I'd like to add that I've been reading other threads on similar topics and I've seen people talking about teaching puppies/dogs to understand and accept the difference between activity time and rest time. Ideally this is what I would love to achieve--for Finnegan to know that when we are at home, and I'm on my computer or doing whatever, it's quiet time. I just have no clue how to even begin training this.
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Sounds like you guys have hit a rough patch. Jasper has begun crying at night the past week too when we put him to bed 
I am guessing it is his age (will be 6 months old on the 23rd of August) and he is testing boundaries. I responded to him the first night b/c he had never cried before and immediately took him out. He did pee, but that was after like 4 minutes. So the following night I ignored to crying and it stopped after 10 minutes.
I exercise Japsper quite a bit and it is probably way more than he "needs", but he enjoys the walks. He gets a 45 minute walk in the morning at 7:30 before I leave for work. I get home at 2 and take him for another walk, sometimes 45 minutes, sometimes an hour. At about 6PM he goes out to pee/poop before dinner, usually just around the block. Then at 8PM we go around the block again to poop. At 9:30 PM he goes into yard for a quick pee and then bed. All our walks are just walking on flat ground around the local streets, no hikes and nothing strenuous. I bought him a flirt pole which he loves to use in the yard so we sometimes do that instead of a walk if he has already peed/pooped.
I'm finding that things are sort of coming in waves, where things will settle and finally feel easier/better, then we will be thrown a curve ball. Today he figured out how to climb the side of the crate and escape the ex pen!! The trainer I am working with told me that this is exactly the age where they push limits, test boundaries and get harder to deal with. I have no words of wisdom, just empathy. You have a lot on your plate right now.
I am guessing it is his age (will be 6 months old on the 23rd of August) and he is testing boundaries. I responded to him the first night b/c he had never cried before and immediately took him out. He did pee, but that was after like 4 minutes. So the following night I ignored to crying and it stopped after 10 minutes. I exercise Japsper quite a bit and it is probably way more than he "needs", but he enjoys the walks. He gets a 45 minute walk in the morning at 7:30 before I leave for work. I get home at 2 and take him for another walk, sometimes 45 minutes, sometimes an hour. At about 6PM he goes out to pee/poop before dinner, usually just around the block. Then at 8PM we go around the block again to poop. At 9:30 PM he goes into yard for a quick pee and then bed. All our walks are just walking on flat ground around the local streets, no hikes and nothing strenuous. I bought him a flirt pole which he loves to use in the yard so we sometimes do that instead of a walk if he has already peed/pooped.
I'm finding that things are sort of coming in waves, where things will settle and finally feel easier/better, then we will be thrown a curve ball. Today he figured out how to climb the side of the crate and escape the ex pen!! The trainer I am working with told me that this is exactly the age where they push limits, test boundaries and get harder to deal with. I have no words of wisdom, just empathy. You have a lot on your plate right now.
Thanks for the suggestion. How do you eventually transition away from confinement, though? I mean, once he's gotten into the habit of relaxing after coming home, how do you make him understand the same relaxed behaviour is expected outside the crate as well?
Thanks for the support and sympathy. Finnegan is exactly 2 weeks younger than Jasper, and it seems we're definitely having similar experiences with them. I didn't think the "testing boundaries" phase started quite this early (I thought at 8 or 9 months?) but that could definitely be a factor too. Do you know if there's any way around it or is it just a matter of maintaining consistency and waiting it out?Sounds like you guys have hit a rough patch. Jasper has begun crying at night the past week too when we put him to bed
I exercise Japsper quite a bit and it is probably way more than he "needs", but he enjoys the walks. He gets a 45 minute walk in the morning at 7:30 before I leave for work. I get home at 2 and take him for another walk, sometimes 45 minutes, sometimes an hour. At about 6PM he goes out to pee/poop before dinner, usually just around the block. Then at 8PM we go around the block again to poop. At 9:30 PM he goes into yard for a quick pee and then bed. All our walks are just walking on flat ground around the local streets, no hikes and nothing strenuous. I bought him a flirt pole which he loves to use in the yard so we sometimes do that instead of a walk if he has already peed/pooped.
I'm finding that things are sort of coming in waves, where things will settle and finally feel easier/better, then we will be thrown a curve ball. Today he figured out how to climb the side of the crate and escape the ex pen!! The trainer I am working with told me that this is exactly the age where they push limits, test boundaries and get harder to deal with. I have no words of wisdom, just empathy. You have a lot on your plate right now.
Thanks for your input--I hope Finnegan eventually gets to where Aayla is
I would say he does get 1-3 hours daily of combined walking/playing. On average, he gets ~20-30 minutes of walking OR running around in the yard in the morning, followed immediately by ~30 minutes to an hour of indoor play with some training built in. Then he goes into his "playroom" by himself for a couple of hours while I do some work. In the afternoon he comes out and we play a bit, train a bit, sometimes run around in the yard again if it's a nice day. Sometimes he is very mellow during these times and will just lay with me or chew on a bone. Depending on his mood and what else I have to do that day I sometimes put him away again for another couple of hours, but after supper we take a ~30 minute walk, sometimes longer with breaks for him to sniff around and explore or just watch the people at the park or whatever. I also do a lot of capturing calmness.I'm curious what you would have done in the specific situation I described in my last post? Did Aayla never start chewing on the ottoman when you tied her up, or pulling your pant leg? I don't think Finn has ever settled down enough to fall asleep while being tethered.
Oh puppies. Herding puppies no less. Honestly, some of them just don't know how to settle. I honestly find Mini Aussies have some of the worst hyperactivity I've seen. They have all the go go go of the Standards, but none of the off-switch. There is hope though!
Levi has a great natural off-switch. Heidi...not so much. She needed some help. She was tethered quite a bit when I needed to work. If she chewed on something, she was redirected. If she nipped at me, she was redirected. I also did a lot of collar grab game (grab the collar, give a cookie). The collar grab helped settle her down significantly. If she's being naughty, or ignoring a cue, I just hold her collar and let her calm down and think for a second.
My biggest thing was if it was time to settle we did NOT play. I didn't give any attention, and I didn't cave.
There is hope though! Levi has a great natural off-switch. Heidi...not so much. She needed some help. She was tethered quite a bit when I needed to work. If she chewed on something, she was redirected. If she nipped at me, she was redirected. I also did a lot of collar grab game (grab the collar, give a cookie). The collar grab helped settle her down significantly. If she's being naughty, or ignoring a cue, I just hold her collar and let her calm down and think for a second.
My biggest thing was if it was time to settle we did NOT play. I didn't give any attention, and I didn't cave.
I actually wouldn't use "hyperactive" to describe Finnegan at all--I would say "restless" or "antsy". Of course he has lots of puppy energy/exuberance, but he is able to settle down and rest or chew on a bone at times, if he's in the right mood (and he always settles down and waits quietly when I place him in the bathroom). Other times he won't settle, and he won't be redirected. I can wave a delicious chew in front of his face and he'll ignore it in favour of scratching/biting the wall (or the couch or whatever he can reach, if I move him). I don't want him to damage my home, so how do I withhold attention in a case like that?Oh puppies. Herding puppies no less. Honestly, some of them just don't know how to settle. I honestly find Mini Aussies have some of the worst hyperactivity I've seen. They have all the go go go of the Standards, but none of the off-switch.
Levi has a great natural off-switch. Heidi...not so much. She needed some help. She was tethered quite a bit when I needed to work. If she chewed on something, she was redirected. If she nipped at me, she was redirected. I also did a lot of collar grab game (grab the collar, give a cookie). The collar grab helped settle her down significantly. If she's being naughty, or ignoring a cue, I just hold her collar and let her calm down and think for a second.
My biggest thing was if it was time to settle we did NOT play. I didn't give any attention, and I didn't cave.
In any case, this morning I enrolled him in a basic obedience class, which starts in a couple of weeks, and I'm looking at a "Foundations of Agility" class as well. I doubt either of these will address the issue directly, but I think they will be good outlets for him, tiring him out both physically and mentally. I'm just feeling pretty hopeless right now. Puppy blues went away and came back full-force--I feel so disappointed that he's not the "best friend" and "companion" I envisioned, and I hate myself for getting so frustrated with him. He's showing resource guarding tendencies, as well, which are really concerning to me. I have another thread on that. Sigh
:yell:I am beyond frustrated.
This morning we spent 20 minutes outside playing fetch (he's still learning so this was a training session as well), followed by 20 minutes inside playing, followed by 20 minutes of me trying to reward calm/relaxation. He still kept scratching and biting the wall and occasionally nipping/tugging my clothes (I had thought we were pretty much past this).
I took him back outside, where he sniffed around a bit and then sat down to rest near me. I gave him some rewards, thought maybe he was ready to chill, we went back inside so I could do some work. He went right back to scratching the walls, pulling my pant legs, biting my sleeves, just basically being extremely stubborn and troublesome. I had to put him away.
I haven't had a chance to talk to my parents, yet, about where they'd be okay with me setting up the playpen. This isn't even my house, so it's hard.
I just don't understand what is causing him to act like this. He has shown that he is more than capable of learning and obeying, more than capable of settling down. He goes into the bathroom without a problem, he goes into his crate at night without a problem. Daytime, I feel like he's gotten worse, not better? Maybe it's a phase? But I'm not in a good head space anymore. I don't want to give up on him at all but I need something to change, I need something to "click" and for us to just get on the same darn page.
I wanted a dog who would be intelligent and loyal, who would push me to get outside more, move more, do more, but who would be just as content to lay by my feet while I'm working or watching tv. I have seen glimmers of goodness, I know he has it in him, but I just don't know how to get him there. And the more frustrated and discouraged I get, the harder it's going to be
This morning we spent 20 minutes outside playing fetch (he's still learning so this was a training session as well), followed by 20 minutes inside playing, followed by 20 minutes of me trying to reward calm/relaxation. He still kept scratching and biting the wall and occasionally nipping/tugging my clothes (I had thought we were pretty much past this).
I took him back outside, where he sniffed around a bit and then sat down to rest near me. I gave him some rewards, thought maybe he was ready to chill, we went back inside so I could do some work. He went right back to scratching the walls, pulling my pant legs, biting my sleeves, just basically being extremely stubborn and troublesome. I had to put him away.
I haven't had a chance to talk to my parents, yet, about where they'd be okay with me setting up the playpen. This isn't even my house, so it's hard.
I just don't understand what is causing him to act like this. He has shown that he is more than capable of learning and obeying, more than capable of settling down. He goes into the bathroom without a problem, he goes into his crate at night without a problem. Daytime, I feel like he's gotten worse, not better? Maybe it's a phase? But I'm not in a good head space anymore. I don't want to give up on him at all but I need something to change, I need something to "click" and for us to just get on the same darn page.
I wanted a dog who would be intelligent and loyal, who would push me to get outside more, move more, do more, but who would be just as content to lay by my feet while I'm working or watching tv. I have seen glimmers of goodness, I know he has it in him, but I just don't know how to get him there. And the more frustrated and discouraged I get, the harder it's going to be
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