You are not alone. Davie puppy in the photo was a true menace. She taught me a lot. And turned into the most amazing companion.
Good News! It will pass for you too.
Below tips will expedite things.
Don’t punish
I get it: puppies and teenagers can be taxing on the nerves, but please remember that a puppy’s whole world changed when he joined you. He’ll continue the normal for his species behaviors he was able to exhibit with his litter mates, and maybe other dogs at the breeder. He hasn’t learned anything else yet.
And a teenage brain is just that. Dogs go through the same developmental stages we do. And we all know that life can be weird and ruff when you’re a juvenile. Fluctuations in behavior is normal until a dog reaches adulthood.
So we have to be patient while we teach our young dogs how to successfully function in our world.
Teach
Learning about his social environment and how he fits in, take priority to training with a new dog, but you should gently introduce a few functional cues. Cues are how you communicate with your dog in a way she understands—it is creating a common-ground that allows you to relay specific information to your dog when she needs it, but also when it is important to you. Cues are supportive because it closes the communication gap. Which ones are important for your new pup are imbedded in the text, and can be found in detail on this website.
Young dogs are quick to fire up and aren’t good in self-regulation yet.
They are easily over excited but also frustrated. There could be more than one fear period. All of this triggers arousal, and they can’t calm themselves down.
Puppies bite
That’s a fact, and it is normal. That is how they learned to initiate play and stimulation with their litter mates and other dogs. Davie had her mate Baywolf to torture. Bay was a 140 pound young Newfoundland dog who loved puppies, so we could let it go. In a people only household, or where the other dog does not agree being chomped on, the humans are the target. It takes a bit of time for a pup to learn how to properly communicate with people.
Being mouthy, jumpy, and generally unruly, can be excitement, frustration, and fear driven.
Excitement: things that move, including feet. Direct to the toy box or a long tug toy on the walk, and ideally before the pup latches on. Teach “back up” and “wait”. If nothing else works, toss a few treats away from your body.
Be cognizant that you don’t build over-arousal by playing too many high impact games, especially not using ones body parts. Toy is okay for short moments, ditto playtime with other dogs but there, too, watch the arousal level and for play pauses. Seasoned dogs know how to regulate play arousal; puppies and adolescents don’t. They need help either from their people, or a savvy older dog who likes puppies who will split and interrupt. Here is a great video clip.
The adult dog checked on the pups, but then decided all was good and walked away. And he was correct: moments later the pups decided to break it off and do something else. They could because they were compatible, but also not uncontrolled aroused—because the park wasn’t busy and there was enough space. That isn’t the at busy puppy socials and dog parks or large daycare facilities.
Internationally acclaimed Norwegian trainer dog trainer Turid Rugaas shares the sentiment that puppies don’t have yet advanced social skills to handle a group of peers. Her guidelines for intraspecies play are a few minutes in a small group that also includes a socially normal adult—exactly because adult dogs are the best readers when the energy in the room goes up to high, and will interfere. To people’s eyes that could even look aggressive, but when stepping in is done right there is no fear instilled. The pup on the receiving end is still interested in social interaction, but approaches more politely. Benevolence is key including with a badass pup. Exposing an aggressive youngster to a meaner and bigger dog in hopes that he’ll clue him in makes the youngster fearful, guarded, defensive, and more aggressive—if not against that dog than a weaker one. Classic description of a bully. It happens with dogs, too.
“Dogs learn how to be a proper dog from dogs who already know.” Turid Rugaas. I love that quote. So be cognizant of who your pup’s teachers are. And I want to add: be careful what associations your dog makes.
Zoomies are normal for young dogs, and some adult dogs zoom too. It’s like the dog lost her marbles, runs around in circles, then pauses, just to zoom some more. It is energy release, like a pressure cooker exploding, but also stress relief.
Beware of the pauses: often it doesn’t mean that the dog is done, but rather that she is looking for a target, which could be you or another dog. That is when hard mouthing and biting can happen. One of my trainer friends climbed onto the table when one of her pup’s zoomed, out of the way. Smart. Trust me, this will pass. Although the bites can hurt, it really isn’t aggression but a young dog thing.
Enough sleep and rest is critical. Schedule nap times during the day.
When a young dog is already aroused he can be sensitive to being touched. It’s like putting oil on fire and they become jumpier and mouthier.
Remove what your pup bites: your arms and legs, or remove yourself for a moment. Like: “when you are nice you have a social partner; when you are rowdy and you don’t”. Key word is ‘a moment’. That is punitive enough to teach your dog to be more polite, but not scary in a way that it damages your relationship. An exercise pen or a baby gate the human can step over works perfectly for that.
Frustration: the pup is asking for something or prevented from accessing something. Meet the need; redirect to something that is available; teach a cue that coneys when you are not available and one that teaches the dog to communicate a need with a closed mouth.
Biting the leash or sleeves/arms is common in young dogs who don’t to go home yet, or not in the direction the people are headed. Coax your dog to walk with you, and practice “this way” with a high rate of reinforcement. For not wanting to go home yet, plant something yummy in her toy box before you leave and let her see it. Or prolong fun once home: play or train. We don’t want to create a dichotomy between outside = fun and back home = boring.
Puppies and adolescents can have a high energy time in the morning and evening, known as witching hour. They are stimulation junkies at that time and often also not satisfied with what is provided. This is especially frustrating for people because, in the evening, they are done with the day and want to relax. Following a strict evening routine can help. I recommend a sniffing walk and a bit of mental stimulation before you are ready to chill (nothing high impact because that’ll leave a young dog more charged up instead of more tired out), then handing over a filled food toy or bone. Chewing helps a dog to settle, but it is still stimulation and thus prevents that you sitting on the couch signals that “life is over”. Such drama. The food toy lets your young dog experience that she is wrong about that, and you sitting on the couch becomes good news.
A last pee break before bed, but nothing else. Once the routine is established, you’ll be able to enjoy your evenings.
Young dogs can be as overwrought as a toddler. When nothing else works, it is okay to put your pup in her crate, or ex-pen, or on a leash tether. Not punitively, but combining it with a food toy. I like Topple and lickymats. One of the best ways for dog to settle themselves down is chewing and licking, and after that they often fall asleep.
Not getting enough food, from the dog’s point of view, makes a pup (and dog) restless and frustrated.
Regardless what your trainer told you, DON’T ditch the food bowl. Two meals given without strings attached, and treats for training not the pup’s food ration. A pup who feels hungry quickly becomes frantic:ally excited about the possibly of food if they perform, and frustrated in equal measure when it doesn’t manifest quickly enough, or when the opportunity ceases because you decided you are done training.
When your pup eats, leave her in peace. That creates resource safety and is the single best way to prevent food aggression. No petting allowed, but you are allowed to do your normal stuff around her while she eats. So if your pup eats in the kitchen, grab a coffee and make the kids’ lunches.
Fear: needing help. Help. Change the situation for the dog.
Careful socializing is a must, but contrary to popular belief it is not the more the merrier. It is making sure that all exposures happen at the dog’s comfort level. Quality over quantity.
With that at the fore, on walks neither leash manners nor how much ground you cover is priority with a puppy. When your pup or juvenile halts or sits without a prompt, it is a sign that she needs a moment to suss out what is happening in the environment. Allow this as long as she needs, as long as she is just interested. Don’t interrupt it, including with a treat. Don’t prompt her to do anything. Let it unfold. Try to set the stage for this as much as possible. In our busy world giving young dogs the space (distance) and time they need to figure things out is the missing piece.
Only when a pup revs up, leans/pulls, or barks or otherwise vocalizes, toward the stimulus we must act, which is to increase the distance to the stimulus. Playfully and positively.
We must rethink the end game. Being social doesn’t mean to tolerate being touched by strangers or dogs invading one’s space, but to accept stimuli that are part of the dog’s world, perceive them largely as neutral. That prevents that the dog will overreact either because he is nervous, but because he is frustrated when can’t get to what excited him fast enough (or at all). This is how socially normal humans behave when out and about; we might acknowledge people with a nod and a smile, but we don’t want to be pawed by every stranger we encounter, and we don’t expect our kids to accept that. The same with dogs.
Getting used to being handled falls in the socializing category as well. Again the pup’s comfort level is key if we want them to accept normal husbandry, such as nail clipping, as an adult.
Resource guarding is the fear of losing something important or not getting enough. It is not a respect, but a trust issue. The resource defensive dog is not dominant, but anxious—and frustrated. Once again, do not punish, even if your puppy brings you the pilfered Italian leather pump he doesn’t want to release. From his point of view he found a prop and invited you to play. If you scold him and force the booty away, the pup learns that you aren’t always a safe place to come to and that bringing you a great find is a bad idea, and he’ll be reluctant to repeat either in the future. Instead, encourage your pup to come all the way to you and make a big deal out of what he has. If it is something he shouldn’t, trade it for one of his toys and then play with him about a minute. With repetition he will learn there is a shortcut to playing with you: his own toy. A well stocked toy basket, that designated default place for entertainment, helps to make it clear. And if you also give him when the interaction is over he learns that to choose his own toy as well to solicit for a treat.
The cues to teach are: drop it and leave.
Don’t take good behaviors for granted. Capture, acknowledge, and reinforce when you see an action you’d like to see again. Naming it allows you at one point to prompt it. Capturing, naming, and reinforcing is easy-peasy training.
Most of all, have fun. It is not rat race. Don’t compare yourself to others.
And always stay engaged with your pup. Young pups know nothing about their new world and seek information from you. Don’t ignore when yours looks for info and feedback. Give it.
If you think that your puppy falls outside the normal category, please consult with an experienced force-free behavior expert. In all likelihood, a normal puppy class won’t be effective.
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