Bubitty Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Is there an age where puppies suddenly go off the rails? I have been told by a few ppl that my pup will go bad and not to be shocked when she does. I was told that pups are rarely destructive up until 6 months of age and then they may start to rip up stuff. I have found my girl has mellowed down after turning 6 months. Less crazy puppy zooming fits with bulging eyes! I have also been told that a lot of pups get rehomed before 9 months of age cuz they reach their terrible age at around this age. Is this true? Not that I plan to part with my girl under any circumstances but I am wondering how much truth is in this? She’s the sweetest little thing. Is she just going to wake up one day and go off the rails??? Seems illogical to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Yeah it's when puppies that didn't get trained very well start to mature.... http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=develop.html this will help you understand the periods dogs can go through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubitty Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 Yeah it's when puppies that didn't get trained very well start to mature....http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=develop.html this will help you understand the periods dogs can go through. So it’s not a situation where a puppy who has been trained with clear boundaries from day dot suddenly wakes up and goes haywire. Is it more then that they could be a little more “ratbaggy” but if you can see it and work on it then they won’t go off the rails? The comments I keep getting from ppl seem to imply that she’ll just wake up and all my training will suddenly go POOF and she’ll just go nuts for no reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 It's called adolescence and many pups will push the boundaries at that age. I don't think it will turn an otherwise well behaved pup into a monster though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 (edited) Even if you have a highly trained dog they may start to push the boundaries and things that you take for granted (eg always doing what you want without much prodding) might not come so easily. It isn't only poorly trained pups that go through the teen years (although you will be able to get on top of it sooner). Some training might just go off. My boy had an excellent recall and we did a bit of recall training on each walk. Then one day close to the six month mark he gave me the finger and off he ran. Back to the long line and some more training and re-inforcement he was back to his good self, but it did give me a fright. That said, this was the only real "teen" incident. ETA: I believe with larger breeds it happens a bit later - 8 -12 months? Edited January 4, 2010 by megan_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Yep, they can do, I've got a bastard dog who's pushing the boundaries now and he's into everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubitty Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 (edited) Even if you have a highly trained dog they may start to push the boundaries and things that you take for granted (eg always doing what you want without much prodding) might not come so easily. It isn't only poorly trained pups that go through the teen years (although you will be able to get on top of it sooner).Some training might just go off. My boy had an excellent recall and we did a bit of recall training on each walk. Then one day close to the six month mark he gave me the finger and off he ran. Back to the long line and some more training and re-inforcement he was back to his good self, but it did give me a fright. Hehehe thanks! That makes much more sense. I can imagine her becoming a tad off and us having to work more or me having to brush up on my training skills but I seriously was wondering how a normal pup would suddenly lose the plot and go on a rampage! I am fascinated with this next stage. I wonder how I will compare it to the crazy puppy stage. I did think the crazy puppy stage was quite exhausting so I’m wondering if I will find this stage worse cuz the crazy pup stage was just…..nuts!!!!!! ETA: Did you notice it gradually SBT123 or did it hit more abruptly? We are right on the dot at 7.5 months so I am waiting with baited breath! Edited January 4, 2010 by Bub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Absolutely they can!! I've got one who was an absolute delight as a youngster. Biddable, obedient, cuddly, house and crate trained. Hit "teenagerhood" and turned into a right properly little shit!! Noisy, obnoxious, started forgetting his housetraining and had to be taken back to basics, really just incredibly revolting. He is only now starting to come out the other side again and I'm seeing glimpses of the sweet puppy again, he's nearly 17 months old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubitty Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 Ellz!!!!!!! Ohh noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!! Now you’ve managed to give me a good fright! So what basics did you do? Was this just for the house training or with everything else too?I want to be armed with as much info as possible! Do you just wait it out and continue with normal boundaries or is there anything special you need to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Sorry Bub! I've just waited it out and reinforced the "niceties" in life such as housetraining, keeping a clean crate, walking nicely on the lead and not leaping all over everybody (man and beast) like a bloody lunatic! Not every dog does it. And admittedly, mine coincided with his first (stolen) sexual experience so I think his hormones may have invaded his brain for a while. But he's coming out of it now and I'm hoping he gets his brain back enough to get back into the ring to finish his title soon. At the moment, he's just too full-on and I can't be bothered with him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDR Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Yep, they can do, I've got a bastard dog who's pushing the boundaries now and he's into everything. Had the same experience .... up to 10 months he was a darling - 10-15 months he's lucky to have survived! He stole / chewed / refused to walk nicely / was nicknamed Doggo Destruct-O at one stage! Lots of one on one training with our behaviourist (we started him young at 3 months and got them back in to deal with Feral as he'd been nicknamed), lots of leading the pack by us and slowly but surely we turned a corner From about 16 months on - he's now 2 years and 2 months - he was and remains an angel. A little bit of barking at strange sounds in the street (quietened with our "good quiet" command) and the odd (1% of the time) delay in recall. He's just magic and has even convinced friends and family that dogs that are t-r-a-i-n-e-d and *part of the family* (not outdoors all day and night alone) can be really rewarding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 my sweet baby went through the same thing... he was very good as a baby, went through an evil puppy phase and came out of it unscathed amazingly enough, at about 14 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I went through all that at adolescence too. Started smoking, drinking, staying out all night and wagging school. Stopped playing sports, let my hair grow long, stopped speaking in full sentences. And words. All I wanted to do was play guitar all day and hang out with my mates, didn't listen to a word my parents said. Wait, what? It's puppies you're asking about? Oh they're relatively easy when they hit adolescence... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voloclydes Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 i love that teenage stage..... well tis when most townie non doggie folks rehome the puppy. a lot of our dogs have come this way. no puppy puddles for us. leo for instance.... 11 mo although they said different, you could just tell. i feel sorry for the poor hoooman's cause dogs are supposed to be fun and there experience often will put them off for life. leo was challenging to say the least, he knew nothing not even the basics. i think he took the owners for a drag... each day. loose lead walking no! his name no! jumping up contantly yes! now in 6 short months for 11mo sit beg come comando crawl drop stand up on his hind legs shake roll over i can ask him to put up one paw on comand with me chosing which one. run (he had never ran out free) swim instead of try to walk on the bottom. the first 3 days sent me nuts he paced and had accidents and marked constantly i was nearly gunna put a nappy on him . turns out he had a kidney infection so he had it before he came. then he was made 2 stone lighter and he has not looked back. just keep on doing it and it will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I have one thing to say, Bub! Check out my user name Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snout Girl Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I have one thing to say, Bub! Check out my user name I'm relieved to know that my two arent the only ones who have turned into rotters seemingly overnight bert suddenly doesnt know his name and has no idea what a recall is sally has started mouthing again in a challenge to our leadership. at times it can get trying, thats when i grab a few moments on my own and regroup myself. then its back to square one, practicing leadership/training etc. it has given me comfort knowing i am not the only one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubitty Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 Thanks guys! I will stock up on lots of hard liquor and chamomile tea and wait it out!!!! And to think I was sooooooo happy these last few weeks cuz I could finally trust her more!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peta23 Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Boss went crazy when he was about 6 months old. Now he is calming down.. he is 12 months old now.. but we know that he will do something bad.. like he was really good over christmas. we were at my mother in laws house and he was so good.. we were like... what he sucking up for... he must of done something bad... but he hadnt.. he just growing up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serket Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Is there an age where puppies suddenly go off the rails? I have been told by a few ppl that my pup will go bad and not to be shocked when she does.I was told that pups are rarely destructive up until 6 months of age and then they may start to rip up stuff. I have found my girl has mellowed down after turning 6 months. Less crazy puppy zooming fits with bulging eyes! I have also been told that a lot of pups get rehomed before 9 months of age cuz they reach their terrible age at around this age. Is this true? Not that I plan to part with my girl under any circumstances but I am wondering how much truth is in this? She’s the sweetest little thing. Is she just going to wake up one day and go off the rails??? Seems illogical to me! Gypsy has recently mellowed out a bit more now at 6 months, but I think it's just a 'rest' before she goes mental. she normally has fantastic recall - I can call her off chasing birds, going to say hi to small children, etc at the beach or the oval and she'll turn on the spot and come tearing back to me. But at Christmas, idiot relatives left the front door open and she walked out, and just kept walking would turn around, look at me calling her and you could see her think "nope, no way" and keep going. Thankfully she didn't bolt, just wandered up the driveway and I caught her, she's also decided that 'stay' is an optional command sometimes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 OMG Bub! You just put me off getting a Goldie puppy starting this thread! Mind you, one of my boys was only 6 months old when he came to me and while he had a few anxiety issues, he was such a good boy and never went destructo - other than pulling up my reticulation - and that was while I was at home, after he'd had a walk and a meal! but otherwise he was fantastic. I think having an older dog around him was good influence as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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