going back the way

Hi everyone,not been on here for a couple of weeks     now i need your help AGAIN. Molly just is starting to become a nightmare again just when i thought we were getting somewhere,she is getting so hyper when people come to the house its that bad we have to put her back in her cage,as the cage has been put away for the last 2 month's,she has started play biting,and constantly jumping up on people when we take her for her walks.its getting that i dont want to take her out as its a dread.she has even started chewing things in the house and my partners flat things like plants, books that are on shelves her bedding and lots more. she has even brought me to tears and then sometimes i get so angry i feel like giving up,i realy cant see her getting any better.  

They go through phases at that age, be strong and back to complete basics, and try and stay calm, and try and introduce the crate so they don't think its a punishment Xx

thanks i will keep trying,but i am realy struggling just now,she is great most of the time when its just me and my partner, she seemed to of got worse when she went into season for the first time,and then we got her neutred about a month ago. x

I know it's stressful and frustrating, but Janey's right! Almost all dogs, particularly bully breeds, go through a headstrong, hyper stage in their early lives. Consistent training and firmness is the key for managing it.

Dempsey went through a particularly long one (that's not to say that Molly will as well - Dempsey was unfortunately an exception to the rule) and the thing that seemed to work the best was just to keep at it and persevere with training.

Some people prefer to use mental stimulation to tire their dogs out, rather than using extra physical stimulation such as tug of war, chase, etc.. This exercises the mind and can help to prevent boredom and a build up of excess energy.

Eleanor what do you suggest for mental stimulation.as the tug of war stuff ect just makes her more hyper as well x

Hide and seek, sit wait leave, anything that uses there mind rather than energy Xx

ok thanks for that,i would normaly play tug of war and stuff thinking it would tire her out,it just made her worse,she would start running round the room like a mad dog over and over again lol thanksyou x

Training (sit, stay, heel, recall, or something more adventurous once she has those, such as scent training) is probably the most commonly used one. You can also try mentally stimulating toys such as Kongs, treat dispensers and puzzle toys. Puzzle toys are quite good, as they require your dog to work for treats and figure out how to gain access to them.

You can adapt mental stimulation according to what your dog loves most. For instance, if she loves food and treats, Kongs are excellent! If you start off simple, putting small treats in the Kong so that they just fall out when she rolls it along, she'll quickly understand what she needs to do. Once she's grasped it, you can make it more difficult, adding pastes and larger treats. It's a good idea to get one of the larger Kongs, as these are more durable and generally more appropriate for bully breeds.

Depending on how your dog reacts to squeaky or soft toys, you can try playing hide and seek with her favourites! The reward is finding the toy and getting praise, so there's no need for extra treats.

There's another method involving tea towels. You soak the towel in water, then twist it and tie knots through it. In each twisted section, you can hide treats in the folds. The towel can then be put in the freezer. Once it's frozen, your dog can have a lot of fun unravelling it to get the treats. It should be supervised though, in case she tries to eat the towel.

Mental stimulation isn't a 100% fix of naughty behaviours, but it prevents boredom, which is a leading cause of hyperactivity and destructive behaviour in dogs, particularly when they're young.

carolinebrian wrote:ok thanks for that,i would normaly play tug of war and stuff thinking it would tire her out,it just made her worse,she would start running round the room like a mad dog over and over again lol thanksyou x

Tug of war is great for physically tiring a dog, but you need to do a lot of it to really exhaust a young staffy! Mental exercise is just as important and can be a lot of fun for you and your girl!

thanks so much for that,i am actualy looking forward to doing that with her now,maybe thats what she has been missing, x

No problem! Hope it helps!

Tea towel game is genius - I am going to try it.

It's annoying when dogs regress but try not to get angry as she isn't doing it deliberately. A couple of dog walkers in the park have said that their dogs have gone hyper since it began to get colder.

Best thing to do is go back to basics. Reward for good behaviour is better than punishing for bad. And they hate more than anything to be ignored so perhaps calmly put her in another room for one minute when guests arrive and only let her stay with the guests once she has calmed down.

Do you have someone you can practice with? Perhaps a friend who can meet you in the park and work on the no jumping up rule?