know what you mean about how tiring they are but that does get better too. They are harder work than most people expect but they are so worth it like. My last pup was a bitey hell beast but he turned into one if the most cuddly lovely labs ever.

 

Well in my house it definitely is true that a male influence makes a difference to behaviour. It makes it a lot WORSE. The male, OH, did none of the training, is not consistent, can't remember words and seems sometimes to actively encourage bad behaviour. He feeds the dog tid bits right out of his bowl while he is sitting, eating at the dining room table. Then he complains when the dog drools. Count yourself lucky, I say, that you don't have this kind of influence.

 

I have sole responsibility for training and dog welfare my OH is known as the Beastmaster for his "skills" with the dogs. They love him dearly but it's me that they get.

 

Hi @Jacqueline Mckendrick. Harley's relationship is different with my husband to her relationship with me. I was a teeny bit jealous in the beginning because he was the "fun" parent. He was more robust during her crocopup phase and he played the more physical games with her, and of course she LOVED that type of behaviour. BUT and this is a important BUT. She was always more responsive to me. I have worked on her training from young. I don't like using the word obedient but she has always liked and enjoyed training so because I did it with her, she was more likely to pay attention to me.
When she was younger playing was way more fun than treats and training, so it was definitely challenging but as she has grown up she has become even more responsive to me and she shares her love slightly differently but very well between us.
DH did the first few training classes with her because I am socially anxious and it was overwhelming for me. Also, just on a physical level it didn't hurt him when she lunged or jumped on him. I have a sensitive back.
When we started a clicker training class DH couldn't attend with me because of work, so I went alone. And as my confidence grew I continued and Harley was a super star at the class (she was almost 10 months old at that stage) and for the final class DH attended and Harley stayed focussed on me for all of the class. I was so incredibly proud. I have to add that Harley is calmer than the average lab.

Long story short, I don't think a masculine energy vs a feminine one is important in the training. DH just weathered the months and behaviour that you are describing now. The fact that he is male didn't make it better or shorter. He was just the distraction that she could chew on, bounce off and jump on and it didn't hurt him as much as it did me. It would have been very tough for me to have her behave like that with me for prolonged time.

But before I knew it that stage was over, and Harley is just fantastic. I enjoy her so much. She still bounces like a kangeroo sometimes but it is getting less and less and she does it near me but not on me.

Good luck, stay strong, it is SO worth it.

 

Thanks everyone i thinks its just how i am feeling today ..she has loads of great points like sitting..giving a paw ..sleeping all night ..no accidents with toileting ..and she is great off lead ..its good to know she is no different to other lab pups and i do love her to bits

 

@SwampDonkey summed my LONG post up beautifully. Exactly what she said!

 

This is the pest lol x

 

This is her

 

She is beautiful and has a mischievous eye I am sure she is giving you a run for your money at the moment.

 

What a little beauty with such a cheeky face! My OH and I shared the training duties (once I had trained the OH that is, but at least he was receptive!) but he plays rougher games with Bailey than I ever have or will ever do. Bailey is gentler with me and seems to come to me for cuddles and snuggles and it is my feet that he sleeps on a night. However, because he is out and about with my OH much of the day without me he is more used to the OH whistle than mine but he is just as responsive to me as to the OH. I think rather than male/female it comes down to the time spent and how you spend that time that the dogs respond to.

 

What a gorgeous pup you have What you're describing sounds all too familiar at that age, but as others have said, it gets better with time. Once my lab hit a year, I noticed a sudden shift in his behaviour, which kept getting better and better on a nearly daily basis. He's still firmly in the juvenile delinquent category but not nearly as bad as when he was pre-1 year old. Him today vs him at 5-8 months is so radically different (for the better), and I can't wait to see what he's like at 2.5+!

I can't comment on male influences being more positive, I doubt that it matters to be honest.

 

What a lovely puppy, super colour.

It will get better ! This time last year I was in your shoes, fast forward to today Cassie 17 months , spends all day in her favourite armchair as long as she has had her exercise and a few minutes of training throughout the day she requires little more

 

What a gorgeous pup! Like others have said, this is perfectly normal!

 

No!

Mine are all far worse for Mr Boogs!

Not that they are 'good' for me. There is no such thing as a 'good' puppy - they are all a work in progress.

 

My husband was definitely not a help, in fact the opposite ! He had zero input with training, but oh how he loves to sit at the woodland café and expound on the virtues of the dogs and how hard " we " worked to get them where they are today ! Good job he has the excuse of having had a stroke, or else he would feel my wrath !

 

I have to second (or third or fourth!) this opinion. I've raised my dogs as a "single parent" but my father would show up regularly and they would do things with him that they would never DREAM of doing with me. Jumping up, crying for treats, even rough play biting. Argh!

And yet, like @kateincornwall , he loved to brag on how well-behaved and well-trained Brogan was when he was older. Hey, I liked that he bragged about Brogan, but it had zippo to do with him.

For Penny, you have a lot of company on the forum from exasperated puppy moms. From every indication, it WILL get better, but you're in the eye of the storm right now. If she behaves better for your OH, it's probably more down to you being the one who is with her more and has to deal with her crocopup moods while he gets to be the "fun parent". Hang in there and rant away!