Free to good (or even mediocre) home: one a**hole adolescent puppy

[Bridget and Lupin]

Ok, not  really.  But man oh man Lupin is stepping on my last nerve lately.  The bratty barking, snatching pb&j's off the counter, shredding kleenex, staring at me blankly when I call her and then turning and walking away, she's even started clamping her jaws around my ankles again.  She bolts out the front door given half a chance and if it weren't for helpful neighbors I'm afraid we'd never get her back.  Does she hate it here or something?  Hard not to take that one personally.  The only time she's good is for like an hour after a walk or two-ish hours after a trip to the dog park. Brushing her is like trying to brush a crocodile, so she started to get all matted and had to be shaved....so now she looks AND acts like a neurotic poodle.  Round 2 of puppy school starts Oct 12, so hopefully that will help.  *sigh*  Thanks for listening to my rant.  Any words of encouragement would be appreciated.

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

Not that I can help you but we are dealing with the same behavior. This is not fun.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Just checked your profile for Lupin's age and smiled (sympathetically, I promise) - you're in the terrible twos, or the canine equivalent. Lupin's at an age where she's testing her boundaries and trying to figure out how to be a grown-up dog - it's a sucky age no matter how you look at it. The puppy classes will help, and the good news is that you'll look back on this stage one day and laugh. She WILL grow out of this, I promise.

This is a good time, in my opinion, to start asserting yourself a bit more as the parent. "Because I'm the mom and I said so" is just as valid with your puppy as it is with your toddler. Believe it or not she needs that structure and part of her acting out is trying to find it.

It's not fun, guys, but grit your teeth and know that your babies will get through this. Lachlan was pretty easy but there were times with Declan at that age that I just had to shove him into his crate and walk away for a little while so I didn't throttle his furry self - and now I look at him at two years old (his birthday was a couple of days ago) and wonder when he turned into this amazing creature.

[Sally Huff]

Bridget,

Our life changed for the better when we started using the " nothing in life is free" for dog training.  Google and it will explain it much better than I.  Our Gracie is now 19 months old and we are reaping the rewards.  Stay strong Mama, you are in charge!  Lupin is the doodle of your dreams

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Sorry, this just made me giggle. Not to worry, we're all experiencing the same woes, on one level or another. Right now, my little one is the BEST ever. Why? Because she is sound asleep. Status will change momentarily. ;)

[Yana and River]

I second that.  Day care and a sleeping puppy makes for the perfect puppy. 

 

[Tina R.]

You have captured the agony with great wit and clarity. I promise I'm chuckling with complete empathy and sympathy. Our sweet, Ollie, now almost two, was much the same creature. You'll be delighted to know that he now nearly falls asleep at times while I'm grooming him. I know, amazing, and none of the scars from his crocodile days remain.

I agree with everyone's tips below, and have one more for you to try. When Ollie would be particularly out of his mind, we would grab a few treats -- which we stashed out of his reach in containers all around the house -- and would immediately start asking for some simple obedience behaviors. It seems like that threw a switch in his brain and the insanity went away and the sweet boy that he is returned. Give it a shot, what do you have to lose?

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Ooooh, great advice - I did similar with Dec when he started acting up. You're right - it does seem to flip a switch in their brains!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I have to agree. We timed Oscar's intermediate training with the naughty adolescent stage (it just happened that way, no planning involved!) and never experienced any of those frustrating behaviors. Believe me, I DO know how bad they can get, as we went through it with our older doodle, Lucy). Oscar is 1 now and will be starting another intermediate series this week (compliments of the trainer, as Oscar was the only dog in his class over the Summer). Granted, Oscar is a very mellow doodle, and is highly food motivated. He sailed through class and homework, and would do backflips (almost!) for a treat. It all gets better with time, you just have to get through this difficult stage before experiencing the wonderful dood on the other side. Hang in there!

[KLN]

I feel ya Bridget! Doggie daycamp is the best $15 I spend! He s a perfect angel on the days he goes but the other nights go just like how you describe. :(. You are not alone...we all might at some point have the fleeting thought of dropping them off at the fire station (does that apply to doodles too?!). :0). In the end though, they are worth EVERY bit of frustration. Good luck!

[Bridget and Lupin]

Thanks to everybody for the sympathy and encouragement.  I will definitely try getting her to flip a switch by running through some basic commands when she gets squirrely.  And I'll be revisiting the No Free Lunch approach....we did that for quite awhile and fell off the wagon at some point. My husband was always better at that than me.  I just wish someone could tell me definitively when she'll come out the other side of the terrible teens. It reminds me of when I wondered when my baby would sleep through the night.....no one can tell you, but eventually it happens (it took TWO years in our case).  Same thing here...I know. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

At least you know it will get better.  This is not the fun part of dog ownership.

[Tammy and Violet]

How old is she ? Lupin sounds just like my Violet,,,,mibne turned one and I noticed SUCH a difference,not pefect but better....her Sunday morning paper eating and running with it in her mouth gets really old each Sunday...There are no mornings that start out slow around here anymore.. This morning she got into the litter box and ate 2 tootsie roll poop ,,, :(

 

Hang in there honey !!