A Pawfun Blog reader asks: I have a 10 week-old Wheaten Terrier puppy. I am about 99% happy with the amount he is learning and his progress, however I have two questions.
When he is outside playing and having fun he gets to a point that he is just 100% wide open 100 mph. I guess this is the “puppy Crazies” that they all get, but he does two things I’m not sure of:
1. “is this a dominance issue or just a puppy playing?”
I have a small tree planted in the side of my yard. I keep telling him not to mess with it and for the most part he doesn’t. But when he gets in this “crazy” mood swing he looks right at me and takes off for the tree. I tell him NO and I pick him up and take him to a different spot. He then looks right at me again and goes for the tree again. This happens over and over while he is in this “crazy” mood.
Can I correct this or should I just put a small fence around the tree?
2. Will he grow out of this?
When he is in his “crazy” mood he plays very hard – maybe even a little aggressive with my 100-pound Labrador Retriever. This causes my Lab to put him down to the ground harder than normal.
I don’t think the Lab would bite the puppy but the puppy doesn’t seem to care that the Lab is getting aggravated. When the puppy is in this mood he just keeps on going for the Lab and even us sometimes. Biting our pants legs and tugging and I guess even growling. I do feel like he knows I’m the leader of the pack along with the lab (not sure about my wife yet).
Once again he only does this once he reaches that point of no return and running around like crazy wild man. For the most part he never acts this way. What should be done about this or will he just grow out of this?
Pawfun’s Holistic Dog Trainer, Anna Bettina Johnson, of Calling All Dogs says: Congrats on your puppy! And, great questions, These can be very common issues for puppies!
Ring around the ‘off-limits’ object
Puppies require a lot of supervision & guidance, that’s why they are so much work! It is great that you are trying to teach your puppy what’s a appropriate & what isn’t. One thing you should always keep in mind when you are training your puppy is this: Any behavior that is reinforced will happen again. Sometimes, we don;t even know we are reinforcing them. Which is most likely what is happening with the tree.
He gets amped up & wants you attention or wants to engage you as well. What’s the best way to do this? Head RIGHT to the off-limits spot, that will be sure to get your attention!
You could try ignoring him when he heads towards the tree, i.e. he starts acting crazy & you could play along, as soon as he heads towards the tree, say something like ‘uh-oh’ & turn around and start heading away from him instead. He will most likely coming running after you instead of to the tree. When he does, you can come down to his level, praise him & engage him again. Although, If you are really worried about the tree, is it probably best to put a small fence around it until he is older & has learned not to bother it.
Without a doubt, if you create a big deal about him going after the tree – he will continue to go after it.
It’s all Fun & Games
As far as appropriate play, it sounds like your dogs are doing a good job at it. Your Lab is setting limits & reinforcing them appropriately with your puppy. If you feel as if the puppy is harassing the Lab & the behavior is getting worse, not better. Then you can try giving your puppy a brief time out.
As soon as the behavior gets to a point that is inappropriate, tell your puppy a cue such as ‘uh-oh’ from before & swiftly scoot him off to his crate. Wait 30 seconds, then calmly open the door & go back to whatever you were doing. Time outs should never be used as punishment & you should not be angry when you scoot them off to their crate. Time outs are used to basically give them a chance to chill out.
Best of luck – Happy Training!
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