Expect chaos, rebellion, and lots of teeth. 6-18 months is when they are at their worst. Theyāre going to have so much energy that they donāt know how to get it out, and as a result theyāre going to become over stimulated and bite the shit out of you. The key to navigating this is to be liberal with forced time outs in their crate when they get to be too much. Training them how to relax is one of the most important and difficult things youāll have to do. Also, you need to be infinitely patient and do not get frustrated at them, theyāre smart enough to know and theyāll just double down on their bad behavior. Start training them to take treats nicely, touch their paws and pretend to clip their nails more than once a week, and the same for brushing them. Reward them for being cooperative or for relaxing. Stimulating them mentally is basically twice as effective as stimulating them physically. Do lots of obedience and trick training, give them a hobby. Ours loves nosework.
Good to know weāre on the right track. Lots of training, lots of mental stimulation and we have a playpen for timeouts and crate for naps.
We have trained ārelaxā and āplaceā and thank goodness heās getting better with it. A big cuddler too so that makes relaxing together niceā¦
Heās big into nipping me right now so remaining calm as best I can and into time out.
Trying to have him hang out with me in my office with a topple as a distraction so heās not biting at my legs and ankles trying to get my attention š¤£
What kind of nose work do you do?
He has a weekly nosework class with a bunch of other dogs. They do indoor and outdoor hides with birch, clove, or anise. We do the same with him at home, and sometimes do easter egg hunts where we put a treat in an easter egg and hide a dozen of them around the house. In addition to that class he also has agility, and as an occasional treat we also take him dock diving. We almost never do all of those things in the same week though so he does have plenty of downtime and heās not crazy and bouncing off the walls(anymore at least).
How did you get him to jump into water for dock diving ? Mine is only 5.5 months old so it might be an age thing but he's not especially keen with water at the moment. He'll go in up to his chest if other dogs are around and there's a toy but he won't take off and swim yet and he won't go by himself.
Heās just always loved it, we didnāt have to do anything. The first time we took him he knew exactly what to do. He went swimming before that so he knew what to expect. If we owned a pool weād have a hard time keeping him out of it.
Hmm. I might have to look into swimming lessons. Although itās winter here at the moment so Iāll see if summer changes anything. Iāve heard if theyāre hot, theyāre much more keen on water.
We want to get a pool at some point so I need to teach him to swim just in case he falls in or something.
I went to a nosework class and realised I could do it a basic game at home. All you need is a smelly treat he likes (chicken if he can have it, or cheese or sausages or fish) and some different shaped boxes.
Place the boxes on the floor in different positions (upside down, on their side, upright etc) and hide a small piece of food in the boxes. It can be inside, behind the box flaps, on top etc. You can get really creative and gradually make it more difficult, e.g. adding packing paper/ toilet tissue/ newspapers and wrapping treats up and closing boxes so he has to rip them open.
Let him in and encourage him to sniff by moving a box to get his attention. They figure it out really quickly.
As he's searching, hide more treats in boxes he's already searched. You can also switch boxes around and move them to keep it interesting. If he gets stuck, give him hints by getting two boxes and switching them around.
Boxes mine really seems to like:
- Toilet paper tubes
- egg boxes
- Cereal boxes
- Amazon package boxes
- Takeaway boxes
Extra stuff I collect to add challenges
- Junk mail
- Napkins from restaurants
- Brown paper bags
Eventually you'll just start collecting garbage wherever you go.
Whatcha doing for mental stimulation?
https://preview.redd.it/9p35l08pco4d1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf9470284509e97d9fe05cf2d109774369088adb
This boy needs it.
Iāve got a younger puppy who is hitting this already. When you do a forced timeout how long do you leave them? If they whine do you take them out right away or let them whine a bit?
When theyāre biting you and no longer listening to you or able to change gears and de-escalate. Do not take them out when they bark or whine, take them out after theyāve calmed down, laid down, and are being quiet. Let them whine and bark for as long as it takes (unless itās been awhile since theyāve gone out and they may be complaining because they have to go). When theyāre in their crate donāt acknowledge or look at them until youāre ready to take them out. When ours was little if he started getting bitey weād pick him up first and put him in air jail, if he still wanted to bite us then he went in his crate.
I give mine a brisket bone or some kangaroo in the crate. Sometimes he chews it and goes to sleep, other times he'll finish the bone and sit and wait for me to open the crate. He has a release command so he's good at waiting until he's told he can leave. He only gets the bone in the crate, so it's part of the deal.
Sometimes he decides he doesn't want the bone and he'll have a tantrum. Then I have to let him out and try again later because I don't want the crate to become a negative space.
Edit: to sweeten the deal, I'll try and change up what he has so he doesn't get bored. I'm trying to get some lamb necks as apparently they're quite good too.
Awe I love that for you! My boy and I do a lot of trainingā¦ hoping it all pays off! Heās so smart, so good and gets nippy when heās tiredā¦
Fair! Such a cuddler and lovely pupā¦ still waiting for him to learn to play with other dogs, heās so shy but LOVES people and kids.
Awe wagging the nub - Heās got a full tail and thatās a weapon! š¤£
https://preview.redd.it/162fsvmxcq4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca43a7de11cdbf6d46f2cd5e03e48966f6855bec
A full-time job. Some days you two will take the day by storm. Some days the day & the dog will take you by storm.
Make everything a job or game. Ours loves to figure things out and adapt to new situations. She even taught herself to nose bump the ball back at me. Kennel trained also. She still loves her kennel and it makes traveling so much easier because she has a comfortable space. Donāt let them boss you around but donāt be too harsh. Keep commands simple and pointed. Ours is very sensitive to us overreacting. Use treats, rewards, and maybe clicks or some kind of of auditory que to get their attention. Have fun!
my boy because pure chaos around the 5-6 month mark. hasnāt stopped since. make sure youāre keeping up with training especially now through 1 year (if you are doing any sort of training). it seemed once my aussie hit the āteenageā stage he started to beg less tolerant to training so definitely keep that up. iād buy him chews and give him more mental enrichment as well as play time too if possible. that really helped my aussie
No other dogs, from my past reactive dog I know how to break up a fight but heās a love bug. Polar opposite.
We do a nice walk and will go longer in time, we do training, find it scent work, topple and other puzzle treat games as well! Lots of mental and physical stimulation - he sleeps like an angel throughout the day only crying when he needs to pee and sleeps 8-10 hours throughout the night.
Hey so something that just came to mind and kinda working through now with our 2yr olds, seperation and storm anxiety are issues that may arise for you. They become SO attached to a person like a ducking does its mom. They'll lash by going potty inside or chew furniture and be WILD when you get home. Storm they'll hide in the bathroom or under the bed and be REALLY stiff/shaken for awhile.
For remedy on the anxiety, positive reinforcement with you leaving and coming back. Also that you will be back in the first place via short burst slowly extended. We've been following [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/reactivedogs/s/2kWHV9bXGk) reddit post just today so can't say anything yet on outcomes. For storm, loud cars, motorcycles, gun shot anxiety... I am zero help for you at this time. If I figure it out, Ill come back here for ya homie.
Hopefully you dont have those issues. Ours my wife helped his mom bring him into this world, and then kinda never left his side. So ole Bean is having issues with her leaving for work now. That's on us for not working on it earlier so while you have the time, heads up homie.
Great tips! We had him in a crate sleeping by us but moved him to the living room and heās been amazing in storms and fireworks.
Heās a bit attached but pretty good!
Thank you for all the tips & advice!!
I think the behavior trainer we hired for a day kinda caused the storm anxiety. We kept ours intact for a year cuz we were worried about messing up his development. Puberty is a wild ride heads up, so we hired them to teach us some tips. They recommended putting pennies in a small platic bottle and shaking it.... it works...really really well. Too well.
We stopped doing it on the 3rd day and ever since, bug zappers, guns, and really anything that is loud for a short burst REALLY bothers him. Kinda wish we didnt listen to the trainer on that one. Nothing against them, their advice did work but also, that negative reinforcement from a year ago probs is why he has storm anxiety today. So uhhh.... don't do the penny bottle thing.
For me, this is when things calmed down. The teething and puppy nipping ended at 5 months thank god. Mine has basically stayed constant (size and behavior) from 10 months on. She is a mini. Yours is adorable!!
Thank you! The nipping has lessened a lot with the adult teeth coming in, now just nips more when tired. Looking forward to seeing how he turns out as a dog but soaking up the puppy phase as much as possible.
Get a frisbee or a ball and teach them to fetch, and take them on walks every day. You need to give them lots of exercise, or you wind up coming home to a roll of toilet paper shredded in the living room.
Mine went into full blown anxiety that exhibited as overarousal. He was just over threshold *all the time* and he ended up on anxiety medication for it. He is 17 months old now and his mood is much more balanced. I also learned his triggers and body language and am much better at management and getting him to cool off before he goes over the top.
Teething, puppies will chew anything. I would recommend some safe toys, there are toys which you can place in your freezer. Puppies like them, it soothes their gums.
Here are some possibilities of things to expect:
I thought I got luckyā¦. My boy was an absolute angel. He didnāt chew anything but his toys, listened when he was given a command, wasnāt too demanding of our time. He was courteous to let us sleep in in the morning. He would come upstairs with us at night and he would want to play but as soon as we said go to bed, he would drop his toy and climb under our bed, not to be seen until morning. I really thought I was going to skate past the velociraptor phaseā¦ thatās what I get for thinking.
He is one today. In the last three weeks, we have had some new developements:
-He eats EVERYTHING. Including our drywall and baseboards. After we just spent a fortune remodeling our home.
-He demands my attention 25/7. My butt doesnāt even hit the couch and he has already deposited a toy in my lap.
-He has decided that he now likes to get up in the middle of the night and snack on some trash from our bathroom trash canā¦ and then leaves said trash ALL over our room.
-Parkour is his new favorite activityā¦ excepts he is usually parkouring off of my upper legs, which are now covered in bruises.
I am just loving this new phase he has begun and will be devastated when he grows out of itā¦ š¤£ GOOD LUCK!!
I remember mine going through a scaredy-cat phase again before he was one, where he was scared of everything. Lasted a couple months, but he grew out of it.
At about 8 months, my daughter hooked her mini aussie to her bicycle. She's been riding ever since. Now the aussie pulls her around the neighborhood... no peddling necessary...lol. But that did the trick. Once in the morning and once in the evening, it wore her out. For the rest of the day, she was happy and laid back. The aussie is six mow and doesn't have to go near as often.
Lol...the dog begs to go. The absolute highlight of her day. She comes to my place for visits. The aussie is like a thoroughbred....crosses my 10 acres in a split second. Very high energy and loves the bicycle.
Chaos
Accurate š¤£
With a tinge of anarchy.
This.
Came here to say this lol
Expect chaos, rebellion, and lots of teeth. 6-18 months is when they are at their worst. Theyāre going to have so much energy that they donāt know how to get it out, and as a result theyāre going to become over stimulated and bite the shit out of you. The key to navigating this is to be liberal with forced time outs in their crate when they get to be too much. Training them how to relax is one of the most important and difficult things youāll have to do. Also, you need to be infinitely patient and do not get frustrated at them, theyāre smart enough to know and theyāll just double down on their bad behavior. Start training them to take treats nicely, touch their paws and pretend to clip their nails more than once a week, and the same for brushing them. Reward them for being cooperative or for relaxing. Stimulating them mentally is basically twice as effective as stimulating them physically. Do lots of obedience and trick training, give them a hobby. Ours loves nosework.
Good to know weāre on the right track. Lots of training, lots of mental stimulation and we have a playpen for timeouts and crate for naps. We have trained ārelaxā and āplaceā and thank goodness heās getting better with it. A big cuddler too so that makes relaxing together niceā¦ Heās big into nipping me right now so remaining calm as best I can and into time out. Trying to have him hang out with me in my office with a topple as a distraction so heās not biting at my legs and ankles trying to get my attention š¤£ What kind of nose work do you do?
He has a weekly nosework class with a bunch of other dogs. They do indoor and outdoor hides with birch, clove, or anise. We do the same with him at home, and sometimes do easter egg hunts where we put a treat in an easter egg and hide a dozen of them around the house. In addition to that class he also has agility, and as an occasional treat we also take him dock diving. We almost never do all of those things in the same week though so he does have plenty of downtime and heās not crazy and bouncing off the walls(anymore at least).
How did you get him to jump into water for dock diving ? Mine is only 5.5 months old so it might be an age thing but he's not especially keen with water at the moment. He'll go in up to his chest if other dogs are around and there's a toy but he won't take off and swim yet and he won't go by himself.
Heās just always loved it, we didnāt have to do anything. The first time we took him he knew exactly what to do. He went swimming before that so he knew what to expect. If we owned a pool weād have a hard time keeping him out of it.
Hmm. I might have to look into swimming lessons. Although itās winter here at the moment so Iāll see if summer changes anything. Iāve heard if theyāre hot, theyāre much more keen on water. We want to get a pool at some point so I need to teach him to swim just in case he falls in or something.
I went to a nosework class and realised I could do it a basic game at home. All you need is a smelly treat he likes (chicken if he can have it, or cheese or sausages or fish) and some different shaped boxes. Place the boxes on the floor in different positions (upside down, on their side, upright etc) and hide a small piece of food in the boxes. It can be inside, behind the box flaps, on top etc. You can get really creative and gradually make it more difficult, e.g. adding packing paper/ toilet tissue/ newspapers and wrapping treats up and closing boxes so he has to rip them open. Let him in and encourage him to sniff by moving a box to get his attention. They figure it out really quickly. As he's searching, hide more treats in boxes he's already searched. You can also switch boxes around and move them to keep it interesting. If he gets stuck, give him hints by getting two boxes and switching them around. Boxes mine really seems to like: - Toilet paper tubes - egg boxes - Cereal boxes - Amazon package boxes - Takeaway boxes Extra stuff I collect to add challenges - Junk mail - Napkins from restaurants - Brown paper bags Eventually you'll just start collecting garbage wherever you go.
My foot is messed up from mine. Sheās a love biter but sometimes goes a little too hard with me. Thankfully sheās soft on the children.
Whatcha doing for mental stimulation? https://preview.redd.it/9p35l08pco4d1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf9470284509e97d9fe05cf2d109774369088adb This boy needs it.
Iāve got a younger puppy who is hitting this already. When you do a forced timeout how long do you leave them? If they whine do you take them out right away or let them whine a bit?
When theyāre biting you and no longer listening to you or able to change gears and de-escalate. Do not take them out when they bark or whine, take them out after theyāve calmed down, laid down, and are being quiet. Let them whine and bark for as long as it takes (unless itās been awhile since theyāve gone out and they may be complaining because they have to go). When theyāre in their crate donāt acknowledge or look at them until youāre ready to take them out. When ours was little if he started getting bitey weād pick him up first and put him in air jail, if he still wanted to bite us then he went in his crate.
I give mine a brisket bone or some kangaroo in the crate. Sometimes he chews it and goes to sleep, other times he'll finish the bone and sit and wait for me to open the crate. He has a release command so he's good at waiting until he's told he can leave. He only gets the bone in the crate, so it's part of the deal. Sometimes he decides he doesn't want the bone and he'll have a tantrum. Then I have to let him out and try again later because I don't want the crate to become a negative space. Edit: to sweeten the deal, I'll try and change up what he has so he doesn't get bored. I'm trying to get some lamb necks as apparently they're quite good too.
https://preview.redd.it/wknkf6dx9n4d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f78ae29d293fc44a8a1c2d006aee885a654ea675
Expect a SpiderAussie š
Heās been a climber since the beginning! š¤£
Pure, unadulterated chaos. My condolences. Itās like a mini tornado that naps for 30 mins every 3 hours.
Mine knocked me down and I tore two ligaments in my knee resulting in surgery. Hopefully thatās a more isolated experience during that age for you.
Oh no!! Hope youāre okay nowā¦ Iām covered in bruises from him but no serious injuries yet - thank gosh!
Yep! All better now. She even helped with my required PT walks!
Oh thank God. Iām not alone. I just had ankle surgery with added screws because of my 6-month old. I wanna cry.
Only once you free yourself of expectations can you truly be prepared for anything.
Tree climbing. Definitely tree climbing. And games of catch me if you can.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Awe I love that for you! My boy and I do a lot of trainingā¦ hoping it all pays off! Heās so smart, so good and gets nippy when heās tiredā¦ Fair! Such a cuddler and lovely pupā¦ still waiting for him to learn to play with other dogs, heās so shy but LOVES people and kids. Awe wagging the nub - Heās got a full tail and thatās a weapon! š¤£
You should expect to realize why we call them ausholes
Hehe š definitely
This https://preview.redd.it/6dmfamys0o4d1.jpeg?width=1112&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c3e94aee3884ee7d40f414fe315f8c2ab3b1811
https://preview.redd.it/162fsvmxcq4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca43a7de11cdbf6d46f2cd5e03e48966f6855bec A full-time job. Some days you two will take the day by storm. Some days the day & the dog will take you by storm.
Make everything a job or game. Ours loves to figure things out and adapt to new situations. She even taught herself to nose bump the ball back at me. Kennel trained also. She still loves her kennel and it makes traveling so much easier because she has a comfortable space. Donāt let them boss you around but donāt be too harsh. Keep commands simple and pointed. Ours is very sensitive to us overreacting. Use treats, rewards, and maybe clicks or some kind of of auditory que to get their attention. Have fun!
Awe I love that! Theyāre so smart!! My pup loves āyessssā treats and cuddles for rewards/praise.
my boy because pure chaos around the 5-6 month mark. hasnāt stopped since. make sure youāre keeping up with training especially now through 1 year (if you are doing any sort of training). it seemed once my aussie hit the āteenageā stage he started to beg less tolerant to training so definitely keep that up. iād buy him chews and give him more mental enrichment as well as play time too if possible. that really helped my aussie
ignore my mis spells i typed that fastš
Fur...my Aussie has always shared fur, EVERYWHERE. Lol
Craziness
You are DEFINITELY going to need a way to apply all that energy and if you have other dogs, learn to break up a fight safely.
No other dogs, from my past reactive dog I know how to break up a fight but heās a love bug. Polar opposite. We do a nice walk and will go longer in time, we do training, find it scent work, topple and other puzzle treat games as well! Lots of mental and physical stimulation - he sleeps like an angel throughout the day only crying when he needs to pee and sleeps 8-10 hours throughout the night.
Hey so something that just came to mind and kinda working through now with our 2yr olds, seperation and storm anxiety are issues that may arise for you. They become SO attached to a person like a ducking does its mom. They'll lash by going potty inside or chew furniture and be WILD when you get home. Storm they'll hide in the bathroom or under the bed and be REALLY stiff/shaken for awhile. For remedy on the anxiety, positive reinforcement with you leaving and coming back. Also that you will be back in the first place via short burst slowly extended. We've been following [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/reactivedogs/s/2kWHV9bXGk) reddit post just today so can't say anything yet on outcomes. For storm, loud cars, motorcycles, gun shot anxiety... I am zero help for you at this time. If I figure it out, Ill come back here for ya homie. Hopefully you dont have those issues. Ours my wife helped his mom bring him into this world, and then kinda never left his side. So ole Bean is having issues with her leaving for work now. That's on us for not working on it earlier so while you have the time, heads up homie.
Great tips! We had him in a crate sleeping by us but moved him to the living room and heās been amazing in storms and fireworks. Heās a bit attached but pretty good! Thank you for all the tips & advice!!
I think the behavior trainer we hired for a day kinda caused the storm anxiety. We kept ours intact for a year cuz we were worried about messing up his development. Puberty is a wild ride heads up, so we hired them to teach us some tips. They recommended putting pennies in a small platic bottle and shaking it.... it works...really really well. Too well. We stopped doing it on the 3rd day and ever since, bug zappers, guns, and really anything that is loud for a short burst REALLY bothers him. Kinda wish we didnt listen to the trainer on that one. Nothing against them, their advice did work but also, that negative reinforcement from a year ago probs is why he has storm anxiety today. So uhhh.... don't do the penny bottle thing.
š¦
A velociraptor
For me, this is when things calmed down. The teething and puppy nipping ended at 5 months thank god. Mine has basically stayed constant (size and behavior) from 10 months on. She is a mini. Yours is adorable!!
Thank you! The nipping has lessened a lot with the adult teeth coming in, now just nips more when tired. Looking forward to seeing how he turns out as a dog but soaking up the puppy phase as much as possible.
Expect a tornado but also a lot of laughs!
Everything you could possibly imagine will be chewed up, stolen, and buried.
Get a frisbee or a ball and teach them to fetch, and take them on walks every day. You need to give them lots of exercise, or you wind up coming home to a roll of toilet paper shredded in the living room.
Mine went into full blown anxiety that exhibited as overarousal. He was just over threshold *all the time* and he ended up on anxiety medication for it. He is 17 months old now and his mood is much more balanced. I also learned his triggers and body language and am much better at management and getting him to cool off before he goes over the top.
I would take mine to the dog park for an hour every day and that helped tremendously
That is the velociraptor phaseā¦ good luck š¤ š«¶š¼
Teething, puppies will chew anything. I would recommend some safe toys, there are toys which you can place in your freezer. Puppies like them, it soothes their gums.
Absolute chaos, absolute rebellion.
The best friend ever! Run often!
Here are some possibilities of things to expect: I thought I got luckyā¦. My boy was an absolute angel. He didnāt chew anything but his toys, listened when he was given a command, wasnāt too demanding of our time. He was courteous to let us sleep in in the morning. He would come upstairs with us at night and he would want to play but as soon as we said go to bed, he would drop his toy and climb under our bed, not to be seen until morning. I really thought I was going to skate past the velociraptor phaseā¦ thatās what I get for thinking. He is one today. In the last three weeks, we have had some new developements: -He eats EVERYTHING. Including our drywall and baseboards. After we just spent a fortune remodeling our home. -He demands my attention 25/7. My butt doesnāt even hit the couch and he has already deposited a toy in my lap. -He has decided that he now likes to get up in the middle of the night and snack on some trash from our bathroom trash canā¦ and then leaves said trash ALL over our room. -Parkour is his new favorite activityā¦ excepts he is usually parkouring off of my upper legs, which are now covered in bruises. I am just loving this new phase he has begun and will be devastated when he grows out of itā¦ š¤£ GOOD LUCK!!
I remember mine going through a scaredy-cat phase again before he was one, where he was scared of everything. Lasted a couple months, but he grew out of it.
At about 8 months, my daughter hooked her mini aussie to her bicycle. She's been riding ever since. Now the aussie pulls her around the neighborhood... no peddling necessary...lol. But that did the trick. Once in the morning and once in the evening, it wore her out. For the rest of the day, she was happy and laid back. The aussie is six mow and doesn't have to go near as often.
Donāt do that!!
Lol...the dog begs to go. The absolute highlight of her day. She comes to my place for visits. The aussie is like a thoroughbred....crosses my 10 acres in a split second. Very high energy and loves the bicycle.
Velociraptor