When Is It Enough?

ivanmeza03ivanmeza03
edited October 2011 in Behavior & Training
Sushi (2 1/2 months) is being really annoying, even my other dog Avy (7yo female Jack Russell) has to "bite?" him hard to actually let him know she is done playing, but he will just keep going and going for more, it gets to the point that she just go to a higher place to avoid him; this is where he will start chewing the carpet or everything around except for his toys (around 5 different toys). I walk him 2-3 times a day, 25min-40min each walk and sometimes is about an hour, I take at least 20min a day of basic training/obedience session (sit, down, stay, come). Also, I try to play with him every now and then trough out the day but all of this seems not to be draining his energy out.

Any tips or tricks?

Thank you

Comments

  • SayaSaya
    Maybe work with agility or got any young dog friends have play dates with them?
  • sunyatasunyata
    Hmm... Puppy energy can be never ending. If only we could harness it to heat our homes. :)

    I would say he needs a little more mental stimulation. Perhaps instead of working with him for 20 minutes on training, break that down into 3 or 4 5-10 minute sessions. Then play some games with him that utilize those training skills. (Hide and seek, tug, keep away, etc.)

    You may also need to put him down for a 'nap' to try and calm him down. I know that when Nola was a puppy she would refuse to sleep during the day, and that caused some major crankiness and aggravation. So maybe put him in his crate for a nap when he starts to get like that.
  • KevinKevin
    When Solomon was a pup (the first four years of his life), I used to make him do puppy push-ups when he was annoying.. Sit. Down. Sit. Down. Sit. Down. Repeat.
    He seemed to almost always calm down afterward.
  • jan3tjan3t
    I agree that mental stim would likely be helpful and certainly wouldn’t hurt. For one of her puppies, my sister found that too much exercise made the problem worse and more crated nap time seemed to help (per sunyata's suggestion). Enough exercise is mandatory, however.

    Kevin's suggestion is also interesting. One of the solutions for kids who are “hyper” because they need more proprioceptive input is heavy work activities. It helps calm and organize their nervous systems. Anecdotally, dogs have benefitted from weighted vests, but if a dog will comply with pushups, that would have a similar organizing effect.

    The art in providing a good solution, however, is in accurate analysis of the behavior that is becoming a barrier for the being (person, dog, horse, etc.) who would otherwise benefit from greater engagement in activities such as sleeping, eating, interacting, and learning.
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited October 2011
    Not sure if Jan3t was advising this for your pup or not [ if not Jan3t, forgive me ] but I wanted to clarify that putting weights on a 2 & 1/2 month old puppy is probably not a good idea. From what I understand & have been told, serious damage can be done to their growing bones / joints.

    That said, I would agree with everyone else regarding crating. When my dutchie was younger, he was an absolute terror. No matter how much physical exercise, dog-playtime, human-playtime, or walks he got, he just wouldn't stop. TBH, I don't think he knew "how." [ something Dutchies are infamous for...not knowing when to stop ]

    To avoid him over-exhausting himself, we would crate him. It would essentially force him to take a nap & calm down. At a year & a half old, he still doesn't know when to stop, & has to be crated occasionally, BUT it's nowehere near as bad as when he was a puppy! Eventually they do learn ;)

    Also, if you're against a crate, an x-pen works really well too.

    Teaching "leave it" now will help also. Or just a really loud "AH-AH!" when he starts getting into things, [ to distract him ] then give him a treat &/or the appropriate toy.

    Also, try increasing the mentally-stimulating activites. For some dogs, "mental training" [ teaching obedience ] tires them more out then the physical does! lol Remember for puppies, multiple short sessions per day seem to work better then one longer one. [ like most children, they don't have a very large attention span at that age ;) ]

    Good luck, & remember...they're cute for a reason ;)
    As always, your mileage may vary. ~
  • jan3tjan3t
    "I wanted to clarify that putting weights on a 2 & 1/2 month old puppy is probably not a good idea. From what I understand & have been told, serious damage can be done to their growing bones / joints."

    .....As can excessive jumping or jumping off heights while the growth plates are still active.

    Thanks for clarifying this @Sangmort!!

    I wasn't wasn't recommending weights for the puppy, but rather commenting on therapeutic vests in response to the pushup comment comment made by @Kevin. For the pup, I would recommend increase games for mental stim, naps, and a clean diet recommended on this thread.

    Weighted vests have proven useful for some kids with proprioceptive needs (not for sports training)

    Inquiring minds can check out the images at http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0oGdX6v1aVOSC8AsSpXNyoA?p=weighted vests special education&fr2=piv-web

    And some people have used them for dogs for the same reason and felt they were helpful

    Inquiring minds can check out the images at http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A2KJkK3D1aVOjHwAjQKJzbkF?p=weighted+vests+for+hyper+dogs&fr=&ei=utf-8&n=30&x=wrt&y=Search


  • SangmortSangmort
    @Jan3t , "I wasn't wasn't recommending weights for the puppy, but rather commenting on therapeutic vests in response to the pushup comment comment made by Kevin."

    I didn't think so, but just wanted to make sure ;) lol

    The vests for [ human ] children are super interesting tho. I had never heard of that being done. ~
  • jan3tjan3t
    If you have ever been walking down stairs or something and felt disoriented, but your senses organized by just touching something solid like the wall or rail then you have felt how kids with proprioception feel lots of the time. Just a bit of weight from a vest or a blanket for about 30 minutes twice a day can make all the difference for them. You can also roll big balls over them or squeeze them between couch cushions. Even a big hug works. Dr. Temple Grandin popularized this in a documentary she made. She adapted a cow squeeze chute to squeeze humans when she noticed it calming the cows. No reason they might not have the same effect in additional species.

    I am always getting off topic - my apologies to ivanmeza03!!
  • KevinKevin
    "Good luck, & remember...they're cute for a reason ;)"

    Haha! Yeah, just cute enough you don't actually follow through with your threats to kill them!
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