Urgent advice...

[Lovemusic33]

Brought my rescue dog home just over a week ago, all was going well, he’s pretty nervous (or so it seemed) but seemed calm, followed me around, came to bed at night etc.l, the odd accident for the first 2 days. I was then taken I’ll and had to go to hospital for 3 days, my mum stayed at mine and looked after him, she said he was doing great and behaving well but having the odd crazy moment in the evening. I have been home a couple days and the dog is sleeping a lot during the day due to it being hot but at 9pm onwards he’s going absolutely crazy, bouncing off the walls, charging around the garden, trying to jump on me, refusing to settle at bed time. Last night I put him back downstairs and went to bed, he passed everywhere, at 2am I brought him back up to bed but he went crazy again, trying to nip me and jump up. Because I can’t risk him jumping on me (had surgery) I had to put him on the lead and sleep with him attached to me, he eventually went to sleep but has good crazy again this morning and peed all over the living room floor before eating his breakfast and falling asleep on the sofa. The back door was open when he pissed everywhere.

I know he needs walking but he hasn’t had his last vaccinations yet. I am unable to walk far or do much due to having surgery and I’m afraid he’s going to hurt me. During the day he’s pretty chilled and relaxed. He’s 10 months old staffie x and has had no training due to the circumstances he was rescued from but is meant to be house trained.

Please help me calm him down in the evenings?

He’s a lovely dog when he’s being good but the evenings are killing me and he’s going to hurt me or one of the dd’s.

[fessmess]

He sounds young, is he? Do you play with him, train him? Play sniffing games? A dog needs exercise and stimulation otherwise they will be bouncy. I understand it's come at a bad time, hope you're on the mend, but the dog can't just sit still all day.

[CarrotCaked]

He's a 10 month old puppy and he's not getting enough exercise or stimulation during the day.

Rescue dogs are usually calm the first few days as they're exhausted from taking everything in, it's all new to them.

They usually all have a 'witching hour' of madness in the evening, but if he's got excess energy then it'll be prolonged.

Why hasn't he had his vaccinations? What rescue did you get him from? They should offer you post adoption advice and support.

In the meantime can you find a dog walker to take the puppy out during the day? Explain he hasn't had his vaccinations and hopefully they'll walk him accordingly.

[OverFedStanley]

I hope you are on the mend Lovemusic it is bad enough having surgery let alone having a crazy puppy to look after with DCs.

1. Can you contact the rescue and see if they could have him back for a week for you to recover?

1. Feeding scatter feed him so spread his food out and about on the grass to tire him out.

1. Have you any kongs you can stuff and give him in the evenings when he is having the zoomy hour

1. Can you afford a dog walker to come in and amuse him at home for an hour just for a few days until you are back on your feet.

There is a book no walk no worries that might help give you a few ideas. Also canine enrichment facebook page may give you some ideas

[longearedbat]

I'm very surprised a rescue has released an unvaccinated 10 month old dog to a new home. When will he be ready to go out?
I'm afraid the only answer in hot weather is to go out early morning before it's hot, then again around dusk. I prefer the early mornings myself.
Having the back door open doesn't mean that the dog knows to go outside to pee/poo. You have to treat him like a very young puppy and actively take him outside every 30 mins or so and wait for him to go, using a key word/words, like 'hurry up' or 'spend a penny'. You may have to wait some time. Plenty of praise afterwards.

[Lovemusic33]

I guess I knew he would be hard work at first but I didn’t realise I would need emergency surgery last Tuesday so things have changed some what.

My daughter takes him out in the garden to play ball in the evening to try and tire him out but it doesn’t seem to help (if anything it makes it worse). He does have a good nose so I might try hiding some things around the garden for him to find?

He had his first vaccines before I collected him, he’s booked in for another on Friday and one the following week, the vet said I can walk him after Friday. He’s been kept indoors all his life which is why he wasn’t vaccinated (long story). He’s used to being entertained by other dogs but we don’t have other dogs so he’s desperate to get out and make some friends. We have lots of fields near us that are rarely used by other dogs so I may walk him this evening, the previous foster carer was walking him despite him not having his vaccines but I’m worried about risking it. We have a big garden and he spends time zooming around it but in this warmer weather he refuses to move of the sofa until it cools down.

[Lovemusic33]

long he’s been clean in the house for a few days but as soon as he’s separated from me he pee’s (cocks his leg on everything) so it’s likely to be separations anxiety? When I’m with him he takes himself outside.

I was told he’s crate trained but all he does is pee through the bars of the crate and won’t settle in there (it’s the same crate he was apparently using before). I haven’t tried leaving him in the house alone yet as he’s likely to pee everywhere and eat my sofa. He’s literally glued to me during the day and then will play in the garden in the evening whilst running in and out the house going crazy until 11pm. I will try and tire him out earlier today.

[BiteyShark]

I would treat him as having no toilet training and basically like a new puppy in terms of settling/training and separation.

You have my sympathies as that's hard enough without having had surgery.

[Lovemusic33]

Overfed thanks for the ideas, I have a kong in the freezer so I may try that later, he’s too quick unless it’s been frozen due to his very long tongue 🤣, I can afford a dog walker but struggling to find one that can help me this week.

He was rehomed to me before his 2nd vaccines because he was stressed in foster and they wanted to get him settled into a real home, I was allowed to take him on a vaccination agreement and was given money off the adoption fee to pay for the vaccinations. He’s booked in with my vet for next Friday.

[LittleLongDog]

Training them to do tricks can also tire them out as it’s very mentally challenging. It will also help to build a positive bond between you both.

[Lovemusic33]

I will try and spend more time doing training today. I’m feeling better each day but the last 2 days I haven’t been very mobile and have been sleeping a lot. It looks like it might be a bit cooler out today, yesterday he refused to wake all day apart from to follow me to the toilet when he would just lie on the floor, I don’t think he’s dealing with the heat but I guess it’s his first summer so it’s all a bit new. I have ordered him a cooling mat and a sprinkler for the garden (hopefully he will chase water). He’s literally a totally different dog during the day, chilled out, well behaved and house trained and then 9pm comes and he turns into the devil dog 🤣

[BiteyShark]

9pm comes and he turns into the devil dog

This reminds me of BiteyDog when he was a young puppy. During the evening we had a witching hour when we had to force him to calm down by popping him in his crate or behind a baby gate.

[Lovemusic33]

Bitey it’s frustrating, he has all day where he can go crazy in the garden but it happens near bedtime when I’m tired and grumpy. Putting him on the lead seemed to help last night, he had no choice but to lie next to me still but I don’t think it’s done much for my surgery wounds trying to control a crazy dog. I have had high energy dogs before but they have tended to be hyper throughout the day and not at night.

[Booboostwo]

Did I understand correctly that this dog has had no socialization and had been kept indoors all its life? Has the rescue made sure you are properly informed on what a huge challenge this dog will be to turn around? Do you have experience of retraining dogs with a bad start in life? How old are your Is the rescue providing you with a behaviourist to back you up (I assume the dog was assessed by a behaviourist before being rehome with you. The fact that he would not settle in the experienced foster home is very bad news).

Apologies for the many questions but as I see it you have a short term problem of dealing with him until you recover and he is vaccinated, as well as a long term problem of retraining an unsocialized dog.

[Lovemusic33]

Boo, yes, I have contact with the rescue daily, I knew what I was letting myself in for but I didn’t know I would be having surgery so I am struggling because the dog jumps on my surgery wounds which is why I’m in more of a hurry to solve the evening issues. We are meant to be going to classes with a local trainer but now due to surgery I can not drive for 2 weeks. The dog had to be moved from one foster to another due to one going on holiday so he became more unsettled so I got him early instead of him being moved back to the original foster carer and then back to me after the vaccinations. He has settled really well, he’s happy and is learning basic commands, I’m just struggling with this hyper time in the evening as I’m recovering from surgery and can’t physically push him down when he jumps on me. The rescue would take him back for a week but I don’t want to unsettle him even more. Once Friday comes I can walk him further and I will be almost recovered but I need to calm him down ASAP or he’s going to hurt me and I will end up back in hospital.

Of course I knew what I was taking on, I knew his back ground, I had met him several times and knew he needed training but I didn’t know I would be having surgery.

[Lovemusic33]

He is socialised in the house, he’s great with other dogs and great with everyone who has visited over the past week, he just hasn’t been outside.

[Booboostwo]

If I were you I would take the risk of walking him before his vaccines are completed and get a dog walker to do it. I walk all my puppies from the first vaccination for socialization purposes but just take precautions, e.g. avoid other dogs, don’t allow to drink water from puddles, don’t allow to sniff poo, etc. You need to stay safe after your surgery, get rid of his excess energy and make sure the hyper behaviour doesn’t become a habit.

When he jumps up can you fold your arms and turn your back on him or does that expose your surgery wounds more?

[PrayingandHoping]

Its not meeting unvaccinated dogs that are the risk. Foxes carry parvo too so you are advised not to go anywhere where an unvaccinated animal could have been

Do some training with him. It's a common misconception that to tire a dog it's needs to run and be exercised. Training, making the dog THINK and tiring the mind will leave you with a much calmer relaxed dog than the longest walk would. (Not saying dogs don't need to be walked but in this situation it is not the be all and end all)

[Lovemusic33]

Thanks Boob I have walked him this morning, he takes ages to walk a short distance as it’s all new to him, I can’t walk far but I guess a short walk is better than nothing as he was using his brain taking in all the new things. He actually did quite well on the lead. I’m now feeling it though. He’s just chased my cat out the garden (the cats not come home for days) and is now sleeping......or maybe not, he’s just jumped up to bark at the neighbours dog. I will try and keep him busy today in hope he sleeps tonight.

[Booboostwo]

Prayingandhoping Parvo can be carried into the house on your shoes so everything is a risk. The question is which risks are acceptable given the OP’s unexpectedly difficult circumstances.

OP is there no one who can help you out by walking him for a couple weeks? Friend, relative, dog walker, Borrow my Doggie? Are you using clicker training with him? It’s very good for overcoming fears and establishing positive associations.

[PrayingandHoping]

@Booboostwo yes I know but on a pp op mentioned a field dogs don't walk in. I was clarifying that it's not the dogs themselves that solely pose the risk

In the ops situation I stand by my thoughts that training and tiring the brain would be a better answer for post operation OP and unvaccinated dog. An ill dog is the last thing she needs

[Booboostwo]

It’s a tall order to keep a 10mo puppy occupied just with training and no walking for a whole week, especially as any jumping up risks seriously hurting the OP. As I said it depends which risk one wants to take, a serious problem with her recovery is also the last thing the OP needs.

[Lovemusic33]

Boob I have a friend who's dd maybe able to walk I'm in a day or two (I hope). I haven't used clicker training with this one as he's so scared of sounds I'm worried he would be scared of it, he doesn't really respond to food well either, it's all about physical contact and praise for him so training can be tricky. The only food he will work for is cheese or peanut butter (which I put in a kong) but both these foods can only be tolerated in small quantities.

I just remembered I bought him a lick mat so I might smother that in some peanut butter and pop it in the freezer to keep him busy?

It really is a case of jist getting through the next few days until I'm well enough to do more and ideally to stop the hyper 2 hours in the evening. He is jumping up quite a bit and nipping hands bit again if I raise my arms or cross them he's going to hurt me but if I push him away he thinks I'm playing.

[PrayingandHoping]

@Booboostwo we will have to agree to disagree on that one. I have 2 dogs which textbook says are high energy and need hours of walking. Total rubbish. One was injured for 5 months and all I could do with him was tire his brain and I kept him happy and chilled the entire time. It can be done.

[Booboostwo]

I have been training dogs since 1997 when I did my first course in clicker training, helping others train their dogs at my local dog clubs and competed in obedience and agility, but yes let’s agree to disagree.

[PrayingandHoping]

Ok...... you are assuming that I haven't done any of those things either (I have by the way lol).

There is always more than one way to skin a cat