[Angus]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on this. Angus was born mid-November, so he's about 18 weeks old. When we first brought him home (just over a month ago) he was sweet, playful and snuggly.

Now, over the past two weeks, he's turned into a devil-dog on wheels.

I suspect that he's starting to cut his adult teeth, because this coincided with a spike in chewing on everything (socks, furniture, my laptop power cord!). While we can pretty much control the chewing (just by keeping an eye on him), he is into everything (the bathroom garbage, the laundry basket, stealing and eating our shoes!) and has started running around our house like a madman

(back and forth, back and forth, round the house in circles...).

Has anyone's pup acted like this? Did it subside? I guess I'm perplexed because the change in his demeanour was relatively sudden. I want my sweet little boy back!

Thanks!

Terri & Angus

 

[doctorcathy]

hi! all of my puppies have acted like that. so its normal, he's not crazy. lol.

he sounds ADORABLE...but a handful.

anyway, it sounds like you're giving him too much freedom...and you really have to get him tired. play with him more...introduce him to new sorroundings and new things.

never leave him alone unless he's sleeping basically. lol. :lol:
\

its totally normal though. he's just a puppy! and all puppies like getting into things.

 

[mee]

im sure ur Angus is just going thru a puppy stage

he will probably outgrow it in a while, make sure that you stimulate him and give lots of toys to play with, and lots of toys to chew on too since he's teething

my jongee was a monster too when she was ur baby's age

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

Welcome to puppyhood! That is pretty much normal puppy behavior. It takes them a couple of weeks to get settled in before their true behavior immerges. The chewing on things should get a lot better in about 2 months (6-7 months old). As for garbage cans, my bathroom garbage can is now permently on top of the toilet. The TP is never on the roller.

One thing that helps is to teach them "Leave It" and "Trade". That helps a lot. All I have to do it tell Lexi to leave something and she does. In 10 minutes she is usually back at it unless I put it up.

 

[Holliberry]

I was told by my trainer that dogs take 2-3 weeks to show their "true" colors. haha she was right. She said its like going to someones house for the first time, and after you've been there so many times you start going into the refridgerator and making yourself at home

I agree with what Kathy says- keep him busy. When Phoebe is allowed to roam free, besides going potty wherever she feels like it, she will make her way to my bathroom and start chewing up the rug in there! We completely put a stop to that. She is in our sight OR in her crate 24/7 and things have gone much better. Actually I couldnt have a better puppy honestly. Its my fault if she does something wrong- she is just a puppy doing what puppies do

Oh and she loves tissue, so you have to keep him away from trash cans too, or keep them empty

Get one of those toys you can put food in but they have to fight to get it out. Greenies also keep them busy for hours, just make sure you are supervising.

Mine will also do the run around. I sometimes worry shes going to hurt herself (she has knocked her head on the legs of a chair duh). I think shes just burning up some energy

Good luck!

 

[Angus]

Haha, thanks for the reassurance! He sure is a handful (but I wouldn't trade him for the world).

I've never had a puppy before, so this is all new territory for me.

We're starting to walk him outside lots more now that the weather is getting nicer (poor little thing would just shiver and cry in the cold), and my husband has started to even take him on his runs! Poor hubbie says he can't keep up to Angus! :lol:

He has lots of toys, but as all little ones do, he prefers to play with things he can't have....Hubbie says that Angus has more toys than he did when he was a boy. Heehee!

We're going to be working on the "leave it" command fairly soon (we just started obedience classes last week) so I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Now when he's got something (he's a fierce laundry thief) he shouldn't, it's almost impossible to get it back (he runs like the dickens, the little devil!).

It's surprising how suddenly he changed, though...one day he was snuggly and sweet, and the next he was acting like a lunatic!

Thanks for the advice...keeping a closer eye on him is definitely in order!

PS
How often do you walk your little ones? I guess I'm not sure how much exercise is enough (he's so little that I don't want to over-exert him either!).

 

[Angus]

Mine will also do the run around. I sometimes worry shes going to hurt herself (she has knocked her head on the legs of a chair duh). I think shes just burning up some energy[/B]

Haha! Angus has done that too! Luckily he didn't knock his noggin too hard....

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

Angus will let you know when he is tired. When I take Lexi for walks and she gets tired she will jump up and hit my leg to let me know she wants up.

Try starting out with walking up and down the block a few times. At least that way if he gets tired you are close to home. You can also try playing with him for 30-60minutes. That should tire him out.

 

[Harleysmom]

Diffently it must be a phase. Our dog is fiesty also. Just had him neutered & that hasn't slowed him down much. He is 6mths old.I have been taking him outside some to burn some energy & that helps.

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by Angus@Mar 17 2005, 03:46 PM
Haha, thanks for the reassurance! He sure is a handful (but I wouldn't trade him for the world). 

I've never had a puppy before, so this is all new territory for me.

We're starting to walk him outside lots more now that the weather is getting nicer (poor little thing would just shiver and cry in the cold), and my husband has started to even take him on his runs! Poor hubbie says he can't keep up to Angus!  :lol:

He has lots of toys, but as all little ones do, he prefers to play with things he can't have....Hubbie says that Angus has more toys than he did when he was a boy. Heehee!

We're going to be working on the "leave it" command fairly soon (we just started obedience classes last week) so I'm definitely looking forward to that! 

Now when he's got something (he's a fierce laundry thief) he shouldn't, it's almost impossible to get it back (he runs like the dickens, the little devil!).

It's surprising how suddenly he changed, though...one day he was snuggly and sweet, and the next he was acting like a lunatic!

Thanks for the advice...keeping a closer eye on him is definitely in order! 

PS
How often do you walk your little ones? I guess I'm not sure how much exercise is enough (he's so little that I don't want to over-exert him either!).
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Your description of Angus sounds just like Catcher. Catcher is now 10 months old and when he was younger he was the same way.... I was like... "what happened to my sweet baby.... he's Cujo now"! But that was just a short phase and he is such a sweetie again. Angus will settle down... for sure!

I'm really bad in that I don't walk mine. I play ball inside with them every night and sometimes at lunch time. They get lots of exercise in the house.... running here and there... playing with each other... playing fetch, etc.!

The chewing still hasn't stopped... shoes, chairs, etc. and they both (Kallie is almost 3) go after tissue like it is some sort of drug... they are berserk over it.

 

[CandicePK]

About these babies loving tissue. When Chloe was itty bitty I took her for a short ride in the car. I didn't have the crate she usually goes in (was in hubby's car) so I strapped her to the passenger seat and off we went. On the way to our destination she cried and cried because she couldn't get to me. When we were ready to leave I strapped her in the same way since I didn't have much choice. I put Chloe on her blankie and we started for home. She was so good - I was surprised and impressed. Traffic was heavy and I couldn't keep my eyes on her then I heard something tearing. Of course she was behaving - she found the tissue box in the center console of my car - and was pulling them out one by one and shredding them. When I caught her she just gave me that look - you all know the one.... "What Mama? Look at me havin fun!"

I love my little stinker!

 

[Laceys mom]

When Lacey first came home (she was 14 weeks old) she was so quiet. After a week she was a madpuppy. My husband wanted me to call our breeder and ask her what she had Lacey on and could we have some...LOL. Lacey has been a playful pup ever since and she turned one on Feb 22.

And forgot about ever putting the toilet paper on the roller. My husband forgets about once a week and puts his toilet paper were Lacey can get to it...can anyone say confetti all over the place?

 

[puppylucy]

We walk Lucy 2-3 times a day. 1 is a long energetic walk and 2 are potty breaks

Lucy's crazy like that too, don't worry. She'll SPRRRINT through our living room wildly and chew anything she can get her teeth on (her favorite is tissues, and I see from the posts above this is pretty common

)

Anyways, he'll be fine. He's just going through the wildpuppy stage :lol:

 

[doctorcathy]

about exercise: it totally depends on your dog. personally---i would exercise him till he falls asleep. because then he'd be a good puppy!

before, the dogs were getting 2 one-hour walks per day. but gruffi still had energy.

now, the dogs get little walks throughout the day, and at around 4:30pm, we go to the park and let them off-leash to run around and chase other dogs for about an hour to 2 hours. lol. that REALLY gets them tired. and them being tired lasts for a while.

thats great that your husband is taking him on his runs though.

im sure that helps a lot.

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

Originally posted by CandicePK@Mar 17 2005, 06:33 PM
About these babies loving tissue.  When Chloe was itty bitty I took her for a short ride in the car.  I didn't have the crate she usually goes in (was in hubby's car) so I strapped her to the passenger seat and off we went.  On the way to our destination she cried and cried because she couldn't get to me.  When we were ready to leave I strapped her in the same way since I didn't have much choice.  I put Chloe on her blankie and we started for home.  She was so good - I was surprised and impressed.  Traffic was heavy and I couldn't keep my eyes on her then I heard something tearing.  Of course she was behaving - she found the tissue box in the center console of my car - and was pulling them out one by one and shredding them.  When I caught her she just gave me that look - you all know the one.... "What Mama?  Look at me havin fun!" 

I love my little stinker! 

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What a cute story!

 

[MalteseJane]

I think we are lazy. We don't go for walks. Too hot and humid in the summer. Alex gets his exercise by running from one end of the house to the other barking and trying to scare away the squirrels he sees outside. I am tired just looking at him.

 

[doctorcathy]

its funny because we went to the park and i was talking to one of the other dog owners and he has this golden retriever and he was like "emma loves USED kleenex". LOL. i was like SAME HERE!!!! LOL.

 

[sheila2182]

Yesterday as I was getting ready for work,Lamby was sitting on the stool lid watching me.She stayed in there when I went to get a cup of coffee.The sight I came back too was unbelievable!!! Lamby standing up and calmly "PlUCKING" kleenex's out of the box and deposting them on the floor one at a time !

In that short period of time,she had managed to almost empty the whole box.They were nice and neat in a pile on the floor !

Meanwhile The Boys had followed me back into the bathroom.Upon seeing what Lamby was doing and the pile of kleenex ,Kirbie decided he didnt like the way the kleenex was being "displayed"
Can we say LET THE GAME BEGIN !!!! :lol: Me trying to pick it all up,and the three of them doing their best to stop me!!!Awwwww,ya gotta love um

 

[Holliberry]

Originally posted by sheila2182@Mar 18 2005, 12:04 PM
Can we say LET THE GAME BEGIN !!!! :lol: Me trying to pick it all up,and the three of them doing their best to stop me!!!Awwwww,ya gotta love um

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oh wow how funny. I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but my mother got a picture of me as a baby doing the exact same thing! except I wasnt putting them nicely in a pile. They are everywhere and I am in a cloud of kleenex.

 

[Laceys mom]

Aren't these little ones great! Even when Lacey is doing something she knows she shouldn't do she gives me this little look like "hey, mom I'm innocent."

But Lacey did do something last night that scared me to death. Before Lacey came home to live with us I puppy proofed the whole house and I have lefted it that way now that my granddaughter is crawling. While, my husbands office is horrible. He put two new floor lamps in his office last week. He didn't take the tags off of the cords. Last night Lacey was in his office and he thought she was chewing on her bone...she was really chewing on the paper on those cords. She got zapped. Scared her to death. She isn't hurt but I could just about kill my husband for not taking those pieces of paper off of the cords. He knows that she loves to chew on paper. Took her to the vet first thing this morning to make sure she is okay and vet said she is. No burns on her mouth or burned hair. She is eating and doing her business like always. Hubby and I will be cleaning up his office this weekend. He isn't to happy about it, but oh well. So checked to make sure that your cords don't have any tags on them that these little ones could chew on.