My cute little puppy, who looked up at me adoringly, did his best to try to understand what I wanted from him, kept a close eye on me on walks and came whizzing by every time I called him, has disappeared and been replaced by a little black bully with defective ear canals who goes his own way.
We now have a bandit living there who comes running barking and beating up the other dogs. If they put him in his place, he just gets worse. He jumps around the tables and without even challenging our presence, he jumps up and grabs whatever food he can reach on the kitchen table. He has apparently forgotten EVERYTHING about good behavior.
You would almost think it was a completely different dog!
If it were up to Mini and Cookie, we would put him up for free pick-up wherever possible in the hope that someone would relieve them of his company. Even the kids, who otherwise love the bandit, are inclined to agree to that idea.
I've had a hard time accepting that my puppy has become a bully. One day he accidentally slipped out of the car and ran around the school parking lot. I almost had a heart attack when the school bus pulled into the parking lot where my little dog was running and playing and had absolutely no intention of coming to me. It took 10 very long minutes to get him back in the car.
Later that day he ran away from me into the woods because he heard a dog barking – again he was completely uncontactable. I acknowledged my lack of control over the situation when Audi was not on a leash, and since that day he has only been loose when we are in fenced areas.
In my frustration at not being able to connect with my previously fairly obedient dog, I scoured the internet for anything related to teenage dogs. That's how I found a free webinar about the teenage dog, created by one of our skilled behavior therapists.
When the day of the webinar arrived, I discovered that I wasn't the only one struggling with a teenage dog. Over 400 had registered for the webinar.
There was more good advice to be gained and a number of things to think about.
- Don't ruin your good call if you know the dog won't come anyway. Get its attention by whistling or clapping.
- The good call returns.
- Be patient. The teenage period will pass again.
- The dog isn't trying to be naughty – it's just full of hormones.
- Love your dog.
- How much alone time do you have with your dog?
The last part especially struck me, because it's so much easier to take all the dogs for a walk at once, instead of each one separately.
After the webinar, I changed a few routines.
Audi is only allowed to eat when told to leave.
Every evening he and I go for an extra walk together, sometimes my daughter Sigrid goes along.
And the miracle has happened.
Audi has finally started to be contactable again and seeks me out when we go for walks. I shower him with praise and treats every time.
In the last week, he has been praised twice by people we have met for being an extremely well-behaved dog for his age. I chuckle a little in surprise each time.
Perhaps there is still hope that the ear canals will open up completely eventually.
Every evening when I'm sitting on the couch, he comes up and cuddles up close to me, then he's that cute little puppy again who needs to be cuddled and his belly scratched.
About this week's blogger:
Helene is an early retiree and spends a large part of her time with her animals. The animal team consists of 4 dogs, 1 cat, 15 free-range chickens, approx. 80 aviary birds and her daughter has three axolotls. And now she and Cookie can also call themselves a reading dog team.
She loves writing short stories, poems and stories from her everyday life and enjoys reading a good Scandinavian crime novel.
In addition to Helene and all the animals, the family consists of Birger 55 years old, Thor 12 years old and Sigrid 10 years old.
HELP – my dog has become a teenager
My cute little puppy, who looked up at me adoringly, did his best to try to understand what I wanted from him, kept a close eye on me on walks and came whizzing by every time I called him, has disappeared and been replaced by a little black bully with defective ear canals who goes his own way.
We now have a bandit living there who comes running barking and beating up the other dogs. If they put him in his place, he just gets worse. He jumps around the tables and without even challenging our presence, he jumps up and grabs whatever food he can reach on the kitchen table. He has apparently forgotten EVERYTHING about good behavior.
You would almost think it was a completely different dog!
If it were up to Mini and Cookie, we would put him up for free pick-up wherever possible in the hope that someone would relieve them of his company. Even the kids, who otherwise love the bandit, are inclined to agree to that idea.
I've had a hard time accepting that my puppy has become a bully. One day he accidentally slipped out of the car and ran around the school parking lot. I almost had a heart attack when the school bus pulled into the parking lot where my little dog was running and playing and had absolutely no intention of coming to me. It took 10 very long minutes to get him back in the car.
Later that day he ran away from me into the woods because he heard a dog barking – again he was completely uncontactable. I acknowledged my lack of control over the situation when Audi was not on a leash, and since that day he has only been loose when we are in fenced areas.
In my frustration at not being able to connect with my previously fairly obedient dog, I scoured the internet for anything related to teenage dogs. That's how I found a free webinar about the teenage dog, created by one of our skilled behavior therapists.
When the day of the webinar arrived, I discovered that I wasn't the only one struggling with a teenage dog. Over 400 had registered for the webinar.
There was more good advice to be gained and a number of things to think about.
- Don't ruin your good call if you know the dog won't come anyway. Get its attention by whistling or clapping.
- The good call returns.
- Be patient. The teenage period will pass again.
- The dog isn't trying to be naughty – it's just full of hormones.
- Love your dog.
- How much alone time do you have with your dog?
The last part especially struck me, because it's so much easier to take all the dogs for a walk at once, instead of each one separately.
After the webinar, I changed a few routines.
Audi is only allowed to eat when told to leave.
Every evening he and I go for an extra walk together, sometimes my daughter Sigrid goes along.
And the miracle has happened.
Audi has finally started to be contactable again and seeks me out when we go for walks. I shower him with praise and treats every time.
In the last week, he has been praised twice by people we have met for being an extremely well-behaved dog for his age. I chuckle a little in surprise each time.
Perhaps there is still hope that the ear canals will open up completely eventually.
Every evening when I'm sitting on the couch, he comes up and cuddles up close to me, then he's that cute little puppy again who needs to be cuddled and his belly scratched.
About this week's blogger:
Helene is an early retiree and spends a large part of her time with her animals. The animal team consists of 4 dogs, 1 cat, 15 free-range chickens, approx. 80 aviary birds and her daughter has three axolotls. And now she and Cookie can also call themselves a reading dog team.
She loves writing short stories, poems and stories from her everyday life and enjoys reading a good Scandinavian crime novel.
In addition to Helene and all the animals, the family consists of Birger 55 years old, Thor 12 years old and Sigrid 10 years old.