Loosing my pateince with her lately!!

[Kaity]

Vida is 5 months.. tomorrow. I don't know if this is common for her age or not but she's being a brat.

On my days off, we will goto bed at around 1am. She wakes me up about 3 times a night, then initially I have to get up with her after 5 disrupted hours of sleep. This is just lately. Before, I would get up with her in the middle of the night if needed. She would also sleep 7-9 hours (or, tolerate it) in the crate at night. When I am working and come home, she's usually laying in her crate and doesn't usually flip out when she hears me in the house. She only gets excited when I go to let her out. I do make her lay down before being let out but as soon as shes out..
So I feed her, and anytime I go NEAR her food bowl she just starts mowing down the food. So I take it away from her and feed her it bit by bit. If I let her out of the room and Harley is eating, it is STRAIGHT to his food. Each time, she goes back in her crate.

She will not stop harassing the cats. Sometimes she will just go up and smell them, which to me is fine. She isn't hurting them. But she grabs them around the neck still and she is actually hurting them (they bleed afterwards) Again, immediately to the crate when this happens.

When we are trying to play, she will paw the life out of me. As somebody with injuries that are STILL healing I hate it! She has tore my burn (that is now STILL healing since New Years.. still sensitive) and dug her claws into raw wounds on my knees from the other day. She will paw my face. She will jump on the couch next to me and just put her front paws on the couch so she is 'standing' while I am sitting. She chews her toys ON me. I say off, she does not listen. I can't send her to her crate for everything otherwise she will be in there far more than what might be natural for a puppy. Crating her a lot would (I think anyways) mess up her development. Okay so back to playing: She doesn't get ANYTHING for free from me. So I go to grab her toy and it's a fight. I finally get it. I say sit. She sits. I say coucher, she lays down. I hold her collar and say 'rest' then release her with a 'yes' when she can be trusted for 5+ seconds without me holding her collar. Most of the time, when she is 'working' for a toy it is a sit+coucher. So I'll say sit, and she'll just automatically lay down. I say up, she gets up, walks around me and jumps on the couch again. When she just starts laying down by herself, we stop saying coucher and just command sit. Sometimes she will STILL lay down without the command.

When we go train at the park, she does not listen. I don't get stressed or irriatated. I am enthusiastic with her. We work on commands for 5 minutes, then play (with commands, ofcourse) for 10. Then command for 5, play for 15. The 'playing' is just how I teach 'rest' and come. If I go to my sisters house and train in HER yard, there are no distractions. No swings. No other dogs (she is doing a lot better around dogs but still jumping on them a bit.. and people) no little kids yelling. In the backyard, I can have her rest somewhere, walk a distance away, call her, yell REST and she will stop and lay down. So far, she has not been able to focus enough in the park!


The other day when her prong collar fell off I just put her leash on the regular collar she was wearing. She pulled like a maniac the second that prong came off!! I don't want to use the prong for the rest of her life.. I would like to teach her a steady walk and heel without it.
So what do I do guys? I need your opinions! You all see what I do not see.
More exercise or something? And what are other ways (besides training) to exercise her mind?

[LaRen616]

Wow you poor thing. She is just being a naughty puppy. I would exercise the heck out of her. Take her to the dog park and throw a ball. Jog around your neighborhood. Do you have a treadmill? If so teach her how to jog on it. Ride your bike while running her, or rollerblade.

[Kaity]

I am definetly going to exercise her more to see if she is 'bored' at home and that's why shes.. not wanting to listen. Again, this is a newer problem! I want to fix it before it gets worse with her, but I don't want to seem like the mean demanding owner to her either

[Lilie]

I agree with LaRen, exercise, exercise, exercise. When my 6 month old male gets silly headed - I quit what I'm trying to do with him and throw his ball. If I try to keep his attention when he is being silly, I'm just setting him up to fail. His brain just can't handle the excess energy in his body. After a while of fetch, the length of time depends on him, then we settle down to business. Almost always he is eager for the rest!

I'll even take him out to our fields and let him just run - he is rewarded every time he returns to me. Then I send him out again. When he stops leaving, we'll walk back to the house and do something fun, but quiet.

I wanted to edit to add that he always does best when kept on a schedule. Even on my days off, I keep our same schedule. Once he is older, I'll be able to sleep in again. But for now, if I change his schedule with a variance of say more than an hour - he'll stop sleeping through the night.

[lrodptl]

Originally Posted by Lilie

I agree with LaRen, exercise, exercise, exercise. When my 6 month old male gets silly headed - I quit what I'm trying to do with him and throw his ball. If I try to keep his attention when he is being silly, I'm just setting him up to fail. His brain just can't handle the excess energy in his body. After a while of fetch, the length of time depends on him, then we settle down to business. Almost always he is eager for the rest!

I'll even take him out to our fields and let him just run - he is rewarded every time he returns to me. Then I send him out again. When he stops leaving, we'll walk back to the house and do something fun, but quiet.

Trainers get most of their calls from owners of pups between 5 and 6 months old. Exercise should be a huge part of the solution but it is the age where bratty behavior increases.

[littledmc17]

Agreed

[Kaity]

Thank you guys. I have to remember that she is just a puppy but still not use it as an excuse, rather work around it.
I will definetly up her exercise and try my best to keep it as fun as possible for her!

[elisabeth_00117]

I can only offer support.

I have a 11 month old angel turned terror on my hands right now.. lol.

Okay, maybe not that bad, but close.

It gets better.. eventually.. or so I am told.. lol.

[GSDElsa]

Dogs are just like kids (and some adults :-). They go through some really bratty phases.

[Kaity]

Ah yes. I have to explain to my mother that it is a 'phase' and that she is not a bad dog.. just does.. things that annoy us sometimes! Obviously her way of venting extra energy, no?
Well now I can't take her out to the backyard.. found a huge dead cat (thought it was ours that we lost) and I don't want to move it because I am completely under the impression that the poor cat is full of maggots and bugs and if I move it, it will pop or all the bugs will fall outta its mouth or something..
And she doesn't have her rabies shot yet. Can't goto the park after dark because well.. not the safest area (wish it was!)
Sigh. I can't wait until I can buy property.. buy her a big, big yard where she can gallop around!

Can't wait until her clumsy/brat stage is over with =D