Terrible Twos?

[Jennifer and Jack]

It would seem that Jack (who is going to turn two on March 6th) has lost his puppy sense.  We have gone through three different levels of training, which he passed with flying colors. Now, it would seem that he either went deaf or he is just plain old being rebellious. Though if I have a treat, I can whisper the word sit and he will do it.

 

Anyway, has this happen to anyone else? I call him to come to me and he sits there and stares at me. I tell him to sit and he pretends like I am speaking in tongues or something. We are in training currently, in class he does what he is told, at home he is being a booger head.

 

Also, he is going peeps in the house in the middle of the night!!! His urine was checked and he is fine. Should I put him back in a crate at night? Do I limit his water again so that he is cut off by a certain point??

 

I heard that some dogs do go through the terrible twos. I want my good listener back!!!

[Carol and Banjo]

I'm sorry Jennifer....I don't have any answers for you as Banjo is just a year....but I find it impossible to believe that my little boyfriend Jack is anything less than PERFECT!   How could a dood as cute as Jack ever be terrible???    As for the peeps....it may help to crate him for a week or two just to re-establish good potty behavior.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I know it is so hard to train him and not laugh when he stubbonely stands there and looks at me when I am telling him in my most stern voice to sit. I have even growled at him to which his reply was to lick me.. He is lucky he is so stinking cute. I need to find out more about this terrible twos...

 

If he peeps on my carpet again, boyfriend is coming to visit you!!! Just kidding, I love him peeps and all. THough I think I may cut off his water supply by 7 pm and see if that works first..

 

Thanks for your input

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Haha!  Peri is doing some of this too!  She will be 2 April 6th....Jack and Peri would probably be two peas in a pod :) :)

 

We start training for advanced obedience next week.  We are working daily on commands - I am wondering if the crappy winter weather is making her rebel?  We don't get near as much outside time and I think the poor girl might be going stir crazy.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks for fessing up about Peri, I know sometimes some people don't like to admit their dog is anything less then perfect!!! After all they really are adorable..but perfect NO

 

Well I wish I could say that the crappy winter was to blame, but I live in SC, and though it is cold, we get out rain or shine every day. He gets at least two one mile walks daily, sometimes more.

 

We also are starting advanced training soon. From what I have read, the terrible twos are best dealt with by going back to the basics. Keeping up on the training etc. I just can't believe how stubborn he is being,

 

Let me know if you come up with anything that works, otherwise Jack is headed back to face his crate at night time. which I know he will hate.

[Sharon & Monty]

Wow, what timing for this question.  Monty passed his CGC in December, he was perfect and I spent like zero time to get him trained.  We signed up for next level..ugh.  He will not wait for me to recall him across the room, he will stay for a tiny bit, then run across and nearly knocks me down with his exuberance.  He balks at sitting, laying, staying.  At first it seemed he was fixated on the treat doing every trick in a row till I would treat him.  So I started withholding them, now he balks at the command.  I do think weather has something to do with it, as last night at class, nearly every single dog had the zoomies and was misbehaving.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Oh dear, the zoomies !!! Sir Jack gets them all the time, We have a routine at night before bed to have a very active play time. I get out a lot of his toys and we throw them around the house. Run wild and chase each other. He knows all his commands, he too passed his CGC. It just seems something happen to his brain and he reverted back to a puppy trying to establish a higher then me rank.

 

I honestly have to work hard on not laughing because the rebellion is so blatant . Last night I called him to come for a walk, he just sat there. He would not budge. I tried to get him to sit before we left the house, he just looked away from me and pretended like I was not there. I had to stand there for 10 minutes and stick my hand on his tush to get him to sit. 

IF anyone see's my very loving, loyal good listening dog, could they please return him to me.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness will be two next month.  From time to time he also seems to "forget" everything he learned.  With him it seems to be about getting "lazy".  He's just started going through one of these phases now.  I'm going to go back to doing his sit/down/stay/recall exercises on leash so I have better control.  I've done this before and within a week he's back on track. I have a feeling with him it's going to be an "ongoing" process.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks Jane, That is what I am trying to do with Jack, I can't even get him to sit without me having a treat in my hand.. What the heck... Hopefully he will get over this really quickly.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Darwin went through a rebellious stage from about 8 months to a little over a year old. He would listen, but only sometimes. His reliability was less than stellar. We just kept working at it and he's doing much better now!

[Diane and Alma]

Alma was waking us up almost nightly for the past several months to go out (she is almost 2).  Our vet suggested that I crate her to train her to sleep through the night.  Problem is, as a puppy she would pee on herself in the morning when we'd go to get her out of the crate.  Maybe she thought she was being punished by being locked in there all night??,  So we stopped using the crate when she was a few months old.   Anyway, I decided to start taking her on evening walks so she could do her business before bed and it seems to be working. 

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Neither one of mine are 2 yet, but good luck!!  I am sure Jack is just working on his cuteness... AS IF!!!

[Lorraine Bromley]

We had a terrible experience with Neely this week. 

He was very well socialized in alot of different areas. Some were fears he over came. He was used to going up bleachers at the ball park. These are open and you can see how high you are. He had over come doing suspension bridges in Quebec. 

He ran up to my moms apartment excited to head in. I didn't have a collar or leash on him. I got to the door and mom was at the top of the stairs her neighbour was in the basement area with the dryer running all people and things he's been around before. But he bolted out the main door back behind our car which was parked at he front of the laneway! I had to say come more than once. I finally got him to come and took him into the apartment entrance and he laid down and put the brakes on and would not go up the open staircase. I had to pull push and drag him each step! until the last one that was filled in and he then stood up and went up the rest! I was done. I have enough physical issues that he could have caused more of doing that. I was not impressed.

Then we went to the nursing home. He has been going there since he was a puppy. But he was ok but not great. I would ask him to sit and he would plunk down and lay out. Well that just slows everyone down going up and down the narrow halls with this throw rug of a dog right in the middle! I had to continue to get him up and sit properly. 

I have been blaming my husband who just adores him and because I have limited mobility isssues he does alot of the play time with Neely, but he hasn't been keeping up with any training because he's just so cute! I have told him that he needs to make him do things when it is most difficult like at the dog park.