Leo has found his voice, height, and nose and lost his ears.

[Lauren and Leo]

Leo has turned 5 months old today! When we first brought him home he had learned the basic commands within a week and generally just seemed eager to please. However, the story has changed as he enters his "preteen" stage of puppyhood. He is barking at the world, table surfing at every chance he gets and is now guided by his nose instead of his ears. So far we have attempted replacing the negative behavior with a more acceptable behavior followed by a reward (i.e. when jumping to look at the counters, requesting a sit). When that didn't work we tried a spray bottle with water, however he found great pleasure in trying to chase/eat the water. Any suggestions on how to curb these behaviors is greatly appreciated!!! 

Just for fun here's a picture of our goofball, Leo:

[Jo-Anne Smith]

You are describing our dog Chase who is turning 5 months next week.  It was as if he woke up one morning and turned into a different dog.  But no matter what we still love him 

[DonMarie and Picco]

Hi cute Leo!

When Picco found his voice at 3 1/2 months (a week after we got him), I looked around for the big 100lb dog and found my 20lb puppy!    I amazingly never had a chewing or surfing problem but he whined and barked when he went to his kennel at night so I invested in a citronella collar that works like a charm.  He does not like spray in his face. Yes, I still use it because he loves to bark!

[Barbara Brian]

Oh my, what a cutie

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

He looks so cute and spunky in his picture.

Except for the most passive of dogs Leo is right on track.  He is feeling loved and at home and in command of his new surroundings.  Now is the time to continue to enjoy and love him to death but also to make sure he knows who's boss - and it's not him!

He is still too young to leave him unsupervised, ever. You have a good start with basic commands, but now he isn't so much about pleasing as exploring.  Now sit means sit, down means down, off means off, leave it means leave it.  Put stuff away - out of reach, etc as if he were a toddler.  It's easier and much safer in the long run.  You need to take him to a good basic obedience class, even if he knows all the commands - he doesn't know how to listen to you with distraction. Obedience class will provide lots of distractions and some good advice if you check around for a good trainer. Now is better than later, wait until he hits 18 months! 

[c zoomer]

OOPS--what happens at 18 months!   (((grin)))

[DonMarie and Picco]

By 18 months you realize how stubborn they are and how much they have you wrapped around their dewclaws that obedience really doesn't matter anymore!  ;-)  

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh he is SO cute!  He is definitely becoming a teenager, and IMO this is an important time to start some obedience training.  I would look for a recommended trainer in your area (you may want to ask your Vet for a recommendation) or look into an online training program (Doggy Dan) that has been discussed here on DK several times.  I enrolled in that program for a few months and really think it's excellent, especially if you aren't working with a local trainer.  Here's a link to the initial discussion http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/doggy-dan-dog-training-web....