# Need help calming a frantic puppy



## tkmorgaine (Dec 1, 2009)

Hello,

My 16 week old puppy is having problems calming down. She gets worked up to a frenzy and fixates on my 4 yr old Lab, barking continuously, and jumping and nipping at her trying to antagonize her into playing. While the older dog doesn't mind playing, she does mind the full on attacks that are coming from the puppy at these times. The Lab sends all the right dog signals telling the puppy to back off but the puppy doesn't listen. For the first month we had her that played very nicely together but just last week the change happened 

I have tried exercising the puppy so she is tired, stepping in between them so the puppy's focus is on me instead of the other dog and redirecting her focus to a toy or something, but nothing distracts her for more than a minute and she is at it again. We have tried to physically restrain her by holding her in our laps but she fights back and we can't keep hold of her for long. The only time she calms down is when we banish the Lab into a different room, which is not fair to her. 

Any ideas on how to calm the puppy down. I am at my wits end and don't know how much longer me and my Lab can take it.


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## DogPaw (Jan 11, 2009)

What does your lab do when the puppy wants to keep playing. Maybe it doesn't bother the lab as much as it does you. I know my 5 year old bulldog will let my 7 month Corgi know when she's had enough of him and he backs off. Once in a while I have to step in but most of the time she does a good job of letting him know it's time to stop.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

tkmorgaine said:


> Hello,
> 
> My 16 week old puppy is having problems calming down. She gets worked up to a frenzy and fixates on my 4 yr old Lab, barking continuously, and jumping and nipping at her trying to antagonize her into playing. While the older dog doesn't mind playing, she does mind the full on attacks that are coming from the puppy at these times. The Lab sends all the right dog signals telling the puppy to back off but the puppy doesn't listen. For the first month we had her that played very nicely together but just last week the change happened
> 
> ...


I can't tell you what to do, but I can pass along some information, and tell you what *I* do.

Your puppy is at the age where her "puppy passport" for impertinent fresh puppy behavior is at an end. She will keep pushing, and the adult dog will eventually correct her.

With my dogs, I do not interfere with this. I let nature take its course. Eventually the adult dog will get fed up, and will usually slam the puppy down, and stand over it growling loudly. The adult dog may put its mouth on the puppy's head or neck when it does this. The puppy may scream, some will even pee. This is called "out behind the woodshed" in my house. Most puppies learn respect after a couple times of having their royal niney pinned by the big dog.

This is, of course, a time for supervision, but most adult dogs will correct the puppy a couple times, and then things will mellow out some.


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## tkmorgaine (Dec 1, 2009)

The older Lab does her best to walk away or lay down on the couch and when that fails she makes a loud deep bark growl that is very different then her play bark. It is very obvious that she has hit the no more play point. The puppy just ignores the signals and continues to jump on her. The Lab is in general VERY submissive so she hasn't done much else to put the point across and I don't think she ever will. It took her a month to realize that if the puppy steals a toy from her she can go and steal it back.


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## DogPaw (Jan 11, 2009)

When the bulldog was a pup and played very rough with my male shepherd I never thought he would do anything to her as well, he was a very mellow boy. But after awhile when he had enough and she got a little bit more aggressive with him he put her in her place. And she backed off.


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## tkmorgaine (Dec 1, 2009)

I can only hope you are right and she eventually will, but in the meantime the incessant barking that is going on is driving us crazy and there is absolutely no peace in the house. I have never had such a troublemaker of a dog before!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Congradulations... your dog is officially at the age where her temperament is set. She seems to be liking the pest roll. Like redy said many adults WILL put pups in their place but many often (like my 3 yr old intact male lab) prefer to deferr that job to the alpha (YOU). I wouldn't be seperating the lab but taking the pup away and seperating the trouble maker from the group. All seperating the lab does is teach the pup that if it is boisterous enough that that pesky lab that is taking all my attention will go away. You're not doing your lab any favors by seperating that one away from the pack. Time outs are a great way to teach pup self control and you NEED to back up your lab not the pup. Also need to start instilling your control commands such as wait, leave it, leave him/her alone, quiet, give, sit, down, enough and so on... puppy class is a great way to start this process. 

You also might want to consider switching pup to a lower protein higher fat food. Protein drives energy and speeds the metabolism whereas fats can be stored as fuel to be burned later and aides is muscle and brain development. Your dog looks to be a hunting breed/gundog so it needs a job. start playing constructive games like hide and seek of toys which will reinforce her wait/stay as well as build teamwork between the 2 of you. Beat the clock is also a great game for teaching a pup how to come down after being all riled up. Get pup all riled up with a toy then take it away and issue a control command such as sit, the game doesn't begin again until pup complies with the command. Yhat is the reward... Once pup learns (and it doesn't take long) that they control the pace of the game with how fast they comply to commands you'll be amazed how fast they react.

Here is what I posted in another thread about teaching quiet 

"There are a few ways that we teach quiet with our client's dogs... one requires timing and the other requires tact.

First you can try this... if she's barking at something and stops to take a breath even if it's to continue barking again.. the second she stops you say "QUIET" followed quickly with good girl and stuff some food in her mouth and maybe issue a wait command or a few other simple obedience commands to keep her mind off of what she was just barking at until the tweak hs passed. Correcting at this point does no good such as NO or SHUSH because the dog simply sees this as you joining in thus justifying or escalating the bark. You never get into a shouting match with your dog.

A Second effective method is for those dogs that never seem to have to take a breath. You say their name VERY loudly... then whisper a command...CHANCE... come(whispered) obviously this works because the dog has to shut up to listen to you and who's dog doesn't look at them (if even for a second) when they hear their name? Your timing has to be right on here to catch and direct him after you say his name or you're just spinning your wheels. Sometimes Keeping half a puppy leash on your dog during these retraining exercises is a good idea so you can reinforce your command requests in non-confrontational ways. 

Lastly and for the enthuiastic barker you have to keep a leash on your dog while in the yard and always LEAD her away from the object she is barking at (Don't trust that she'll just come to you when she's focused on a more engaging activity)... get her focused on you then engage her in some other mentally stimulating activity until the tweak has passed. Getting one's barker off is a self gratifiying behavior so what you have to offer has to be greater than that. 

If you KNOW that after she pees she goes and barks at the phantom neighbor then don't let it happen in the first place... head her off at the pass and engage her in something else before she even goes to the fence to bark. Start restricting her freedom more in the yard (for at least the next 2 weeks until you have a good start on a retraining program) sometimes a lot of this popping off is just "hey world look at me... this is MY yard and I'm gonna tell you ALLLLL about it... stay away I'm in charge of my yard" so by taking back control by getting your dog working for you (games of hide and seek a toy in the yard or fetch or just simple obed. commands... anything she's good at and enjoys) is a great way to manage barky dogs."


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## DogPaw (Jan 11, 2009)

tkmorgaine said:


> I can only hope you are right and she eventually will, but in the meantime the incessant barking that is going on is driving us crazy and there is absolutely no peace in the house. I have never had such a troublemaker of a dog before!


Try having a Corgi. He has the most high pitched ear piercing bark I have ever heard.

We have been working on "quiet"


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

I think my toy fox terrier has them all beat... his bark is enough to pierce the heavens... TOTALLY use to large dog barks but his is like daggers. But funny to hear this lil dog trying to be imposing... he really does give it his all... a good squirt to the thigh usually shuts him up.


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## Westhighlander (Sep 28, 2007)

RedyreRottweilers said:


> With my dogs, I do not interfere with this. I let nature take its course. Eventually the adult dog will get fed up, and will usually slam the puppy down, and stand over it growling loudly. The adult dog may put its mouth on the puppy's head or neck when it does this. The puppy may scream, some will even pee. This is called "out behind the woodshed" in my house. Most puppies learn respect after a couple times of having their royal niney pinned by the big dog.


I love when this happens. It's like watching national geographic in your living room. I almost laugh when the big dog lays down the law. 

Just let nature take its course.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

I don't allow a new puppy to pester older resident dogs. I separate them, so the older dogs can eat in peace, eliminate in peace, and not have to put up with an enthusiastic puppy in their face everywhere they turn. The puppy is confined, contained, tethered to me, or whatever, but are not allowed to have constant access to the other dog(s), or the house, for that matter. When out with the older dog(s), I supervise; it's not my older dogs' job, it's my job, and that includes teaching manners (although the other dogs can, and do help me out there).


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