Hyperactive 10 week old puppy

Cherry Blossom

Its been a long time now since i've had a puppy but I don't remember my golden lab being anything as bad as this! She hardly sleeps at all day, goes in her crate at 2:00am, out again at 6:30am. (She slept a lot the first week I had her) She just wants to chew everything except her own toys she prefers human hands and faces, her own paws :eek: Anything plastic (the coal bucket, the tray in the bottom of her crate, any toys the kids leave in her reach, her water bowl, flower pots in the garden), electric cables, coal and firewood, even stones and gravel. I caught her with a tin can that had blown out of the bin yesterday Everything results in a chase followed by a tug of war as she knows now that the offending item is going to be taken off her, she runs at things, grabs them and tries to run to a hiding place before she can be caught.

I do give her a tap on the nose when she goes for cables as she needs to let go of them quickly, if I did this all the time though i'd just be spending all day hitting her on the nose :rolleyes:

Is it possible that this is some problem other than just teething, the breeder was feeding her rubbish adult dog food and I switched her over to Royal Canin puppy mini last week, is it possible that the new food doesn't agree with her? It's getting to the stage now where she doesn't like me much anymore as I just spend all day taking things from her.

She has no interest in her nylabones, rubber toys or rope toys. She does like her squeeky toys but gets bored with them very quickly. I even put some of them in the bag of dog food for a day hoping it would make them more interesting if they smelled of dog food but alas it didn't.

Does anyone have any ideas what I can do with her. I'm very worried shes going to hurt her self badly or get hold of one of the kids and refuse to let go. She is getting better with this as the kids are getting better at not getting up in her face so much.

Chris_Heilong

Sounds like youve just gotten yourself a puppy! congrates. More than 90% of young dogs behave in this exact way. She will get better with every passing month, as long as you keep trying to correct her even if you think its not working. This can be a long process and may last up to 2 years when the dog has fully matured.

Cherry Blossom

Thanks, I was mostly just worried it might have been the change of food as she was completely different last week, feel bad about having to tell her off all the time :rolleyes: Guess I got lucky with the lab who must have been in the >10% category :P

The Sweeper

Try to use your tone of voice to put her off something instead of tapping her on the nose. Use the words 'leave it', at the same time as showing her what you want her to do (e.g. pulling her away from the cables). The first time she responds to 'leave it' without you having to touch her, shower praise and/or treats on her.

You don't roar at the dog, but use your finest 'headmaster' voice for corrections, and your finest 'girlie excitement' voice for praise.

It's just that if you tap them on the nose you just end up belting them all the time and they can't figure out what they're being belted for, and you end up being 'that guy who taps me on the nose, which is unpleasant' instead of 'that guy whose approval I want so I'll try to please him'.

(Same goes for cats.)

Wisco

Also, try to avoid giving chase as that's probably a great game for her. If you can tempt her to drop what she has (by offering another toy or treat and saying 'leave it' or 'drop it', or even just a sharp 'no!' and then rewarding her) you're removing one element of the game. Same goes for tug of war. My fella did the same when he was a pup- if there's no chase or tug of war element, the game loses it's appeal pretty quickly. I know that's not fast enough for things like chewing on wires, but works for things like shoes, etc.
Also, even if you have loads of toys for her, sometimes it's a good idea to rotate them- put most away for a while, then give it to her again after she hasn't seen it for a while- makes it new to her again, rather than leaving loads of toys out all the time.
Good luck

easyeason3

Get an empty spray bottle & fill it with water. Anythime she does something bold give her a spray in the face & tell her 'no' or whatever word you want to use to let her know she has to stop.
I found that a tap on the nose can sometimes make them worse, thinking you're playing with them.

Ive heard of some people putting Dettol or TCP on the surface of things they don't want chewed, the smell & taste is meant to deter them but I can't say I've ever used that method.

EDIT: It might help to bring her outside before she's due to go to bed & run her around, play with a ball etc. Help tire her out & hopefully sleep a bit better.

Steve30x

I agree with the sweeper.

Also try to have lots of treats to help with the training. I got my bonny out of chewing on everything by training her with a treat. What I done was have a treat in my hand and I would show it to her , Then I put it over her head starting from in front of her and roll my hand to over her head where she is looking up and has to sit. After a few tries she sat down to that so when she was sdoing the sit down movement I would say "sit" in a calming voice. Then if she went to take the treat I pulled it away and try the sit again until she eventually waited for me to say "there you go" and she then was allowed to take the treat. This also helps calm down the puppy a little and the puppy will start listening to you more when you have the puppy doing this.

My bonny is 10 and a half months old now and she is still hyper but no longer chews on everything. It takes time and a whole lot of patience to get the puppy trained.

cjf

May be good idea to start closing her in the crate if she is doing this when you are not home. When you are there you can keep an eye on it and correct it as it happens until the lightswitch flicks on and she realises its not acceptable but if she does it when you are out there is no way to correct it as giving out when you come home wont mean anything to the dog.

Also suggest puppy classes (when vaccd)great way to get them out and about and to get advice from a professional on best way to deal with it. Defo a case of puppyness nothing more and patience will be the key to success! The good food could be giving a burst of energy as RC is a working dog food and the puppy mix will have more calories than the previous adult food she was on so may take few weeks for her to adjust to this as she may not have been getting the energy she needed from the adult food.

Good luck many of us been there and have the chewed teeshirt, socks, phone cable, remote, shoes, mobile phone, skirting boards . . .

EGAR

If I had the monetary equivalent of all the stuff dogs/puppies have destroyed in my house, car etc in my bank account I could buy a good van or go on extented hols .

Pups will be pups - however, my pet gripe as usual is: puppy food sky high in protein. I have no idea when that trend started but it gets higher and higher in protein and too much protein is link conclusively to behaviour and health problem.

Pups here are fed the same food as the adult dogs (22% protein max). There is NO need to feed a high protein diet to a dog unless its a working dog or a racing GH.

I usually do not compare dogs with wild canines but the pups in the wild get exactly the same food as adults .

Cherry Blossom

The Sweeper wrote: »

Try to use your tone of voice to put her off something instead of tapping her on the nose. Use the words 'leave it', at the same time as showing her what you want her to do (e.g. pulling her away from the cables). The first time she responds to 'leave it' without you having to touch her, shower praise and/or treats on her

I'm only taping her on the nose to make her let go of electric cables that are plugged in, it's the only thing that works. I'm already telling her to leave stuff and pulling her away, she'll go straight back 50 to 100 times before stopping and as soon as I leave her she goes back to it again:rolleyes:

Wisco wrote: »

Also, try to avoid giving chase as that's probably a great game for her. If you can tempt her to drop what she has (by offering another toy or treat and saying 'leave it' or 'drop it', or even just a sharp 'no!' and then rewarding her) you're removing one element of the game. Same goes for tug of war. My fella did the same when he was a pup- if there's no chase or tug of war element, the game loses it's appeal pretty quickly. I know that's not fast enough for things like chewing on wires, but works for things like shoes, etc.
Also, even if you have loads of toys for her, sometimes it's a good idea to rotate them- put most away for a while, then give it to her again after she hasn't seen it for a while- makes it new to her again, rather than leaving loads of toys out all the time.
Good luck

Already doing all of this except giving her treat's as a bribe to leave something alone, not sure i like this idea as may be seen as a 'reward' for what she's doing

easyeason3 wrote: »

Get an empty spray bottle & fill it with water. Anythime she does something bold give her a spray in the face & tell her 'no' or whatever word you want to use to let her know she has to stop.
I found that a tap on the nose can sometimes make them worse, thinking you're playing with them.

Have been thinking about doing this, but i will then be spraying her in the face all day, will try it though!

Ive heard of some people putting Dettol or TCP on the surface of things they don't want chewed, the smell & taste is meant to deter them but I can't say I've ever used that method.

I can't spray all the gravel outside with detol, nor can I wash all the kids toys with it on the off chance they might drop them on the floor

EDIT: It might help to bring her outside before she's due to go to bed & run her around, play with a ball etc. Help tire her out & hopefully sleep a bit better.

All ready doing this, she also goes for 3 x 20 minute walks a day and comes with me when I'm doing the horses.

Steve30x wrote: »

Also try to have lots of treats to help with the training.

My bonny is 10 and a half months old now and she is still hyper but no longer chews on everything. It takes time and a whole lot of patience to get the puppy trained.

Doing 2 x 5 min clicker training sessions per day

cjf wrote: »

May be good idea to start closing her in the crate if she is doing this when you are not home. When you are there you can keep an eye on it and correct it as it happens

Already doing this, I'm only ever out for an hour at a time and she chews the tray in the bottom of the crate

Also suggest puppy classes (when vaccd)great way to get them out and about and to get advice from a professional on best way to deal with it. Defo a case of puppyness nothing more and patience will be the key to success! The good food could be giving a burst of energy as RC is a working dog food and the puppy mix will have more calories than the previous adult food she was on so may take few weeks for her to adjust to this as she may not have been getting the energy she needed from the adult food.

Enquired about puppy classes, there are none in the county and she doesn't travel well.

Cherry Blossom

cjf wrote: »

The good food could be giving a burst of energy as RC is a working dog food and the puppy mix will have more calories than the previous adult food she was on so may take few weeks for her to adjust to this as she may not have been getting the energy she needed from the adult food.

She's only getting about 3/4 of the reccommended amount as she doesn't eat it any more of it. Think i'll give her to till the bag gets low to adjust and look for something else if there is no change. In fairness for a 10 week old puppy she is doing a fair bit of 'work' so definately shouldn't have that much energy left over!

EGAR wrote: »

If I had the monetary equivalent of all the stuff dogs/puppies have destroyed in my house, car etc in my bank account I could buy a good van or go on extented hols .

Pups will be pups - however, my pet gripe as usual is: puppy food sky high in protein. I have no idea when that trend started but it gets higher and higher in protein and too much protein is link conclusively to behaviour and health problem.

Pups here are fed the same food as the adult dogs (22% protein max). There is NO need to feed a high protein diet to a dog unless its a working dog or a racing GH.

I usually do not compare dogs with wild canines but the pups in the wild get exactly the same food as adults .

Food for thought Is there any differences other than the protein content eg calcium levels in puppy food? Basically am i looking for an adult food or a puppy food lower in protein than the RC?

andreac

I just noticed your reply had that you take her for 3 20 min walks a day. This is far too much for a 10 week puppy.

I would try restricting her access to areas that have cables maybe, so maybe confine her to the kitchen etc until she learns what shes allowed to chew and not chew.

Try swapping her toys for the ones shes not meant to be chewing but do tell her off for chewing what shes not supposed to and give her one of her own toys then to chew.

Cherry Blossom

andreac wrote: »

I just noticed your reply had that you take her for 3 20 min walks a day. This is far too much for a 10 week puppy.

I would try restricting her access to areas that have cables maybe, so maybe confine her to the kitchen etc until she learns what shes allowed to chew and not chew.

Try swapping her toys for the ones shes not meant to be chewing but do tell her off for chewing what shes not supposed to and give her one of her own toys then to chew.

I walk her across fields mostly, it seems a more constructive use of her energy than running round in circles for hours on end, or using it to torture my elderly labrador :P

For most of the day, she's just where ever in the house I happen to be. If I fancy a break she goes in the crate or is left in the hall with the crate door open.

andreac

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I walk her across fields mostly, it seems a more constructive use of her energy than running round in circles for hours on end, or using it to torture my elderly labrador :P

For most of the day, she's just where ever in the house I happen to be. If I fancy a break she goes in the crate or is left in the hall with the crate door open.

Not really a good idea for such a young pup though, they are only meant to have about 5 mins per month of age per day, so thats really only 10 mins forced exercise so the3 x 20 mins is far too much. Walking across fields is way too much for a baby of that age.

Also at 10 weeks she wouldnt have her vaccinations and walking across fields is very dangerous for her as she can pick up diseases such as Lepto and Parvo so you shouldnt have her outside much at all, apart from a small area in your own back garden.

Cherry Blossom

andreac wrote: »

Not really a good idea for such a young pup though, they are only meant to have about 5 mins per month of age per day, so thats really only 10 mins forced exercise so the3 x 20 mins is far too much. Walking across fields is way too much for a baby of that age.

Also at 10 weeks she wouldnt have her vaccinations and walking across fields is very dangerous for her as she can pick up diseases such as Lepto and Parvo so you shouldnt have her outside much at all, apart from a small area in your own back garden.

What constitutes forced exercise? Its mostly just me checking fences and water supplies and stuff, and her following me around while i'm doing it, she's quite happy to do so. She won't pick up anything from another dog as the only other one for miles is also mine. To be honest I know a LOT of people who own dogs who have never seen a vet in their life and i've never met anyone whose dog got either parvo or lepto. We're not talking about the city here with dogs roaming all over the place and strays everywhere. She doesn't leave my property, I don't see the difference between my own back garden and the field at the other side of the fence.

I also question the validity of some of these vaccines
http://www.labbies.com/lepto.htm

Anyhow, she's 11 weeks today and will have her last jab by the end of the week.

<Edit> I do appreciate that you have valid concerns but I do feel the risk to her is absolute minimal and as 8-12 weeks is socialisation I feel it as at least important for her to get used to being around the horses as it is with the kids. While out and about she is getting used to them very quickly and learning that she must stay on the other side of the fence when they're out in the fields.

andreac

You pick up Lepto from rats which would deffo be around the fields so if it was me i just wouldnt chance it. Ive seen puppies/dogs die from both Lepto and Parvo and its awful so i just wouldnt be risking my dog picking either up so for the sake of a few weeks i wouldnt be bringing her anywhere.

Forced exercise would be those walks you bring her on, playing in the house or garden is different story altogether.

Its your choice to bring your dog out walking before the vaccs are sorted but anyone you ask will always tell you not to bring them anywhere until all vaccs are sorted.

cocker5

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Its been a long time now since i've had a puppy but I don't remember my golden lab being anything as bad as this! She hardly sleeps at all day, goes in her crate at 2:00am, out again at 6:30am. (She slept a lot the first week I had her) She just wants to chew everything except her own toys she prefers human hands and faces, her own paws :eek: Anything plastic (the coal bucket, the tray in the bottom of her crate, any toys the kids leave in her reach, her water bowl, flower pots in the garden), electric cables, coal and firewood, even stones and gravel. I caught her with a tin can that had blown out of the bin yesterday Everything results in a chase followed by a tug of war as she knows now that the offending item is going to be taken off her, she runs at things, grabs them and tries to run to a hiding place before she can be caught.

I do give her a tap on the nose when she goes for cables as she needs to let go of them quickly, if I did this all the time though i'd just be spending all day hitting her on the nose :rolleyes:

Is it possible that this is some problem other than just teething, the breeder was feeding her rubbish adult dog food and I switched her over to Royal Canin puppy mini last week, is it possible that the new food doesn't agree with her? It's getting to the stage now where she doesn't like me much anymore as I just spend all day taking things from her.

She has no interest in her nylabones, rubber toys or rope toys. She does like her squeeky toys but gets bored with them very quickly. I even put some of them in the bag of dog food for a day hoping it would make them more interesting if they smelled of dog food but alas it didn't.

Does anyone have any ideas what I can do with her. I'm very worried shes going to hurt her self badly or get hold of one of the kids and refuse to let go. She is getting better with this as the kids are getting better at not getting up in her face so much.

sounds like every other puppy out there!!

My advice to you is DONT leave anything where she can get it.... its kinda that simple... she is only 10 weeks old and it will take MONTHS for her to learn the rules...

Wouldnt advise tipping her on the nose, if she is chewing cables... try vicks vapour rub or crib halt this will soon stop her from chewing..

http://www.forans.com/products.asp?Action=Detail&ProductID=30

Try kongs stuffed with pate... freeze it over night and it will keep her happy for hours...

you have about 18months of her behaviour to look forward to

Cherry Blossom

cocker5 wrote: »

My advice to you is DONT leave anything where she can get it.... its kinda that simple... she is only 10 weeks old and it will take MONTHS for her to learn the rules...

Unfortunatly there are 4 kids under 5 yrs old in this house, 1 permanantly and the other 3 from 7am till 7pm 6 days a week . . . and it takes a lot longer than that to train one of those

Cherry Blossom

andreac wrote: »

You pick up Lepto from rats which would deffo be around the fields so if it was me i just wouldnt chance it. Ive seen puppies/dogs die from both Lepto and Parvo and its awful so i just wouldnt be risking my dog picking either up so for the sake of a few weeks i wouldnt be bringing her anywhere.

Forced exercise would be those walks you bring her on, playing in the house or garden is different story altogether.

Its your choice to bring your dog out walking before the vaccs are sorted but anyone you ask will always tell you not to bring them anywhere until all vaccs are sorted.

The vermin (voles and mice, rats are very much city dwellers) live along the river bank and in the grain stores to be honest and in 4 generations no adult, child or livestock (or pet or that matter)has ever contracted any disease carried by rats or any thing else, and all 3 are a lot more likely to come into contact with them than Poppy on her little wanders. I haven't been vaccinated for lepto, the kids havent and the horses haven't (and I've never heard of 1 that has!) On the other hand there is no way I would have let her out in the back garden if I was still living in Dublin, so I guess it's all relative really.

mymo

Get some yogurt pots, butter tubs or something, puts some food scraps(left over veg is great, esp if you mash it a bit) mix in some nuts from daily food allowance and add a little water. Place in freezer overnight, turn out in morning and give to puppy:)
One happy puppy, it takes a while for them to chew that up and eat it and tires them out. Vary the size and shape of the container too, you'll find the one that takes the longest to dismantle.
My two dogs loved this and I also froze stuffed kong toys, and there's a ball toy you can get that you fill with food and they have to roll it around to get the food out. Keeps them out from under your feet and tires them mentally and physically.

theghost

You could try getting an empty beer can and half-filling it with gravel, then putting sellotape over the opening. Whenever your pup starts chewing cables say "no" firmly, then throw the can near her (not at her) and she should drop the cable immediately. At the end of a week it should only be necessary to shake the can when you see her chewing them.

cjf

Its the most frustrating thing in the world when they just wont let up! We tried everything with our chewer he even enjoyed the taste of the anti chew spray I had covered the house in!

Tea Tree oil dabbed on places of particular interest worked for me. Kind of happened by fluke I was using it and he licked my hand and his face curled up and he did not like it one bit! Quick as I could I legged it round all his favourite chewing areas and he did stop! was not instant but I hung in and he stopped the house chewing! The frozen stuffed kong is also great and its cold so it soothes their teething pains. I put hot water in his food wait for it so soak up an go all mushy then stir in either mackrel or pate. . . .yummy!! He loves it though and it keeps him occupied for a while! He also sucks blankets. . wierd but he loves it so always make sure he has little section of vet bedding for him to bring around with him. . .

I own a 7 stone toddler! haha only when reading this back I realise I have one spoilt doggie!

cocker5

cjf wrote: »

Its the most frustrating thing in the world when they just wont let up! We tried everything with our chewer he even enjoyed the taste of the anti chew spray I had covered the house in!

Tea Tree oil dabbed on places of particular interest worked for me. Kind of happened by fluke I was using it and he licked my hand and his face curled up and he did not like it one bit! Quick as I could I legged it round all his favourite chewing areas and he did stop! was not instant but I hung in and he stopped the house chewing! The frozen stuffed kong is also great and its cold so it soothes their teething pains. I put hot water in his food wait for it so soak up an go all mushy then stir in either mackrel or pate. . . .yummy!! He loves it though and it keeps him occupied for a while! He also sucks blankets. . wierd but he loves it so always make sure he has little section of vet bedding for him to bring around with him. . .

I own a 7 stone toddler! haha only when reading this back I realise I have one spoilt doggie!

yeah my guy still sucks his blanket ... at 5 years of age!!

Tea tree oil is a great idea!! Our dog LOVED the anti chew puppy spray... so much so he chewed more... so we try vicks vapour rub or crib halt for horses.., they stopped him dead in his tracks!! :P

andreac

cocker5 wrote: »

yeah my guy still sucks his blanket ... at 5 years of age!!

Tea tree oil is a great idea!! Our dog LOVED the anti chew puppy spray... so much so he chewed more... so we try vicks vapour rub or crib halt for horses.., they stopped him dead in his tracks!! :P

This is brill stuff. I work with horses so used it for my dog when he was a pup, they will not touch anything that has it on it.

cocker5

andreac wrote: »

This is brill stuff. I work with horses so used it for my dog when he was a pup, they will not touch anything that has it on it.

Yes crib halt is the best... we had to get in for indoor and outdoor as he was stripping the shed layer by layer... and our deck.... and kitchen presses... and the skirting boards........it worked a treat!!

now i think its hilarious.. but at the time it was very stressful!!
he was a brat... thankfully he brillant now

Cherry Blossom

Yeah she started off on the furniture and I used the spay and she stopped within 2 days. Doesn't chew any furniture at all now, but it would have been a lot safer for her that the little small things she can grab and run off :rolleyes:. Didn't occur to me I could spray anything wet on cables I suppose I could unplug till dry:rolleyes:

cocker5

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Yeah she started off on the furniture and I used the spay and she stopped within 2 days. Doesn't chew any furniture at all now, but it would have been a lot safer for her that the little small things she can grab and run off :rolleyes:. Didn't occur to me I could spray anything wet on cables I suppose I could unplug till dry:rolleyes:

I think you can spray cables as lond as you dont spray the actual plug or socket!!

She's still very young... she will learn the rules over time...

you should post a pic of her?? Im sure she's adorable!!

Enjoy the puppy stage as they grow very fast!!

Meant to say about her grabbing things and running off...

my cocker ate brillo pads and then got a light bulb from my kitchen drawer brought out outside through the dog flap....smashed it then chew the wire inside and im sure some of the glass too.. brought him to the vet and he was grand not a bother... like i said he was SATAN when he was a pup.... if she grabs and runs.... try not to run after her, she will thinks its a game.... try and coax her with her own teddy and hopefully she will drop whatever else she has in her mouth

cjf

Yea the blanket thing is so funny! Cant believe there are others out there!!

We nick named our chap Steelo for a while because if it wasnt nailed down we would find it mangled in the garden! Your guy is still quite young but at 6 months I bought the corrector spray (Controversial!). It makes a loud hiss and when he would steal and make a run for it I would spray the can. Key is to keep it hidden so they have no idea where the noise comes from. Its a mystery noise that just happens when they in the act of pilfering! Stopped him dead in his tracks every time and I would say leave it when he dropped what he had stolen. One day Steelo made a run for it with my phone didnt have my spray handy so I just said leave it and he dropped the phone. Could have cried! He 16 months now and dont get me wrong he is no angel I still find the odd mangled treasure in the garden but it does get better!!

Cherry Blossom

cocker5 wrote: »

you should post a pic of her?? Im sure she's adorable!!

Was trying to do this and just figured out I need to resize the pictures :rolleyes:





Tormenting poor Boxer the lab :rolleyes:



Getting up close and personal with Bob



And comming face to face with Molly (and no it's not a barb wire fence, it just fills the gap where some one trashed the gate with a tractor untill I get round to replacing it )



I found some kids finger puppets today and put some kong stuffin in them and tied the ends, currently in the freezer so I'll see how those go down seeing how she loves running off with little things!

cocker5

those photos are way tooooo cute!! :D:D:D

All the animals are adoreable!! Love the horse and bob!!

Your Puppy is fab!!

Cherry Blossom

cocker5 wrote: »

those photos are way tooooo cute!! :D:D:D

All the animals are adoreable!! Love the horse and bob!!

Your Puppy is fab!!

You'd think butter wouldn't melt! That goes for Poppy and Molly (the horse)

And another one just so she doesn't feel left out . . . Daisy pony after a roll in the dirt. Bit too skittish for introductions to the puppy just yet! She came from a riding school where she wasn't suitable for their purposes, to a woman who had a bit too much on her plate so she's mine now, loves kids, very wary of adults especially strangers, (and vets and farriers :rolleyes:) not too sure what happened to her.