Help with Puppy!

[debilou2]

Help!! I have a 1yr.old puppy, mixed lab part collie and hes a big dog and hes driving me crazy.. :crybaby2:Hes an outside dog and he want stay in his  pin..He finds his way out every time myhusband fixes the gate.  he digs, he moves stuff away and he even jumps out! He refuses to stay put!! and when he is loose he destroys everything and the niegbors are complaining. . Hes a sweet and loving dog,but man is he fiesty!  Please does anyone have any suggestions on how to calm my dog down.. I love him and dont want to give him away but I can't handle him any longer.   :(Thanks!!

[kapeh12]

First thing I can think of is how often is he walked?  Dogs like that (high energy) need a lot of regular walking to "tire" them out.  Much like an energetic toddler - gotta give them structured exercise, or else they will find their own ways of letting the energy out.

Watch any episode of The Dog Whisperer, and the most common deficit most episodes highlight is they don't walk their dogs enough.

I'd say start with that (plus it'll help the dog walker stay in shape too which is a bonus), and see if the dog's behavior improves over time.  May take a few weeks to see them settling down, then you can see if they need a little more or less.

[tea4me]

How long have you had this puppy?  Is he a new member of the family or has he been there a while?  I think he needs a diversion, perhaps some toys to keep him occupied instead of trashing everything.  Instead of a pen, could you rig up a pulley system where he is attached by a rope/chain and he can roam (as far as the rope/chain lets him) - do you have trees or anything to attach it to?  My neighbor's dog is a runner (he runs off a lot) and besides having the invisible fence system, they set him up on a run/pulley system and he loves it.

[nguzman1]

maybe you should walk him and play a lot with him to keep him entertained. I know my dog mostly acts like that when she is bore and doesn't get enough attention. 

[debilou2]

Thanks yal    Great suggestions!!     Boots has been with us since birth,his mother lives with us as well...We have bought him chew toys,but still rather get into other stuff,but the walking him idea is a great one  I will start with that  since we have more daylight. My hubby and I work full time so its kinda of hard to walk him every day. Hope this works..hes really a sweet and loving dog,but I do have to remember hes still a puppy and needs attention 24/7 

Thanks again!!   

[crazyzoo]

I have to agree with post I had the same issue with a pit mix that was always getting into something a very long walk /run helped a lot he was just bored no one not even a pet likes to be cooped up all the time with nothing to do

[tuyetmai]

I think toy are good attention for puppy.  I think puppy like to walk around, try to walk around like 15-30 minutes.  My dog doing the same thing.  Now she really calm as she getting old.

[Tere2]

You sound like my son and daughter-n-law. They got a Beagle that's driving them crazy. He's getting better since hes a little older. You may have already been told this but maybe obedience training would help and I've also heard getting them fixed calms them down some.

[furby33716]

That's a lot to say but remember he is a puppy! try to train him but have you had kids or been around some one or two year olds omg they are a challenge.

[Nancy5]

I have a year old "wild man"!  When we first got him I swear he was in his crate 20 hours a day and I hated that, but when he was out - look out.  He chewed my sofa, my carpet, chased the cats, pounced on my other dogs!  I have had many dogs, but never one like this.  I took him to puppy kindergarten, then to obedience school, he goes to doggy daycare once a week and he gets walked every day.  It doesn't have o be a mile walk, but he needs the exercise.  I think if you walk him, give him toys to play with and most importantly give him you and your time.  I would not keep him or his mom outside all day and night either.  Dogs need to be part of a family, and you keep your family inside not outside.

[bigfoot951]

I think this is similar to children acting up or anything else really.  You have to let the dog know who is in charge.  Only after he knows who is in charge, then you can start to train him.