What's happened my dog

hairyslug

My dog has just got to the 7 month stage. Before this, we was very obedient, would sleep through the night and in general was more docile.
In the blink of an eye he has changed to the opposite. He really needs to be told what to do again and again, is jumping up and running around the house like a lunatic, there's a general lack of obedience and rules that he knew have gone out the window. Sleeping through the night has also become a problem and he's had the odd accident in the house.
Diet has stayed the same and so has exercise.
He a happy dog, just seems to be trying to push us to see what he can get away with.

ShaShaBear

hairyslug wrote: »

My dog has just got to the 7 month stage. Before this, we was very obedient, would sleep through the night and in general was more docile.
In the blink of an eye he has changed to the opposite. He really needs to be told what to do again and again, is jumping up and running around the house like a lunatic, there's a general lack of obedience and rules that he knew have gone out the window. Sleeping through the night has also become a problem and he's had the odd accident in the house.
Diet has stayed the same and so has exercise.
He a happy dog, just seems to be trying to push us to see what he can get away with.

Is he neutered? Could be a bitch in heat close by, our boy started to "notice" the ladies around that age

hairyslug

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Is he neutered? Could be a bitch in heat close by, our boy started to "notice" the ladies around that age

Hes still got all his bits but there are a few ladies in the area that he's been sniffing at.

It was something we talked about and I forgot completely about getting it done.

Cherry Blossom

He's an adolescent now. Welcome to the teenage rebellion stage. If he's a small breed he'll reach maturity at 10 months to a year. If he's a big dog he won't 'grow up' till he's maybe two. Now is the time to reinforce all the puppy training you did. With some things you'll need to go back a step or two. Keep training commands the same way you did when he was small and be aware that he has a short attention span.

VonVix

He's at the age where puppies are most commonly given up, people start to think "this is who my dog is going to be?!" but it's not, they're just figuring themselves out and they're just starting to see the world based on past experiences.

Positive experiences for your dog are really important right now.

Don't worry, it gets better. I promise! My large breed boy is about 18 months now, so I'm on the tail end of things, I'm starting to see his brain appear in flashes here and there.

Ms Doubtfire1

yip.Hormones. get him neutered asap.

Cherry Blossom

what breed is your dog op?

hairyslug

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

what breed is your dog op?

Staffie lurcher, he's exceptionally clever, great with the kids, his behaviour has remained the same around them (is very gentle and careful with them) but acts out towards me more so than my wife.

Cherry Blossom

I wouldn't be running to neuter just yet if he were mine. I'd give him another 6 months to grow before cutting off hormones that are vital to growth.

dashoonage

ya.......this gonna be a fun time for you.... :P


Have you a garden? Mine was great at landscaping for a while....

VonVix

hairyslug wrote: »

Staffie lurcher, he's exceptionally clever, great with the kids, his behaviour has remained the same around them (is very gentle and careful with them) but acts out towards me more so than my wife.

Usually I find the person a dog "acts out" more to is the person the dog is more close to and/or has the most fun with. He probably knows you help him get his energy out, so he's bothering you more lol.

duploelabs

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

yip.Hormones. get him neutered asap.

Neutering won't affect the dog's nature, unless there's a female in heat in the area

my3cents

Probably not the case here but ours always go mad this time of year as the temperature drops. They are big hairy outdoor dogs and even in the shade in the summer they are too hot but as soon as it gets cold its like they gained a mass of energy (long haired GSD cross and a Newfie cross).

Ms Doubtfire1

duploelabs wrote: »

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

yip.Hormones. get him neutered asap.

Neutering won't affect the dog's nature, unless there's a female in heat in the area

REALLY? than all the vets I have been speaking to and working with in the past quarter of a century must be wrong.

Knine

He is a normal puppy teenager. Just keep up with the training. Rushing off to neuter him will not help unless a bitch in heat is in the area & even then most dogs can be easily managed. It is more training & patience he needs not a trip to the vets.

Please also do your research on neutering. There are pros & cons. I personally prefer entire dogs. I say that as the owner of both neuters & entires.

Knine

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

REALLY? than all the vets I have been speaking to and working with in the past quarter of a century must be wrong.

Neutering is a vets bread & butter! 7 mths old is far too young to neuter a dog & any vet pushing it would bot be seeing my dogs again

tk123

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

REALLY? than all the vets I have been speaking to and working with in the past quarter of a century must be wrong.

Well yeah they kinda are. My boy is neutered and is still interested in females in heat and went through adolescence even though he's neutered - it's not going to stop them ageing and magically fix all problems. Those hormones he missed out on would have done him the world of good behaviourally and physically so it's a big big regret of mine that I didn't do more research and listened to what a vet nurse and "dog trainers"at the time told me.

Galway K9

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/three-reasons-to-reconsider-spayneuter/

duploelabs

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

REALLY? than all the vets I have been speaking to and working with in the past quarter of a century must be wrong.

Absolutely not, but then again conventional wisdom not to long ago was that there were specific breeds of dogs that were inherently vicious and aggressive, yet that wouldn't be the case now. As mentioned elsewhere, a Vet will push for neutering as it pays, the same way as an accountant will push you to move to a limited company rather than a sole trader as it means you have to publish verified (by them) accounts

Choc Chip

duploelabs wrote: »

the same way as an accountant will push you to move to a limited company rather than a sole trader as it means you have to publish verified (by them) accounts

Just to defend professionals here for a minute: I don't think either accountants or vets are the money-hungry beings you think they are.

On accountants, most sole traders wouldn't require audited accounts if they did convert to a ltd co (small company exemption) and if they did then the corporate tax rate v personal tax rate would likely more than compensate for the audit fee.

For the vets I know it's certainly not all about money. Generally, they see the accidental litters and the unwanted puppies and advise people to neuter (and to feed complete foods etc) because for the vast majority of pet owners, it's the safest option. Any time I've had a detailed chat with my vet about reasons I want to do something different (e.g. feed raw) then they've been amenable to it, as long as I've done my research.

I don't think the neutering conversation is any different. I think for the vast majority of pet owners it's more responsible for them to neuter - there are still an abundance of unwanted litters because people AREN'T responsible with their pets. I've absolutely no issue with educated, responsible pet owners not neutering.

And after all that, I'm going to agree with everyone else OP - he sounds like a typical adolescent and neutering probably wont help you work though that. Sorry!

aonb

A staffie/lurcher cross sounds interesting - photo please?

Lurchers can be pretty daft until they work off their energy - now that hes older you could probably up the daily exercise a bit too. Hes a teenager, and full of zest and joy and growing and fun and excitement. Find new ways to entertain him - his curiosity is going to be really high while he learnslearnslearns now. Lurchers are very clever, and staffies while friendly and gentle and tolerant, were bred as working dogs, they're athletes, so you've got double intelligence/energy to harness here! Find games to both work and entertain him and keep his mind working. Hide balls in a box full of newspaper for him to find and shred. Hide a ball/toy under a mat and let him work out how to get it. Hide something in another room, call him and tell him to find it! Tugging games. Throw balls/sticks outside, teach him to fetch/return. Lots of commands to learn - leave it, sit, stay, drop, fetch. Its really fun to push him and find for yourself how you do with patience and imagination! Put a handful of kibble in your pocket for treats, and lots of positive reinforcement. The time you put in now will help make the personality and temprement that your pet will grow into.
Do some research on the internet for new suggestions too.
Good luck!

DBB

I'll weigh in with the don't run to neuter message too. Neutering will usually address hormone-driven problem behaviours such as humping, leg-cocking, and sometimes aggression towards other male dogs, but having now gone through empirical assessment, it is now felt that neutering doesn't actually have as big a calming effect as the original anecdotal evidence would have suggested.
Neutering will probably not cure gobsh!tery, which is essentially what your young fella is suffering from op
He's coming of age, he's testing boundaries, he's starting to cut the apron strings... perfectly normal and natural eventualities in the life of a young male dog. He's coming right to that age where many, many young dogs are ditched, because now is the stage where they become too big a pain in the butt for the non-committed owner.
The good news is that it'll pass, and the work you've put into him to date will stand to you. But you need to stick to your guns and be very consistent with the rules, and don't give up! As the weeks pass, you'll realise that certain things that have been driving you mad have faded.
Gotta love Staffies... they're such clowns. Gotta love lurchers, they're clowns too

Cdosrun

A 10 minute walk before their bed time and they will do most of the pee they have.
Letting your dog out the back does not mean it had a pee.
No bother in the morning.



Edit: if you walk your dog at 7.30pm and let it out at 10pm maybe it is fine for a pee and won't go so has to last all night to get you up to go.

Cdosrun

DBB wrote: »

Gotta love Staffies... they're such clowns. Gotta love lurchers, they're clowns too

Lol so true.:)

Vel

Not entering into the neuter or not debate and when is the right time other than to say that a bull lurcher would be a VERY desirable dog to the wrong kind of person and I personally would get him neutered (at some stage) to make him less attractive to those wrong uns out there who are interested in lurchers, don't treat them well and wouldn't hesitate to steal them if they got their hands on them!

DBB

That's a very valid point Vel. Indeed, I'd say that the vast majority of bull lurchers are deliberately produced by a certain sector of society, and often to perform illegal acts. The bull blood was introduced to take on bigger game (foxes), but I've met more than one party of people out coursing hares with them. Arseholes.

Chuchote

You gotcha a teenager…