Hi,
I’ve been on this forum for just over nine years and active for 8 years and 3 months………. You are not alone! I can recall the evening I sat on the living room floor with a low flying set of teeth leaping past me, jumping over me and often connecting with me - I sobbed my heart out thinking I’d failed.
In my case I had an anxious, over excited and over tired dog. 9 months is the point at which the teenage phase starts, they test boundaries, fool you into thinking they are adult dogs and when you’ve consumed all the chocolate and wine in the house, still have energy and behave badly.
Do you have a set routine with your boy? He’s still a puppy and needs around 18 hours sleep a day. My younger two are six and two years old and spend a lot of time in their crate each day - happily so - asking to go in as a matter of routine. When the penny dropped that Pearl (first cocker) was over tired and fractious, just as a toddler would be, she had lots more sleep which helped with the wild behaviour.
Cockers are hunting dogs, born to hunt, find, flush, chase, catch, kill and eat. We humans ask a lot of our dogs to break that cycle at the hunt, find, flush stage. Instead we expect our dogs to bring back or retrieve the quarry. This also relates to toys and any form of contraband. In your boys head, he’s getting attention and all attention is good to a dog, even being shouted at….. he’s basically doing what he’s been bred to do but probably doesn’t yet understand that bringing the item back to you will get a better response and positive praise rather than a telling off! He won’t understand the difference between a child’s toy or his own and cardboard makes a great sound as it’s torn up! He’s also bright and worked out the quickest way to the treats is by ripping up the tube!
I would suggest that you find a local gundog trainer who will help you learn to read your boys behaviour and tap into his natural abilities. You don’t have to work your dog but they will give you basic exercises that will tire his mind and help with obedience - including walking at heel and steadiness. If you let me know which part of the country you are located in, I may be able to point you to a suitable trainer.
It also sounds as though his training at home is not consistent. It’s really important to have a solid sit and stay with working cockers. That is, he sits and does not move again until you tell him he can! Honest, it is possible. My two year old will sit and wait to be released for anything (tested) up to 40 minutes while I pop in and out of the house. This with distractions of the other dogs - we have four cockers, was five but Pearl died end of January. Like everything in life, you get out of it, what you put in. Nine months is the perfect age to start serious training but you will need everyone in the house to play by the same rules - set boundaries, routines and commands. Gundog training will help with all of this and there is nothing better than having a well behaved dog, which you will have, soon.
Jayne