puppy regression

[liz&Obi]

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Hi All,

Obi (JRT) is just about to turn a year old! I don't know where this year has gone!
He is a very happy dog and is fit and healthy but we have hit a bit of, what i hope is just a phase. He seems to have regressed a lot in the last two 2-3 weeks. He was castrated 3 weeks ago and since then he has started to display puppy behaviours that we thought he had outgrown.
. He has peed in the house a few times,
. He is mouthing more and it is a bit harder, he will stop when told to though.
. Grabbing hold of our clothing, sleeves in particular.
. Biting holes in any fabrics including his beds - he now has nothing in his crate to lie on because i am concerned that he will chew and swallow it. He seems to eat things rather that chew on them. When i clear away his poop sometimes there are pieces of fabric in it!
. pulling very hard on the lead on walks and cannot control himself when he sees other people and dogs - he gets over excited, he doesn't show any aggression.
. Hyperactivity - not just a normal amount but a lot more than normal. He struggles to settle at night.
. He doesn't sleep much - one day he only slept for 30 mins and usually he has a few naps lasting an hour or so each.

Is this just a phase? I know we need to be firm with him with the behaviours but it feels like we are back at square one.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading,

Liz

 

[JudyN]

I wonder if he's feeling anxious? Testosterone helps a dog feel confident, so the drop of testosterone could be making him more stressed. Do what you can to keep him calm - maybe avoid other dogs on walks in case they make him more nervous now he's a bit less 'macho'.

Make sure he has a lot of outlets for his energy, e.g. give him a cardboard box to shred (as long as he doesn't eat that too), play tug with him (with a long toy so he's less likely to grab you instead), or a long-lasting chew or bone.

Dogs can regress when they're adolescents and you do have to go back to basics. But rather than doubling down on being firm, I'd aim to manage situations to avoid the unwanted behaviours, by giving him other outlets.

It may be worth running this past your vet though - there may be some physical/hormonal effects of the surgery that are causing the peeing in the house and his difficulty settling.

 

[liz&Obi]

Hi,
Thank you for replying.
He doesn't show any signs of anxiety so I'm not sure it's that. If anything he is more excited than normal.
I've tried hiding treats in cardboard boxes and he has great fun with it but I have to supervise as he eats small pieces of the cardboard.
I feel cruel not putting anything in his crate to lie on but I know he will shred beds to get the fluff out. Is it OK for him to be lying on such a hard surface at night?

 

[Flobo]

Would he shred and eat blankets or some other covering, like old sheets? Is it just filled beds he will rip up for the fluff?

 

[JudyN]

Yeah, but anxiety can make dogs (and people) a bit more hyper. Of course, I can't see your dog and you know him well, so use your own jusgment - but assuming there is an element of anxiety and trying to make his environment a little calmer is safer than assuming there isn't.

I wonder if you could try Vetbed in his crate, fitted carefully so there aren't any loose corners he could chew? Could that work?

How long is he in his crate for per day? I'm guessing you can't leave him out of his crate unsupervised as he'll eat any fabric he finds, but I'm wondering if a bed like this would work: Ferplast Dream Folding Dog Bed Grey | Pets