Anyone else with a teenage dog?

[Muddypup]

I started with the puppy thread when I first got my pup at 8 weeks old. It was such a great support. Just wondered if anyone else would appreciate the same kind of thread for slightly older puppies?
My spaniel is just about 9 months. I’ve been feeling quietly smug that she’s been pretty easy so far.
However, we’re on holiday at the minute and she’s been a holy horror . She’s peed twice in our holiday home and her recall has totally disappeared.
We took her to a beach today and she took off after a bird, frightening us to death, only to trot back 5 minutes later as though nothing had happened.
Hoping it’s the holiday thing and that as soon as we get home she’s going to turn back into our reasonably well behaved girl rather than the start of teenage attitude!!

If your dog isn’t coming back it needs to go back on a long line while you work on recall.

How are you managing the long line
We’re just getting tangled
It’s filthy
It’s hard to hold
She’s a skinny thing and I feel like she’s weighed down by it too

And people are judging us...

JillAmanda, our pup is kept on a long line.

Fizzle, I absolutely hate using the long line! I will continue to use it until I know I can stop him in his tracks. He has always returned from whatever he found more interesting than me quite quickly. I just can’t always stop him from running off to what he wants to do. He is getting better, but still not 100% though. People have made comments and seem to find it amusing to see me trying to shorten the lead up. I just smile and nod politely when half the time I want to scream obscenities!😂 The line I use very rarely gets tangled, but it is a bit heavy and drags through the mud. I never come home clean. The line drags past my legs when pup runs past and splatters mud up me. I have resigned myself to looking like a swamp thing at the moment! I have bought a few pairs of cheap dark gloves from Poundland to protect my hands and hide the mud a bit!😂I keep thinking by the summer he should be off of it. Hopefully all of the pups on here will be. 🌞🤞🏻🥂

The biothane long lines wipe clean, don’t get heavy when wet and don’t tangle so easily.

Thanks JillAmanda, I will take a look at those.

How long do the long leads need to be? We have one but it’s sooooooooo long it’s just a mess.

We have a 10 month old Dalmatian. He's called the Spotted Dick at the moment.

@GeraltOfRivia spotted dick made me laugh! How long are we going to have to put up with this badness?

Who knows. Lol.

He's just so big and strong along with his wilfulness. It's hard work.

We're back working on the basics of recall and other simple commands and not expecting too much. He's just recovered from a severe ear infection which hadn't helped.

9 months here, turned teenage arse after her first season and her recall is currently selective and she is refusing to eat her healthy raw food, but oddly enough still happy to eat treats...
Lies down and refuses to go for her last pee walk...

I haven't had to go back to the long line yet but I fear it's looming!

I just remembered a positive when I saw this again this morning.

I recently discovered what he will recall for. And it's me waving a stick for him to play with. Playtime is so much better than food! Risked trying it properly live on an unknown place yesterday and he not only came back from a nervous dog but let me hold him still while she passed us safely. Such an amazing thing.

It also helps that we ended up having him neutered as now it's better than humping too. Not that that is the answer for every dog and I had a good conversation with the vet before we decided to go ahead as I would have preferred to wait another 6 months as he's a bigger breed.

Scout has just come out the teenage phase. Just as well as she was on a very sticky wicket for a time! 2 year old has just returned to puppy phase...............I give up!

Mine is nearly 10 months. He was an angel but has started getting naughtier. Recall has been iffy a couple of times and worried me, also started jumping at his lead and trying to play with it and play tug of war on walks like he did when he was tiny, it's so embarrassing. He's been castrated this week so is feeling sorry for himself at mo!

I've found my thread! Our dog is now 8 months, some days he's great but some days he is so naughty. Will look at me and then do the exact opposite to what I've asked him to do!!

Have I killed the thread?! 😬

No! I'm on my own with two kids and the dog this week so really busy

On thé plus side the dog has been great. We did a big walk yesterday and came across a walker with a clearly nervous dog, on lead, in a place that I wouldn't usually expect people to take a shy dog.

My boy was finally amazing. Came back when summoned even part way to the dog, nicely on lead while we overtook them, and safely distracted by fetch on the other side. Amazing!

He chewed some stuff he shouldn't at home but I'm ignoring that ... I shouldn't have left it out!

I think it's all about training. You've just got to create some routine for them, reward them with good behaviour and let them know you're angry with bad. Then hopefully they mostly behave!

Our basset hound is 8 month and been home for 4. Our biggest issue is nipping biting. It hits 4 -5 pm and he just want to use me as his chew toy. Ast night this resulted in him ripping one of my favourite dresses I am afraid I lost it and really shouted. Felt bad but did get both my teenagers and dh on high alert and they took over kitchen and dog duty.

He has also started jumping up something I utterly loathe so working on breaking that habit.

We are working on recall and have been letting him off leash on the commons his recal is either 100% or zero. No where inbetween. Most of the time he is adorable has the loveliest temper and I see glimpses of the dog he will become but oh wow this part is hard.

We have called in a dog trainer again to get this under control and are working on clicker training.

For those of you with chewing ones trainer had excellent tip. Pure essential peppermint oil diluted and sprayed on their prefered chew thing. Instantly stopped MrC chewing. Half the time I end up spraying my clothing too so at the moment I must permanently smell like a giant bonbon , but it works.

Lol the teens - I go to obedience training twice a week, once with obedient dog (advanced) and once with little terror (currently repeating his post puppy class for the third time!) I got him at 6months - just as he was getting into the teens and knew what to expect. The faces of the new dog owners when told this phase lasts a while .......

Back to basics, just keep reinforcing, start using a long line for recall (again) - people give up at this point - and rescues see a lot of adolescent boys in particular surrendered. It does pass if you work at it.

Mine is just a year now, and this time round I think he might graduate to level 3 - if I put in the work! It's worth it. Obedient dog is a dream to take out, little terror will be too one day!

Ours has started having accidents overnight
And also refusing to go to bed at night.

I let her sleep in my bed one night a week ago, when DH was away. I thought it’d be fine after months of routine.
It was not. Now she cries every single night for a while, also gets up in the night for wees.
But for some reason is still managing to have accidents through the night too where she doesn’t alert us she needs a wee - even though before she could hold it up to 12 hours! (Not forced - her choice)

On the plus, day time is 100% perfect. Tells us every time.

Mine is 12 months now. We have put him back on a long lead for a few months. There is a small improvement but once he spots some birds and runs around after them he then gets over excited and takes off in any direction.
I have been judged numerous times re the long lead. Asked how old he is and given a look like why didn't I train him earlier (I did). Also been shouted at by another dog walker that she almost tripped over the lead and I should be more careful. You'd think someone with 2 dogs would be more sympathetic.
Its so relaxing walking him on lead in the street but I know I have to persevere.

Fizzle we had a similar scenario over night, I had been really strict with our pup and crate trained him at night from 8 weeks old. He was perfect and slept beautifully for 10 hours, no accidents etc. Then Christmas happened, routine went out the window and as we were staying with relatives he slept upstairs with us.

Since then he goes mad if I try and leave him downstairs and I got rid of the crate as he completely panicked every time I even opened the crate door!!

We've had a few nights where he's cried to be let out, it's always for a 💩 but this week he's been okay. He sleeps upstairs with us now, normally he likes to sleep on the hallway floor so he can keep an eye on all the bedrooms 🙄

He's coming up 9 months now and has just started being a bit reactive to other dogs when he is on the lead. He's fine off lead, any ideas for working on that? His recall generally is good unless if he finds a fellow puppy playmate obviously 🙄

I'd find a good training class girlie all the dogs will be on leads and you will do exercises to train them to ignore each other, sit nicely while the owners chat etc.

Ah I remember those days whistfulthinking
It was awful. I thought I had the best pup, and then she forgot everything she had been taught and went wild! Hormones have a lot to answer for.
Basically you need to go back to training, working on recall etc and use a longline. It will get better, honest.

Until they start their first season ;)

Don't often reply on MN. But I sympathise. I have an 8 month Eurasier. Who was so loyal and lovely. And is now becoming noisy and pulling like a train despite trying every walk with heel. Which he was picking up well. Now doesn't give a hoot. Also now no respect for personal space.