r/puppy101 Oct 21 '24

Adolescence How do I give my dog a job?

410 Upvotes

My pup is currently unemployed and I’ve seen in different threads that working dog breeds really benefit from “having a job”. Mine is a super mutt but his biggest mix is a herding breed (Australian Cattle Dog) so he has lots of energy. He’s still a teen but a little less of a chaos gremlin so I think he may be ready to learn how to have his own “duty” in addition to the regular training we do. On his resume is that: he loves chasing balls and is finally starting to understand how to bring it back to get it thrown. He saw me pulling weeds once and yanked out the ones that were too hard for me to get out so he almost had a job but then I found out those weeds can make dogs have GI issues so he was fired. He is a pretty quick learner but he can be stubborn. Have you given your dog a job and if so, how did you decide on the job and teach your dog?

r/puppy101 22d ago

Adolescence my trainer said that because i’m spaying my girl right at the 6 month mark, she won’t go through the adolescence behavioral period and will just go from puppy -> adulthood. is this true?

67 Upvotes

i don’t want to question his expertise - dude has been training dogs longer than i’ve been alive - but that doesn’t sound right to me.

r/puppy101 Jul 08 '22

Adolescence Anybody else realize they never want kids after raising a puppy?

1.2k Upvotes

r/puppy101 Jan 23 '25

Adolescence Oh my god. I'm starting to fucking HATE walking this dog. He eats off the ground the entire time we're walking.

139 Upvotes

I want to thank everyone for their input. I also want to clarify one more thing, that is, i train my puppy very regularly. We train every day. Now i'd just give myself a slap for focusing on silly tricks rather than a good training foundation. He is a good learner. I've just got to control myself better and not rant on reddit every time i get frustrated. So no, this dog isn't some kind of wild, completely untrained animal. I did write this after having a harder day, and the fact that he was offleash (and got the opportunity to do stuff he isn't supposed to) when he shouldn't have been in the first place didn't help it. I'm a percectionist in many things, so i can get caught up on details and then get also frustrated about these, pouring oil into the fire. A good thing is, I now know that my dog shouldn't be offleash until we've learned what we need. But i wanted to assure you that we are working. And that even though we're far from perfect, i would say we're on the right track. Just gotta not try and train when I'm angry. His responsiveness has worsened outside recently, but we will keep working.

Please read at least edit 3 in addition to the original post. I was very annoyed after a hard day while writing this. The edits clarify some stuff.

Why does this dog (a 9 month old sheltie) have to eat EVERYTHING?! I used to enjoy our walks in the forest. Today, he managed to eat THREE pieces of crap. Everyone says you should give your dog offleash time, but HOW CAN I? He eats EVERYTHING. I take my eyes off him for 3 seconds, he's got something in his mouth ALREADY. HE DOES NOT LISTEN. OH GOD, I TRIED TO CALL HIM OFF THE FIRST SHIT 2 TIMES, I WAS LIKE HALF A METER AWAY FROM HIM, HE CONTINUES TO EAT IT. I'm starting to hate this. We've been working on leave it for MONTHS. And STILL it's not consistent. And now it's like he COMPLETELY FORGOT what it means. I know i need to calm down, but i JUST wanted to enjoy a nice walk with him. I no longer know what to do. Some people say let them dog, other people say you have to micromanage until they're consistent. I want him to be free. When he's not offleash, i feel like he's not getting the exercise and enrichment he should. That he doesn't get to be a proper dog. But this makes me SO furious. I'm so tired and disappointed...

EDIT: My dog is always on a long line, and he is muzzle trained. Anytime he's been offleash, it's been with a long line, and only in areas he's reliable with his recall. He's recently gotten a lot better with not eating stuff off the ground, these past few days though... yeah. Thank you everyone for your input. We'll be putting the muzzle back on + I'll lead him on a leash/long line from now on everywhere. I think i didn't clarify before, but he usually has 9/10, i'd like to believe 10/10 times recall. Looks like he's not ready for this kind of freedom though. We'll keep working.

EDIT 2: It's dog poop left here by other dog owners who don't pick it up. Also, just wanted to say, i never wanted to be seen as an irresponsible dog owner, there are no other dogs, or animals around in the forest I'm sure of that, that's why I let him go with a long line recently. I do see my mistake though and want to thank you for the reality check. I dunno what happened to me. I used to know this stuff... I just wanted to apologize for being a jerk, and hope, that this didn't drastically reduce your view of me 😪

EDIT 3: In case you haven't read the other edits. He is muzzle trained, but we recently stopped using the muzzle on walks when he got better, we are working on stuff like recall every day. Anytime he's been offleash, it has been on long line. We're putting the muzzle back on, and we're going back to on leash. Thank you for correcting me. And i mean this genuinely. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to my puppy. He means the world to me. Looking back, i don't know what i'd been doing...

r/puppy101 Jun 03 '23

Adolescence Reasons why my 6mo old pup is being neglected and abused this week

1.6k Upvotes
  • all of his toys are in the basket that he has constant access to. They are not scattered all over the floor. This is obviously my fault because I should've realized that he had them organized how he likes it. I am terrible.

  • I didn't let him join me in the bathroom. This is clearly wrong of me to do, as I get to see him poop so why isn't he allowed to watch me poop? The risk of him eating the shower curtain every time I open the door is irrelevant.

  • breakfast took longer than usual because I wanted to chop up some carrots as a topper. I am obviously abusing him, as he could've starved to death in the 2 minutes it took me to chop.

  • I tripped on him when I was bringing in groceries. This is definitely my fault here, I should've known he was making sure my feet were positioned correctly with each step I took. He was testing my balance and agility and I failed.

  • I didn't bring him with me to a doctor's appointment. Obvious neglect.

  • I greeted the cat before I greeted him. It is clear to me now that I am playing favorites and that is not okay. I will be sure to never touch the cat again going forward.

  • I clipped his nails yesterday. The wails of pain clearly indicate that I missed his nails and was instead cutting off his toes one at a time. Although there was no bleeding, it was implied.

  • I refused to let him eat cat poop. This is clearly a good source of nutrition for him. He is malnourished and unloved.

  • I did not allow him to greet literally every person on our walk. I am obviously neglecting his socialization by not letting him run across the street to play with the neighbor who was mowing the lawn.

  • I ran out of beef broth for his dinner and had to mix hot water and salmon oil into his food instead. I should've realized by denying his access to the nectar of the gods is a clear sign that I should allow him to call PETA. He refused to eat dinner, which he should. I am a terrible pet parent.

r/puppy101 Oct 17 '24

Adolescence I think my baby is becoming a teenager 😭

619 Upvotes

I just went to the washroom and he did not follow me! He stayed in his bed. And when I sat down he didn't climb up for nappies with me. My little boy puppy is becoming a little man dog in front of my weeping eyes. And he has started humping. Yuck.

r/puppy101 Nov 26 '24

Adolescence What age was your puppy when you could start going for 'long' walks?

56 Upvotes

I'm in the thick of adolescence with my 11 Month old Irish Setter puppy. She's a good girl except when it comes to walks. It seems like if our walk (we're training at the same time with corrective u-turns etc) is over 20 minutes she starts getting frustrated, overstimulated, biting at the leash, throwing temper tantrums, 'attacking' me (jumping &  biting me and absolutely will not stop). We can still only make it around 1 block before she starts misbehaving and going crazy. In turn, it is driving ME crazy. 

At this point, every walk ends in frustration and tears. Most the time i avoid going on walks altogether (we go to a park and she runs off lead and chases her ball for at least an hour a day). 

That being said, Im curious to know how long your walks are with your puppies? are they 30 mins, an hour, more? What does a realistic walk look like for you and am I naive to think my 11 Month Old puppy should be able to go for hour+ walks?

r/puppy101 Aug 06 '21

Adolescence Have you heard of something called a duvet? It's a cloud for you to pee on. Highly recommended.

952 Upvotes

And if you haven't re-discovered land sharking, what are you doing with your time?

Also, don't let your humans dampen your light. Get that record deal. Keep singing on top of your lungs. Get noticed. Don't you dare leave the park.

Sincerely, 8-month-old diva pup

r/puppy101 Mar 27 '23

Adolescence An incomplete list of things our puppy has thrown a tantrum over since 3pm yesterday.

507 Upvotes

This is an incomplete list of things my 10 month old adolescent-phase pit mix has thrown a tantrum over since 3pm yesterday. By tantrum I mean some combination of screaming/barking, doing a tantrum dance, throwing himself on the ground dramatically, or some combination (always a combination) of the three.

A rocking chair

Not being allowed to eat goose shit

The grill (off, sitting stationary in the corner of the yard)

Our two other dogs sleeping in later than him

One specific rock on a beach of rocks

My refusal to share my beer with him

Three (3) separate tantrums, one for each cat not wanting to play with him

No food being in his Kong Wobbler between mealtimes

Food being in his Kong Wobbler during dinner

My dropping a kitchen utensil while cooking

Having that kitchen utensil taken away from him when he stole it and tried to sprint out of the kitchen with it

Being given a new bone, but not being allowed to taste his brothers’ bones as well

Not being able to chew his new bone on the couch

Being sent to jail (the gated off kitchen with me) because he wouldn’t stop bringing his bone onto the couch

A bell pepper

Me giving attention to another one of our dogs

The coffee grinder

Shifting my legs underneath him laying across my lap

Not waking up to play at 4:30am

As annoying as it can be sometimes, my husband and I are finding this phase hilarious— He’s such a dramatic little mischief monster. While we don’t encourage unwanted behaviors, I can’t not laugh when he’s sprinting away with my ladle like he’s Nicholas Cage absconding with the Declaration of Independence in National Treasure.

r/puppy101 19d ago

Adolescence What age did arousal biting stop for you?

57 Upvotes

If your puppy arousal bit (eg latching onto your arm and tugging when overexcited by play, when doing zoomies in a big field, after triggers pass, if you run, when you turn around to go home) and they did it into teenagehood, what age did it stop for you?

Mine has gotten so much better, but it’s hard to not take it personally when it occasionally happens. My misery is just looking for some company and successful endings ha

PS if the entire comment section is people saying things like ‘mine stopped at 12 weeks’, I might devolve into a crying mess 😂😂 some of yours must be mouthy excitable breeds and slow learners too ha

r/puppy101 20d ago

Adolescence What age is the most teenager-ey?

31 Upvotes

There's a multiweek class at the training facility I like that's for puppies 5-8 months old. I'm wanting to get my puppy in when she's at her most fiesty in an attempt to establish continuing structure and boundaries. When can I anticipate this "naughty" phase being the strongest? My understanding is the teenage phase starts around 6 months and goes up to 2 years. I know it varies from dog to dog, smaller dogs vs big dogs, etc., but just looking for any insight or personal experiences y'all have with the timing/intensity of the teenage phase, or any micro-phases that might occur within it. Thanks in advance!

r/puppy101 Jul 26 '24

Adolescence To all those people hating their life in the puppy stage right now...

253 Upvotes

Let me tell you to hold on. I was sitting with my 7mo lab/pit mix the other day and realized just how much we've both grown together. 2 months ago I wasn't even sure I liked our puppy. He would get into everything, chew up our shoes, was so energetic, he was so mouthy and nippy. But last night as I sat on the couch, he jumped up and curled up next to me resting his little head on my lap I realized I just needed to give him a chance. He is such a cuddly sweet boy and the older he gets the more I can tell he just needed to work out the puppy energy

So if you are about ready to pull your hair out just give it time. Build that trust with your pup and know its okay to be upset at their behavior but when you treat them with respect, love and understand they return it to you 10 fold.

Even though he is still a puppy and still likes to get into things. He's chewed up more TP rolls than I can count. When I look at him I can tell he's going to be just the best playful, loving, baby boy.

Side note. I sorta understand the "Boy mom" thing now. I have 2 other female dogs but our male puppy is by far the most cuddly out of all my dogs. His little face just melts my heart.

r/puppy101 3d ago

Adolescence Did I ruin my dog with enforced naps?

71 Upvotes

I have a one year old boxer/lab rescue that we’ve had since he was 2.5 months. We followed a pretty strict schedule of enforced naps in his crate throughout the day. Partly because this was advice we got, partly because we both work, and partly because he has extreme FOMO. Well the older he’s getting, the more obvious it is he won’t sleep outside of his crate. We’ll go for a hike in the morning and he’ll be deliriously tired when we get home, but he still won’t completely go to sleep. He’ll rest sometimes for like 30 minutes but every noise has him up. Then he just gets so overtired he walks around aimlessly or gets into things he shouldn’t.

He doesn’t love his crate and only goes in it when we ask him to so he can sleep.

Did enforced naps ruin him? Will he ever be able to sleep outside of his crate?? Any advice?

For extra context, he’s 81 pounds so we are still very much in the teenage phase. He also gets neutered in two weeks now that he’s older.

r/puppy101 6d ago

Adolescence Anyone’s puppy super chill?

24 Upvotes

I have a 12 week lab and for the last 4 weeks we have had him, he is incredibly chill. Gets a wave of energy in the evening but it consists of mostly chewing on his toys and some humping but beyond that, he moseys everywhere. He has his moments of chasing my kids here and there but beyond that, doesn’t get overly excited. Just curious of anyone else has or had a puppy like this and if this kind of temperament remained or if they turned into total nuts in due time?

r/puppy101 Jul 15 '23

Adolescence Remember, your dog would rather be alone all day, and get love, then spend time in a shelter.

582 Upvotes

I heard this from a rescuer, and I feel it's very true for those of you who think they aren't home enough with their pups

r/puppy101 Apr 03 '24

Adolescence Tell me about your teenaged puppy!

77 Upvotes

I'm having a day with my 6m old golden. She's a full on naughty teen today. She's hell-bent on eating anything but her actual food and chewing anything but her actual toys and chews. She also won't listen. She's a whole lot right now.

If you've passed the teen phase, please tell me about it. How bad did it get? How long did it last? What did adolescent behavior look like in your pup?

If you're going through it now, how are doing you today? What kinds of things are driving you nuts with your teen?

r/puppy101 Mar 06 '25

Adolescence When did you adolescence puppy stop being a jerk

21 Upvotes

My 9 months old female cockapoo is getting more and more sassier everyday, everytime she gets way too excited when i get home and starts biting me wanting to play, when i ignore her she barks…. I am so tired, i tried training her since we got her at 8 weeks, we not made a big deal when we get home, ignored her when she barks redirected her with toy when biting… now i dont know what to do anymore and does it ever stop…..

Also I tried positive reinforcement but now she barks if she does something good and i dont treat her…..

I am soooo tiredddd😭😭😭😵😵😵

r/puppy101 Jan 19 '21

Adolescence Shout out to the people with puppies over 1!

580 Upvotes

I just want y’all to know I see you! I lurk this sub and ~cry~ when I see posts about 6 month old puppies finally settling down, finally quit biting, finally start listening. I am SO happy for those people (rather jealous I do admit). I naively thought I might be able to be one of those people...

NOPE.

I sit here with my 15 month old GSD, every day is a new challenge, a new struggle sometimes. She is still mouthy, still bratty, still demand barks, still pulls on the leash, still bites leash, still is very reactive, still hates other dogs when on leash, etc. On top of all that, she still has not had her first heat yet (by all means, that’s fine by me. I’d just rather the bomb drop sooner rather than later lol but also my god I can’t imagine dealing with that when she was way younger).

Working breeds can also present some new challenges as far as what requirements they have, take note of that when you are trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with your puppy! /s

All this to say, you guys with older puppies still lurking this page are not alone! Large breeds can take longer to mature and settle down, even sometimes to 3 years of age. It is OKAY to not enjoy the puppy stage. There can be a lot of guilt surrounding that, but it’s true.

Edit: Forgot Puppy Tax! https://imgur.com/gallery/9OFRQTQ

r/puppy101 Dec 08 '23

Adolescence Please share your adolescent dog stories, I am losing it

99 Upvotes

My adolescent dog (12 months) had a good boy period for over a month, but this week he decided was not over being an annoying ass. His repertoire for the upcoming weeks: - running away and refusing to put on the harness before walk time. - biting on the leash - jumping up and (play)biting visitors at home and during walks - stopping during walks when we are walking in a direction he doesn't approve of - barking at 11 o'clock in the evening if he doesn't get his way

I know that this period will end in time. But I just want to hear others dog adolescence stories to get some perspective and stop myself from losing my shit.

r/puppy101 Mar 31 '24

Adolescence When did your pup stop needing naps? (Enforced)

51 Upvotes

So kinda self explanatory when did your pups stop needing naps; little girl is 8 months old and I really am working on weaning her off her naps (wake up 5-6am ; bed is 8-9pm) I get it's a long day but I find if girl doesn't have a nap between 11-2 for an hour or two at minimum she's all out of sorts (overstimulated, getting into things, acting out, not usual behaviour for her).

To add to this she will not actually nap well outside the crate she'll lay down but the eyes are always half open and she's super responsive if you call her from this state still.

Update: thanks for all the advice I truly appreciate it! I didn't realize i was going to get so many comments and with the holiday I'm busy but will get reply to comments when I can! It's good to know many of your dogs do take regular naps whether inforced or not.

r/puppy101 25d ago

Adolescence 4,5 month puppy lifting his leg to pee

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Writing this post because I'm curious. Can a puppy really hit adolescence this soon?

My puppy started lifting his leg to pee last week at 4,5 months old. Now he does it basically every time he pees, and it seems he is clearly "marking". He is a small mixed breed, approximately 10-15 kilos as an adult. He is a bit more of a scaredy-cat too, starts barking at people sometimes when it's dark outside.

Can they become teens this young? :D
When did your puppy start lifting his leg?

r/puppy101 Sep 13 '24

Adolescence Is your 6-24 month old dog bonkers? Can't settle? Bouncing off the walls? Chewing on everything? Pestering you or your other pets constantly? Seems like it has SO much energy that you just can't seem to exercise out of them? Here's what you can do about it.

286 Upvotes

I've been meaning to make this post for a while, because I've given this same flavor of advice on SO many posts at this point.

Do you have an adolescent dog (roughly 6-24 months old, though can be earlier or later depending on the dog and breed) who is BONKERS and seemingly FULL OF ENERGY? You've tried playing all of the fetch, you've tried taking your dog on multi-hour hikes, you've tried all the relaxation protocols, and your dog still seems full of bees? Great, keep reading. I know it's long. Stick with me.

The good news is that this is actually totally normal, completely expected, and you're very much not alone. Your dog's physical and mental needs are the highest right now than they will be at any other time in their life. So if you can get through this period, you'll be set for the rest of your dog's life. The bad news is that you still have to survive this phase, which can last for seemingly forever.

Adolescence in dogs comes with a lot of changes. The  wiki has a really great post of all the things an adolescent dog is going through and the changes you may see. I'm not here to talk about that. I want to focus on how you can best provide for your adolescent dogs' daily needs, reduce their arousal and stress levels, and increase their opportunities to access decompression.

(1) Above all, your dog's most basic needs must be met: sleep, diet, health. If your adolescent dog isn't getting 14-16 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, start doing that. If they can only fall asleep in their crate right now, great, crate them. They'll be fine. Ensure they're eating well-balanced, nutritious food and aren't experiencing regular GI upset. There is a proven link between GI health and behavior in dogs, and often improving behavior includes ensuring our dogs' gut biomes are healthy. Lastly, make sure your dog is in good physical health. Not just, I went to the vet, they said she was fine. Is she itchy? Maybe she has allergies. Does she seem uncomfortable when she lays down or rides in the car? Maybe she's in pain. Get those checked out. Think about how much less settled you feel when you're sick or itchy or in pain or tired after a few nights of less-than-ideal sleep - that's how your dog feels, too.

(2) Your dog needs appropriate amounts of various kinds of exercise.

(2a) Not a lot of dogs need many hours of physical exercise every day. There are some exceptions to this rule, but you will probably be aware that you are an exception if you have one (German Shorthaired Pointers are the classic example of dogs who do need a very large amount of physical exercise regularly). The very great majority of Goldens, Labs, German Shepherds, Malinois, Border Collies, and Aussies are not exceptions to this rule. They do not need many hours of physical exercise every day.

(2b) Your goal is to satisfy your working dog's movement needs, not run them to exhaustion. These dogs were bred to hunt and herd and flush for many miles at a time, and also to not give up, to keep working, regardless of how tired they may feel. You will not be able to sustainably exhaust them every single day. The more you attempt to do so, the more stamina they'll build, and they will need even more more physical exercise to exhaust them when they do.

(2c) Appropriate kinds of exercise rarely includes large amounts of fetch. For a lot of dogs, fetch floods a dog's system with adrenaline, which makes the dog feel great in the moment, but can be terribly hard for dogs to come down from later. This is especially true for high-energy, high-drive dogs like a lot of hunting / retrieving / herding dogs. High-drive dogs who will fling themselves at the moving toy without regard for their bodies or any obstacles in their way are also at a high risk for injury. If you're playing fetch as your dog's primary form of exercise, I would encourage you to explore other avenues and see if that has a positive effect on your dog's overall behavior and wellness.

(2d) Your dog needs opportunities to move freely and decompress in nature or at least something that resembles nature. This means not your urban or suburban neighborhood with cars whizzing by and dogs barking from every other house, but this also doesn't necessarily have to be on a hiking trail. Empty soccer fields, dog-friendly cemeteries, and church and school grounds at not-church-and-school-hours are some of our favorite places if we can't get out to the trails.

The best / most efficient way to do this is off-leash or long-line decompression walks. Here's a blog post about what decompression walks are, how to do them, and why they're beneficial.

Using their noses is also highly decompressing for every dog out there. Sniffing releases calming happy chemicals. Nose work, tracking, and shed hunting (among others) are all great ways to get in some sniffy decompression time.

(3) Your dog probably needs some sort of mental exercise / enrichment. This is what people colloquially refer to as "a job." There's a scale of what level of difficulty of "job" your dog needs.

For a small number of dogs, feeding enrichment like frozen Kongs / lickimats / puzzle toys / food hidden in towels or cardboard boxes / etc. are enough to satisfy this need.

For a solid number of dogs, despite what social media tells you, these activities are not enough to fulfill their needs.

For the next group of dogs, adding in a couple of 10-minute training sessions every day will probably be enough. This can be basic obedience training in different environments, or learning new tricks, or fetching your mail, or hiding food for them to sniff out.

On the highest end of the scale are dogs who need actual work, or they will find their own work to do, and you will not like it. These are generally dogs that have been bred to do actual work in generations past: herding dogs, hunting dogs (including poodles!), retrievers, terriers, etc. The reason the above activities won't fulfill their needs is because this group of dogs need structured work that progressively gets more difficult / stays difficult over time. They need some sort of mental challenge.

The easiest way to do this if you don't have a lot of dog training knowledge is to get involved in sports. Maybe it's herding or agility or nose work or freestyle disc (NOT just toss-and-fetch) or hunting / retrieving work or tracking or bite sports or rally / formal obedience or many other options. It will might be multiple of these things, depending on your dog and how often you can train.

Some dogs will take to some of these sports and / or find them more fulfilling over others. Hunting and retrieving breeds, for example, will probably be most fulfilled by hunting and retrieving work. Herding dogs generally need some sort of work that allows them to think hard thoughts while also moving their bodies, which is why you'll find so many of them doing agility. You might have to play around with the type and amount of work and figure out what most fills your dogs' cup.

(Interlude)

How do you decide if your dog needs more physical exercise, mental exercise / enrichment, or decompression? You probably won't know at first. Take a guess based on what you know about your dog. Try it out for a couple of weeks. Have you seen drastic improvements in your dog's behavior? Great, keep doing what you're doing. You've seen some improvements, but something's still off? Start playing with the ratios. Maybe up the amount of mental exercise / enrichment you're offering for a couple of weeks. Still no progress? Ok, maybe increase the number of decompression walks vs. "regular" walks instead. Effects of any changes you make most likely won't be instantaneous or very big at first, but they will snowball over time.

(4) REST. In addition to getting enough sleep every day, your dog needs to not be go-go-going all the time, otherwise, she will expect to be go-go-going all the time. I do a day once every 4-7 days where we do nothing. No walking, no training, maybe a couple of minutes of play if I need to take the edge off, but otherwise, nothing. I try not to let more than a week go by without that day, or my adolescent Aussie starts having much more difficulty settling in the house. Yours may need a different schedule.

If your dog is not used to resting, your first couple of rest days will be rough as all get out. Prepare with some high-value, long-lasting chews, make sure you get a good night's sleep so you have a solid amount of patience to use, and just expect them to be hard. They will get easier over time, especially once your dog's physical and mental needs have been consistently fulfilled over a period time.

(5) Once you've gotten all of the above sorted, then you can start teaching an off-switch or relaxation protocol or whatever you want to call it / however you want to go about doing it. But IMO, it's unfair to ask a dog to switch off if all of their needs haven't been met. And regardless of fairness, you will be fighting a battle you will not win.

r/puppy101 Oct 23 '24

Adolescence Are all "teenage" puppies this weird?

47 Upvotes

I posted the other day in a breed specific sub about one of my teenage pup's weird behavior (tl;dr he barks at trees sometimes when we're in the car). Weird, but understandable, I guess? But today. Today, my boy is going beyond the boundaries of any puppy behavior I have ever experienced in my 39 years on this planet. Ladies, gentlemen, and variations thereupon, my dog...

Likes to lick the dust off the fan I have in my room. Yes I need to clean it. I'll be doing that today. My point is why dust. Why. I don't get it. There's no point to this. I understood the why when he was going through his phase of eating cat poop before I could clean the litter box. I understand why he eats the eyes off his plush toys before anything else, and even why he likes to tear up tissues. But this?!

Have I just gotten lucky with my previous dogs never doing anything remotely this weird or is this dog the weirdo alien gremlin?

r/puppy101 14d ago

Adolescence Is this adolescence or did I really mess up?

33 Upvotes

So I have a 9 month old papillon puppy, currently very much in adolescence. I know it’s normal to ignore commands, push boundaries and stuff.

This is my first dog, and i currently feel so guilty that I had such high expectations with a little puppy and only realised that when he was 6-7 months old. I really feel like I was the only one with such high expectations and ruined my puppy with that even though now my trainer says that he’s a great puppy.

I didn’t really enjoy it because of puppy blues but also since I didn’t want him to turn into a badly behaved dog. The first time he was outside I was already trying to get his attention on me.

I also didn’t make training as fun in the beginning, he was happy to train with treats but after a while his attention span got worse when he was entering the teenage phase and it just ended up making training frustrating for the both of us. I do make stuff exciting now but he has been quite moody and just looks at me like I’m crazy sometimes.

Like yesterday i tried to train a little and after like 3 minutes sniffing and everything else was way more exciting than me running around and acting crazy with treats.

I’m just anxious that he when we get out of this he will not want to do stuff with me, we have had a phase during 4-5 months old where he walked by me all the time, didn’t want to sniff and was happy to accept treats but yeah, not when he’s a teenager.

He also has started to hate his kibble, I can’t train it with anymore since he will just spit it out, I already changed it, only worked for a while and then it was back to not liking it. Hating his harness now as well, can’t even get it on him.

I just don’t know what to think right now, I have done so many mistakes with being too serious about stuff and overall can’t stop thinking about every small mistake i did with him, and like yesterday he was pushing me to my limits with escaping my room like 10 times so I ended up picking him up and put him in his crate

r/puppy101 Jun 20 '21

Adolescence Does anybody feel like every day you wake up and it’s a race to consistently make your puppy as tired as possible throughout the day? Then you have to do it all again the next day...

483 Upvotes

Coming up on 11 months old and we have a pretty solid routine - including lots of exercise (both mental and physical). We are in group classes and do private training. We play fetch and do recall training daily. But it is exhausting constantly making sure my dog has had all his needs met! We do a lot of calming exercises (place time, crate training, rewards for being calm) and he still struggles to settle on his own.

Sometimes I feel like every day I wake up and it’s just a race to tire him out as much as possible, anybody else 🥲🥲?