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Some questions about my 13-week old pup


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Hi everyone,

 

I have been reading the forum for a while, and would like to ask you all some questions about my pup Seren. He is 13 weeks old now, and we've had him for about a month.

 

He is a wonderful, brave and smart little dog, but he can be very wild at times. We've noticed that he becomes wild and unruly both when he is bored and full of energy AND when he is overtired. I have been trying to find a good balance between activities and rest but I can't seem to find it.

 

We take him out around 10 times a day to do his business. Around 3 times a day we make this into a short walk around the block with him, 5 - 10 minutes max, to expose him to cars driving by (that he would already like to run after), other people, shopping carts and the like.

 

We have playsessions in the house around 3 times a day when we play with a ball, play tug or teach him some basic obedience. Once a day I take him to a large doggypark where I let him roam with my parents' two adult border collies (who want little to do with the yipping monster) and play with other dogs for around half an hour to 45 minutes.

 

With all this, he is still hard to calm down most of the time. It is beginning to feel like I have watch him around the clock, because he is always chewing things, nipping us, or terrorizing the cats. Am I giving him too much to do / too much attention? Or is this normal for his age?

 

I will attach a photo of the little monster for those of you who are into that kind of thing (and who isn't?)

post-15793-0-37891100-1389300522_thumb.jpg

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Sounds like he is just being a pup, spending time in a crate and learning to just be still and sleep would be a great new activity if he is not already engaged in it. I don't like to get them anything to chew on, the goal is to just get them to sack out. As he gets older he should be able to learn to do the same in other places.

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Oh, there's more than a bit of devil in those eyes! ;)

 

A couple of things . . . what do you do when he's amped up because he's too tired? Do you crate him so he can settle down and do what he needs to do, which is rest? He needs to learn to have down time.

 

And what do you do when he's calm, resting, or just collapses on his own when he's tired? I'm going to guess the answer is nothing.

 

From the day a dog enters my home, whether it's as a wee pup or as an adult rescue, I calmly and quietly reward calm, quiet behavior. It's something far too many people don't think to do, but if you don't, how does the dog know that this is desirable behavior? It won't.

 

You don't want the praise to be stimulating at all because you don't want it go get the pup going again, but you do want them to know that this calm behavior on his part pleases you.

 

There's a very real possibility, too, that you might be winding this pup up too much with too much play, or during play. If you search the archives you'll find many mentions that excessive exercise can actually set up the dog's expectations and turn it into the very hyperactive dog that border collies get a bad rap for.

 

He's young, but not too young to start learning calm behaviors and self control. You say you're teaching basic obedience. That's great! Is "go to your mat" part of your repertoire yet? If not, may I suggest you start adding it right away? Work up to longer and longer times when he's settled and calm (i.e. not like a coiled spring waiting to explode from the mat as soon as you give him the release cue).

 

Is he in a puppy kindergarten class yet? If not, I'd try to enroll him in one with a good, positive reinforcement trainer ASAP.

 

And you might also want to do some searches for both "click to calm" and Dr, Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol. Both are excellent resources to add to your puppy training program.

 

Dogs often need to learn to have off switches. It's really just like training anything else. :)

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Yes, we got a crate after about a week, and gradually adjusted him to sleeping in it in the living room. Before that he slept in a box next to the bed.

 

During the day he stays in there while I take a shower for instance or sometimes for a nap. I will give him something to nibble (like a stuffed Kong or a small bully stick) to lure him in and preoccupy him for a bit. Sometimes he will settle down but sometimes he stays active.

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Once a day I take him to a large doggypark where I let him roam with my parents' two adult border collies (who want little to do with the yipping monster) and play with other dogs for around half an hour to 45 minutes.

You've gotten some phenomenal advice here so far but I might have to be a Debby Downer for just a second. I'd be a little bit worried about bringing a 13 week old puppy to a dog park for a couple of reasons.

1) The risk of exposure to disease. I don't know if your pup is fully vaccinated or not but, even if he is, his immune system is still developing. You have no way of knowing if all the other dogs visiting the park are healthy or not.

2) I've seen plenty of dogs at dog parks who have terrible manners and whose owners have little to no clue about appropriate dog to dog interactions. Your wee little guy could pick up some bad manners, or worse yet, actually get *hurt* if other dogs are too rowdy, rude or rambunctious.

 

I am a HUGE supporter of socializing a puppy verses keeping them locked indoors until they are fully vaccinated so please don't get me wrong. I think it's great that you are socializing your pup, I just wonder if a dog park is the best way to go. Many dog training facilities (even Petco's and Petsmart's) offer "puppy socialization" nights where puppies are allowed to interact with other healthy puppies under close supervision. An added bonus is that you get to talk to the trainers about behavioral questions, dog to dog interactions, and maybe even pick up a few training pointers! "Puppy K" classes normally involve some playtime too, so the puppies can socialize with each other in between learning lots of fun, new stuff.

 

I know this wasn't actually your question, and I apologize if I've overstepped any boundaries. I just wanted to mention a few options that might be safer then the dog park... at least until you little guy is up to date on vaccines, has a strong and healthy immune system, and has some basic doggy manners under his belt.

 

P.S. Your "little monster" is about as cute as they get. :)

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Thank you for your quick responses!

 

Debbie, You are right, I was beginning to feel like the chewthings were a bit of a crutch. I think I will use them less. Especially since he swallowed part of a bullystick whole yesterday :( We're keeping an eye on him to make sure it doesn't get stuck in his belly.

 

GentleLake, thanks for the great suggestions. I was wondering how to reward this quiet time without exciting him but your suggestion points me in a new direction. I have been focusing on rewarding wanted behavior but this is one I overlooked! I will work on that.

One thing I sometimes do when he is very wild is put him on the leash and then tether him to my chair. This way he is close to me and I can respond to what he does. This works great most of the time. I think I will transition this into time outs in his crate.

 

 

I am planning to go to puppyclass soon! I think he will do great there. He is becoming pretty obedient already, I can recall him from playing with another puppy, for which I am very proud of him. The "stay" is a skill I have been hesitant to start on, but I need to get my confidence up and start this tomorrow. Lot's of exciting new ideas, thank you!

 

Also, if I may add another question about interactions with other dogs: I take him over to my parents' everyday to go to the dogpark. They have a 5 year old female and a 3 year old male. The male corrected the pup a few times when he was pestering him, and the pup has great respect for him. They give eachother a sniff and a lick when we come in but otherwise leave eachother alone. The bitch however is very gentle and has not given him anything other than a snarl or a show of teeth when he is nipping her or barking in her face. He does not respect her at all and bothers her to no end. I now feel like I have to protect her from him so they do not dislike eachother in te future. Do I correct him when he is hanging from her cheeks, biting bits of fur out of her tail or barking in her face? Or just give her a way to avoid him?

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Camden's mom,

 

Thank you for your input! No boundaries overstepped at all :) You are right about the risks of exposure to both diseases and illmannered dogs.

He has all his shots under his belt, and we have the green light from the vet to go to the park. We actually sometimes run into him while we are there :)

 

I may have to clarify that I do not live in the United States but in the Netherlands. The park I take him to is not exactly a dogpark per se but more a park that is open to the public where unleashed dogs are allowed. There is a strong sense of community between the dogowners that visit it and there are hardly any illbehaved dogs around. Those who are have a reputation and I avoid those dogs, picking up the pup when they come close and taking him to another area (or home). I have heard of the puppy socialization classes you mention, but we don't have anything like that here. Other than puppyclass itself ofcourse, which we will be starting as soon as possible.

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There is a strong sense of community between the dogowners that visit it and there are hardly any illbehaved dogs around. Those who are have a reputation and I avoid those dogs, picking up the pup when they come close and taking him to another area (or home).

 

Looks like I stand very much corrected on my statement about you not knowing if the other dogs are healthy! Please forgive my assumption... some dog parks in the US have this same sense of community, but not many. Most tend to be places where owners just let their dogs loose then go sit in a corner talking on a cell phone. I'm actually not against dog parks, but just wish they were all more along the lines of what you described.

 

Anyways, sorry about the brief off topic nature of my post. Sounds like you have a great park to play in and the best interest of your pup at heart! All the best!!

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The bitch however is very gentle and has not given him anything other than a snarl or a show of teeth when he is nipping her or barking in her face. He does not respect her at all and bothers her to no end. I now feel like I have to protect her from him so they do not dislike eachother in te future. Do I correct him when he is hanging from her cheeks, biting bits of fur out of her tail or barking in her face? Or just give her a way to avoid him?

 

 

LOL Puppy license. I don't know that I'd correct him, but maybe just scoop him up and see if you can get him to do something else.

 

As for your parents' female, it's unlikely she'll tolerate this forever. There'll come a day when she decides he's too big for those shenanigans and she'll tell him to cut it out herself. Most dogs will give puppies license to do a lot of things they won't allow older dogs to do . . . just like people allow toddlers to get away with things they won't tolerate in older kids and other adults. :)

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I applaud your wanting to work out some issues with your pup, and you have already gotten a number of excellent responses but I would like to address one issue.

 

Yes, he may still have "puppy license" with the bitch but if he is being rowdy enough with her to be pulling hair out of her tail, I think you need to step in and let him know that that behavior is unacceptable. My youngest dog was like that, a tail-grabber - and the result of that was, eventually, that my little bitch had to have the end of her tail amputated. Those baby teeth are like needles and more than once, his teeth cut the skin of her tail. Finally, he did this badly enough near the end of her tail that in spite of two vet visits and following the vets' recommendations, the tail became infected (while on a trip) and so painful in such a short time that she managed to get to the tail in spite of being coned, and began the amputation herself. A vet was kind enough to take her on after-hours and finish the job.

 

So, in light of our own experience, I would say that this needs to be stopped now rather than to risk an injury to a bitch that apparently is not getting the message across that his behavior is too rowdy. If you can't stop the behavior, you may find that you need to manage the pup so that he does not have the chance to continue doing this. Fortunately, many pups grow out of bad behaviors with proper training, discipline, and management.

 

Best wishes!

 

GentleLake,

 

I really hope his puppy license will expire soon! He will proudly run around with fluffs of her tailhair in his jaws, I feel so bad for her!

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I really hope his puppy license will expire soon! He will proudly run around with fluffs of her tailhair in his jaws, I feel so bad for her!

 

 

Then you need to intervene and help her out.

 

As I said, scoop him up and redirect him. If you can't get to him fast enough, don't let him play with her at all until he learns some manners.

 

Don't take a chance on his injuring the other dog.

 

ETA: You also risk the possibility that this very tolerant bitch will reach the end of her tolerance and retaliate in a way that will do him some damage. Probably not likely as tolerant as she sounds, but why take a chance on either?

 

Edited again to add: I have a BC I board for 4-8 weeks at a time. He's got some really OCD behaviors with my dogs that they don't like, but mine won't tell him off like they should. I feel in a case like this that it's my responsibility to intervene and put an end to his pestering them. Don't let a pesky puppy or an otherwise annoying dog take advantage of another dog's good nature. If she won't put the puppy in its place, then it's your job to do it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi guys,

 

This thread is a little old now but I just wanted to let you know how it went.

 

Sue R, what a horrible story, that poor girl. This helped me see that I cannot tolerate this kind of behaviour from him ever, whether it is with dogs or people.

I still held the belief that my moms dogs are better at correcting the pup than I could ever be, so I thought I should let them sort it out between themselves. I now see that the bitch was unable to protect herself at that time, so I stepped in and held him away from her when he was irritating her. This week she is beginning to lose some of her tolerance, he is getting older of course, so she gave a few clearer corrections. He was very impressed and after this he was a little more calm with her. She then became interested in him, sniffing and licking him and eventually even initializing play. So that is going better.

 

The hyperactivity issue is going better as well. We have been rewarding calm behaviours, and this has been paying off. I bought an airline type kennel to replace the wire crate we had before, and this has been a huge help. He is very stimulated by movement ofcourse, so any time my cats would run by his crate he would go ballistic. The new kennel is more closed off and this helps him relax. Especially when we hang a towel over the door. We have been practicing crate games too.

We have also continued rewarding calmer behaviour during playtime, when we play tug or fetch. He is beginning to understand the rules of playing ( no biting, no jumping up after a toy, no barking) and he is becoming a very polite playmate.

 

All in all, it is getting easier. A pup is an awful lot of work, especially a feisty little devil such as we have. I am learning a lot on this forum, so thank you everyone for your input.

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