Cracking up with this pup

[mrsmcgregor94729]

Please god help me. I think I’m going crackers. He had the best recall, would sit, lie down, settle in bed no bother. But now he’s a teenager…. Jings! I’m losing my sh*t! Then the cleaning him on top when he’s got into everything going. What can I do game wise/walk wise to make him better again? Is it just age and does it pass? Any ideas are more than welcome! Feels like I’m just telling him off all the time now and I don’t want to let him off lead anymore because I can’t trust him. 😔

How old, what breed and what do you do with him now?

Hi OP. I havent got any advice but have a lovely behaved lab pup who I'm sure is going to do exactly this in a couple of months time.

What breed is he? Hope you can get some help and it passes quickly!x

He’s a cocker so I expected it to come but my goodness I think I underestimated…
He gets walked twice a day, one half hour first thing, then another hour(ish) at lunch. We do lots of sniffy walks because we live out in the countryside so he gets plenty off lead time. We all play reward games with him in the house for leave it and fetch/recall. He has freedom of the whole downstairs unless I’m online in a meeting, he has sniffy mats, toys etc too. We take his food out and do scatter feeds. His 1:1 with me has reduced a little due to work/family demands, do you think that’s possibly had an effect and I just need to work harder on that relationship again?

How old is pup?

It is just age and, if you keep on with his training, ignoring his awfulness as much as you can, it will pass.

He's a teenage dog. He can't help being rebellious and awful at the moment.

Try not to tell him off too much, and reward him when he does actually do something right.

Put him on a long trailing lead - not an extending lead - attached to a harness so that he's got a bit of freedom but you've got control.

Lots of training, also brain work to tire him out and lots of enthusiastic rewards when he gets it right and you'll get there.

He is 14 months

Thanks for the reply. I will stick with it all, it’s so hard to stay positive when your ‘training’ results in being ignored. I worry that people think I’m just letting him run-riot which isn’t the case and that he will be like this forever! 😩

Try not to worry about what other people think, although it's not always easy.

I remember asking her to "try not to embarrass me today" when we went on walks.

I also remember acting like a complete loon in the park, leaping around and waving my arms in the air, when I was trying to get her to focus on me at that age.

It is just his age, I have a springer spaniel who is 18 months old and he is just coming out of the naughty teenager phase (I think!). I agree with above, stay consistent, ignore bad behaviour and keep rewarding good behaviour. It’s hard but it will pass! My DPup’s recall went a bit wrong whilst playing with other dogs around 14 months but he’s back on track now. He also started chewing my DD’s toys at that age (which he’s never done before!) but he’s stopped that too.

Teenagers go from Velcro dog to bog off dog in a short space of time. Another phase. I feel your pain, sorry no advice.

How much sleep is he getting?

Knew he was going to be a cocker
Keep chipping away with all that you're doing, and he'll improve again. Long lines are a great tool as you don't want him practising not recalling, and back to basic recall training - hiding behind trees, turning and walking the other way, etc. You want him checking to see where you are regularity. I also stopped shouting for ours so much - it meant she knew where I was as could hear me, so then didn't need to check in as much.
Also whistle training if you don't already.
But mostly just keep at it!

Thank you everyone! Will wrote down all your tips and use them. Best dig out the long line again….

I think it's the time of year too. I have a Springer and as it hits autumn I've watched him go nuts both this year and last. He's now just turned 2. I think all the sogginess brings out the smells. I bumped I to my trainer and she just said "well yeah, it's shooting season" and shrugged... 🤣

I make things a bit easier and do more walks where he can't go too wrong. I have a nice canal walk nearby where he can't get too far away from me. It means I can concentrate on recall practice.

Everyone says puppies are hard work. Puppies ARE hard work. But cute. And you expect it.

Teenage dogs? Teenage dogs are HORRIFIC!

It will get better. He will grow out of it. Promise.

Cocker owner here, I feel your pain! Mine is now 18 months old and starting to mature into a lovely dog but of my word has he tested our patience!

Bitey/mouthy/obstinate/barky tw@t of a teenager. Ran off, ignore us, generally a total PITA.

Luckily, my family have long had spaniels so I did kind of know it would be a case of keep training, being consistent and eventually it'll come good. And it's very true even if I have a lot more grey than before you just have to keep going with the training, back to basics and reinforce expectations with them. He's now still a spaniel so a goofball and a consummate thief but he's such a good lad too.

I can also heartily recommend gin as a training aid for you. Lots of it.

My puppy is nearly a year old. Passed level four search dog. Almost immediately his recall and heelwork became utter rubbish. Back on the long line as I can't trust him not to bugger off to speak to all and sundry. And he developed an alarming poo eating habit, which I am trying to train out right now. I don't remember any of the previous three dogs being like this at this age. I note gin as a training aid and can recommend single malt whisky too. Or even Baileys.

Spaniels are arseholes at that age.

Mine is now 6 but I still remember how much of a git he was at that time.

Lots of for you. This phase will pass even if it does age you 😁.

The thing I keep reminding myself, when in your situation @mrsmcgregor94729 (and I have been a number of times) is that, thank the gods, this stage only lasts MONTHS in dogs, not the YEARS it does in human teenagers 😱 - AND unlike human teens, you can at least put them on a lead or long line and have some control 🤣