# Desperate help needed with crazy 11 month old



## jodnfletcher (Aug 18, 2009)

OK - I really need help with my 11 month old girl please!! Here's the deal...

We started the NILIF programme with her from when we got her at 9 weeks old and she was doing really well - we got over the biting, jumping and leash walking problems, and were going along quite well for a little while but then bam - about a month ago we hit some major problems.

1. Non-stop barking
She gets let out first thing in the morning and pretty much without fail, she'll be outside for a few minutes and then bark her head off. There are no other dogs in the neighbouring gardens, just the usual noises/goings on that have been the same ever since we got her 9 months ago. We have tried the 'check it out and thank you for warning me' tactic, no stopping. So we tried telling her enough and calling her in, but she takes no notice and continues barking and ignores the come command. So I got a ultrasonic bark collar that sets off whenever she barks - tried it for 2 weeks and made no difference. She didn't even seem to notice the noise (and yes, I had it on the right setting  ). So I put a shock collar on her last week and triggered it every time she barked (I work from home so can trigger it during the day) but she doesn't even seem to feel it. She also stands at the front window and barks at people going past, cats in the garden, the neighbours bringing their bin in... just constant barking at every little thing and it has to stop cos we live in town and neighbours are going to start complaining soon...

2. Non-stop energy!
She gets an hour's walk/run on the leash every weekday (around 5kms) and playtime in the garden/house chasing the ball (we make her sit or lie down before we throw the ball) or playing with the tug, and chasing around/playing with Tai our border collie. She also gets an extra walk twice a week during the day from my dog walker while I work (I work from home). On the weekends we try and take her somewhere she can have a run off leash but it's not that easy any more because she doesn't come back (see problem #3!). She just never seems to settle - like, ever! When we're at home in the evenings, she will come in from her walk panting like mad, we unclip her leash and she pounces on Tai wanting to play. Or she runs and gets her ball/tug and throws it on our lap while we're sat on the sofa wanting to play. We have tried ignoring her when she does this when we want her to stop and settle, and she starts getting really naughty and nibbling our legs/arms or the sofa cushion (how can you ignore these things? The nibbling hurts and we can't have her destroy the sofa cushions), or jumping up on the sofa, or running over to the curtains and pulling them etc. All the naughty stuff. So we put her in the hallway (time out) and she barks like **** for 5 mins before settling down. So we let her back in and the same cycle starts again. 

3. Doesn't come when called any more
We used to be able to take her to the park or beach and she would come back to us when we called her when there were no distractions. We even had a phase when she would come back to us from other dogs but now, as soon as she is let off the leash she runs off and has absolutely no interest in coming back to us at all. The only time she will come back is if her and Tai are chasing each other and we call them back - she will chase Tai back to us (he comes constently when called and is very obedient) but she won't get close enough to us to catch her, even when tempted with treats so we don't feel like we can let her off any more. She's also very selective about when she comes when called at home these days too.

So - any ideas how we can get over these problems please?!! I'm at the end of my tether now and am at the stage of thinking we've taken on more than we can handle and should rehome her. But then at the same time I think how we've endured 9 months of puppy hood (yes endured - it's been a real struggle and not much fun with her determination and challenging pretty much everything we teach her/ask of her!) and surely it won't be much longer until she is out of the puppy phase and will be the wonderful dog we know she can be. She has the most beautiful nature when she is being good. So friendly, loving and gentle, but then turns into this crazy, boisterous, disobedient, over-excited lump of energy at the blink of an eye....


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

It sounds like she needs more exercise. I know a friend of mine has a GSD and he can run 10 miles straight, then be full of energy and destroy their house. A 1 or two hour walk is doing nothing for her likely, and she doesn't seem to be getting much (if any) mental stimulation. Do you do a lot of training with her? Have you considered getting into a sport for fun? I'm sure that would help a lot, and I'd up her walks to two 2 hours walks a day if possible... or a day in the dogpark. I know Frag is finally worn out and listens great after an hour or two in the dog park.


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## jodnfletcher (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. We are giving her as much exercise as possible seeing as we both work full time. Hubby gets home at 6pm and takes them straight out for an hour, and I have a couple of play sessions with the ball with them in the garden during the day in between my work. (I can't take her out for walks during the day as she is too strong for me to walk as I have a problem with my muscles) It isn't physically possible to give them any more exercise during the week because of our work/other commitments unfortunately (hence getting a dog walker in to take them out twice a week during the work day too to up their exercise). But even on the weekend we can take her out twice for an hour or so at a time (used to be off leash runs in the park or along the beach etc but like I said, we can't do that any more cos she won't come back which I know is a problem but its a viscious circle!) and even then she still has energy to burn. She might settle for like an hour or two after that, but then she's full on again. Even when she was younger we never seemed to be able to wear her out  she must have some secret places she stores energy for later!

As for training, we work on things daily like sit, stay, down, wait, find the ball/toy (these are pretty solid most of the time), and also work on the newer stuff and things that aren't so solid, like answering the door (with or without someone there - making her sit stay while the door is opened and closed etc), come (which has gone from being great to useless!), and walking to heel around the kitchen on/off leash. So I know this isn't much, but her brain is being worked a bit too most days. 

Would love to have some ideas on some mental stimulation stuff we can do during the day or in the evenings at home if anyone has some ideas? Or things she can be doing on her own to keep her mind busy while I work? As much as I would love to spend all day playing with her, I have to work 8 or 9 hours a day


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Instead of your long walk you should do a large run. Get on your bike and have her run next to you or you can rollerblade. If you have a treadmill put her on it, that is a great way to exercise her. Use treats to get her to come to you and praise her as soon as she comes to you.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Though I know you are overwhelmed and frustrated, all your problems are normal GSD puppy problems. Having a puppy is just like having a kid, huge huge time suckers.......... and if you aren't able to commit the time needed then trouble can rear it's ugly head.

Best thing would really be to add sets of dog classes to your regime. Forces us to take the time to go to class and train during the week for the next class. I have to drive over an hour to my classes but if that's what I need to do, then I do it.

You using a prong collar? Or a head collar? Both those may help with the pulling so possibly allow you to walk her.

HERDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone available in your area to start up some herding classes?

She sounds bored bored bored bored bored. Clicker training and TRICKS would help.

Teaching a trick is the least important part of teaching a trick


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

How about sending her to doggie daycare a couple times a week? This will give her a real workout)


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I'd second RUNNING (either by foot or from a bike) and I'd buy a doggie pack and work up to her being able to carry a fair amount of weight. Think about it--running is more tiring than walking...and backpacking is more tiring than hiking with nothing on your back. Same idea. Obviously an hour WALK is not cutting it. If you can't fit more time in, then you're going to have to up the physcial activitiy during that time. 

I'd also sign up for agility, herding, etc. Something to keep her mind busy.

I'd also make sure you are keeping "come" fun. ALWAYS praise her from coming. Never call her to punish her (which sounds like that might have happened with the barking issue and calling her back in. Why would she come to you if it means her fun stops?). Recall is one of those things I think that for the entire dog's life you have to act like they just did the coolest most amazing new trick every time they come when called. Even if I don't have a treat, I always talk in a baby voice "oh my god, you are SUCH A GOOD GIRL.." with lots of pats.

And...she probably is going through a bratty phase too!

Also, with the barking. People say that teaching a dog to bark on command makes it easier to control barking.


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## jodnfletcher (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks everyone for the advice. Hubby probably runs with her once per week and to be honest, there isn't much difference in her energy levels once she gets home - man she is made of the strong stuff hehe!! In hindsight that is probably partly our fault for keeping her so fit and hubby running a lot with her when she was younger and he was training for a triathlon - she is so fit and has so much stamina which didn't used to be a problem when we could take her off leash walks/runs/hikes etc! I like the idea of a backpack though to make her work harder - will definately get one of those. Thanks!

We use a halti headcollar to walk her and she is great at heeling on that at normal speed and only pulls when she sees other dogs/cats etc, or at night when cars with their headlights on go past. She has such a high prey drive it's unreal! The problem is that if she pulled like that when I walked her then she would pull me over, and she hates walking at my slower speed so pulls constantly so hence me not being able to walk her at the moment and the walks left to hubby. Hopefully that will change one day (or once we have the recall cracked I can take her to the park off leash like I do my other dog).

We have done 2 sets of puppy/obedience classes but can't really afford another one right now along with the $60 (NZ) a week I'm spending on the dog walking during my workdays  We have taken her to doggy day care a few times but they tell us they have had to crate her quite a lot to give the other dogs a break, so we don't feel like it's worth the money sending her there if they only crate her. She may as well be at home for free in her crate or playing in the garden with my other dog! Seriously she has endless energy!!

With the barking, how do I teach her to bark on command? She doesn't really bark when she gets riled up with a toy etc, only when she hears/sees something outside then she does the deep throaty bark and is focused on the thing and you just can't get her to focus back on you, even if you take her by the colllar and stand/stick your face in front of her she still jumps around barking at whatever is behind hehe! The other time she barks is the high pitched play with me type bark when noone wants to play - the frustrated type bark. Is it good to try and put a command to a bark when she is in that state of mind??

And again, what are some ideas of mentally stimulating stuff I can do with her?

With the 'come', we have always been careful not to scold her when we call her to come and always praise her. When she is in the garden and doesn't come when called, I change the command to 'inside' and change my tone with that command. Is that the right thing to do? Even when she is at the field racing around and not coming back, we keep it high picthed, friendly and exciting when we're calling her, but like I said, we're not doing that again until the recall is solid at home! And yes - I usually give her a treat when she comes (unless I don't have any in my pocket) - she loves the doggy chocolate drops we've got so they are her recall treats  But even they aren't enough temptation to come sometimes... *sigh* 

Thanks for listening guys - we think we've been doing things as right as we can be and have been taking lots of advice from this board, but obviously something has gone wrong. I think she is going through the bratty phase at the same time as we are getting frustrated that she is going backwards in her training so we just need to tighten things up and get back on track. We started the 2 days of ignoring her completely today before we start the NILIF thing again so hopefully that will help...


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

For Elsa, I try to do agility with nature and what we have around the yard to stimulate her mind. I have taught her to jump on things and down, stay, sit etc when she gets on top. I've also taught her a silly "creep" command where she crawls under whatever I'm pointing at (ie chair, bench). So I'll set up a course in the back yard and run around with her "creeping" under things. Another thing you can do it teach her at home tracking. Does she have a favorite treat or ball? "Ball" means tennis ball for Elsa, and on rainy days we'll hide one in various spots in the house and she's go ferret it out wherever we have it hidden: baskets, under blankets, in the tub...you name it, the tennis ball has been there. Sometimes mental stimulation is going to tire them out more than running 5 miles. It sounds like your dog is getting bored, so you're probably going to have to get creative as to what you can do around the house. You could also teach her a bunch of parlor tricks. Teach her to fetch things for you, high five, roll over...whatever, do something new every day. 

As far as teaching the bark command--I've never done it, just heard it works! So I'll leave someone else to advise further on that (or let you work googling magic


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I know your pup has a lot of energy, but I disagree with some of the statements. Until you check her hips and elbows out, I would NOT run her from a bicycle or miles, sorry, she is still growing and a puppy. 

I agree with training classes and mental stimulation. I like the idea of herding. I would be very careful with agility equipment and go very slowly and no jumping. Puppies jump as a matter of course, but they will often go much longer than they should if we ask them to and it is fun, and jumping on concrete even if there are mats is not the same as jumping in the back yard. Again the joints, and you do not want her to suffer a break if she is still growing. 

No back packs yet either in my opinion. 

Tracking is another possibility, hide and seek, training tricks, 20 minutes of obedience three times a day; a game of hide and seek, a game of fetch, 30 minute down stays (have to work up to that).

Your puppy is in the teenager stage when they lose their minds. You have to just work through it. If she is not coming when called, put a long line on her. fill your pockets with treats again and when she does do it right reward. So go back a few steps in training and start over training the important stuff. She will mature and then it will all start clicking again. 

Don't worry, with patience, and consistent training, in another nine years, she will be the best dog around.


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

Tracking is another possibility, hide and seek, training tricks, 20 minutes of obedience three times a day; a game of hide and seek, a game of fetch, 30 minute down stays (have to work up to that).- selzer

This is exactly what I did with my boy...he is a VERY high energy dog from solid working lines....he got bored extremely easily....running didn't do much to release his boredom, but when I started teaching tracking and searching, along with indoor hide and seek (with whatever fav. toy hide it and have them find it) all that changed....he got 30 min. OB training that focused not so much on basic commands, but much more complicated tasks that require thought processes in addition to normal play time....I also encourage training the 30 min. down stays.....I had a trainer explain the "sit on the dog" technique but it was a while ago....basically you put a lead on her, sit in your chair, put her in down and she only gets enough lead to keep her there.....then you sit on the lead, you start using very small times and move up the longer she can stay there.....all this did the trick for me! But, like others said some of this is normal and this dog isn't going to just lay quietly for long periods of time for quite a while I suspect!!!


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## Freddy (Apr 23, 2009)

Part of your pup's behavior is definitely the age range, and the butthead stage! My 12 month old boy has gained a lot of confidence in the past few months, sees our house as his to protect (especially when I am gone) and barks at literally anything. We are in the flight path of an airport (about 4 miles south) so a lot of nights we have planes going directly over the house. He's even started barking at the planes. Nothing's changed there, he just now feels the need to address it. 

He is high drive, working lines, and when I correct him for barking he does it in his throat. He simply can't control it! I don't want to resort to a bark collar because I don't want to affect his Schutzhund work, so I manage as best as possible. 

I agree with mental stimulation being as valuable as physical exercise. He seems to be more satisfied from a tracking session than a 1 hr walk. If he's getting wound up in the house, 5 minutes of quick obedience also resets him for a while. During the winter, these were inside sessions. With short, quick sessions he will recognize that it is you that flips the fun switch. 

Good luck!


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## jodnfletcher (Aug 18, 2009)

selzer said:


> Don't worry, with patience, and consistent training, in another nine years, she will be the best dog around.


  :crazy:


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## jodnfletcher (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks everyone. Definately some good advice that I'll be putting into practice from Saturday when our 2-day ignoring completely is finished! I have to say she is unnaturally calm this afternoon after her hour walk with my dog walker. Maybe she realises I'm taking back control and is pondering what's happening... tonight will be the test when she usually ramps up when hubby gets home! 

Thanks again - this forum is invaluable and reading your replies and support has helped me feel slightly sane again


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