How to calm my 1-year-old dog's temper tantrums and defiance?

Personally, I love interactive toys. I recently had a trainer work with my dog who focuses on brain games vs. physical activity, and he's done very well with that! One thing you can easily do, is when you get home, take handful of kibbles or small treats and just toss them into the back yard. Then he has to go and find them. This is very easy to do, and will tire him out of sure. Toys that I like are the kong wobbler, feeder balls or treat dispensing balls, the pickle pocket, the everlasting treat, and even a good old kong toy stuffed with some frozen fresh ground peanut butter (avoid any peanut butter with xylitol of course), greek yogurt, or pumpkin. My one dog doesn't really like the kong wobbler or the treat dispensing toy because he gets frustrated very easily. You'll just have to do a trial and error with Leny. My puppy really likes the treat ball and the kongs, as does my older guy. The older, more frustrated guy, really likes the everlasting treat ball as well. I order a lot of things from chewy.com because the prices are great, and if the dogs don't like the toys, it's not a huge waste of money, and I can just give them away. There is also something called a "snuffle mat" that you can purchase or make, that I think is a great idea for dogs after they've finished teething and don't chew things up anymore. (Of course if Leny winds up just being a chewer, I'd be careful with this too so he doesn't ingest any pieces). The snuffle mat is basically a mat with pieces of long fabric that you toss the food on. Then brush the pieces back and forth to hide the food, and let Leny sniff around and look for the food. I actually have this on my 2019 bucket list to make for my dogs. Of course, just to mention, there's always a huge benefit to working with a trainer, to help you streamline Leny's daily routine, so that he gets rid of the most energy and is calm and content. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

This is quite extreme behaviour for such a young puppy and I would recommend enrolling in some puppy training classes to help! Clicker training and regularly reinforcing positive behaviors (such as sit/wait/lie) when he is calm such as after walks or meals can help improve his focus and basic commands - follow good behavior with plenty of praise and treats and ignore any bad behaviour - removing him to his crate can help before he gets over excited but be careful this does not create a flashpoint for bad behaviour if he refuses!

I certainly understand and sympathize with your situation. I have a young dog. I have a few suggestions for you that have helped me. One thing that people think of first is treats that keep them busy for a longer period of time. This does seem to help. You can use long lasting treats like a Kong filled with peanut butter, yogurt, treats, etc and frozen so it takes longer for him to eat. My dog also really like Bully Sticks which I also freeze to make them last a little longer. Keep him mentally and physically busy during meal times. I love using a feeding balls like a Buster Cube or Tricky Treat ball to feed meals in. It keeps him busy for at least 5-10 minutes at each meal and requires him to work. And speaking of working. I have found that my dog is the most tired after we have done a good round of training. Even if you have done a basic obedience class, I would consider trying an advanced class, a nose work class, a tricks class, etc. And if taking a class isn't an option right now, work on training at home. When he goes on walks, make him sit at each corner before he crosses the street. It sounds simple, but additional mental stimulation can go a long way. Playing with other dogs is a great outlet for energy. If you haven't tried it yet, look into your local dog park or doggy daycare center. Sending my youngest dog to daycare once a week has made a huge difference. There are a number of interactive dog games and toys available now. Outward Hound makes a number of toys that your dog has to figure out a puzzle of some type before they get a treats. Here are some ideas for those. https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-toys/interactive-dog-toys/dog-puzzle-toys-and-games I have not tried the Clever Pet yet, but it is an electronic interactive toy that am intrigued about it. clever.pet So, I think the key is to vary his activities daily and include a wide range of physical and mental stimulation. Be sure to be creative to tire him out on a regular basis and help everyone keep their sanity. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.

I certainly understand and sympathize with your situation. I have one younger dog that is much too high energy for my older dogs (and me sometimes). I have a few suggestions for you that have helped me. One thing that people think of first is treats that keep them busy for a longer period of time. This does seem to help. You can use long lasting treats like a Kong filled with peanut butter, yogurt, treats, etc and frozen so it takes longer for him to eat. My dog also really like Bully Sticks which I also freeze to make them last a little longer. Keep Rocky mentally and physically busy during meal times. I love using a feeding balls like a Buster Cube or Tricky Treat ball to feed meals in. It keeps him busy for at least 5-10 minutes at each meal and requires him to work. And speaking of working. I have found that my dog is the most tired after we have done a good round of training. Even though it sounds like you have done a basic obedience class, I would consider trying an advanced class, a nose work class, a tricks class, etc. And if taking a class isn't an option right now, work on training at home. When he goes on walks, make him sit at each corner before he crosses the street. Or work on teaching him a new trick. It sounds simple, but additional mental stimulation can go a long way. Playing with other dogs is a great outlet for energy. If you haven't tried it yet, look into your local dog park or doggy daycare center. Sending my youngest dog to daycare once a week has made a huge difference in his energy level. There are a number of interactive dog games and toys available now. Outward Hound makes a number of toys that your dog has to figure out a puzzle of some type before they get a treats. Here are some ideas for those. https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-toys/interactive-dog-toys/dog-puzzle-toys-and-games I have not tried the Clever Pet yet, but it is an electronic interactive toy that I am intrigued about. clever.pet So, I think the key is to vary his activities daily and include a wide range of physical and mental stimulation. Be sure to be creative to tire him out on a regular basis and help everyone keep their sanity. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

This is definitely a difficult situation, because you have a dog (with the mindset of a puppy) that has a normal amount of energy for his age and seems to view the crate as a negative place to be. The crate should be a place that the pup likes to go to, so there is a great deal of training that will be required to get him to associate the crate with good thoughts (like treats). Also, the crate should not be overused. If a dog is spending more than 8 hours a day in a crate, then there's a good chance that they will eventually go stir-crazy. The other thing that needs to be addressed is Ollie's energy. The best way to release this pent-up energy is regular exercise. In his case, it may be best to have exercise where he is running - like when playing fetch at a dog park. I recommend starting two hours of this (AM and PM) to start with. He may need more. Working seven days a week and raising young kids must make free-time for training and exercise very difficult. If you are able to hire help (i.e. a dog walker, or trainer), then this may be your best option. If it is not possible for the dog to get adequate exercise and training, then the only other option I can think of is a consult with a veterinarian, or a veterinary behaviorist. Sometimes medication is needed for certain circumstances in order to facilitate training. I hope that helpful for you. Good luck and I hope all goes well with Ollie.

I am so sorry that you are experiencing these problems with biting with Olie. I am sure it is very upsetting for you. First of all rest assured that this is a very normal puppy behaviour. Puppies learn through play biting and it is part of our role as pet parents to help them learn limits. I would not attempt negative reinforcement such as striking Olie or speaking harshly as this will potentially create more serious behaviour issues such as anxiety and fear-aggression. Try some calm corrections and positive reinforcement. If Olie bites you, simply say in a calm voice "no" and stop interacting with her for a few moments. This over time will teach him that biting is not a desired form of play. Also try reinforcing him as he starts to play in a good way by not biting, and give him a small training treat. If Olie does manage to bite hard enough to break the skin be careful of a possible infection. Monitor your wound for heat. Swelling, or discharge. Make an appointment with your doctor if this occurs. If you are struggling with the biting after a couple of weeks of the above suggested training methods, consider puppy socialisation classes or potentially a few sessions with a behaviourist. Other games which may be fun with Olie to redirect him in he is biting too rough, are hide and go seek either with you and another person, or you hide his toys and he has to find them. Or classic fetch. I hope this was helpful!

I certainly understand and sympathize with your situation. I have a 2 year old puppy who has been a handful. I have a few suggestions for you that have helped me. I think your first challenge will be to keep Enzo busy! If you cannot exercise him in your yard, I would recommend asking your vet for recommendations. As far as the biting, it seems like he has turned the "ouch" technique into a game. My best recommendation will be to completely ignore the behavior. This goes for everyone in the house. If he puts his teeth on anyone, they need to turn and walk away. He wants your attention, so if you remove it, he will be less likely to do that in the future. The other thing that can be helpful is teaching Enzo to play with you with something in his mouth. It is normal for puppies to be "mouthy", so we need to teach them what is appropraite for them to put in their mouths. As far as keeping him busy and tired, one thing that people think of first is treats that keep them busy for a longer period of time. This does seem to help. You can use long lasting treats like a Kong filled with peanut butter, yogurt, treats, etc and frozen so it takes longer for him to eat. My dog also really like Bully Sticks which I also freeze to make them last a little longer. Keep him mentally and physically busy during meal times. I love using a feeding balls like a Buster Cube or Tricky Treat ball to feed meals in. It keeps him busy for at least 5-10 minutes at each meal and requires him to work. And speaking of working. I have found that my dog is the most tired after we have done a good round of training. A basic obedience class would be great for him. And if taking a class isn't an option right now, work on training at home. It sounds simple, but additional mental stimulation can go a long way. Playing with other dogs is a great outlet for energy. Enzo might be a little young for it, but I would consider looking into your local dog park or doggy daycare center. Sending my youngest dog to daycare once a week has made a huge difference. There are a number of interactive dog games and toys available now. Outward Hound makes a number of toys that your dog has to figure out a puzzle of some type before they get a treats. Here are some ideas for those. https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-toys/interactive-dog-toys/dog-puzzle-toys-and-games I have not tried the Clever Pet yet, but it is an electronic interactive toy that am intrigued about it. clever.pet So, I think the key is to vary his activities daily and include a wide range of physical and mental stimulation. Be sure to be creative to tire him out on a regular basis and help everyone keep their sanity. Please let me know if that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.