HELP teenage stage?!

Harvey is 11 months old and in the past two weeks has started constantly snapping at us, barking at us and just being very disobedient. Weve been told this could be him going through his teenage stage and will eventually stop is this correct? We would be grateful for any help or ideas on how to deal with this in the best possible way!!

Debbie & Mat

Is he neutered?

yes he got neutered in january

They do go through a stage were they test their boundaries. You have to be firm with him. If he barks or snaps at you tell him no and that it's not allowed in a very stern voice and give him a time-out, a long one 15 minutes or so.

we've been doing this but at times he just gets more aggitated and carries on doing the same he can have a timeout for 15 - 30 mins and then 5mins later were back to square 1.

If you give him atime out where do you put him and what can he see? Have you thought of taking him for obedience classes?

we put him in his cage or in a room alone with door shut he eventually lays down so we let him out its probably something that were doing wrong. hes just started classes he got really snappy with my partner and had to have a one on one lesson. hes totally fine with other dogs wanting to say hello and play hes great off lead this is really the only problem were having him apart from his eating but thats another story!were living with my parents at the moment and how hes behaving isnt going down to well with the folks!

harveybell wrote:we put him in his cage or in a room alone with door shut he eventually lays down so we let him out its probably something that were doing wrong. hes just started classes he got really snappy with my partner and had to have a one on one lesson. hes totally fine with other dogs wanting to say hello and play hes great off lead this is really the only problem were having him apart from his eating but thats another story!were living with my parents at the moment and how hes behaving isnt going down to well with the folks!

could he be bored?

how long are you talking him out for?

i dont think you should use the cage as a formal of punishment

we try not to use his cage as a form of punishment as thats where he sleeps and loves laying in there with the door open but when hes snapping at us its the first thing we do at times if hes in a room alone he eats things which i know sbt's do but its awkward when its my parents house

I agree with Steve the cage should be a happy place for him where he is always comfortable. Dogs pick up on human emotions and can sense things, you said that you are living with your parents at the mo, it could be something as simple as he snapped at you once, they disapproved (we all have parents we know lol) you then became tense and stressed desperate for him not to do it again so that they don't disapprove. He senses you are tense which makes him nervous and scared which in turns increases the bad behaviour which makes you nervous and tense are you getting my drift lol?
Start from scratch totally next time you go to get him out or whatever be calm and positive and happy and show it to him "Hey Harvey how you doing come on mate lets go outside" in a blue peter presenters voice, when he does something you like praise and reward him you have to be a bit OTT though lol give him lots of fuss and see what happens.

picking up on what you said about him sensing our emotions i lost my dad in january this year and think now that this may have a big part in how harveys behaving at the moment.thanks for the advice we will give it a try!

I agree it might well be I don't feel great today and every time I stop I have 2 staffs hitting the back of my legs when I sit down they sit on me and they are one on each foot at the minute so they def know! Lola is just a bit younger than Harvey and she is really sensitive to emotions with Harvey it may be that he knows you are upset but can't do anything to help and it frustrates him. I really hope that it is this and you can let him help you as you help him good luck x

thankyou harveys always the first 1 there when were ill all cuddly and loving and i think that at the moment he sees me upset quite alot or even snapping (not at him) i try my hardest not to let him see but hes around every corner bless him plus hes a mummys boy and very protective of me even towards my partner his daddy!

Stick it out with the training. Does he snap at only your partner or the other people in the house as well?

he snaps at us all and barks at us all

It could be that he's knows how to intimidate you into doing what he wants by snapping, growling and barking.

Steve wrote:i dont think you should use the cage as a formal of punishment

Good point Steve. Never use the cage for punishing. The cage needs to be a safe place to the dog

it has only been these past few weeks that we have put him his cage for this we know not to use the cage as form of punishment after all this is his bed but at times we have not known what to do with him and just put him in there.we love harvey very much and want whats best for him.

We can see that if you didn't you wouldn't have looked online, registered and posted to ask about his problems. Everyone on here will do their best to help in any way we can, you can try all different kinds of advice until you find the one that suits harvey (and you!) best

thanks

Hope you manage to get this sorted.

I hope Harvey gets better for you soon!
I can't say I have had that problem, I'm a stay at home mum so I am here day and night and Diesel gets a lot of attention, we are consistantly strict with him too (in a loving pack leader way), he get's walked every night for an hour or so as well as play time during the day and he has obedience classes once a week. Maybe he just needs some cosistant obedience and a lot of attention!
The shift of living conditions and all the emotions in the air are probably making him feel insecure! If you are going to give him time out be consistant and have it in the one spot, not which ever is closest at the time, and don't use his cage.
If you fear him when he snaps and barks he would be picking up on that too, maybe it's the insecure thing if this is the case.
He snaps, barks people fear him, you worry because of the folks, he picks up on it etc etc, he needs to feel that you are leader and in control, he needs guidence from a superior/ pack leader to feel secure. Sooking him or feeling sorry for him will also make things worse.
I hope he gets better soon for you and your family, your on the right track and hopefully everyones advice will help you out a little.
Would love to see some pics of little Harvey if you can too!

Im sorry to hear of your loss
Your emotions are all over the place at the moment and you dog is going to sense this.
Dogs dont understand emotions of sadness and grief they just sense them and with you not being your self right now your dog knows you are not stable
He will see this as weakness in his pack leader and will think its now his job to take your place as you are not the stable pack leader he once knew.
He aint being horrible to you this is nature, every pack needs a strong assertive but calm pack leader without one the pack is weak and vunerable in your dogs eyes.
When he is behaving this way he needs leadership so try not to be tense stressed or agitated with him
Try to stay in a calm manner and correct him.
best wishes.

I wouldn't recommend directly confronting him. Speak to your trainer and tell him/her exactly how he's behaving and what your circumstances are. Ask your trainer to work out a set of excersises for you that will enforce your alpha status and let Harvey know were he fits into his "pack". This way even if he's just going through a stage this will help him settle and if ever in future you have a similar problem you will know how to handle it.

Steve wrote:i dont think you should use the cage as a formal of punishment

I was told not to use the cage as a punishment. It is a good place not a bad one. I can't say much to help you as bubbles is 14 weeks old.

Sounds like naughtiness, Just keep being super-firm

Hi,

When Ember started all that we were told to put her on her back, say NO and hold her there until she submitted. The first few times she wriggled and struggled to right herself, but now this works really well and she gives in straight away.

Hope this works for you too. Let us know how you get on. Good luck.
Regards Claire, Rich n Ember

Welcome to the forum, when you have a minute please pop along and introduce yourself in our new members forum.

I would also have to point out the dangers of trying to get a dog to submit, if you don't know exactly what you are doing an alpha roll or pin down should only be attempted under supervision of a proper trainer (who probably won't recommend it anyway) you could damage the dog physically and pyschologically.

Totally agree with Watts and re the trainer part IMO any trainer that does recommend this should be steered clear of.... there are other methods to deal with such behaviour and anyone who is PAID to deal with them should NOT be showing potentially dangerous methods!

in my own experience with putting them on there back, just made them more frustraited and snappy i wouldnt advice this either,

you have been given some great advice along the way , hope you see a difference in his behaviour very soon , good luck

Hi

I am hoping giving my experience may help a little - but to honest you would be best finiding a qualified trainer to work with you on this one - one 2 one training may not be the cheapest method - but a well worth outlay in my opinion.

Diesel was like this with me at about 11 months - my OH took a year off work when we got Diesel and I was working full time - Diesel would start disrepecting me by jumping and snapping - I tried all different methods given by people

- I held him - NEVER RECOMMOND that one it made him worse and could end up with you been bitten -

- I tapped his bum - he jumped at me again

- I turned my back on him - he would nip my bum

Eventually after speaking to our trainer - she said I need to mean what I say as Diesel is trying to test his place in our pack.

So I went back to basics - when he jumped and nipped - I would walk forward say NO and mean it - ask him to sit until he clamed down - then I would wait in front of him until he did - then I would say come on and calmly walk away

This may may not work but I think a training class is best for you

just a little thing but is he getting enough "quality" time with you? Maybe he needs a litle bit more than usual outside time with you away from the tension of the house..it is so hard when you are not in your own home and he might need a break away more than he would if it was just you.

I think the best thing to do is to get him loads of exercise. Dogs do this behaviour when they are aggrivated or want to do something. I had that problem, but increasing walks to runs, and taking them out with bikes solved it totally. They get too tired to snap and bark, so when he is tired and lays and sleeps, you can praise him.