Will not calm Down

[mlynnf50]

Well here goes.

  Selby is now 10 months old and is still causing mayhem, how can I get him to clam down?
he is out all day with OH so is on the go allot, when he comes home he has his tea and still wants to be on the go all the time, he never ever lays down and goes to sleep unless he is in his crate.  It starts by him jumping on the settee and sitting next to me I put my hand on him to stroke him and try and calm him down by giving him a massage on his ears I as I had heard that that will calm them but not him he just trys to mouth my hand all the time, so I take my hand away and say no and fold my arms so then because i am ignoring him he starts to dig the settee If OH trys to stop him he snarls and growls and him, if he try to get hold of his collar and lead him off the settee he tries to bit him so I step in and get hold of him and put him in his crate for time out, he is in there for a short while and we let him out again and it starts all over again.

I really miss having a dog that I can have sit next to me and have a cuddle, he is really pushing the boundaries now as a teenager but I seen to have tried everything I have read on here so must be doing something wrong.

Yesterday we went round to friends and he got too excited so put him on his lead and put my foot on it to stop him so then he started biting the carpet. we had to put him in his crate in the end.

Please any advice

[karenl]

Hi sounds a bit like  my amber , it doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong to me but I'm no expert ! amber is 13 months old and just started to calm down  so i think it could just be your doggies age ! Ive written quite a few posts about Amber's behavior but she is much  better now although still has her moments

[SimonandMandy]

What is he doing when he is out with OH during the day - you say he is on the go a lot but doing what?  It may be that as a pup he is overstimulated and overtired, with some spaniels you literally have to stop them as they will go and go resulting in an inability to relax.  Selby is right in that teenage phase too so a time for extra careful management and you will come out the other side...

[henryjack1dogs]

I could of wrote that post - my Max is 7 months and is very much like this in the evening!  He will only really settle and sleep in his crate

[mlynnf50]

I could of wrote that post - my Max is 7 months and is very much like this in the evening!  He will only really settle and sleep in his crate

Please dont take this the wrong way But Its so nice to know there is someone else going through this as you do begin to wonder if I am doing something wrong.  I just want him to turn out to be a well rounded dog and one we can take anywhere for both our sakes.  I have just put him down for a sleep.

What is he doing when he is out with OH during the day - you say he is on the go a lot but doing what?  It may be that as a pup he is overstimulated and overtired, with some spaniels you literally have to stop them as they will go and go resulting in an inability to relax.  Selby is right in that teenage phase too so a time for extra careful management and you will come out the other side...

He has the freedom to run outside hunting the voles and digging or just sitting in the sun.  He does come home tired.

[Hurtwood Dogs]

He's possibly teething again at this age and also entering the 'hoodie' stage (teenager), so try not to loose heart keep being consistent with him and he will improve.

The way you are dealing with him mouthing on the sofa is a little confrontational to be honest and probably not helping him - some dogs will tolerate this sort of thing but others get really stressed by being 'manhandled' and it can make them worse. Your best bet is to use a long line rather than grab him with your hands and quietly lead him away to his quiet area when he does this (don't tell him off or make a big deal of it just lead him away to an area on his own until he's calmed down). If it was me, I would also be inclined to keep him off the sofa for a while until he has grown up a little more as it's clearly becoming a bit of a problem area at the moment - sit on the floor with him for example.

One thing I will say is that he might be overtired - if he's on the go all day and not getting any proper rest he might not know how to chill out if that makes sense... all pups need a lot of rest everyday so try and make sure he has quiet periods in his crate (or wherever he is) during the day and evening too so he starts to learn to settle quietly on his own regularly.

Pups get a lot easier in their second year and you can relax any house rules more easily then when they've got the hang of acceptable behaviour

ETA: Just seen SimonandMandy's post about overtiredness... I would tend to agree if he's out all day hunting and having a busy brain time it could be difficult for him to shut down in the evenings.

[mooching]

Just wondered, as he is out all day with your OH, is there any time left for training? Or does your OH do that when he is out with him?

(could I just also ask what your OH does, if you don't mind saying?)

I also share the concerns of the others about whether he is getting enough rest/chill-out time.

[mlynnf50]

Just wondered, as he is out all day with your OH, is there any time left for training? Or does your OH do that when he is out with him?

(could I just also ask what your OH does, if you don't mind saying?)

I also share the concerns of the others about whether he is getting enough rest/chill-out time.

He restores Vintage Cars, and his garage it is up in the mountain where there are no main roads and he just loves being there, there are so many smells for him, and if he tries to leave without him him howls,  He takes his crate up so he has somewhere to go if he is tired, and he says he does go in and sleeps occasionally.  We live in a apartment so I thought it would be nice for him to be up there where he has freedom, rather than being here and just have a walk and only seeing me. I will try just letting him go up in the mornings and see if that make a difference.  He is very good on Recall and sit and stay even in the car he will not get out until we say and other things like leave he is beginning to get the grasp of. I just want the best for him.

[mooching]

I'm just wondering whether being in such an "unstructured" environment all day is making it hard for him to switch off and relax in the evening, and could even be giving him too much freedom.

Also, even though he has his crate there with your OH in case he is tired in the daytime, he may not be that good at regulating his own activity levels (and knowing when to stop).

[SimonandMandy]

If OH can take a crate up to the garage that will be a good option but lots of time out, at 10 months rule of thumb would be 50 minutes exercise a day as they are still developing and growing etc.  A kong is a great activity that your OH could take with him for Selby to have in the crate for a bit of mental stimulation too.  If you are home maybe try keeping Selby home 1 or 2 days a week and see if this helps too