Good Dog Gone Bad!

chase has just turned a year and a month, and all previous training seems to have gone out the window!

His pulling on the lead again...jumping all over the place and whining...ALOT.

Up until now his been a great dog, minus a couple of bad days here and there (but what dog doesn't have those days)

But lately he has been unbearable...really testing everyones patience...

I know people say dogs go through a "teenage phase" but i have no idea what to do about it!

He really is turning into a menace! And i really dont know what to do!

He gets a lot of exercise and has toys to play with, but he seems bored all the time...

Has anyone got any advice on dealing with a teenage dog?! I really need the help!

I haven't gone through it, well I have but there hasn't been any difference in them at all. Do you do mind training with him too as that can stimulate them and tire them.

Naughty Chase, he has always been so good and I guess will revert back to it as long as you keep on top of him.

Yer, i just want him to get back to how he was!

Like i said, ive read of a "teenage stage" in dogs. And i think this is it!

We do training all the time, just goin over the basics and refreshing his training.

He was the largest of the littler, and ive read that the biggest pup can be a bit dominant (as they are use to being in charge of the litter) i dont know how true this is though, and if this is having any effect on his drastic behavior change.

The key is to keep up with the training. He is testing to see if he can gain the dominant position. One thing I have done in the past is keep them on lead all of the time to help them understand they are under my control and they are not the boss (usually I use a 4 foot, lite, cheap one as they sometimes chew it...). It will pass and he will return to the good boy you miss. The key is remaining consistent and not giving into him. If he is crate trained, you can also try putting him in the crate more when he is really acting up. I don't know about the biggest issue. I have seen smaller dogs more dominant than bigger dogs and vice versa. Perhaps one of the breeders knows more and can be more helpful.

same story here, only Bindi (just turned one) started chewing on a plant and lately on a wooden statue that has been here for a while...she's got enough stuff of her own to chew on (bones, toys, rope toys), but she only does it when I'm out to work. She's 3 hours alone max.
Before I go to work, I walk with her for 20-25 minutes, and spent another 10-15 minutes on the dog field, throwing ball (it is quite early, so hardly any other dogs there). After that (30 minutes later) she gets her food. I prepare myself to go to work, walk her for a quick pee & poo, and then leave her at home. We live along a busy street, where there are a lot of people walking by too, and she can sit on the couch and look outside.
I was reluctant to take the statue away, since I'm afraid she'll chew on the furniture. I really don't want to put her in her crate for 3 hours, but she doesn't really give me any choice.
My daughter gets back from school for lunch and walks Bindi again (10 minutes). My son comes usually home after 2 o'clock, or after I get back from work, I walk her, go to the dogfield again, where she can play with other dogs, then back to home and dinner is being served.
In the weekend I also go cycling with her, or to a big forest or so.
I hope this stage will pass soon, so she can stay out of her crate all day...I cannot correct here, since it only happens when I'm out of the house and she's alone..

Harvey has hit 8 months and definitely seems to have hit the teenage stage, however with our older dog Chance he seems to be keeping him in check as well as our constant training *touch wood* he isn't being TOO bad yet!

lol been there done that alongtime ago, no matter how many toys you get they get bored very quickly with them, Just keep consistant on training walking throught doors before them eating in front of them and letting them eat afterwards, little things like that all help long term

Back to basics. If he wants a treat, get him to earn it & do some obedience work with him. If he wants a walk, then give him 15 minutes of heel work with smart turns & instant stops when you tell him.

Also, try some mind games - put some paper cups upside down & hide a treat under one of them. Let him sniff around to find it (you might need to give him a hint the first time or two!). Once you can see him using his nose you can progress; get two pieces of clean cloth. Rub them both in your hands for a few minutes to get your scent on them. Put them in view on the floor and get Chase to sit. Place your hand loosely over his nose and say "Seek". Then lead him to one of the cloths & let him sniff it & pick it up. After you've done this a few times start to hide a cloth so he has to look for it.

In the end you'll be able to get him to seek out other people's items which they've rubbed their own scent on.

It's keep him busy, teach him something useful & be quite entertaining for you!

Agree with Caryll back to basics. Train him like you did when he was a pup and don't let any bad behaviour go without correcting it. Not even one time or he will be encouraged to do it again.

Also, if you're not doing it try making him work for his food and sit and wait before you feed him.

i think the training is going to be the key.
we've taken all the meat out of his diet, like raw beef etc, to get the high protein levels out, we walk him for as long as possible & let him run about with other dogs until he's absolutely knackered.
usually he's perfect & then he has these days where he's tired after a walk but get him indoors & he just sits or lays down but whines constantly.
he's been wormed & flea treated so i don't think he's ill.
or he's sit infront of you & whine, so you make him lay down, do some tricks, give him a toy with treats in (like the kong things) but then he takes it, drops it & whines again.
at the moment it's driving everyone insane. mostly because most days he's perfect, like right now he's laying, snoring on the bed. & then he just has these devil dog moments. especially when he gets really OTT & snaps at you when you tell him to lay down when he doesnt want to.
back to basics it is!

Hi, interesting what you said about protein. We found the same! We feed Milo raw and fed mainly chicken wings, pieces etc then gave him beef chuncks mince etc and noticed Milo getting more boisterous and demanding. We stopped this food after a week or something and our normal dog returned. My fil is quite into this through a guy he knows who keeps wolves and he said that the higher up the pack the animal is the more protein they eat-interesting!

Thats quite interesting.

Maby ill start eating loads of chicken in front of chase to show him whos boss

Its just strange how its only some days, and it seems to be more towards my girlfriend than me.

Izzy is two next month and we have had some similar issues over the last 6 months. Fortunately for me I found this forum 5 months ago and the first thing that hit me was "we need to go back to basics with her training" maintain consistency in everything we do and not reinforce her bad behaviour.
It has taken a while but we are getting there and the last month or so she has been almost like she was this time last year.
Hang in there and keep up the good work and don't let the negatives wear you down, he'll get there

I think the thing to remember is that we all need to learn, as well as the dogs! It's so easy to think "I've done it all before, I don't need help or advice" and then suddenly find that something's out of control.

I mean, I panicked like hell when Dempsey's tail stopped working! It just sort of drooped - he couldn't move it at all & he was in some discomfort & if I lifted it he'd yelp. I posted it here & on a bully forum & found out all about Limber Tail (aka Dead Tail or Cold Tail), which although unpleasant usually rights itself.

If I hadn't checked with the forums & spoken to other people with different experiences to me, I'd have rushed to the vets thinking he'd broken his back or something!

It's sometimes just nice to know you're not alone, and that tehre are people around who are willing to share their experiences with anyone who asks!

Has anyone else experienced constant whining?
like, literally, constant.
He's just been for a massive walk (been on two today) & he's been running about with another staff. He's got a toy infront of him & he's just laying on the bed whining. like a high pitched cry type noise. then every so often he does this really loud fake yawn.
it is SO annoying. we've changed his food, gotten him toys, he gets played with, walked, trained. He never gets pushed about or anything like that.
And if i go to him now & tell him to stop he'll snap at me. not to bite, but just snap. If i put my hand infront of him he'll lick it, but if i go to tell him to lay down he snaps.
i'm at a loss & everyone else is just about ready to give up on him!
HELP!

I haven't experienced anything like that, but it sounds like he is testing you quite a bit. Hopefully someone will come along soon and have a good answer. I'm sorry it is so difficult!

is someone teasing him?

Has he got a daily walk routine?

How long for each walk?

are you letting him get away with something and then tell him off the next time he does it?


I always go by a tired dog is a good dog an bored untired dog is a bad dog.

just filmed what he's doing at the moment...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmE_LXHvfpg

nope. he's been walked. he usually gets walked once in the morning, then once again when we're home from work/uni.
it's 50/50 as to whether he'll behave after a walk. sometimes he just sleeps, other times it's just constant whining, jumping, snapping.
he doesnt get teased or pulled about. we try to do 'find it' games which seem to keep him entertained for about 5mins.
we go through doors before him, he walks beside us not in front on walks, we try to do everything we can to make sure he knows he's not the one in charge.
he gets so much love & attention it's crazy. it seems like he doesnt want to be near us at all!

how long walks is he getting?

morning walks usually 30-45 mins, then the afternoon one can vary from 1-2 hours

maybe try to take him out for a hour in the morning & fit another walk in before you go to bed.

walking is a very important training in your dog life, normaly a bad dog are the one that dont get proper walks

I think he looks confused and maybe hes a high energy dog try when your not busy leaving the lead on him in the house and encouraging him to follow you around . Mine follow me everywere they hate being seperated I dont mind it but it looks like when hes there on his bed hes at a loss of what he has to do thats the only thing I can think of sorry

were just gunna keep up the training, keep up the walk, an cross our fingers that he will grow out of it!

I dont want to get rid of him, but if nothing changes i wont be able to keep him, which would break my heart. Im hoping as he gets older he will learn and cam down a bit!

We have having similar problems at the moment with Billy, we feed him raw and have heard that a high protein diet can make them hyper, can. Ask what did you change to, and which brand, cause I think we are going to try that with Billy, but no idea what t change it to

talking about giving up your dog i would never pass my problems onto someone else,

Mouse is a year and just under a month old. She has turned into a little B*gger. She has so much energy, shes jumping around the house, off the sofas, shes pulling again on walks, shes decided shes gunna take my clothes again. She gets an 30 min walk every morning and an hour walk every night, but atm thats not enough she is only calm if shes had 1-2 if not more walk in the day aswell and then shes tired out. We have been re-enforcing all the stuff she knows she that she has to do and not let her get away with not doing things she has been trained to do.
Trying to find a few more things we can train her to do to keep her mind active. Unfortunatly the cloth thing above wont work cos clothes, cloths, blankets she would do a snatch and grab with which ever she could get, or if both then both and do a runner.

I think the best thing to do is not think "im gunna have to get rid of her /him if this carrys on" think, yes they are having a teenage fase , but I need to train and teach them how to behave NO MATTEr how hard, how much time, effort and concistancy is needed to get back the well behaved dog you had before and stick to it. Train and tire out your dog and you will get the dog back to behaving.

Harvey is just over 8 months and is being a pain at the minute, however i no it's his age, we just continue with training and being consistent and he will get over it. I wouldn't give up my dog EVER just for doing what dogs do!

lynne wrote:We have having similar problems at the moment with Billy, we feed him raw and have heard that a high protein diet can make them hyper, can. Ask what did you change to, and which brand, cause I think we are going to try that with Billy, but no idea what t change it to

It's not the protein that makes them hyper, it's additives and fillers in cheaper foods that does, in general raw feeding is meant to calm down dogs, as there is no fillers.

I'm having a few 'testing it' problems with Charlie. He likes to test to see how far he can push it at the moment and has started chewing again and has stolen food and is generally just being a little git. BUT, I would NOT consider giving him up. At the end of the day, A- it's just his age, and B- he is what I've made him, so I wouldn't put that on anybody else. If you continue with the back to basics training, and keep letting him know who's boss, he'll come good again. I guarantee you, if you put in the effort, at around 18-24 months, when he's fully mature, you'll look back on this and laugh. Please don't give up on your dog, he'd never give up on you.

I really dont want to get rid of him, and um putting in as much time as i can to correct his problems. But i still live with my parents until i finish uni next year, and his been snapping at my mum and girlfriend. If he keeps that up it wont be my decision to make.

I accept his problems are my problems, and im doing all i can.

I guess it does make it tougher if you are living with your parents. Can you not try talking to your mum and tell her that you really don't want to give him up and it's just a matter of being patient and consistent? I know it doesn't seem like it, but it will get better. It really is an age related thing, and as long as you are firm and consistent and he's getting plenty of exercise, he will calm down as he matures.

Just took chase for a jog, his absoloutly shattered. The plan is now to jog in the mornings before uni, walk him when i get home, then jog again in the evenings. The plan is to get him so tired he doesn't have the energy to misbehave!

Im sure all this exercise and the training will have some effect!

Ill give you an update tomorrow evening and let you know how it goes!

Wish me luck!

Good luck

The walk is about more than excercise. He must keep his attention on you and not be allowed to be distracted, pull or sniff around. This will reinforce your status as his leader. Also, perhaps one should ignore the whining as it seems he gets a reaction/reward for it by being offered a toy or other treat.

Personally, I would not let him get away with the snapping at all! Above all, it just takes a little extra at this age. please hang in there and dont even consider giving him up. Good Luck

Got up this morning an hour early, and walked for an hour, just got home from uni (half day) and went straight back out for another hour walk. Got home and did some sit and stay training.

He does seem to be more settled and less disobedient.

Ill take him out again for another jog tonight.

Looks like i may have to give up smoking and take up jogging!

Thanks for all the usefull advice, ill keep you all updated.

many will tell you on here i have had so many issues with Woody in the past and perseverance is paying off now, Woody is no angel but he is 100% improved. there were times when i could and did cry cos he was testing my patience constantly. there was only me to handle these issues so in a way you could utilise your current situation and get everyone on board with the training etc so its not all falling on your shoulders. if you are the only one seen as the boss or provider he is going to react in a different way to everyone else.

hope all goes well as there are too many staffys already witthout a loving home - good luck

I could never give him up, um just gonna do everything i can to help him out.

I spoke to sumone today that used this herbal liquid you put on dogs food that apparently helps to relax them, they used it while their dog was in a awkward teenage stage and said it helped.

Anyone heard of it or know anyone thats used it?

its called "highly strung". its completely natural but im afraid it didnt help woody.

maybe worth a try. i might look into it.

Hows woody now? Any useful tips you found worked well?

he appears to have turned over a new leaf! i think its a combination of factors but the main is i think he has just reached a more mature stage. i did have to stick to my guns though especially on the nipping, straight outside and ignored, which he hated. i have noticed the biggest chnage since he has been in kennels for 2 weeks whilst i was away, he mustve been frightened i had sent him away!!

Glad to hear his doin well!

Just wondering, is he neutered? and if so, what age did you get him neutered?

Chase was neutered at around 6 months, and the vet said it may take him longer to reach maturity (in both growth and mental maturity)

he is yes, i probably did him around a similar age to you, poss about 8 months. you will get there with him it just takes patience.......and a load of it!!!!how old is chase now or have you updated his age on your profile?

acidrane13 wrote:
I spoke to sumone today that used this herbal liquid you put on dogs food that apparently helps to relax them, they used it while their dog was in a awkward teenage stage and said it helped.

Anyone heard of it or know anyone thats used it?

You could try Bach's Rescue Remedy...
http://www.bachfloweressences.co.uk/categories/Bach-Rescue%C2%AE-Remedy/

acidrane13 wrote:Chase was neutered at around 6 months, and the vet said it may take him longer to reach maturity (in both growth and mental maturity)

It's possible he may never reach full mental maturity. That's the problem with cutting off the testosterone before maturity - it can affect them in so many ways afterwards.

he was neutered at about 6 months, his now around 1 year 3 months.

He was ok for a while, then got worse and worse. To the point of which everyone in my house is constantly moaning at me about him.

Im starting to think the vet gave me bad advice!

Vets, I'm afraid will only give one point of view. That doesn't mean it's wrong, just not always totally balanced. There are so many things that are affected by early neutering.

However, that doesn't help you now!

You really do need to be very firm with him, and totally consistent. Don't let him get away with anything, even if it's funny! He will learn, but it might take a little while.

Whats done is done! They cant be put back!

Ive just taken him to the park for an hour where thers basketball cages. I took him in, shut the gates and did heal training (getting him to follow me round beside me off lead) sit and stay,then i walked off and called him to come back to me. fetch and then come back to me with a ball. and sit and wait, then throw a ball then fetch it.

It seems to have done the job, just got home and his laying down on his bed playing with a kong.

Anyone know any other good training routines i could fit in that will help?

You need to stick with something and do it everyday changing will only confuse him if you being consistent & walking 2/3 times a day for hour plus per walk he will come good.

Thats the plan!