I guess I should have named him Trouble

[Steve D]

Maxwell turned 16 weeks today. Today has been one of those days. Max is big enough now to jump up to reach things on the counter, my computer desk, tables, etc.. I have moved things up higher and higher and I am running out of places to put things. So far today he has gotten a hold of the tv remote, a pair of tweezers, mysterious pieces of plastic, napkins, a container of treats, plants, and a full package of pasta. With each of these things he is well aware he is not supposed to have them and all the commands such as sit, stay, and drop it fall on deaf ears. When he jumps up he knows and usually obeys the Off command but a minute later he is back up. The trouble really starts when I have my back turned. We have the living room arranged to where I can open the gate to his crate to create an enclosed area but since he can jump up on the couch that has now simply become a launching pad to freedom. He has a large variety of toys and things to chew on that are kept in rotation but none of these are as fun as the forbidden items. Help!!! :)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Guess what? Peri is 11 months and there are still some times when I think I should have named her TROUBLE. But relax, it does get much, much better. Maxwell is super young. I think we hit the 5-6 month mark and the trouble went from an hourly occurrence to a weekly occurrence. Stay strong. Don't set him up to fail - try to puppy proof as much as possible and if you have not done obedience, you should enroll asap!

[Steve D]

That is one of the great things about this wonderful site... you find out you are never alone! Max is in puppy school. Just had his second class yesterday. The instructor is a Doodle owner so guess what?? Max is Teacher's Pet lol :)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Ha! Teacher's Pet. Max will keep on getting better. Peri was nutty yesterday - I think the weather has made her feel cooped up and crazy! The only thing I could do to calm her down was to get her to focus on training for about 20 minutes. I highly recommend that as a "calming" technique. Especially if Max is treat-driven!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Have you tried bitter apple? My Golden retriever used to steal napkins off the table. We spayed a napkin with bitter apple and left it hanging over the edge of the table. We walked to the other side of the room and pretended we were busy. When she saw we weren't looking she took the napkin and spit it out!! Never did it again. Lucca just sees the bottle of bitter apple and stops what he is doing. Some dogs like the taste though. Fortunately mine didn't.

[Lori]

We found one called "Bitter Yuck" that we use - since Dufus aka Leo likes Bitter Apple. I sprayed Bitter Yuck on the spot on the area rug where he pulled all the fibers out and it seems to have stopped him - on that spot. Then he tried another so I sprayed that one, and now he has stopped eating the rugs. Now it's the barking that needs to stop - he hears one thing that might resemble a knock three miles away and that gets him going.

[Steve D]

Yes I have a big bottle of the bitter apple right here in front of me. Max thinks it is delicious. Especially when mixed with furniture :)

[BG and Gavin]

The first things that came to my mind are exercise (walks) tethering him to you and putting him in short time outs when he gets too wild. We use the bathroom (toilet paper is up on a shelf :) to avoid negative crate association. He can usually chill out after just a couple of minutes.

[shelly]

Tether.. tether...tether.... and want out these little doodles are sneaky! No matter how many toys they have.. they ALWAYS seem to want what they cannot play with. A friend of mine told me about this can that actually emits a burst of air (she is a DK member ~ Ali & Sonni. She will be able to give you the exact name). She says it works great. Maybe try that. I'm thinking of using it for Tori's excessive barking when she becomes so fixated on someone outside.....You can get it on-line too....Hang in there.. it does get better!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

You know the can of air spray you use to clean a computer or keyboard. I guess it makes a noise. Don't spray at the dog, of course. Anything to distract and redirect.

[Lori]

A squirt bottle has done wonders for us w/ Casper. Also, when he has something he shouldn't we approach him w/ one of his favorite toys to exchange it. Of course it doesn't always work...but chasing him is like a game to him & he loves it.
Do you have Bully Sticks? By far the most treasured thing for Casper...used to keep him busy for a LONG time, but now that he has his big boy teeth he can go through them pretty quickly...I do recommend trying them if you haven't already.
Good luck & hang in there, things will work out!

[Terri H and Kramer]

I also had this problem with Kramer about this age. I filled a water bottle with 1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water. A couple good stinging squirts around his face made him really uncomfortable! He hates the vinegar bottle so much now, if we grab the bottle when he is being naughty, he literally drops the item or stops in his tracks and drops to the floor. Having a few around the house might help so it's at hand when you need it, running to find it and you may confuse the dog about why he is being squirted. Using plain water in the beginning became a fun game, but the vinegar really did the trick! Kramer will be a year old in 2 weeks and the counter surfing is down to a minimum except when it comes to handtowels or dishtowels! He parades them in front of us while we are watching TV...just to engage us in play...but I have to admit I laugh on the inside when he prances around with a towel, he is too darn smart!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Welcome to my world! Lucy is exactly the same and although I keep things pretty well up and out of her reach, there's still the hanging dish towels, which is such a temptation for her! She's constantly checking out the counters too and seems to LOOK for trouble! She's just recently learned the word, NO, so that is helpful. Another thing I find helps loads is lots of walks and exercise throughout the day. Instead of looking for trouble, she's usually passed out at our feet. Makes such a noticeable difference!

Oh, btw, Lucy doesn't have free access to all parts of the house. From day 1 we've had gates up so Lucy only has access to the kitchen, nook, halls and study. The stairs aren't gated, but she won't go up them without us (comes from not teaching her to climb them till she was 3 months old). That doesn't mean she never goes into any other rooms, just not without us. It's helped us keep our sanity.

I like the cookie sheet suggestion for counter surfing, although I'd worry about my hardwood floors scratching(!). I've heard several variations on that theme like setting a dozen mouse traps both under and over sheets of newspaper and when the puppy jumps up the traps go off and make a loud noise. Or put a few pebbles or pennies into empty pop cans (a bunch) and tape the tops and place them on newspaper with the paper hanging down over the edge. When the puppy jumps up all the pop cans come falling down making a racket. I plan to try a couple of these soon.