Feeling upset

[Lucid]

I feel so bad at being a pup mummy..

Right now, my Blake is roughly 8months old and he at times REALLY tests me, I know he is trying out just being himself, and seeing where he fits in life.

At night after a long day at work I have him around with us while I clean u ready for dinner, then we all go out walking, he jumps about while we have dinner so he has his fav bone treat to calm him down and then once he has finished he is back to the same nutty Blake.
I know its not his fault but when he works me up I really want to just put him in his crate and shout at him to calm down, but its not fair to have him in there so he will only go when he is really getting to much and needs a rest and sleep to calm down but then I sit just in the room next to where he is in his crate and he miss him, also just feeling so bad that Im having to do this.

I dont have training classes around the area that I live so Im just plodding along trying to learn things that will teach my puppy to be a well rounded adult dog once he is trained but I really must be doing so much wrong.

Any tips ideas?

Im just having a bad night as I feel bad for getting upset at him when it isnt his fault, I want to combat these situations as soon as I can to help him learn!

Help!!!

 

[borzoimom]

How much exercise is he getting? and how much of that exercise is interactive with you?

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

I feel so bad at being a pup mummy..

Right now, my Blake is roughly 8months old and he at times REALLY tests me, I know he is trying out just being himself, and seeing where he fits in life.

Don't feel so bad ... at his age he's in his doggy adolescence. This is when they really start to test ... but this too shall pass.

In the meantime, he might be kept busy and out of your hair with some interactive toys ... particularly the treat-dispensing ones if he's food-motivated!! Most dogs absolutely LOVE stuffed Kongs, and you can stuff them with so many different things .... such as peanut butter, scrambled eggs, liver paste, cheese, etc. Our puppy adores his stuffed with mashed banana! Stuffed Kongs keep them busy as they work to get all the food out.

There's also Buster Cubes, Molecule Balls, ... along with other toys that can be filled with small crunchy treats that the dog must "work" to get. They learn to roll these toys around to make the toy to randomly dispense a treat.

 

[Lucid]

When Im working, he gets an hour out walking then plays with me on and off for about 3-4 hours a night till we both go to bed.

 

[Lucid]

Don't feel so bad ... at his age he's in his doggy adolescence. This is when they really start to test ... but this too shall pass.

In the meantime, he might be kept busy and out of your hair with some interactive toys ... particularly the treat-dispensing ones if he's food-motivated!! Most dogs absolutely LOVE stuffed Kongs, and you can stuff them with so many different things .... such as peanut butter, scrambled eggs, liver paste, cheese, etc. Our puppy adores his stuffed with mashed banana! Stuffed Kongs keep them busy as they work to get all the food out.

There's also Buster Cubes, Molecule Balls, ... along with other toys that can be filled with small crunchy treats that the dog must "work" to get. They learn to roll these toys around to make the toy to randomly dispense a treat.

Hey,

Thankx, Im trying not to feel bad but he's my boy and I want to do my best for him.

He is a very excitable, jump mouthy pup, but everything aside he's a lovely boy.

I have seen kong's in my local pet shop and sometimes I wonder what it is I can actually put in them, I'll start with wee bits of biscuits that he likes or even his food he will love.

He is very food motivated, Im thankful for that!

 

[Beanie]

I have seen kong's in my local pet shop and sometimes I wonder what it is I can actually put in them, I'll start with wee bits of biscuits that he likes or even his food he will love.

Kibble will usually fit inside of a Kong... if nothing else - peanut butter!!

 

[lizzybeth727]

My kong stuffing: Kibble soaked in water until it's completely mushy. Mush it up and mix in a bit of peanut butter, some dog treats, crumbled up biscuits, whatever your dog likes. You can put a few biscuits or treats in the kong first and then stuff the rest with the mush, or just stuff the whole thing with mush. Then cap it off with peanut butter, and then freeze it. The freezing will obviously make the mush a lot harder to get out, but your dog should be engaged enough to work at it since there are treats and other good stuff in it too.

I just hate it when it takes me longer to stuff the kong than it takes for my dog to un-stuff it.

 

[Romy]

The kong suggestions are great. Just wanted to add that several of our fosters came to us not knowing what toys and kongs were. The first time I stuffed kongs for them I did it like Lizzy suggested....and they had no idea what to do with it and quickly lost interest.

We taught them what kongs are for and how to use them by plugging the tiny hole in the end with a bit of banana, and pouring some kibble inside, and then warm broth on top of that. That way the food fell out easily, and was irresistible. The easy access to food in the kong to start with gave them the idea that kongs are marvelous treasure dispensers, and need to be chewed. After that we progressed to more challenging stuffings.

You may or may not need to do this, but thought it was worth mentioning since your pup has not used them before.

And do not feel bad! He will get better, I promise. When Strider hit 8 months it was like his brain fell out. At 15 months it is starting to come back. Just be consistent and have a lot of patience. One day, all of your hard work will just kind of click into place when he hits that point of maturation.

 

[antipunt1]

yea hang in there! I'm a complete fellow-newbie in this, and I can tell you, You're not alone! I feel LIKE A PIECE OF DUNG of a parent sometimes with my new 7-8 week old puppy. The mouthing and excess energy, not to mention the whiny nights. It makes me feel terrible. Good luck! This forum would probably help; keep researching, I find that the more you educate, the less you stress out!

 

[Doberluv]

Right now, my Blake is roughly 8months old and he at times REALLY tests me, I know he is trying out just being himself, and seeing where he fits in life.

Try to keep in mind that as a dog, he is not consciously trying to "test" you or thinking all about where he fits in life. This washes right over a dog's cognitive ability. Think of it more like this and I think you'll feel less frustrated: He is a baby dog, another species and is clueless about how humans act or how they'd prefer dogs would act. Absolutely not a thought in his little head about all that. Everything he does is absolutely normal puppy behavior, as familiar and normal to him as wanting to sit quietly and read a book or eat a meal in peace is to you. Think how you feel when you're doing things that are normal, regular things to you. That's how he feels. Until he is taught an alternative way to act which is reinforcing to him (and that is a long process that goes with growing up and effective training) he will continue to be normal. (normal for a puppy)

Plenty of romping type exercise, teach him fetch, teach him to give you things by trading for something better. Begin teaching him some basic obedience stuff and use those things he learns to replace obnoxious behaviors. Like if he's about to jump, intercept him with asking for something he's learned. Be sure to reinforce behavior you like and don't inadvertantly reinforce behavior you don't like. Prevent self-reinforcement of those types of things that aren't dependent on your attention, such as getting into no nos etc. Give him plenty of physical (appropriate for his breed and age....not excessive) and mental exercise, which is very tiring too.

I see no harm in letting him chew on a kong in his crate for a while when you eat dinner. Gradually, he can learn to lie quietly on a rug without being in his crate. Take it in baby steps. It will all come together. Hang in there, be patient and learn about some tools that will help you. Puppies are a real challenge.

Here are some great training tips to help you:


http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/index.htm

 

[Maxy24]

While he sounds like he's getting a good amount of physical exercise just make sure he's getting plenty of mental exercise as well, have a few short training session throughout the day so he can put his mind to work!