October 05, 2020
Our 15 week old puppy gets aggressive in the late afternoon and she is now also peeing in the ex-pen and escaping. Can you help us with these issues?
Full Question:
Hi Cindy,We have a GSD puppy, now 15 weeks, got her at 8 weeks. We bought an expen from you, and the video by Ed on raising puppies. We had a previous GSD male who we lost to a brain tumor at age 8 last year. However, we got him at 4 months so did not experience some of the challenges with a younger puppy.
1. She gets quite aggressive late in the afternoon, about 4 pm, and is all over my wife when they go out for potty, etc. she bites, grabs legs with both paws, etc. Dinner is about 5pm.
2. She has started peeing in the expen even after being outside, which she did not do earlier. I should mention that the locking device on the pen is poor. The dog jumps on the pen, and distorts its shape. when the gate forms a V with the adjoining panel, there is less tension on the clasp. she has busted out a few times, so the pen is now useless since she knows she can get out, or make a big fuss trying.
Any help on these issues will be appreciated.
Cindy's Answer:
Hi T,
The issues you are having are pretty standard for many puppies, I'll try to help as best I can via this format.
Issue 1) This is something I have seen over and over in the puppies I've raised. I compare it to a small child who gets hungry/overly tired and they act out-sometimes with a lot of frustration and commitment. Since you have noticed a pattern and time of day this seems to happen then I would be preemptive and be ready with a small snack, treats or a toy to redirect her. You may even want to change her dinner time and see if giving her a meal a little sooner helps. My current young dog Meru (the puppy in the video you have) would go through a raging flailing tantrum around 7 PM every night for a while. As he got older it went away but he was like a Tasmanian devil if you tried to pick him up or do anything like that. They typically outgrow it but in the meantime make sure your pup is on a leash so you or your wife can block her from doing this and put her in her crate if you have to.
2) I'd have a vet rule out a UTI for the peeing. If she has just started doing this it may be a medical issue.
The escaping from the expen is a problem that may not have a long term solution now that she's been successful on escaping- you will have to be right there next to her at ALL times. Actually we don't ever leave puppies unattended at all in expens when they are young because once they learn they can get out it becomes a game to them. Here's a short Q & A video where Michael Ellis talks about this. CLICK HERE to watch now.
Meru is now 10 months old and he can be left for a short period of time in the expen and he's quite calm but I only may run to the other room to make a coffee or fix a sandwich. I also make sure he's gotten plenty of physical exercise, he doesn't need to use the bathroom and that he has a bone or something to occupy him, When he was small I never left his sight when he was in the ex pen and just placed him in the crate if I needed to leave the room.
If my puppy is in the expen, then I am sitting within 10 feet of them at all times so I can quickly interrupt any pushing, climbing or unruly behavior.
The issues you are having are pretty standard for many puppies, I'll try to help as best I can via this format.
Issue 1) This is something I have seen over and over in the puppies I've raised. I compare it to a small child who gets hungry/overly tired and they act out-sometimes with a lot of frustration and commitment. Since you have noticed a pattern and time of day this seems to happen then I would be preemptive and be ready with a small snack, treats or a toy to redirect her. You may even want to change her dinner time and see if giving her a meal a little sooner helps. My current young dog Meru (the puppy in the video you have) would go through a raging flailing tantrum around 7 PM every night for a while. As he got older it went away but he was like a Tasmanian devil if you tried to pick him up or do anything like that. They typically outgrow it but in the meantime make sure your pup is on a leash so you or your wife can block her from doing this and put her in her crate if you have to.
2) I'd have a vet rule out a UTI for the peeing. If she has just started doing this it may be a medical issue.
The escaping from the expen is a problem that may not have a long term solution now that she's been successful on escaping- you will have to be right there next to her at ALL times. Actually we don't ever leave puppies unattended at all in expens when they are young because once they learn they can get out it becomes a game to them. Here's a short Q & A video where Michael Ellis talks about this. CLICK HERE to watch now.
Meru is now 10 months old and he can be left for a short period of time in the expen and he's quite calm but I only may run to the other room to make a coffee or fix a sandwich. I also make sure he's gotten plenty of physical exercise, he doesn't need to use the bathroom and that he has a bone or something to occupy him, When he was small I never left his sight when he was in the ex pen and just placed him in the crate if I needed to leave the room.
If my puppy is in the expen, then I am sitting within 10 feet of them at all times so I can quickly interrupt any pushing, climbing or unruly behavior.
User Response:
Thank you Cindy, much appreciated.
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