Cocker Specific Discussion > Puppies

Help with puppy problems

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sophie.ivy:
You're not alone in feeling like you have chaotic and badly behaved pup, Sarah! My working cocker is 8 months now and a very 'fizzy' girl. I quickly learned that tiring her out physically wasn't going to happen and if anything, wound her up more so I focus a lot more on brain games and it's really helped. I rarely played tug or high energy games with her when she was younger as my gundog trainer told me 'you don't need to wind up a working cocker puppy as they're already wound up enough already' and it's so true.

I wonder if your boy might be overtired or over-stimulated as that's what triggered a bitey episode in my girl? If so, make sure he is getting lots of naps during the day (18-20 hours sleep is recommended for pups) and if he's having a cockerdile moment, just pick him up calmly and put him in his crate and walk away for a few minutes. If you're not using a crate, you could use a small room or get a pen/stairgate to section off an area for him. This worked for my girl - the second she started biting or lunging, I picked her up and put her in the crate, no attention for 2-5 mins, then came back and let her out. She had normally calmed down when I let her out, but if the biting started up again, back in the crate and then walk back for a longer time. It can be frustrating and feel like you're getting nowhere at first BUT my girl isn't mouthy at all now and learned that biting = end of play and no attention so what's the point?

I have found that quite a few of the behaviours that used to drive me nuts at 3-6 months are more manageable now or stopped altogether so keep the faith! It does get easier, I promise. Adolescence is not without it's difficulties of course, but I much prefer it to those early puppy days! Only this morning, I put a jumper on in front of pup and said to my husband 'can you believe we can do this now without her jumping up and trying to tug on the sleeves?!'

Sarah7795:
Thanks so much for all the helpful replies! :) I will definitely give the house line and time outs a go for the biting! 
@phoenix for your dog who barked, did you treat them while sitting on park bench? Or just sit to get them used to people and dogs passing? Do you think this could be a sign of fear or fear aggression..I have (probably stupidly) thought he was just over excited however the past few days he has put his tail down and refused to walk when he sees an oncoming dog but once they are close will lunge on the lead barking but his tail is usually up and seems exited  :-\
@sophie.ivy Thankyou so much for your reply, I think he is definitely over tired - I will try to have more enforced naps for him. It’s good to know it gets easier eventually  :lol: Does/did your girl ever have any barking issues?

sophie.ivy:
My girl did go through a phase when she was attention barking/whining at 4 months. We tried a few things but I think she just grew out of it to be honest! It's rare to hear her being vocal at home now, but birds or something new and strange to her (like an overturned canoe the other day!) can cause her to react.

I try and spot when she's about to lose it over something and distract her with a game of 'go find' treats I scatter in front and behind her or showing her the magic fur ball I keep in my pocket. What worked well recently with someone riding a horse was asking her to come and sit at a distance from them and stroking her chest and talking to her in a calm voice until it was out of sight.

It sounds like your boy might be getting overexcited by other dogs or unsure how to react in unfamiliar situations. Nothing unusual there for a puppy! I would try and keep an eye out for other dogs coming your way and distract him with a bit of training and treats whilst they pass. If my girl ever gets into a barking frenzy and can't be distracted from it, I just pick her up and walk away! Not ideal and occasionally embarrassing, but once they're over the threshold as young pups it's hard to bring them back down with training/distractions alone. Sometimes it's best to just walk away from the situation or end the walk.

I found 2-5 months really quite tough with my girl, but it does get easier and they get more settled in the house. (It can then get tough again during adolescence, but we're a week away from 9 months and I would take the occasional teenage rebellion over those early stages anyday!)

Sarah7795:
Thanks so much for your reply I will definitely try that! I do think it’s excitement and good to know it’s fairly normal as I do worry there’s something wrong with him sometimes  :lol2: So glad to hear it does get easier with time - can’t wait for him to be a teenager at this stage!   :lol2:

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