Puppy is a disaster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For anyone wondering why rescues are hard to deal with, this thread is a perfect example of why.

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[Anonymous]

I think 7-8 months might be the height of “like a 3 year old toddler” tantrums in dogs. Give it another month. Otherwise return. Maybe personality not right for you.

[Anonymous]

Dogs have different personalities and genetics is a strong force. You could get the high energy/ high intelligence dominance of a poodle and the high energy need to exercise of a golden. Both rather negative traits.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs that this is very typical puppy behavior. I don't know poodles as we are a lab family, but this is right in the teenage stage. High energy, often defiant to the rules. The crating isn't bad as long as they've gotten sufficient time and attention and exercise.

I'll reinforce what everyone said, everyone in your house needs to have time on the schedule to play with the puppy. My kids know that their school brain breaks mean they need to go in the backyard and run around with the dog for five or ten minutes. Training sessions and puzzle toys or stuffed kongs are all good for working your dog's mind as well.

Puppies are really hard, OP. They need a ton of energy, effort and love.

[Anonymous]

We have a puppy exactly like this. We have the same routine you do (three long exercise times per day), but it wasn't enough so we added a paid dog walker twice a day (for an hour each time). Expensive, but it worked.

Now the puppy is tired enough not to try to get into everything all the time. You have to exercise them until they are tired enough not to cause trouble. The puppy will outgrow this energy in a couple of years. THE END.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He is a 7 month old poodle mix. I take him to a dog park in the morning, a 30 minute walk at lunch and a 45 minute walk in the evening. He is in the crate from 9-12:30 and 2:30-5:30. When he is not in the crate all he wants to do is break out of any gate system I have tried to set up to keep him contained in the house. He has the run of almost the entire main level except for my kids’ play ares. All he wants is to move or jump the gates to the play area to eat the kids toys, legos, anything. Now we have the Christmas tree and a gate surrounding it and he wants in that to get the ornaments. He is constantly trying to find shoes to eat, will take the toilet paper if the bathroom door is left open, try to jump high enough to knock stuff off the counters. He gets bored of any toy or chew I give him and just wants whatever he can’t have. I am out of ideas. I am just so tired of watching him. He doesn’t even much like to cuddle. This is not at all what we wanted.

Can you take your puppy to doggie daycare a few mornings a week? I know it's expensive, but he might need more stimulation.

Also, everything you're describing is normal, pain in the a** stuff that comes with having a puppy. They start aging out of it at around a year, and at two, they're often a total delight-- especially if you've taken the time to train them well. We had to keep everything out of reach for awhile when our mini schnauzer was younger-- it wasn't even unusual for me to leave the room and return to find her drinking my coffee!!

I wouldn't give the puppy back without trying doggie daycare, or some additional training. A poodle is very smart which probably makes them easier in the long run, but more challenging as pups. We had a bulldog about ten years ago--and believe me, it's preferable to have a smart dog.

[Anonymous]

I would recommend a day care so he can get out more energy playing with other dogs. Nothing you do with replace that type of play & engagement they get with other dogs. Stay the course OP and just remember dogs this age require a lot of patience. I LOVE dogs have had many fosters and volunteered with rescues & even I would not get a puppy because I don't want to dedicate that type of energy to raising one. For our house adults were the way to go. Meaning I get your frustration but this is all expected. Get your dog around other dogs to play with, get a trainer & be patient.

[Anonymous]

Physical exercise is not going to exhaust certain higher-intelligence breeds. I grew up with german shepherds and you can walk them all day long, but they will be "bored" because you need to stimulate them MENTALLY. Training is usually the best way to do this for puppies. Learning commands and practicing them over and over will actually tire your puppy out. Not just walking around outside in a circle.

[Anonymous]

Our 2 year old goldendoodle is a joy now, but that is definitely a rough age. She still has a "witching hour" from about 7-8 or so where she wants to play, play, play and we just want to sit on the couch and watch tv. We do small training sessions whenever she gets nuts so that her brain gets tired out. We also did the peanut butter stuffed kong in the evenings until she was about 1 1/2. We bought treat mats, where you hide little treats in the folds, and other toys like that as well.

I don't think you are crating too much necessarily -- its hard to figure out during a pandemic when everyone is home a lot omore than they should be.

[Anonymous]

You also might want to try the dog park at the end of the day rather than the morning -- you've lost the benefit of it by the time you are at your wit's end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Physical exercise is not going to exhaust certain higher-intelligence breeds. I grew up with german shepherds and you can walk them all day long, but they will be "bored" because you need to stimulate them MENTALLY. Training is usually the best way to do this for puppies. Learning commands and practicing them over and over will actually tire your puppy out. Not just walking around outside in a circle.

We have a winner!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contrary to other posters, I don't think you are crating him too much nor do I think you're a disaster, but everything you describe is perfectly normal puppy behavior.

What are you giving him to play with/chew on that is acceptable? Does he have bully sticks, meals in stuffed kongs, interactive feeders and engaging toys? Are you engaging with him when he's not in the crate? After 5:30 is someone on the floor playing with him, or are you expecting him to make good choices and entertain himself? He's essentially a toddler--you wouldn't expect a 2 year old to entertain themselves longer than a few minutes.

Have you gone to puppy class with him? The trainer should be able to give you good advice based on what is typical with puppies his age.

I don’t think you’re crating him too long either. Our 9mo boxer mix is crated from 9am-11am, and again from 1pm-3pm. He gets 45-60min walks in the morning and in the afternoon. Sometimes, he’ll also have a play date in there somewhere. When he’s not in his crate, he wants to play. So what you’re describing is totally normal behavior. You just need to provide him with things to play with. I keep a rotation of toys so when he’s being particularly rambunctious, I get out something “new”. I cannot tell you how much $$$ I’ve spent on toys/bones/treats to keep him occupied, but it’s worth it for everyone’s sanity!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our 2 year old goldendoodle is a joy now, but that is definitely a rough age. She still has a "witching hour" from about 7-8 or so where she wants to play, play, play and we just want to sit on the couch and watch tv. We do small training sessions whenever she gets nuts so that her brain gets tired out. We also did the peanut butter stuffed kong in the evenings until she was about 1 1/2. We bought treat mats, where you hide little treats in the folds, and other toys like that as well.

I don't think you are crating too much necessarily -- its hard to figure out during a pandemic when everyone is home a lot omore than they should be.

We have a mini goldendoodle. He is now 6.5 years old. He behaved similar to OP's puppy but he also slept a lot. We were careful to put our shoes and other other things of value away. When he was teething, he would chew on anything like the wood molding or frayed carpet. He would also jiggle the lock on his crate at night and get out. It was a bit maddening but in time he settled down. He is a joy now except for an area of hardwood flooring he found and ruined with pet urine. We will need to get the floor boards replaced and the entire room re-sanded and stained. Puppies are a lot like babies. It sounds like you have never had a dog or a puppy. If you can't handle it, the puppy deserves a loving family who will see him through his puppy and adolescent phase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Physical exercise is not going to exhaust certain higher-intelligence breeds. I grew up with german shepherds and you can walk them all day long, but they will be "bored" because you need to stimulate them MENTALLY. Training is usually the best way to do this for puppies. Learning commands and practicing them over and over will actually tire your puppy out. Not just walking around outside in a circle.

We have a winner!

This seems like good advice.

[Anonymous]

Thank you to all who offered suggestions. We will work harder. We had a trainer come to our yard at the beginning and that gave us all the basic commands. He is a pretty good loose leash walker and we continue to practice that skill. A group puppy class we took was all the same basic commands and sort of a waste. I would be up for puppy day care but I am not sure he would like being dropped off in a strange place. I think it has been a combo of his adolescent defiance. He knows he is not supposed to put his paws on the table or try to break in to the toy area so that is what he is just waiting for the opportunity to do. He is not into kongs and we got a bunch of food puzzles but he solves those super easily. He likes bully sticks and other natural chews in the evening (ignores nylabones, rubber chews) when he just hangs out with us but we have to mix those up or he gets sick of them. I am surprised at the backlash on the crate time since that is really what all the books and trainers recommend. He is used to it so we can safely leave the house to grocery shop or go to doctors appointments. I think also the dark and bad weather has made it so we spend less time in the yard playing fetch or kicking a ball around. Think it is frustration with all the negative behaviors we are getting despite the effort. But obviously the message is more effort, more stimulation, more attention.