I regret getting a new dog!!

[MrsClegane]

We had a dog for almost 10 years before he died, and dh decided we needed a new dog... to get us active again, fill the hole left by our old dog, to go running with him, etc.... Looking for a puppy sort of gave us as a family something to look forwards to.

roll forwards bringing home this puppy....dh decided he wanted the biggest of the litter, which as it turns out was the one who escaped puppy pen, escaped the puppy room, was the giddiest/most forwards of the litter. He was lovely, a bit needy but we put that down to him just having left his litter mates.

within a few weeks he was nipping me all the time... no-one else just me...i spent weeks in tears hating this puppy cos all he did was draw blood or put holes in my clothes. It took a while of training and we finally got through that stage.

now hes 8 months and is SO needy.... its driving me crazy. I have started work so dh has to watch him during the day (he works nights) and all I get is complained at because he hasnt settled, he's whined all morning so he cant sleep... and when I get home the dog wont settle

the routine is....
dh comes home, feeds dog, takes him for a 5min walk to let him wee/poo. goes to bed.
I get up, get kids ready for school, dog whines all this time (possibly excitement), then dog walks to school with us, then we walk through fields home so he can run around.
just me and him all day...he is calm, sleeps, plays nicely.
dh gets up, goes to pick kids up.
I make tea, do homework... dh goes to work....at this time dog goes crazy barking, whining, bringing toys to dh.
I do baths, dog lays at top of stairs quietly waiting for us. Kids go to bed...dog lays nicely and snoozes/plays.

It seems to me like dh winds him up, gears him up to get giddy....and I get left to pick up the pieces. He doesn't often take him for walks... he has his long walk with me in the morning and a few short walks of 5-10 mins.

At the moment I work 1 morning....so it's only one morning he has to put up with the dog whining....but come sept I will be working everyday so if it doesn't get better dh is going to get no sleep and be super grumpy... I really don't know what to do... I've started "training" the dh and telling him to ignore the whining, stop winding him up, make him sit and be calm before he gets a fuss.... so hopefully it may get better.... but then he has days like today where he's stolen a pear core, thrown shoes around, pounced on the cat.... and I just sit regretting we ever bought him.

sorry for the long post..... just wondering if anyone else has regretted getting a dog? and did it pass? did you do extra training?

I think your dh ought to be taking him for a walk when he gets up or before he goes to bed - you've basically described your dh sleeping/going to work/and picking the kids up

You're doing all the work! (And you've done a great job of training him so far)

When my puppy was very little I did regret it but it was a 'what the hell have I done' but now he is the best thing I ever did. Saying that the training is hard and continous and we are getting close to him being 10 months soon but I fully expect to continue the formal training for another year. I would say training is definitely key in terms of obedience and being settled when distracted etc.

It sounds to me like you and DH aren't on the same page. What I found helped was to go to formal training together and also paid for a couple of 1-1 lessons (so worth the money alone). Basically although it was abit like we were getting 'told off' it did get us both on the same page in terms of rules and training.

I spent the first month or so with our pup feeling quite shellshocked. My own parents had massive arguments about all our family dogs -my mum would be sensible and my dad would undermine all the training, give in to bad behaviour as a quick solution etc. I don't know if that's what's happening in your family but I really wanted me and my partner to be on the same page so we drew up all a list of things we wanted the dog to learn and how we would deal with any problems, and promised we'd both stick to it. So if he whined or barked at us, we would turn out backs. If he continued, we'd leave the room. It probably took him a couple of weeks to learn that barking and howling got him nowhere.

I wonder if you need to do something similar -see where your problems are, agree on a solution and then stick with it.

I also wonder if he'd benefit from more walks. Tired dogs generally behave better! You could maybe hire a dog walker to do a lunchtime walk? Many will charge less if you're happy for your dog to go with someone else's dog, so that could be some good socialisation time for your dog. I know my dog is far more tired of he's pelted round the fields with another dog than if I've just walked him and we haven't met anyone.

Also bear in mind he's probably in his adolescent stage atm. He'll be pushing his boundaries and everything will seem much worse.

You don't say what breed he is? I would say he's not getting enough exercise. I have an 8 month old toy poodle and she has an hours walking each day, plus training sessions and garden play. If I don't do that she's climbing the walls (like tonight when it's raining hard and the backdoor is shut!) Training really wears them out mentally.

Puppy regret is a real thing. Come join us in the puppy survival thread!
Does sound like DH needs training. Also tire pup with mind games and maybe up the exercise a bit. What training does he do? Any chance to play with other dogs?

I also think your oh should do more with the pup. It's as if the pup had learned to be that way with him and needs more time with him to learn how you want him to be. Pup also just sounds young. The angst of having a young pup is driving a wedge between you. If that wasn't a problem it would be easier.

thanks guys.... hes a weimaraner.
he plays with dogs he meets on our walk, even if walking on a lead he stops to say hello.

I think (well know) he has hit adolescence... he is pushing everything at the moment, which I agree probably doesn't help anything.

I've told dh he has to stop play fighting with the kids in front of him as it gets him giddy, he wants to join in and it's usually one of the kids who gets scratched or caught with his teeth (not biting)

What "mental" games/tricks would you play with an 8 month old crazy dog? He's going to the vets tomorrow so we'll ask their advice too (they were great at the nipping stage, gave us advice)

we have the summer holidays now, hoping the change in routine may snap him out of some of the habitual whining behaviour.

ALSO....does anyone have any advice or neutering vs not neutering? Our old dog (same breed) was neutered... but I am sure he was done by 6 months, but the vet recommended waiting until this one is 12 months..... old dog was a lot calmer, could this be linked?

Advice now is neuter once growing done. It doesn't automatically change behaviour I don't think.
He needs games. Find food. Do training. Teach tricks. (Can be v simple.) Have a Google for ideas. This breed is high energy but also need to get their minds focused and their brains engaged!

he has days like today where he's stolen a pear core, thrown shoes around, pounced on the cat...

Sounds very tame for an 8 month old!

He's understimated. He's bored. Imagine if someone ever bothered with you for five/ten minutes at a time and then expected you to sit quietly. He settles at night/with you because he has interaction and social exposure.

He's a Weimaraner, he's a big dog and an even bigger personality. Have you tried a kong toy? You put a treat in it and he has to get it out. Stimulation varies dog to dog. What does he thrive off? Smells? Cuddles? Balls? Work him. Hide treats under cups and make him sit and pick the right cup. Google teaching your dog tricks. Spend time with him and get his brain working.

Walking him isn't enough. Especially as you say he loves other dogs, could you put him in doggy daycare a couple of days a week or hire a dog walker if your husband can't walk him. But at the moment he needs far more interaction than he's getting, would you not be bored?

This age is hard! And husband needs to step up!

Weimeraner's are still growing at 8 months - don't neuter yet if you can avoid it - leave it until at least a year (he my not need neutering at all).

As you realise yourself he's a dizzy adolescent - your DH wanted this dog, he needs to step up to the mark and walk/train him. It sounds as though you are doing a good job, but this is a working breed and one that needs to be physically and mentally challenged.

Is there an agility class nearby you could take him to?

He needs more walking and more interaction.

Your husband needs to step up. We got out puppy last year. We both worked from home. My role changed and worked out of the home. Dh was still at home.

It wasnt until dh had responsibility for her main walk that he realised how important training was. Now he is on board and she is much better behaved.

Find a good dog trainer who can train your DH as much as the dog! It's normal for them to be different for different people - ours is much better behaved for me than for DH, because I don't put up with bad behaviour and am consistent in expectations and actions.

But also bear in mind that you've got a difficult breed of dog and 8 months is the height of horrendous teenage dog behaviour! It will get better, but you do need formal training still.

I would expect neutering to have a positive effect, but it's definitely not a magic wand.

Weimeraners are traditionally gun dogs and need lots of stimulation and exercise, which it sounds like your dog isn't getting. Is there a doggy day care near you that he could go to a day or two a week for extra socialisation etc?

It's a hard stage but agree with pp that your DH needs to walk dog more. We played "find the dog toy" games with our lab. He had to sit and stay while we hid the toy, then find it and return it to us for a small treat. Once he got into it just being able to play with the toy was enough reward. His toys were stored in a box and rotated so he wouldn't get bored.

Our DDog also loved a plastic bottle with dry food inside and the lid off so he could play with it to get treats always supervised in case he ripped the plastic and cut his gums, which never happened as we were careful.

Look on Amazon they have several mental stimulation toys for dogs. Also you should still be doing ten minutes a day reinforcing his training as they tend to choose to forget at this age, it will help with the stealing stuff for attention.
But it really sounds like your dog is desperate for attention from your DH. Good luck!

Regarding neutering, follow your vets advice and check with your breeder what is recommended for the breed.

I've heard that Weimaraners, whilst beautiful, can be quite demanding and bonkers dogs (and I say that as the owner of a lovely, but barmy, whippet puppy of 11 months).

Our puppy used to go mad late afternoon/early evening, but as he's got older, this has diminished somewhat (although he does still have his moments!) Our routine is generally - long walk in the morning (at least an hour running around the park with doggy friends), nice long sleep (whippets are complete couch potatoes), a bit of play in the afternoon, including some stimulating toys like kongs etc and then another, shorter walk in the evening.

I have a similar breed. They stay like that until about 2 in my experience. They need a lot of mental and physical stimulation and stuff to chew. It also depends if they are from working or show lines (we have one of each and the differences are marked)

At 8 months he's more of an unruly toddler than an adolescent. At that age he shouldn't need long walks, better with shorter walks, games and training.

Do not get him done regardless of what your vet says (obviously a little different if it was for saving his life etc!)

If you want to get him done at least wait until he's 18 months old. They're still growing and developing, not just physically but emotionally and mentally too!

You sound like you are doing a great job! Your husband not so much.
I agree with that he shouldn't be play fighting when the dogs around. I always say if I don't want my dog doing something, I won't do anything that would encourage her to. When your dog sees a play fight of course he's going to get involved.

Your husband needs to walk him more I think. More mentally stimulating games. Throw some treats or hide them, and tell him to 'go find'.

Thing is if you're doing most of the walking and feeding he will see you as his fave person. This may explain the whining when you're not around. If your husband gets more involved with those responsibilities then the whining will probably reduce.

Most vets recomend having dog castrated before a year old, the behaviour sounds like a perfectly normal puppy.

I wouldn't automatically get a dog castrated at year oldNanny. Some breeds don't mature until they ate over two, and the pup needs those hormones to give him confidence and to protect against bone and joint problems.

I have always had my dogs neutered, but whileI would still get a bitch done unless there was a medical reason not to, I wouldn't automatically neuter a dog now - the more I have read about the physical and psychological effects of neutering, the less I think it should be an automatic option.

That is way too little exercise for a Weimaraner, l had one for 13 years.

They are one of the most high energy dogs, and the most challenging as they are very smart and need a great deal of stimulation.

At 1 year old...
l used to cycle with mine ( stopping to throw toys to be retrieved )for 1 hour first thing at 7am , then a 30 minutes on lead training walk at lunchtime, then a full hour of off lead, retrieving in a park at 6pm.
10 minutes walk at 10pm. EVERY day.

Once she reached 5 we were able to drop to an hour morning and evening and this stayed the same till 10 yrs then reduced to 45 minutes twice daily.

Weimaraners are bred to hunt and run miles everyday, they are really only good pets for people who have lots of time and energy for serious exercise.

That is your problem and the only solution is to up the exercise, if one of you could do 45 minutes, retrieving in the morning, 30 minutes at lunchtime and the other do 45 mintes in the evening for an 8 month old that should be enough.

Castration is best left till fully mature ie over a year old, but that is not going to solve the issue, your dog is bored.

Walks will never be enough, this dog needs a good long run daily, lots of retrieving games, obedience training on and off lead, and a calm home environment, most Weimaraners get stressed in chaos so play fighting should stop.

Because of these things once we had children, we chose to get a differrent breed (Vizla) after our dog passed away.

You can make it work but your DH has to step up, a routine put in place and stuck to, or you will have a large problem dog once he reaches full strength. good luck op lots of good advice on this thread