[Sirscarecrow]

Odin is a typical berserker when he gets excited and playful. He runs from one side of the garden to the other, plays ball with us, then goes to his eating all you can see affair and plays a bit. When we call for him he half the time comes and sits down all good.

Now, after 30 mins, even more, we go inside and he still does not calm down. Tries to jump around like a rabbit, bites this and that, breathes heavily, drinks a lot, toddles around.....

Question, can I just put him in the crate under such a circumstance for 30 mins for him to calm down ?? It seems, the crate is the only place he can calm down fast, so is it fair from me to use that as an advantage ? I am planning on leaving him now for about 40 minutes and then I go out again with him.

 

[Deuce]

He sounds like a typical puppy to me. I avoid putting Deuce (17 weeks) in the crate because I don't want him to assoicate it with punishment. I think maybe you need to look into a basic obedience class for puppies and take him out for more exercise.....tire him out before he comes back inside.

 

[Sirscarecrow]

Hello
that is the problem. He does not get tired and I am playing with him big time. From ball throwing, jogging, running, he just does not want to calm down. Then we go inside, he continues but here and there, up and down, back and forth. So I put some treat in the crate and when he goes to drink water which I put in the crate (believe it or not but he NEVER spills his water in the crate) and then close the door. Then he whines for 1 min and then lays down and sleeps.

 

[CaseysGSD]

The only thing I would be afraid of is, if he always rests in the crate he might see the house as the play yard and always act crazy when he's out, I'm sure if you give him time he'll lay down and rest in the house as well. Do you have a dog bed out for him? maybe you can teach him to stay on his bed and rest a bit in the room with the family. Just keep in mind, he's only 3 months old so he's going to have a lot of energy for quite a bit!

 

[Sirscarecrow]

Ok, thanks for the advice ! I have two beds for him in the two areas I permit him to be.
I see your point and am glad he actually also uses his beds.

 

[XTOL]

Berserker...I like that. Pretty accurate description of most
GSD puppies Im afraid. My Abby was like that. The term
I used was Tasmanian Devil.

What you describe seems pretty normal. It will get
better. Only thing you can do is excercise them a lot.
A tired puppy is a good puppy.

One thing that helped with Abby was the Flirt Pole.
She went nuts over it and really burnt up the puppy
calories. Who ever invented it was a genius.

Easy to make with stuff laying around. All you need
is a pole, some line, and a lure like an old stuffed toy
or even an old rag. Do a search on this forum and you
will find lots of info about making and using one.

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

I have absolutely no problem with putting a puppy away in the crate for a bit when they're wild and out of control. It's like an overtired toddler that doesn't want to go to sleep. I don't see it as punishment, it's just a little downtime, which is important for my sanity! You've given him plenty of exercise and now he needs to learn to settle down and be calm in the house.

It will get better as he matures, but for now, continue doing what you're doing and don't feel bad about it. As you said, he whines for a minute and then takes a nap, so he's obviously not traumatized by being crated when you need a break from puppy craziness. I did it all the time when my dogs were puppies and it's never made them not like their crates. I don't even have to tell them to get in the crate most nights now, as soon as I come into the bedroom at night they run in and lay down on their own, and Keefer will nap in there with the door open if I'm in the bedroom on my Lifecycle.

 

[PaddyD]

Crates are great for your sanity and his. Time outs need not be considered punishment. He will come to accept the crate as his cave. If you can drape a blanket or tarp over it
to give him that feeling of security, it might help. Worked for me.
You can see in my album a picture of Abby laying on top of her crate.

As I write this she is asleep on top of her crate.

 

[KZoppa]

I have absolutely no problem with putting a puppy away in the crate for a bit when they're wild and out of control. It's like an overtired toddler that doesn't want to go to sleep. I don't see it as punishment, it's just a little downtime, which is important for my sanity! You've given him plenty of exercise and now he needs to learn to settle down and be calm in the house.

It will get better as he matures, but for now, continue doing what you're doing and don't feel bad about it. As you said, he whines for a minute and then takes a nap, so he's obviously not traumatized by being crated when you need a break from puppy craziness. I did it all the time when my dogs were puppies and it's never made them not like their crates. I don't even have to tell them to get in the crate most nights now, as soon as I come into the bedroom at night they run in and lay down on their own, and Keefer will nap in there with the door open if I'm in the bedroom on my Lifecycle.

exactly the same thing only with fur. he isnt being tramatized by crate time so dont worry about it. For sanity's sake he needs it. Shasta would go and go and go and after a few crate sessions she started to chill on her own outside of it. That pup will go until she drops, literally. She'll just skid to a stop, flop down and start snoring a minute later. Dont worry. You're pup sounds perfectly normal.

 

[Zoeys mom]

I vote crate too with a big bone, chew, or favored toy. As long as you aren't screaming or angry when you put him in to chill he is not going to think it's a punishment. We actually would tell Zoe it was time for a nap and plop her chubby puppy butt in with a bone. To this day when she is being a pain I can say go take a nap and she dives into her crate and stays with the door open. She choses to sleep in their during the day when I'm downstairs cleaning and genuinely likes her crate very much

 

[Achielles UD]

I vote for obedience classes. It sounds like just physical exercise is not enough for your pup!

Think of him as a preschooler or kindergartner since he hasn't learned the "ways of the world yet". He gets up goes potty, gets fed and has playtime! That is his current typical day. Most preschools/kindergarten classes I know aren't run that way. After breakfast, it is learning time first before recess. This will help the little guy to learn to think and not just be a reacting ball of energy!

So many times people say exercise exercise exercise.... Yes, dogs need exercise but not just physical exercise. They need to have their brain exercised to, through formal training of some sort. This may mean "sit, down, come, stay" or tricks "play dead, shake, speak" etc.

To have a tired puppy that can relax in the house with you and not always in his crate, work his brain You'll find Odin a much better puppy when his brain is tired as well or more so than his body