Tell me your adolescent dog tales - I need reassurance

[OliviasArmy]

My dog is a lurcher - kind of greyhound, whippet and collie mix. Very much greyhound looking. He is 11 months old and has become very very difficult. He gets over-excited so easily and loses focus. This excitement spills over into bitey jumping and complete lack of control.
In the last couple of months, recall has become 50/50 at best. He isn't aggressive at all but I understand how it feels to have a large dog come running your way at 50kph. So now he is back on the lead and we have gone back to training. We were advised by a trainer to get a long line but dog responds by grabbing the middle, shaking it, getting tangled up, biting my hands when I go to sort it out. I have tried the Absolute Dogs (two courses) but the high energy of the games makes him lose his mind. We do some training in the house, call and reward etc but that just doesn't get replicated when there are any distractions.
He can be so lovely when he is calm - he will come and sleep with his head on my lap. We all love him but no one wants to take him out for a walk because it is so stressful - not only the recall but pulling the lead, wanting to go after dogs, cyclists, runners, stress when crossing the road.
He isn't neutered yet because he has one undescended testicle and the vet wanted to give it time to come down. We are also worried that neutering will make him worse as his reactivity may increase.
I have signed up for classes but these only start at the end of April. Is there anything that worked for you? I like Kikopups on YouTube but her dogs look so well behaved anyway. I love my dog but I just don't like him much at the moment and that breaks my heart because it isn't his fault.

I wouldn’t be able to do absolute dogs either for the reason you describe.

I’d just be patient, much shorter walks, I wouldn’t even leave the house until he is relatively calm.
If he starts getting overexcited outside I’d just stop and wait until he calms down.

Ditto the long line, if he bites it I’d stop and wouldn’t move until he stops.

Also, you say ‘his reactivity may increase’, which I would take to mean he is aggressive, but you say he has no aggression at all?

Hi
Thanks - no he isn't aggressive but scared. So a car backfiring will send him spinning in circles (literally). Same with a dog growling at him. When he has gone to the vet for an inpatient stay they describe him as 'timid'. He only gets jumpy and bitey if you put your hands near him when he is in a state and he never breaks the skin although it bloody hurts.

So is the biting re directed biting then in response to something scary..?

On reading the OP I was imaging the jumping to be the overexcited, bouncy, frustrated sort but it sounds more like fearful re directed biting with your update?

I’d still handle it the same.
Wait until he is sitting or standing calmly before leaving, stop and wait for him to calm down if he gets overexcited.
I’d reduce the length of walks and try and do what you can to reduce triggers aswell eg try and walk in quieter places away from traffic and dogs.

Thanks - I haven't explained it well at all.
He is definitely as you describe - bouncy, over excited but I am worried that neutering will make the fearfulness which exists in relation to specific triggers, worse.
I want him not to go from 0-60 in 5 seconds when he gets excited. I want to know how I can help him calm down (I stand still which provokes the jumping up and nipping) and I want him to be able to play without constant distraction. We play fetch and he runs to the ball but will drop it on the way back because he has seen a dog or even worse, a cyclist.

It's hard to say because I realise now I had forgotten adolescence with my last dogs :)

But I have an 8 month old WCS who has suddenly started acting in a v similar way but no one would describe him as timid. Up to about a month ago, his recall seemed perfect and he was so attentive and then he suddenly became a teenager!

I have no advice really as we are mid way through it too but does he get better as the day goes on? Also I would try and separate what you think might be 'scared' behaviour from what you think is adolescence. My pup does all the things you describe on walks (the distractions, the pulling, the running like a loon if let off lead rather than being sensible) but it's definitely him being a teenager arse rather than him being scared. Our fetch goes exactly the same way despite him having a fabulous retrieve up to that point

I would just keep going. I can't advise on the reactivity stuff but with the teenager stuff, I think you just need to be consistent. E.g if he doesn't bring the ball back the whole way when out, I don't throw it again and then go back to the garden. We haven't taken the ball on our walks for the last few days because he's not there yet.

I don't know if it will work - but I live in hope!

Btw we are permanently back on lead for all the reasons you describe. And we are back to practising sitting patiently to cross the road too as he's started trying to throw himself everywhere to get where he wants and whining and barking when having to wait at traffic lights to cross!

Do look at zoom training classes. Good Zoom classewould be amazing for him as he will be able to learn the behaviours at home in a calm environment. You will be taught the skills to take them out and about.

I have been offering zoom classes and will keep them for puppies and adolescent dogs they have been a major game changer. The dogs progress so much quicker and by mapping in some socialisation walks for homework the results have been brilliant.

I know! You sound very calm and I know that makes a huge difference. Today I was shouting 'no no no' like a mad lady which just makes everything worse. When I am calm and not tired, things are better. I am collecting tips and I'll share them with my teen DSs and DH. We all need to be consistent.

@PollyRoulson that's interesting. I find he is great at home - come, sit, stay, wait, leave it are all brilliant. I feel like he knows 'ah yes, this is training and I'll just go along with it and get my treats'. It's overcoming the distractions outside and managing to wind back when he's hyper.
I am definitely doing classes when I can.

@OliviasArmy ha! I may sound calm but I doubt I look it . Like yours he is an angel at home - all the neighbours think he's wonderful and keep saying what a lovely dog he is. But I doubt they would say that when they saw me being dragged down the street desperately stopping him from throwing himself at every bike/person/animal. Yet wheel a bike past him in the garden and he's like 'yeah and what?' . I am sending you a bucketload of teenager puppy sympathy! Btw ours is better as the day goes on - went out now and he was fine but he's always bad in the mornings