The One Year Old Dog Can You Get Past This Destructive Stage Part 1

My son was at a birthday party recently when one of the moms wanted to know if she could ask me a dog question. (This happens quite often actually. Once someone finds out that I train dogs, they almost always want to ask my advice... which Im happy to give.)

She wanted to know what to do about a dog that was starting to chew things up. My question was, "Is your dog a year old?" She looked surprised and said yes. 

I cant tell you how many times I am contacted by owners of a one year old dog (or close to a year old). Just when people think they are past the crazy puppyhood stage and their dog is in his or her now mostly grown body and therefore must surely be starting to act like an adult dog, whamo! Surprise! Your couch is gone! Your new shoes are in shreds. Your sprinkler system is in pieces. You have a new hole to China in your backyard. Your remote control has been molded into a new shape by canine teeth. I mean, cmon, a remote control? How could a dog possibly find that tasty?

One of the first things I tell people who own a young puppy, like 4-5 months old, is that the stage they are in is called the teething stage... goodbye sharp puppy teeth (yay!), hello dull adult teeth (yay... for the moment!). But this is NOT the worst stage. This is NOT the chewing, destructive stage. Save that for the one year old dog. 

Ever been to an animal shelter? Ever looked into the eyes of the eternally hopeful, wondering what they did wrong, why their families abandoned them? Ever noticed that the vast majority of those dogs are around 1-2 years old? Most people dont realize how destructive dogs can be at that age and simply put, they are unwilling to accept it or do anything to help solve the problem. Bye bye, Fido! You ate our kitchen cabinets and now you can be someone elses problem... and thats if youre lucky enough to get out of the shelter.

The most important thing to realize is that almost all dogs will chew and be destructive. (I mean, there are web sites dedicated to Dog Shaming so you know if you own a destructive dog, its not just you!) But it wont last forever! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! And although you may not be able to bi-pass this stage completely, you can get past it with minimal damage if you do the right things. 

To find out how you can survive this stage, stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog. 

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The 3 Month Old Stage Puppy or Barracuda

The past year or so has been a busy one, and I ended up ignoring my blog... which is really too bad because a lot of things happened in that time. Ill go over it all in another post, but just so I can get to the subject matter, Ill mention a few things quickly. In August, 2014, I lost my beloved black Lab, Berkeley. In September of last year, we adopted a new puppy, a Golden Retriever mix my daughter named Piper. Although I was used to training puppies, I hadnt had one myself in quite some time. Raising a young dog over the past year has helped me become both a better dog owner and a better dog trainer. And with so many people contacting me with young puppies, I thought it was important to devote a blog specifically to the 3 month old puppy stage. Why? Because puppies bite. A lot. And at this age, it can be difficult to know what to do about it.

Training your puppy should not start after he gets his first set of shots nor any time after that. Training  should start the first day you take him home. Getting him used to a crate and used to his routine will make a big difference in how he behaves as a teenage and an adult. Since theres so much I could say about puppy training, though, Ill focus on the stage approximately between 8 weeks and 16 weeks old.

If you own a puppy, perhaps the above picture looks familiar. You try to pet your puppy and he tries to bite the crap out of you. He bites your ankles, your feet, your hands... and really anything he can get his mouth on. If you tell him "No," sometimes he might stare at you with a devilish look and lunge at you, even at your face. Is this something to worry about? Do you have an aggressive dog on your hands? Chances are that you dont. What you have is a puppy testing his limits, treating you like another puppy and "trying" out his dominancy skills.

Ive had almost all breeds act this way, although the pressure of their bite can vary. You might be tempted to run away, put the dog in his crate or put the dog outside. But you are just avoiding a situation that could really be used as a learning tool for your new little beast. So be prepared for a few puppy bites (yes, those razor sharp teeth HURT!) but if you practice with your puppy, teaching him what behavior you like versus the behavior you dont like, it will click... eventually... I promise.

If you are a parent, you might remember those days when you didnt have a lot of control over your toddler. Maybe your child would reach for something she shouldnt have or something dangerous, and you would redirect her to an acceptable item. (No, no, dont put that pen in your mouth... heres your toy!) Its the same thing for your puppy. If you sit on the floor with your puppy and a couple of toys (not hundreds... lets make the puppy excited about the toys, not bored because there are too many), try giving the toy to your puppy. If hes chewing on the toy, tell him with a positive tone, "Good dog" or "Yes." If he mistakes your fingers for a toy or chomps down on you instead, make a startling noise ("Eh! Eh!"). In most cases, the puppy will release. Then replace your hand with the acceptable toy.

Here I am with a chocolate Lab puppy, Dakota, teaching him that its okay to bite the toy, but not okay to bite me.

The one thing to keep in mind is that before 4-5 months old, a puppy doesnt care that much about verbal praise or even that much about petting as a reward. A tired puppy might like to snuggle or be pet, but if your puppy is full of energy, chances are that he prefers to bite than to be pet. Pick your battles. Dont force him to accept cuddles if hes feeling rambunctious. Likewise, if you dont have time to work with him when his energy level is high, give him something to occupy his attention (kong with frozen peanut butter in it, a bone filled with treats, an interactive toy). Sometimes you may need to put him away in his crate or behind a baby gate. Work with your puppy if you are able, but its okay if you sometimes dont have the time. Just be prepared to choose another time to play with your puppy and teach him what is acceptable to chew on. There were definitely days when I told my kids not to interact with Piper because she was in "Hyper Piper" mode. Instead of making my kids afraid of their puppy, I told them to come back and play with her once shed settled down.

There is so much more I could say about puppy training, but youll just have to hire me to find out. :-) Meanwhile, if you have a young puppy that is biting you, acting more like a shark than a puppy, dont worry too much. It is definitely a stage young puppies need to go through... and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

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