HELP!!! What to do when a puppy is being bad?!

[Samantha & Charlie]

Tonight has made me lose it to the point I'm crying. Charlie (4.5 months) has been acting up like crazy today.

 

It all started with Charlie's training class. We had to cut it short because he was not listening and did not want to do any of the commands.

 

Tonight, I took him out for his nightly walk and it was a disaster as usual. He does not listen during the walk and I thought if I got him a gentle leader, it would help. Wrong. He always tries to walk extremely fast to the point its not even enjoyable to walk him. All he does is choke himself basically. This has been going on for a few weeks.

 

When we get inside, he pees 3 times within a 15 minute span. He NEVER has accidents anymore, and if he does, it's like once a week. He didn't even alert me that he needed to go. He just went in the same spot for each of those 3 times.

 

Then he just starts acting BAD. He got crazy hyper and started running around the house super fast. I don't know where he got all this energy because he has been super tired all day since after his training class. However, he walks completely normal at training but is horrible when we walk around our community.

 

Is there anyway to discipline him? He needs to know this behavior is not acceptable. My husband thought we could get him a different crate (other than where he sleeps) to put him in when he acts up.

 

I hope this post doesn't trigger negative responses. I'm just at my wits end. Usually I can handle him but he has been super bad tonight. I'm not getting rid of him so please don't throw that out. I just have no idea to punish him correctly, or if that's even an option.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Plenty of us have found ourselves crying and wondering "What Have I Done?" 

We eventually noticed that Owen wouldn't rest when he was over tired. He would just get naughty! If I put him in his crate and he would fall asleep. If your pup is making you cry, he should go into his crate to give both of you a break. 

Have you tried tethering him to you? I didn't know about "tethering" until it was brought up in the training group by Brucegirl in discussions about training Gavin. While Gavin is an adult the technique is really interesting, and we found it to be helpful.

Here is the link to Gavin's full training class in which tethering is discussed. Your pup is not ready for the full training but the tethering part could be very helpful. 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/trainingmindsets/forum/topics/bra...

[Samantha & Charlie]

Wow! That training doesn't look like Petco training LOL! That's some hard core stuff right there. When I put him in his crate after he was being bad, he went right to sleep. I haven't even heard him whine from being in there. Either he knows what he did was wrong or he is just pretty tired.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Night-time "zoomies" are very common in pups--it happens to all of them! They need to get it out of their system--I never tried to stop it. They run around for a while and then crash for the night. It is just a temporary behavior.

4 1/2 months is the beginning of the "teen years"--they start pushing the boundaries--lots of positive reinforcement needed now--is he food motivated? Make sure you have lots of treats with you all the time to reinforce the good stuff he is doing--good training is the key! I am sorry the class did not go well--maybe set up a private lesson to get you off to a better start.

One more thing--gentle leader makes a halter too--it goes around the snout and works like a charm with those dogs who do not do well with the harness--try it!

[Samantha & Charlie]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into those products.

 

When he does his "zoomies," does that mean he is not being exercised enough? I wanted to take him to daycare this week to release some energy, but it's been raining and they only have an outdoor enclosure. Tomorrow he is going to another facility where they have indoor daycare and so he can do a trial run to see if he would be allowed to stay when we go on a vacation in December.

 

I am taking him to his first swim lesson on Saturday. Hopefully that does the trick to calm him down a bit. He is a super hyper pup.

[Vivian & Mojo]

It is good to give puppies enough excessive but no matter how much they get they still have the zoomies. In my opinion its mental exercise that is needed given through a training session or toys that give mental stimulation like a food puzzle or kong.  Often some time in the create to sleep it off helps plus gives up frazzled doodle parents a break.

I don't think you need a separate create just be calm when you put him in.

The swim lesson is good because he will get both mental and physical stimulation as well as lean a great skill.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Zoomies just seem to be a doodle puppy thing.  They suddenly just race around.  It is actually pretty funny.  Ned used to race outdoors through the doggy door and then back in and jump on and off all of the furniture - usually after he heard the sprinklers go on.  Then...... suddenly..... they ...... s.t.o.p. and settle down.  Personally, I see nothing wrong with punishing - time out, ignoring, banishment.  If you are a parent, do you always reward your children? Of course not.  You need to be firm and be in charge.

If they have chosen a certain place to pee and you know it isn't a UTI and you have definitely cleaned it thoroughly, place a piece of furniture over the spot  - just helps break the habit when that spot isn't available.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Zoomies: each and every night. Bonkers and Whack-a-Doodle. All describes our home on any given day. Just keep repeating: " I am not alone"!!!!! A cure for the Zoomies for us, is the ball being thrown umpteen million times or swimming laps in the pool. As far as mis- behaving, frustrating for sure , but consistency in training is so very important. Sort of surprised a trainer let you both off if he was not behaving. These guys are so smart....if they ever get all together...a plan to conquer the world will surely be formed. ;). As far as returning to pee in the same place over and over: are you using an enzyme cleaner? You may think you are getting the area sufficiently clean, but if he smells any scent of urine, he will return to the same spot.
Take a deep breathe and maybe a glass of wine.......tomorrow has got to be better! :)

[Samantha & Charlie]

We just got the carpets cleaned with an enzyme cleaner and ever since that happened a few weeks ago, he has been doing fantastic! But he always goes to that spot if he has an accident in the house. I have been using Natures Miracle to try and get most of it out. Is there a better product to use?

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I prefer " Stink Free" , but occasionally use Natures Miracle if I am out of the other.

[Gail and Bailey]

With Nature's Miracle you have to be sure to completely saturate the area and let it dry.  After you get the urine wetness up, then pour the Nature's Miracle on so it soaks all the way to the pad and Leave It!!  It will take a day or so to dry but it is important to do this.   If this peeing just started again it might be a UTI....can't hurt to take just a sample in and ask them to check it.   Leave puppy at home...drop off the sample and ask them to call with the results.  I agree with everyone about using the crate for a break when he gets wound up.  He will just sleep and you can relax for a bit!  Hang in there...it gets better!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Great call on the usage of the Nature's Miracle. Leaving it to soak in is the absolute key.

[Anita - Thunder, Noodle, Sparky]

I bought an enzyme cleaner called scoe 10x. It wasn't the cleaner I loved, but the bottle that came with it. It was a squirt bottle with a long think needle on the end and I put Natures Miracle in that bottle now. I shoot it thoroughly into the pad of the carpet. Also, a black light is a must so you can see how far the urine spread. Here is the link.... http://www.scoe10x.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=29