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.

[GBK]

Been there and done that, and you have my sympathies too!  It must be those apricots, because my apricot was the same :)  Step up the training, start the Nothing In Life is Free training.  She Must work for everything good that comes.  She must sit at the thresh hold of your door before you all go through it, this will help in keeping her from bolting.  Unless my two put there butts on the ground as the garage door is opening, we don't go anywhere....  And they do go through the door first because I don't believe in the hierarchy training that says I MUST go before them. 

Sit and wait outside the kitchen thresh hold, she get's a treat if she is sitting or laying where she is supposed to be.  If she touches you with her teeth, time her out!  If she comes out of the time out and does it again, time her out again!  She will get it, believe me, they are smart cookies.  Good luck, and keep us posted!

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Isn't life FUN (not) with a doodle going through the terrible two's!!!  My boys are 6 1/2 months old and all of a sudden have become holy terrors.  One couch cushion is history and they have eyed the second one. I'm sure that they will get to that one when I least expect it. Thankfully, this is the couch in "their" room, so I can cover it up.  Casey has developed a bit of selective hearing so frequently just doesn't hear me (yae - right) when I call him.  Cody, on the other hand, has gotten more obedient.  It is hysterical to watch them.  Casey will be doing something he shouldn't be doing - like digging in the flowerbed, or tearing up the cushion, or dragging the dachshunds crate pads out of their crate - -  and Cody just stands there and barks at him. It is almost like he is saying, "ooooh, you are going to get into SO much trouble!"  But Casey just ignores him and keeps on.  However, I've gotten very attuned at listening for Cody's warnings. :)

[Debbie and Belle]

I  have started having a really hard time with Belle (who is 15 1/2 weeks) jumping up and nipping/biting skin/clothes.  I know I have read she has a lot of energy and trying to play, but I'm really trying to work hard to get this habit to stop as I don't want it to continue  into adulthood.  I initially tried "off" and turning my back.  That doesn't work and she won't let go.  I've tried 20 second timeouts in the powder room and she comes out more wound up (and its hard to pick her up to bring her to time out when shes just biting).  Sometimes grabbing a toy of hers works, but if she gets in a certain mood nothing seems to work.  I especially notice this behavior when I'm either getting something ready for her (like her food or a kong) or just anytime she thinks I am when I'm just getting things in the kitchen.  Is this behavior "normal" for this age?  Given that nothing so far has worked, does anyone else have some suggestions? 

[Tammy and Violet]

Debbie it will get better and one years....I would never believed anyone if it did not happen to Violet...it is awful .. is she excited kind of mood when it kicks in ? I am guessing so...they are fast and bite hard if you try to time out them .. what I tried was ,,, in a calm manner ..Violet look ,, and point and nothing she would look ..switch would usually shut down and go on or give her a time out... let me know how it goes ... I feel your pain ..does she show her teeth too ?

[Debbie and Belle]

Tamara, thank you for the advice and the hope that it gets better. Yes, it's when Belle is in an excited mood when she does this (and when she thinks I'm making some food for her she gets excited too). Belle learned "look" in training as a way to get her attention, so I can try that. My husband said he tried telling her sit and treating her for sitting and having her do some other training commands. I'll keep you posted.

[Kelly & Zoe]

I'm in *exactly* the same boat - same age too.  It's the one behavior I'm not at all OK with, and I agree its hard to put a dog in a time out when you're outside.  For us, it usually happens outside, not in the house.  If it does happen in the house, we do the timeout in a room (and believe me, I've done it for more than 20 seconds - there's no way she calms down in just 20 seconds more like 5 minutes). 

The last 2 days when playing outside, I've tried the following: I always have at least one toy (usually a tennis ball) in my hands at all times so that when she starts jumping/biting, I can stick the ball in her mouth and that usually stops.  I look like a crazy person juggling between 3-4 toys, but it's reduced the jumping/biting by a lot.  I know a lot of people discourage this, but I also have been putting my knee up (gently) and that has a pretty good effect too - I never do it hard, jsut to keep her from my body.  I also found that grabbing the front paws like you're going to dance works sometimes, although she often ends up just nipping on my hands.

Here's to that behavior going away very very soon!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Enzo does this rarely.  But when she does...I make sure it is short lived!  It happens when we are outside and she gets some bug up her......, and starts going ballistic.  It is play, but she is jumping, and what I consider worse, biting.  Jeans, skin, ankles, anything within snapping reach.  I immediately shorten up her leash to the collar and down her.  She is rolled onto her back and firmly told to STOP. 2 or 3 occasions of this  and she knows I mean business.  I let her up immediately, start to walk her and praise her for being a good girl.  She now stops pronto.  And has done this less and less as she ages.  She just turned 4 months yesterday.  It is really the only time I get strict with her, as I won't put up with being nipped at.  I know it is play, but it won't be cute when she is 60lbs.

[Kelly & Zoe]

Rosemary, for us, we don't have Zoe on a leash in our backyard - in fact she's never done this on leash.  Does this ever happen with Enzo off-leash, and if so, what do you do?

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Enzo is almost always on leash. We live on 5 acres and while it is all fenced, we have a huge coyote population. It really scares me she could become coyote chow...so until she grows some....
We do occasionally let her off leash to chase a ball/ frisbee. And yes, she has done the jumping nipping bit. I do the same...grab her and roll her. I feel bad, because I know she only playing, but I want her to know this is unacceptable behavior.

[Bridget and Lupin]

Update:  Lupin has found herself registered for an earlier training class....we start Sunday.  Its Sunday at 7:15pm but its my only option (at the school I want) unless I want to wait until November, which I most certainly do not.  Initially her class was going to start in October, but they realized she was older than the cut off age. 

The huz brought the kid home some treasure in the form of a bird whistle.  It was loud, shrill and all around ear-piercing.  Lupin earned her keep and chewed that bad boy up in under 6 hours of it being in the house.  I was at yoga....I swear I had nothing to do with it! 

[KLN]

Bahahaha!

[Kelly & Zoe]

I'm there too - I've heard its the rebellious stage and that training can actually regress (and we've worked so hard!).

On grooming - my trick on brushing is to sit on the floor with the soles of my feet together and Zoe inside my legs - then I place a lickety stick in between my feet  (kinda weird, but effective for standing still: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GYULZY/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_...).  I get about 5 minutes where I can brush her before she really attacks the lickety stick and bolts.  Has kept the matting down.

I also have kibble in the pockets of the clothes i wear and use it to reinforce good behavior and to divert with some simple obedience (sit, stay, etc), which surprisingly works a majority of the time. Unfortunately I often forget I have them in my pockets and end up with a laundry full of mushy kibble all over my clothes (sigh).

In sympathy :-)