Cocker Specific Discussion > Puppies

Help! 4 month old working cocker spaniel issues

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LTMot:
Thanks Vixen! So glad to hear I'm not alone and it's lovely to hear your pup has calmed down a bit - here's hoping that stage isn't too far off now.
As you say - I need to take one day and a time and focus on all the great things he has learnt and does. Yesterday was a much better day! I do give him time to mooch/play with his toys alone after we've spent a bit of time together (a bit of training/scent work/retreving) and last night he managed to stay out around an hour before he got bored of his own company and became overtired and bitey so I think that's progress!
I'll certainly take a look at the Battersea videos and do more swapping games with him. I've got him back on a house lead so there's no option for 'the chase game' so fingers crossed that helps too!
Oh he is certainly bright - I think he is training us!
Need to start on loose lead training too - it's hilly where I am and I might as well put skis on my feet and train him up as a sled dog at this rate! 😉

vixen:
SO pleased you can see there is light at the end of the tunnel  :D
Maisie is a lovely dog now as I knew she would be but at 5 months she really was the puppy from hell   >:D   My hands used to be red raw from her nipping.  She is still feisty but that is reserved for her little brother and other dogs now  :005: 
All dogs are different,  Ned who is 9 months younger than Maisie was a delightful pup, very chilled and calm.
I am glad you can see his progress.  It is all too easy to focus on the naughty negative things that you forget what he has learnt and how far he has come.
He is after all so young, a baby and he will get better.  The first year of having a dog is SO hard but if you put the work in, you will have a dog that will be a delight and a pleasure to be around for hopefully 14 plus years  ;)
Keep posting please as COLers love to hear about the progress of puppies.

Jen569:
Hello.
Ive a recommendation of a behaviourist and pet dog tea for you - Jane Arden. She is a working cocker expert having 7 of her own, and whilst she’s based near Manchester she does run an online option where you can join in classes and ask questions on her live behaviour chat. She only endorses truly positive methods and we’ve learnt a lot about the emotional state of our dog in different situations having only joined a month ago, it’s been really eye opening what we’ve learnt and wished we’d joined earlier. There’s also a number of recordings to watch back which I’d really recommend. Her website is waggawuffins.com
I hope that’s a helpful option. Good luck, I promise it gets better!

phoenix:
They are all so different! Mine was a very bright and very mixed up show type. He went berserk with a crate in the house, so it was just for the car, when he would settle.
He snarled, I cried.  We were told not to look him in the eye to challenge him, turn your back, and he will stop because you’re boring. Go out of the room  to leave him on his own when he’s over excited.  Swap toys.
I never used a crate in the house. Like zoo creatures,   some dogs can’t cope with being caged.  I know someone who adopted a rescuecockapoo that was crated in the working hours for two yearsand  became really neurotic.
Does he meet other dogs now? Puppy classes will be great fun. My dog, though demanding at home, became incredibly shy at puppy fun and tricks classes,  and when braver, was great. I was told he was shy, sensitive and very intelligent. Nice to have people praise him for a change.
As for leads, if he won’t let you put it on, use a slip lead to drop over his head. Will he hold a toy instead of his lead?
Most cockers thrive on training games. Perhaps to get him to come to you in. the house, you could use whistle  and special treat.  Cut breakfast portion down to use the food in training times.
My trainer told me that  an attentive dog can learn a new trick in five repeats.  It’s important to teach it in the right sequence. 
The crockerdile cocker grows out of biting when the baby teeth fall out.  If it continues with snarling or scaring you,  carry on looking for a good behaviourist.  It’s money well spent.  One of my other breeds had a private lesson once a month for fear aggression for a year.  The total cost was the same as weekly classes which  he couldn’t cope with.
 Yours is just a boisterous puppy, so I hope you can find a routine  that he will calm down for, and enjoy the cuddles.

MIN:
Just wondering how things are now it's a few months on

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