11 month old 'destroyer'!

[turbobert]

I was advised by RC to continue using their puppy range until he is 12 months old when he should be nearly full grown.

[jann]

Hello - we live in the country and he is outside for much of the day as I do the horses etc - so it isnt lack of exercise.  He is hyperactive though and finds it hard to relax even when he is really tired.  He doesnt destroy anything when I am with him - only when I leave the room for a few minutes so it may be associated with stress perhaps.

Livercake he is on Puppy Royal Canin at present and looks fantastic on it - I dont think it is his food although I am going to reduce him to more 'bog standard' dog food ie the same as the other dogs have when this bag is finished .
I never catch him 'in the act' as he stops when I appear so it is difficult to show him my displeasure.   He is never smacked but he is obviously upset when I shout at him...sadly doesnt seem to associate this with his misdemeanour.  I suppose from what you all say he should get better in a few weeks/months....

  If as you say you never catch him in the act,  how can you expect him to associate your shouting with his 'misdemeanour' 




 

[turbobert]

That 's why I asked for help!  I have had dogs (including working cockers) for very many years but never one as hyper as this. He has plenty of exercise and very good food (I have been told -  the best - although others clearly disagree).  I problem is that when I leave the room (he is with our other two older dogs) He gets into destructive mode.

I asked for ideas as to how to resolve this - I do of course appreciate that being cross with him when I come back to havoc isnt the answer even though he does seem to appear as if he knows what he has done.  Any other ideas???  Maybe I just have to hope he grows out of it!

[Karma]

You have been given some suggestions which you seem to be disregarding...

Increased Mental Stimulation is a key tool... if he is mentally tired he is less likely to turn destructive...
Also, make sure he has plenty of things he can chew... kongs/treat balls etc can all help too.

[Nicola]

You have been given some suggestions which you seem to be disregarding...

Increased Mental Stimulation is a key tool... if he is mentally tired he is less likely to turn destructive...
Also, make sure he has plenty of things he can chew... kongs/treat balls etc can all help too.

These really are your best suggestions that have been made several times on the thread.

Also, you really do need to forget this...

he does seem to appear as if he knows what he has done.

He has no idea 'what he's done', all he knows is that you've just reappeared after being away for a while and you're shouting at him - he has absolutely no idea why. When you're angry your body language will be screaming displeasure to him - dogs are amazing at picking up things we never notice in ourselves. Any cowed or seemingly 'penitent' behaviour he shows is simply to appease you to try to make you stop being angry with him, not because he actually knows why you're angry.

[MuffinsMum]

Since puppyhood when we go out we leave Muffin shut in the kitchen where she is not able to get at anything we do not want her to have.  Plus I leave her with a few things she is allowed to chew, such as stuffed Kongs (filled with breakfast, some carrot or a Milky Bone, (there are some excellent threads on stuffing Kongs)), DentaKongs, raw hide chews or a whole carrot.  Sometimes I hide these around the room.  She also has a selection of soft toys, I don't think she plays with these  but she likes to run around with one in her mouth when we get back home.  Hope this helps.

[turbobert]

Sorry if I appear frustrated but the things suggested are already in place!  He has dozens of toys - Kongs, chewing rings etc and his 'brothers' for company.  He has constant stimulation during the day - outside or inside with my husband or myself (we are very doggy and now both retired).  No he doesnt do gundog training but two of three times a week he does obedience work in our field - he is really trainable and very bright.  So...it is when he is left he seems to get stressed and destructive - apart for taking him to the loo/ bath etc I am 'stuck'.  I will be doing more puppy activity classes with him the autumn - maybe that will help.  I will also check there is nothing in his diet that might be causing the problem - I have emailed RC.

Thanks everyone - I dont mean to be ungrateful ..I am just at a loss what else to do!

[JennyBee]

When Brodie was younger I used to put her in her crate or in the kitchen whenever I had to leave her for any length of time. It was inconvenient but it meant she wasn’t able to chew anything (i.e. the coffee table ) when I wasn’t there

If he is getting so stressed when you leave the room I wonder if he maybe has separation anxiety? I have no experience of this but maybe someone will be able to say if this could be what's wrong x

[turbobert]

Yes jennybee - he is absolutely fine if I put him in his crate and I can continue to do this - but I would like to think that one day he can be left for 5/10 mins with the others without wreeking havoc .  I do think it  is separtion anxiety in fact.  I have known this among horses  but not in dogs - or at least not quite so acutely.

[JennyBee]

Yes jennybee - he is absolutely fine if I put him in his crate and I can continue to do this - but I would like to think that one day he can be left for 5/10 mins with the others without wreeking havoc .

I know, I used to think the same . She did learn to settle eventually. I'm not sure how you would deal with him if it was separation anxiety though . You could try giving him Rescue Remedy or Emergency Essence to try and relieve his stress a little.... I've had some good results with DAP products as well

[ronnyboy]

Sorry if I appear frustrated but the things suggested are already in place!  He has dozens of toys - Kongs, chewing rings etc and his 'brothers' for company.  He has constant stimulation during the day - outside or inside with my husband or myself (we are very doggy and now both retired).  No he doesnt do gundog training but two of three times a week he does obedience work in our field - he is really trainable and very bright.  So...it is when he is left he seems to get stressed and destructive - apart for taking him to the loo/ bath etc I am 'stuck'.  I will be doing more puppy activity classes with him the autumn - maybe that will help.  I will also check there is nothing in his diet that might be causing the problem - I have emailed RC.

Thanks everyone - I dont mean to be ungrateful ..I am just at a loss what else to do!

Hey look I'm no expert, I got my first cocker just a couple of months back and he's now 4 months....

But you are frustrating me now!

You said on your 3rd post on this thread that you do BASIC obedience-type training INFREQUENTLY

People on here are telling you to do more training, mental stimulation, using a clicker etc...  Now as I say I'm no expert and I've got tough times to come as well I'm sure.  But I do perhaps 2/3 sessions of 10-15 of full on training (keeping it fun of course not regimental style) every day!  Now I'm not trying to be holier than thou about that, but if you want help and my opinion that's the very minimum of what you need to be doing with a working cocker...

If I didn't do this I know that mine would be going crazy around the place.

I'll also add that being outside all day doesn't mean a thing.  Your dog needs the stimulation of going out on proper walks with you, not just out and about, pottering around all day as that won't help with the behaviour problems one bit.

As I say, I'm on my first cocker, 1st puppy, 1st dog in my adult life - you've clearly got tons more experience than me, so shoot me down if you want to - however reading your posts I can see why you're having problems.  You really do need to listen up to what you're being told - more training, more structure, more stimulation etc etc...

Oh and good luck of course!!

[Helen]

Sorry if I appear frustrated but the things suggested are already in place!  He has dozens of toys - Kongs, chewing rings etc and his 'brothers' for company.  He has constant stimulation during the day - outside or inside with my husband or myself (we are very doggy and now both retired).  No he doesnt do gundog training but two of three times a week he does obedience work in our field - he is really trainable and very bright.  So...it is when he is left he seems to get stressed and destructive - apart for taking him to the loo/ bath etc I am 'stuck'.  I will be doing more puppy activity classes with him the autumn - maybe that will help.  I will also check there is nothing in his diet that might be causing the problem - I have emailed RC.

Thanks everyone - I dont mean to be ungrateful ..I am just at a loss what else to do!

Hey look I'm no expert, I got my first cocker just a couple of months back and he's now 4 months....

But you are frustrating me now!

You said on your 3rd post on this thread that you do BASIC obedience-type training INFREQUENTLY

People on here are telling you to do more training, mental stimulation, using a clicker etc...  Now as I say I'm no expert and I've got tough times to come as well I'm sure.  But I do perhaps 2/3 sessions of 10-15 of full on training (keeping it fun of course not regimental style) every day!  Now I'm not trying to be holier than thou about that, but if you want help and my opinion that's the very minimum of what you need to be doing with a working cocker...

If I didn't do this I know that mine would be going crazy around the place.

I'll also add that being outside all day doesn't mean a thing.  Your dog needs the stimulation of going out on proper walks with you, not just out and about, pottering around all day as that won't help with the behaviour problems one bit.

As I say, I'm on my first cocker, 1st puppy, 1st dog in my adult life - you've clearly got tons more experience than me, so shoot me down if you want to - however reading your posts I can see why you're having problems.  You really do need to listen up to what you're being told - more training, more structure, more stimulation etc etc...

Oh and good luck of course!!

Ronnyboy, I'm with you here 

[bracken]

My cocker Bailey(show) was a big destroyer and also had a few behaviour problems until she turned 15 months then suddenly she stopped, she is now 4 and is fairly good most of the time. Sometimes you do see a huge difference just with maturity 
Mine are fed on JWB and always have been it is produced by Pedigree. My vet recommends Royal Canin and my friends dogs are fed on it they have beautiful glossy coats 
Good luck with your cocker I hope things improve soon 

jo

[turbobert]

Royal Canin is fabulous .  His coat is glossy and he is very well and I dont really want to change save to move up to 'adult' at a year.

Personally I think 2/3 times a day 'training' is rather a lot for a 4 month old pup!  It depends what you are doing though I suppose.  My chap is quite advanced in his obedience training - by 'infrequently' I would say I work with him one to one for about 20 mins  a week .

My frustration has been caused as so few people really addressed my problem IMO as it is certainly not the quality of his food or lack of exercise.  Frredom to play and run around has to be so much better and more natural  than work on a lead all the time!  Thanks Bracken I think you hit the nail on the head.  It is probably his age and he will improve with time.  I am re-enrolling for agility classes in the Autumn as he absolutely loves it and is very trainable.  Gun dog training would be pointless though as I am too old to 'beat' and cannot afford a gun!

I have now obtained a break down of what is in his puppy food as against adult food.  I am advised that he should stay on puppy food for the moment but as soon as I am satisfied he has stopped growing I will change him to adult food which is much lower in digestible protein and oil.  Although he still needs high protein/oil food for growth it could well be giving him too much energy!

Thanks again - no intention to offend.

[Nicola]

I just got Caoimhe at the weekend, she's just over 5 months old and I'm doing short training sessions with her 6 times per day. I keep them short and fun with plenty of play and she's thriving on the stimulation and bonding really closely with me. She is settled and content in the house even at her age because she's getting plenty of stimulation. I do a bare minimum of 10-15 minutes training every day with all my dogs no matter what age they are or level of training they're at. Twenty minutes per week really is very little, I don't think I'd be able to teach them anything in such a short time    My dogs never have lead walks but nor do I just leave them to pooter around of their own devices all the time on our walks, I interact with them and this keeps them stimulated and makes for happy dogs at home. Quality of exercise is just as important as quantity. You also don't actually have to go on shoots to do a bit of gundog training, it is after all what working Cockers are bred to do and is far from 'pointless' to them.