17 week old puppy

[mitches]

Hi Superchef and Chester, welcome to the wonderful world of owning a cocker spaniel.
Bailey, now 4, as our first dog ever, and very challenging to say the least!!! I did wonder what we'd done getting a puppy, and was in tears a couple of times. The sleep deprivation doesn't help, it took months before she was sleeping through the night, she only did this when we let her sleep in our room, which we weren't keen to do, but she slept right through that night and has done ever since!!! She just wants to be beside us 24/7! The constant biting, chewing and nipping lasted a good 6 weeks, I used to sneak into the house and get changed into a very old tracksuit, so she couldn't ruin my clothes!!! The secret is to try distract them with toys, etc, easier said than done!!! I lost a stone in weight with the constant running around after her and going for lots of little walks to get her toilet trained. Also she'd totally wreck our garden if we let her out the back, I thought I'd never be able to sit and relax in the sun again!! Luckily for us we have a wee enclosed front garden which is just paved and no grass, where we could let her out, so no distractions with digging or uprooting plants etc. Anyway we survived, prob took a good 6 months for her to settle down and get into a routine. Now she is the most contented adorable wee thing who we wouldn't be without. Also she's very well behaved out the back now. So stick with it and persevere with training, the younger the better so they don't get into bad habits, and try and find puppy classes in your area. I've a couple of friends that have had different breeds then got cockers and said they are most challenging puppies!!! Keep checking on here for reassurance, I was on this forum a lot in the beginning! Good luck, take care.
Elaine and Bailey 😃

[Gypsysmum]

Hi

One of the major things you have to remember is that dogs and puppies LOVE attention. They will do whatever it takes to get it.
Naughty behaviour is guaranteed to get it!
If, however, we take steps to prevent naughty behaviour, by judicious use of a puppy playpen/crate or other safe haven, and then target the good behaviour, only, to give attention it won't be long before things start to turn around.

It is so easy to see our puppy chewing on their toys or resting quietly and to give a sigh of relief and ignore them! I would make a mental note to actively engage with all the toys and good things your puppy does, and prevent or walk away from the naughty ones. Do be aware that the naughty behaviour, having worked to get attention before, will get worse before it gets better. This is called the "extinction burst" and happens when a dog is about to give something up, through lack of reward, but just tries a bit harder to get that all important attention first. It is very important not to give in during the extinction burst! So, if you see the behaviour get worse it is a sign that you are having an effect by ignoring it