# 6 Months old and STILL DRIVING ME NUTS



## largemouthhog (Jan 3, 2011)

Don't get me wrong, I love my Shepherd...But she never calms down, it is like she is on uppers all the time. I take her on a daily 3 mile walk and then she is exhausted until she gets the first drink of water...She is ready to go again...I am taking her to get spaid on Fri the 13th and pray that will calm her down...What are your experiences with 6 Month old dogs? Should they still be in the annoying crazy stage only 55 lbs larger?!?!!


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

I hate to say this but I think you have a loooooooong way to go before you pup comes down.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Jax is over a year and still not calming down. 
I've had several dogs spayed and neutered and never once noticed a change in their personality or energy level... I'm pretty sure that's just something vets say to get you on board.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> Jax is over a year and still not calming down.
> I've had several dogs spayed and neutered and never once noticed a change in their personality or energy level... I'm pretty sure that's just something vets say to get you on board.


agreed. After the drugs wore off he was back to normal


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm with you Miss Molly May.
You may need to break up the exercise, like a good structured walk...no pulling, heeling nicely and no reactions...then a good run with a chuck it and ball (large one) then another walk later in the afternoon.

Not sure where you live; but, you may want to try walking her in a busy area or by school at lunch recess.
Throw in some obedience training in the middle of it; just quick down, sit...recall, etc. That may slow her crazy teenage mind down a bit. Other than that...wear a helmet and hang on for the ride!

That's the age my girl got the "fruitbat" moniker.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

First, getting her spayed really won't make a difference.

What will help is mental stimulation and direction. Physical activity is only one component to 'wearing them out.'

It can be as easy as basic obedience commands or teaching a place so that she will lay by your side for longer and longer periods. Take a treat or favorite toy and hide it and have her search for it. Have her sit, and hold it for longer periods. Have her sit and walk in another room while she holds her sit. Teach her to retrieve than teach her how to retrieve something specific for you - then to go get something for you in the house.

Just one thing at a time -- just keep her learning.

Of course, you do know she's still a puppy - even in that big dog body?


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

CarrieJ said:


> I'm with you Miss Molly May.
> You may need to break up the exercise, like a good structured walk...no pulling, heeling nicely and no reactions...then a good run with a chuck it and ball (large one) then another walk later in the afternoon.
> 
> Not sure where you live; but, you may want to try walking her in a busy area or by school at lunch recess.
> ...


 
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you might have a naturally active dog. a 3 mile walk
might not be enough for her. while your walking
throw a ball for her to retreive. take her to a dog park
and let her run around maybe after the walk.


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## largemouthhog (Jan 3, 2011)

Thanks for all the responses...I guess the hardest part is at work 8 hours a day, come home walk with her, then I am exhuasted! Will I ever be able to watch tv or go out with friends again?!?! Haha I may need to check into a mental institution after the comments that she will not calm down after being fixed :O


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

That's the best part of teaching mental exercises... you can veg out while you just ask her to do things....


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## largemouthhog (Jan 3, 2011)

Also, I was thinking about enrolling in petsmart training classes but she already knows the following commands: Sit, stay, down, over, speak, whisper, bang bang (play dead), ect....I am worried it will be a waste of my money, what are some of your experiences with training classes there?


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

Generally, that's pretty much all that they do. They don't teach lifestyle NILF type training which is pretty important for dogs. (especially GSDs and other herding/working types)

Try and see if there is an obedience club or something of the sort. And, training doesn't stop just because she knows the basic stuff. It's good for the dog to continue practicing and learning and it's good for you as the owner as well.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

zyppi said:


> What will help is mental stimulation and direction. Physical activity is only one component to 'wearing them out.'
> 
> It can be as easy as basic obedience commands or teaching a place so that she will lay by your side for longer and longer periods. Take a treat or favorite toy and hide it and have her search for it. Have her sit, and hold it for longer periods. Have her sit and walk in another room while she holds her sit. Teach her to retrieve than teach her how to retrieve something specific for you - then to go get something for you in the house.
> 
> Just one thing at a time -- just keep her learning.


:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Mental stimulation has always tired our dogs out more than physical exercise. I don't think it's humanly possible to tire out most GSD's we don't have the stamina. 
A 3 mile walk for us means the dogs come home panting, take a 15 minute nap and then want to play ball. Mental exercises just for 15-20 minutes knock them out.


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

If she likes the ball, invest in a chuckit. It was the best thing we ever got for Sania, our lab. 

When I play fetch with Ozzy, I'll throw in a few commands every now and then before I throw his ball for him.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Obedience classes are a great idea, even if she already knows basic commands. I start training a new puppy from the time they come home, so by the time they enter their first puppy class they've had anywhere from 3 to 7 weeks of training around the house. BUT - they've never had to deal with the distraction of all those other people and puppies, so at first it's like starting all over again. Just because she knows those commands at home you can't expect that she will be able to execute them perfectly everywhere (or ANYWHERE for that matter!) else. 

Do you have other options besides PetSmart? Although apparently some stores do have decent trainers, most don't seem particularly experienced, and I've not been impressed at the "training" I've seen when I've been there shopping. If you put your general location in your profile it will appear below your username in all your posts and make it much easier for people to make recommendations for you. 

One thing I'm wondering about too - you mention all the exercise she's getting, and that's great. But how much structured down time is she getting? As Anne pointed out, mental exercise can be just as tiring or even more so than physical exercise. All my dog walks are training walks, we don't really do them for exercise (well, maybe exercise for ME!) - if I want to wear their fuzzy little butts out we go to the off leash park and chuck balls for them to chase on land or swim for in the SF Bay. 

I wear my treat bag and my clicker for walks, and am constantly reinforcing what I like, such as when they find heel position, and for offering me focus and eye contact. We do lots of stops and starts with an automatic sit. I'll do a down, walk to the end of the leash and return. We speed up while I jog for a few paces and then we practice "slow" for a few more. I call the dog back and forth between the front position and heel position. If I have an area with a good line of sight and there's nobody around (I walk at a regional park near my house, so there are no cars around) I'll drop the leash and work on stays and waits, short recalls, or fun things like weaving through my legs. Even my working line girl who will go go go at the park until she drops of exhaustion or hurts herself comes back from these 3-7 mile hikes and flops flat out of the floor for a nap because not only am I working her body, I'm working her brain.

I also expect my dogs to chill out and entertain themselves some of the time rather than constantly catering to them. With a 6 month old that's more difficult, but feel free to use the crate when you need a break. Teach her to go to a mat and stay there for awhile (use a leash at first or tether her), reward her for staying there, and also reward signs of relaxation such as rolling onto one hip, breathing slower, blinking, rolling onto one side, putting her head down on the mat, etc. 

Remember that you've got a toddler. If your toddler got overtired and cranky you wouldn't keep her awake and continue trying to entertain or distract her, you'd put her down for a nap. No reason you can't do the same with your puppy.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

What Cassidy's Mom said.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Here is Halo at 5 months old working on mat work at home - proof that your puppy is not too young!










Because she'd been heavily rewarded for "downs" and also putting her head down like that (I used a clicker to capture behaviors that I liked, marking and then rewarding with a treat) from the time she was a young puppy, she readily offered it up, and I was able to name that head down behavior as "calm", putting it on cue.

And here she is a few days before her 6 month birthday, on her mat in class, while I walk around the room:


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## RogueRed26 (Jul 15, 2010)

I agree. Obedeience classes are good for stimulating her mentally, which will help ease the over exercising. You don't always have to release her energy by running and exercising, mental stimuli can be just as fun as well. My girl has already accopmplished advanced obedience at Petsmart, though I went back to redo beginner again. It gives her something to do and refine her skills with different dogs. The older your puppy gets and goes through certain stages, she will eventually become somewhat defiant and challenging. Obedience, for me, allows for us to keep our bond and practice our commands. Sometimes she ignores me, but with consistency she is doing a lot better. She used to be obsessed with other dogs, and now she can control herself a bit more. Practice makes perfect. Don't forget, a tired dog is a good dog.


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## TriadGSD (Feb 19, 2011)

get another puppy or find a friend that has a dogg that way they can play and play and wear her out.


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

Don't get another puppy in the hopes they will 'wear eachother out'. Two puppies are 2x nuts and annoying. Join a training class, get out there and enjoy the summer. Maybe take up biking with the dog jogging beside you-but not too long because of the joints.


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

zyppi said:


> First, getting her spayed really won't make a difference.
> 
> What will help is mental stimulation and direction. Physical activity is only one component to 'wearing them out.'
> 
> ...


i have to agree with this!! a 2mile walk for my pup makes him just as tired as a 20-25 minute training session! haha

i think i lucked out though. he is engaged and driven and not bouncing off the walls...EVER. maybe for about 10 minutes a day both dogs will chase each other around at full speed but that's it...think it helps he's out of his crate all day though


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

Six to nine months were our highest energy levels. He seems to be coming to some sort of equilibrium now!


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## nmlvaio101 (Apr 28, 2011)

Jax's Mom said:


> Jax is over a year and still not calming down.
> I've had several dogs spayed and neutered and never once noticed a change in their personality or energy level... I'm pretty sure that's just something vets say to get you on board.


That is great to know. I was worried if I had my baby fixed that would make her level out.


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## hollysmommy (Dec 3, 2010)

Holly is only hyper when we wake up, or when we let her out of her kennel or if shes playing, it doesnt bother me BUT it does bother me when we leave for FIVE minutes and then come home shes super duper hyper for the next hour, ive yet to find something to calm her down even after only being gone 5 minutes and shes 7 months old.  good luck!


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