Chill Out!

He's basically a teenage boy. Think of those pimpley faced, horny, rambunctious, teenage boys who never stop talking, antagonzing, and being a general pain in the bum! Well thats your dog right now.
Do you run or walk him in the morning? I'm not talking about a walk around the block but a real heart pumping jog? He has too much energy/ What kinda toys do you have for the lil guy?

Shep hit that nail right on the head!
 
What's a szechuan?

ORIGINAL: glenmar



What's a szechuan?

Funny how I'm on auto pilot and didnt even catch that. I probably assumed schanuzer, ha ha Oh man I need to go home! I guess if I was working instead of playing on here I could leave faster![]

ORIGINAL: glenmar

Shep hit that nail right on the head!

What's a szechuan?

Szechuan is Chinese cooking.  Maybe she means a Schichon.  That would be one of those designer mutts - cross between Shih Tzu and Bichon.   No idea - new "breeds" are cropping up about as often as new ways of cooking.  If you Google on "Szechuan & dog" for example, you will get a recipe for "Szechuan Chihuahua". [sm=crazy.gif]

ORIGINAL: glenmar

What's a szechuan?

Spicy Chinese Crested?

Oh yea and take his water dish away a hour and a half before bedtime.....but dont forget to give him some as soon as you get up

Szechuan[sm=rotfl.gif]  Szhuanzer**
 
I don't have time for walks in the morning. [&:] -Work-
I take him out for walk after work and after dinner.
Another thing is He wont pay attention to me when we walk. When I try to correct him from pulling the leash, he do listen to me when i tell him to sit, but his attention is somewhere else (car, kids, birds...).
I heard walks is only beneficial when dog is giving you his focus.
 

ORIGINAL: iJonas

Another thing is He wont pay attention to me when we walk. When I try to correct him from pulling the leash, he do listen to me when i tell him to sit, but his attention is somewhere else (car, kids, birds...).
I heard walks is only beneficial when dog is giving you his focus.

 
What are you correcting him for doing when you pull the leash? A better way to get his attention is lots of treats! Also try changing the direction and speed lots when you walk, as he'll have to pay more attention to what you're doing.

When he pulls or walk ahead of me.

oops sorry I misread! [&:]
 just want to clarify- what exactly do you do when he pulls? you call him back and ask him to sit?
 
One method that is effective for pulling is acting "like a tree" whenever the dog starts to pull, then  and calling them back so they're next to me, so basically pulling=no walking, by your side=walking.
 

I stop, tell him to sit, and carry him next to me and we walk.

Can you find someone who can walk him in the mornings? your dog has a lot of energy and he needs to drain it, right now he is doing nothing destructive to release extra energy but you dont want him to get to that point

This is a hard age, but such a wonderful one. I agree that more exercise would be a good idea. Long, brisk walks, hiking, going to an off-leash area and socializing with other dogs can be great for him and for your relationship. You can also do more mental stimulation; obedience training, puzzle toys, free-shaping with a clicker and agility, for example. Another great thing is making him work for food by feeding him meals in a Kong or Busy Buddy and giving him raw meaty bones to work on.

As for the peeing, it is probably just marking. Is he neutered?

Keep training during the walks to keep him more focused. It can be such hard work, but it can also really pay off and make walking much more enjoyable. Do you work on "watch me"? It can help a lot. Have you tried motivating with treats or toys?

If you can get up a bit earlier to take him out in the morning, it would probably help a lot. I've come to really enjoy getting up before the whole city is awake and getting outside for some exercise helps me feel better too. Another option would be to get a dog walker or send him to doggie daycare a few times a week.

Very brisk walks with lots of change in direction - make him wonder what you are doing instead of going crazy wondering what HE is doing! If you have to walk in a little square over and over in front of your house, so be it.

Have him pee in one place - give him a suitable time to check "pee-mail", use the command "hurry up" or "go potty" or whatever you feel comfortable saying in front of the neighbors. [] Then the rest of the walk is yours. No peeing. When he's more mature you can give him some of that time back.

Inside, try this - instead of letting him manipulate you into playing "activity pez dispenser", make sure you offer some structured activity, some quiet training, then teach him "Go to bed". Teach him to go to a bed or mat and chew a toy quietly until you release him. This is the perfect age for that - quiet time is highly beneficial to the adolescent mind, and voluntary quiet time builds character and works his mind (as opposed to locking him in a crate).

It would be really great if you could work one play session into morning routine. Just getting up 30 min earlier? We had to get up one hour earlier to work our BCs when we lived in the city - one that was a year old and one pup! Then we moved to the farm and spend two hours every morning doing chores before a ninety minute commute. Yeah, that's MUCH better. [8|] Fortunately I don't do that often . . .