Help! My puppy is an unruly teenager

[Kelly and Brasco]

We thought we were making all the right steps with our pup Brasco - training classes, long walks at lunch, dog parks, etc. but it seems that lately he is testing us as parents.  He is 7 months old and has a lot of stored up puppy energy which has been coming out in more negative ways lately.

Example 1 - attention barking and nipping. He gets hyper at night when my husband and I return from work that it's not long before he begins to bark at us for more attention and if I put out my hand, I get a very quick nip and then he runs.
Example 2 - If we play with him for a certain period of time, and then stop. He will begin to grab things that he knows will make us chase after him - pillows from the couch, mail on the counter, socks...pretty much anything he can get his mouth on.
Example 3 - If he does get something in his mouth, say a receipt or paper towel, that he knows he can swallow, then he will run under the dining room table and hide and if I approach the table, he begins to scowl at me...teeth showing and growling. If we put our hands near him, he will nip/bite.  (We have been working on this one A LOT, trying a "hansel and gretel" approach by putting treats outside the table in a sort of breadcrumb trail until he comes out and rewarding him more when he "drops" toys and other objects around the house)

Some additional info.: . My husband and I have a fairly reasonable work schedule for spending time with Brasco. I leave at 9:15am and then come back at lunch for an hour with the pup, then my husband is home by 5pm. The behaviors above seem to intensify at night when we are both home.

My question is whether this is fairly normal behavior for a 7 month old? Does anyone have any helpful tips for handling this behavior? I would loooove to hear some new methods to try! Thanks in advance!

[Laura Deutsch]

We had Molly spayed about 3 weeks ago and it hasn't changed her a bit!!!! I admit, we were hoping it calmed her down even a little, but no change. she is still frenetic at times, goes after stuff, jumps on counters if we leave even for a second, and goes for any shoe or sock or paper she can find. But , she seems to act like she has moments of adult dog more frequently. She will entertain herself with a rope toy or a bone for longer periods of time. She's doing great with the training, and graduated puppy class last night with a first place in this baseball relay, which was really fun . We're going on to Family 2. She's doing the really reliable recall very well, although we've only done it inside and at the trainining center, is learning a good stay, does her regular commands, and loves training, just like everyone says. So, we see a faint light. Adolescence is very trying, for sure. It's great to have the support of this group.