My dog's off switch broke... help?

[EmilyM]

These boards have been a wealth of information, but I feel I've reached a point where I need more in depth help. I apologize for the length, I just want to be through.

 

I adopted Rhett from a rescue when he was about 3-4 months old. He is now 6-7 months old. His first few months here he was a joy, real good puppy, everything I wanted in a bc, slept throughout the night, and had an off-switch. Not just a puppy "konk-out after playing" switch, but an actual "okay, nothing interesting is going on, I'm gonna lay here until something cool happens".

 

A little over a month ago, he's become, for lack of better words, a bit infuriating.

 

He gets about 30 min- 1 hr. of mental stimulation, through training, mental puzzle toys and treat dispensers, and through me asking him to do and bring me things "where's your ___, bring me your ___". He gets around an hour of physical work, through our walk and playing in the backyard, and doing some very basic agility foundation work. I am home 24/7. He's never starved of attention. He gets mandatory crate time for about 4 hours so that if I ever had to leave the house he wouldn't be shocked by the sudden change.

 

Now, after a walk, he lays down and relaxes for 30 minutes, then he's up pacing. We tell him to go settle, he does, then is back up. We do this several times, then pull out the leash and tether him next to us. He chews on it, we tell him no and re-direct him to something more appropriate, he doesn't want that. Continue chewing on leash. I've changed his leash to an old chain leash I have, he chews on that. When he finally does settle (it can take a very long time), we use to try to give him small treats, but then he would just lose his marbles and do everything in his power to earn more. So we began softly praising him, but even this gets him pacing again.

 

He loves being pet and cuddled, however over the past month he's began throwing "tantrums" when not getting constant attention. I'll initiate a play/petting session, they'll last anywhere from a few minutes to 20 depending on what kind of mood I'm in, then I'll tell him "good boy" and it will end. If I go to sit on the couch, he will sit there in front of me, just staring, waiting for more. I ignore- he begins mouthing the couch. I tell him no, re-direct him to a toy/antler/bone whatever is near, he doesn't want that, or he'll grab it and try to push it on me, I ignore again. More couch grabbing, or begin barking. Usually around now I walk away and ignore, but it doesn't help.

 

He loves his antler and toys, but doesn't seem happy chewing them by himself. He's constantly trying to get someone to join in on the fun with him, even though we've never encouraged the behavior.

 

I don't think I've ever seen him really relax and be happy with just chewing a bone next to me after taking part in our daily routine. For the past month I've been trying to tell him to settle, leashing him next to me, praising him when he's being quiet and chewing on something appropriate, but it doesn't seem to have helped any. It just seems to kind of aggravate the problem.

 

He also never really seems to sleep anymore. He barks randomly throughout the night in his crate in an attempt to wake us up to play. We originally let him out once or twice on a strictly business potty trip, but it was clear he only wanted to play. Since then we don't let him out. But he still continues a month later...

 

I've owned a border collie before, she was very much a joy, and I enjoyed the fact that the breed wants to be an integral member of the family. However, I am not a 24 hour play dispenser, which it seems Rhett thinks I am and I cannot shake him of it. Is there something I'm missing? Do I have a dog on my hands that needs way more mental and physical stimulation? Or is this something that eventually as he becomes an adult he will get his switch back?

 

I'm scared that I'm not giving him enough, and that's why he's begun acting like this. He's also become a bit of an annoyance to my family, and I'm afraid that maybe we are not the right fit for him. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[CMP]

Sounds like very typical behaviour for a 6-7 month old BC puppy. I have one that thinks waking me up by dropping tennis balls on my head is a good idea

 

Around this age they stop needing such long naps and are moving into the adult-dog-behaviour in this regard, able to short nap frequently throughout the day - and wanting to do so.

 

At this age they are also at their most curious and enthusiastic about their relationship with you/family - very often this is expressed by testing limits. They are learning.

 

When they hit this phase I usually just hunker down and get ready for the barrage of attention seeking behaviours that are about to commence. I keep one or two super high value toys/treats on reserve. Frankly, a bone with a bit of meat on it will get her off in a corner by herself for half an hour - by then she's forgotten she was pestering me to play with the skunk toy she has chewed the tail off but loves anyway. If she gets really silly about it, it's a Kong in the crate (since she has been off crate rest she is really only ever in a crate to eat a Kong so crates=Kongs=good thing) and very often she just decides to have a nap after the Kong.

 

I make her lie on her bed with a chewie if she gets on my nerves - because even cuteness can get annoying in large doses - and I give her the choice after a few moments - she can get off her bed, but she has to leave me be. She got it after a while and now all I have to say is, "You want to go to your bed?" if she pesters me too much. She usually trots off and finds something or someone else to bother

 

Good luck. It all sounds normal to me but normal can be pretty frustrating.

[Eileen Stein]

I agree with CMP -- dogs are individuals and they vary, but this is well within the normal range for a pup that age. Have you ever been stuck driving behind a school bus bringing primary school kids home, and noticed how few kids leave it at a walk, and how many leave it at a run? That's youth. How many adults, or even teens, do you see getting off a bus at a run? It doesn't last.

 

It sounds to me as if you are giving him plenty of physical and mental stimulation, and there's no reason at all to think you are not the right fit for him. One thing I would strongly suggest is that you don't give him treats or praise him, even softly, when he has settled. Look at it from his point of view. You want him to settle down and give you some peace, but as soon as he does, you engage him again. You're giving him hope that you're ready for some more fun, and implicitly telling him that interaction with you is better than lying quietly by himself. Let him be. Not every good action needs to be rewarded, only those where praise/treats are productive. They're counterproductive here -- a distraction from the behavior you wanted and are getting.

 

Hang in there. Wait it out a little longer. He'll get it.

[GentleLake]

As I've written here many times before, I usually (gently, quietly) praise a new dog or puppy when it's being quiet to reinforce an off switch. I don't use treats, though, as I'd expect this to be stimulating rather than relaxing.

 

It seems that even the quiet praise is stimulating to your pup, though, so it might not be a good idea to continue (at least for the time being).

 

As others have said, this is pretty normal for a puppy. I'd be training things like "go to your bed" (crate, mat, whatever) and slowly working towards duration.

 

It shouldn't last forever, so now's a good time to cultivate patience while you're ignoring his puppy antics.

[Mark Billadeau]

For the past month I've been trying to tell him to settle, leashing him next to me, praising him when he's being quiet and chewing on something appropriate, but it doesn't seem to have helped any. It just seems to kind of aggravate the problem.

Smart puppy, he has learned that if he lays quiet by your side you will interact with him. My 6month old sounds a lot like yours; always needs to be busy and gets frustrated by inactivity.

[EmilyM]

Thank you all for the advice, it has made me feel much better! Good to know this is pretty normal, and I will definitely start no more interaction when he finally settles. Especially when you put it that way Mark!

[Mark Billadeau]

I would make him lay quietly longer and longer before you interact with him. You are tyring to teach him you want him to lay quietly.

[Gloria Atwater]

He's just being a normal punk 6 month old!

Besides the advice you've already heard, don't hesitate to pop him in a crate once in a while, with some treats or a chew toy, if he's driving you absolutely bonkers. It doesn't hurt to occasionally let him know that yes, really, you DO mean for him to go chill out.

That's not to say that you should do this all the time, but if you really need him to settle for a little while, a crate isn't a bad thing at all. Best of luck!

~ Gloria

[HJTRAS]

Yea Ziggy is an insane little girl 7 months when I get ready for work I have a dog attached to my ankle fighting with all her might to keep me home. After I leave she is an angel. Before I leave she is on tables counter tops making every damn mess known to man kind and its all because she does not want me to leave. As soon as I put my uniform on she goes bat shit crazy. She will steal my shoes and hide them. Having a BC attached to your Achilles tendon every morning has been challenging.

[GentleLake]

He's just being a normal punk 6 month old!

 

Besides the advice you've already heard, don't hesitate to pop him in a crate once in a while, with some treats or a chew toy, if he's driving you absolutely bonkers. It doesn't hurt to occasionally let him know that yes, really, you DO mean for him to go chill out.

 

That's not to say that you should do this all the time, but if you really need him to settle for a little while, a crate isn't a bad thing at all. Best of luck!

 

~ Gloria

 

 

Absolutely, this!

[GentleLake]

HJTRAS, you're well on the way to creating an out-of-control monster.

 

If you don't want her to do this for the rest of her life (or at the very least don't want to have a much harder time of quelling this obnoxious behavior later), you need to work on it now.

 

You have heard of a crate, haven't you? If this were my pup, that's where she'd be the instant she even looks like she's going to make the first wrong move.

 

Jumping up on tables and counter tops? Oy vey! There's only one party responsible for that kind of behavior, and it's not the dog.

[CSW]

My 6 month old BC has not earned full house privileges. Some of these ideas may work for Ziggy or Rhett. My pup, Star, is still confined to a kichen and attached sunroom. When I am at home I spend most of my time in those rooms, but I also leave those rooms and do other things in the house. I keep the table and counters clear, so she can not find anything inappropriate (not eadible or people food) to eat, so countertops and table tops are not interesting to her and thus she leaves them alone. I have removed excess items from those rooms. In the morning before I leave for work, she is outside some (fenced back yard) and just in those two rooms. She also gets a walk before I get ready for work (and one when I get home). I do get up early, but I think it is only fair to her. Moments before I leave she receives a puppy sized kong stuffed with dog biscuts, so she is not too interested in my departure. During the day, she stays in the 2 rooms which are connected while I go to work. She has a clothes basket full of dog toys and appropriate chewing items for her age. I have a crate in the sunroom and when she grabs at me and does not listen to "no", it is into the crate she goes, so she can settle down (not as punishment). She has a different crate in my bedroom she sleeps in. She likes going into the bedroom crate and occasionally in the late evening will go rest in her other crate. It has taken a lot of work to get her to tone down on the pant leg grabbing and nipping, but she is improving, slowly, but surely. Buying the extra crate was worth it. The routine seems to work for both of us.

[Gloria Atwater]

HJTRAS, unless you want to live with that for the rest of your life, I suggest you begin modifying her behaviors now. Personally, I don't think that's cute and I would find it even less cute if my dog was still doing that three years on.

Train her now, or live with the monster you've made.

~ Gloria

Yea Ziggy is an insane little girl 7 months when I get ready for work I have a dog attached to my ankle fighting with all her might to keep me home. After I leave she is an angel. Before I leave she is on tables counter tops making every damn mess known to man kind and its all because she does not want me to leave. As soon as I put my uniform on she goes bat shit crazy. She will steal my shoes and hide them. Having a BC attached to your Achilles tendon every morning has been challenging.

[JohnC]

My pup Taz (5 months old) was driving me crazy until he received his last shot. After that I was able to take him out to a lot more places and he really calmed down at home. I think taking them places gives them a different perspective, kind of like “we go other places for fun, but we relax at home.” We go to the dog park (small dog/puppy section) several times a week plus we go on at least two hikes during which he gets to go swimming and is off-leash for part of the time. On weekends, I try to find some interesting events to take him to where there will be lots of people and dogs. Check your local dog related web sites for listings of dog friendly things in your area. Even taking a short drive to walk him in a different part of town can be a good adventure for a dog.

 

Also, having a pet door helps a lot. Whenever Taz is bored, he goes outside to patrol the yard, work on his excavation projects or just hang out on the deck.

 

I'm not a big fan of crating dogs once they are house trained. A dog learns to be loose in the house by being loose in the house. And I'd rather that they learn when small enough not to cause major damage. Other than the spare bedrooms, mine has full run of the house. If I need to leave him alone I put him into the MBR, which is well puppy proofed. But he's totally used to being out and now hardly ever chews on anything but his toys. Also, I noticed when I was crating him that after a nap he'd come bouncing out of the crate like he was starting a new day, ready for action. Now that he manages his own time, I don't see that kind of behavior.

[HJTRAS]

we are working hard to correct the behavior We let her know that jumping on tables and things is not allowed as well as tearing things up including my Achilles tendon. If she doesn't stop when corrected then a few minutes in the crate is used. We don't want an obnoxious 3 year old for sure. She really has a great personality except for a few kinks we are working diligently to correct. But she tests those boundaries everyday.

[EmilyM]

So good news, these past few days I've given him no attention when he settles and there has been marked improvement. He settles much quicker and longer, and isn't always in our faces. It's still a work in progress, but we're seeing the light! I've also taken your advice, Gloria and CSW, and pop him in the crate for a little time out when he starts chewing at the couch for attention. Now it's more of a threat of crate time and he'll go settle.

 

Thanks for the advice John! He definitely gets enough adventure, we live in a college town so he's walked daily in different situations, gets lots of student interaction, and gets 3-4 park hikes and swimming opportunities a week(sometimes I think I own a fish! haha). I'm gonna think about ways I can incorporate letting him "manage" his time, but I think I'll wait a while longer until I let him have full run of the house by himself!

 

Thank you all again!