Doggy Adolescence.....sigh.

[Sandy]

I originally thought having Toby enrolled in obedience classes while he went through this doggy adolescent stage was a good idea. Now I'm not so sure. Because....some days he's an angel. But others he jumps at me, barks for attention, zooms around, and ignores everything we are learning in our classes. What on earth will happen during the final class, when we have out "test"? It is a distinct possibility that we will fail everything. He does everything well at home, but we have a big class, in a big hall, and there will be purposeful distractions to test his ability to focus. Could be interesting - five classes to go. When does this end again? Toby is almost 8 months old.

[Stella]

Stick with it Sandy, it will get better!! Hartleys adolescence was 7-9 months (for the worst part) and he really settled down after 1 year old. I found being in class helped me, because I had the morale support from the other owners!! Keep practicing, take him out and practice around distrctions in the neighborhood - when kids are going to school, every time you see people on skateboards, playing basketball etc - good times to work on your "watch me". Try not to get stressed about the 'test', if you are nervous, he will pick up on it and not perform!!

[Sandy]

All true. We went through the park this afternoon and did not do well with the distractions. Lots of "Come!" and then little pops on the leash. Sometimes my best bet is to have him sit and watch for a bit, then keep moving. It's like he wants to check everything out. :)

Yes, the "test". Well, we feel we've benefitted from the class as far as walking goes, so if we don't pass, we don't pass. I can always start fresh at D'Arcy's..... :)

[Stella]

Letting him stop and look at things isn't always a bad thing. He just wants to check out what is going on and make sure it is nothing either scary, or fun!! In class today I realised I didn't have my best treats with me, which I am sure didn't help with the ball as a distraction exercise! To really get Hartleys attention we use cheese, it is the 'money' treat for him and pretty much guarantees cooperation!! Note to self, remember cheese next week!!! He managed to complete the other exercises without treats at all, which was the first time we did it. So, despite the transgression at the start of the class, I was really proud of him at the end.

[Sandy]

Our money treats are cheese or chicken weiners, which I cut up and bake in the oven for a while before class. Those two things are HUGE to Toby. :)

[3jjyubejf81l5]

Sandy-Just keep with it. I took my Wilson to Beg Obedience and then to a CGC class when he was 8 mos old He would do the same silly stuff you are describing, I would practice with him every morning and evening, sometimes only 5 minutes. If he was too distracted I would stop and try again in an hour or so. It didn't take him very long to figure out how to get the cheese dispenser (me) to work. (I buy cheese sticks, slice them and then cut then into fourths-just little tiny pieces are enough to get their attention. I agonized about whether or not to even take him to be tested, decided to go and the little sh** passed with flying colors....he even sat down and shook hands with everyone who came near him. Just remember to be calm-if you are stressed stop. It took me a long time to figure that out, but now that I have he will do anything for me. Good Luck!!

[fergie11]

Thanks for this advice Andrina. I too am going for the CGC test on the 18th. Actually Fergie does well in a class situation. She does poor on walks when there are flocks of birds or she sees her doggy friends on the trail. Strange dogs do not seem to bother her. I feel the same way about taking her for the CGC. Should I bother? I am going to try. Hopefully she'll be good that day.

[Gail & Max]

You have to remember that this is his first year when everything is new, the smells, the sounds, the birds, the squirrels...he probably just wants to play with everything that moves. Try to have some patience Max is now 13 months old and he is actually better than the 7-10 month age....believe it or not he will snap out of this stage....its kind of like when the kids were little :)

[20xlhzzaoccks]

Steve was still pretty crazy when he took his CGC test at 8 months and not always the most reliable. I remember the night of the test I rushed home from work and took him to the dog park with a lake to wear all of his energy out. By the time we got to class he was perfectly obedient and passed the test because he was so tired. I remember I took a break after he passed the CGC test and then started classes up again when he was about 1 year old and that really seemed to solidify things for him because he had calmed down quite a bit by then. Good luck and keep us posted.