Author Topic: Adolescence or aggression?  (Read 4778 times)

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Offline ips

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #60 on: September 24, 2017, 08:01:37 PM »
Me again!!!

So here's my question.. we've just been to my mum's for the whole weekend with Leo, ok, he wasn't an angel, he cried all of Friday night, and tried to steal my brother's breakfast.. however we had no attention seeking, I think he nipped twice the whole weekend, and most of all when he was tired, he simply laid down on the floor and fell asleep...

WHY WONT HE DO THAT AT HOME?!?!?
 He simply will not just lay down in the lounge and have a nap when he's tired at home, he decides to chew the sofa, run around like a loon etc.. but none of this at my mum's. What is it about my house that makes him think he can't just chill?

I'm so confused!! (I don't want to complain, obviously I'm super happy that he is so well behaved and I feel confident taking him places but... Seriously?! )

Simple.....context.
He has a learned behaviour at home and the freedom to run riot. In a different place the context is different.
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline Leo0106

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #61 on: September 24, 2017, 08:31:11 PM »
I do agree with the learned behaviour but he's never had freedom to run riot that's why I struggle to understand it. We don't play games in the lounge etc specifically for the fact he's always seemed to find it a playzone, at one point I even began to wonder whether he acted the way he did in our lounge because he didn't spend enough time in there...

Offline Emilyoliver

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #62 on: September 24, 2017, 08:40:15 PM »
Could be that when you're away you're not focussed on him solely and what he may/may not want.  As you're interacting with your mum rather than focussing on him, he gets on with resting. He's probably less stimulated at your mum's for this reason and so settles better.
Michelle, Emily and Ollie

Offline hoover

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #63 on: September 25, 2017, 06:56:26 PM »
I don't know about anyone else but as a child I was always much better behaved at other people's houses than I was in my own.  ;)

At home he may well have the confidence to act up in ways he might not in other places.

 I can't recall from before..have you tried crate training so he has a safe place to sleep at your own home and where he has no alternative but to truly relax and wind down?

Offline Leo0106

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #64 on: September 25, 2017, 08:35:50 PM »
Hi all,
Many thanks for the advice again,
Hoover, we never crate trained when he was young as, if I'm honest, it never quite sat right with me, I know lots of people that recommended it but we also found toilet training, nightimes etc really really easy, he has always been very good with being left behind a gate to calm down, he has a makeshift pen in the hallway that he settles in beautifully during the day to have a chill, the only thing I have considered buying is a playpen for the lounge so that he can learn to settle in the lounge without the distraction of eating the sofa.... tonight he's come in to settle in the lounge and he's chosen to take himself off to his pen to sleep which is a first, makes me think he might actually be learning when to take himself off to settle down (after many months of doing it for him!!!)  and id like to progress that into the lounge so he dosnt have to leave the room when I know he's overtired.

Offline Leo0106

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #65 on: September 25, 2017, 08:36:33 PM »
Oh and yes he definatly behaves better for anyone else than us haha

Offline hoover

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #66 on: September 25, 2017, 09:15:41 PM »
I would imagine you are coming out the other end of this and that Leo will hopefully begin to settle himself in the lounge soon. Does he have a desirable sleeping spot there already? Perhaps you can move a bed that he sleeps on elsewhere to where you would like him to sleep in the lounge so that he has an idea of what you expect of him. He might not think of the lounge as a sleeping area and at the same time not want to leave to his pen when he is tired and so acts up like a toddler instead.

Offline Leo0106

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Re: Adolescence or aggression?
« Reply #67 on: September 26, 2017, 08:14:01 AM »
Hi Hoover,
Yes I fully agree with You, he is increasingly settling himself in the lounge at night but we still 'manage it' at the minute. He always go behind his gate for a settle and then he comes into the lounge and sleeps.
He does have a favourite place to sleep on the sofa. But more and more he chooses to cuddle one of us at the minute, I'm going to try bringing his he's in tonight to see what happens!