Puppy Regression after Napa Earthquake? Or just BAD behavior??

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Barley ( 3 1/2 months) was an angel during the earthquake clean-up-perhaps he thought we had the power to move the earth and had better "tow the line." However - since then - yikes! He has seemed to have regressed! Peeing and pooping in the house - even with the outside door open, he chewed through his harness (my fault - I had just loosened it since he is now 26 pounds), went into the garden area where he is not allowed, tried to steal our older dog's food, chewing shoes, etc. Could he simply be going through his - "I am teething and almost 4 months and now I am going to forget what I am learning and test your every last nerve"- or could he be still a bit nervous about the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks? Any ideas on my first puppy? Yikes! he just threw up for the second time since yesterday. He also has his last puppy shot yesterday. Could it be this? I am tired and weary in Napa.

[charliebbarkin]

Yikes! I am sorry you are in the middle of the earthquake. I am glad you all are okay. I read this morning there were some minor aftershocks as well. Maybe your pup is also aware of those?I doubt, though, that it is the quake. Judging by your pup's age, I would say that he is just getting older, teething, gaining confidence and independence, exploring more and needing more exercise. Are you in a puppy class? A formal obedience class will be good to start around 6 months old. But a puppy class would be great to get in right now if you aren't already. Good luck!

[charliebbarkin]

well crap suddenly my posts are posting as blocks. sorry about that.

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Puppy class starts Saturday and I was going to start walking him since it was safe since yesterday- until he chewed through his harness yesterday! Ahhh!

[charliebbarkin]

Bummer about the harness! Can you walk him on a flat collar with some treats in hand to keep him from pulling? You really can walk your puppy before the last set of shots if you wanted, just be safe about it.

Have fun in class! We did our puppy class out in Los Gatos, not terribly far from Napa.

[jacksonsmommy]

Not to hijack the thread, but can you give me the info for your puppy classes in Los Gatos? I live in LG and am looking into classes for our new pup, who is arriving in a month. When we got Jackson, we lived in SF, so we have to find new classes and socials for #2.

Barley's mom - glad to hear you are all OK post-earthquake. That must have been terrifying. I'm sorry to hear that Barley is having a rough week. Maybe Barley is picking up on the aftershocks and just general stress energy post-earthquake? If Barley is teething, can you give him his meals in a frozen Kong? That'll keep him occupied for a while, tire him out, and the cold will be soothing. We also froze a lot of produce bites for Jackson when he was teething - bananas, apples, carrots.

[charliebbarkin]

Not to hijack the thread, but can you give me the info for your puppy classes in Los Gatos? I live in LG and am looking into classes for our new pup, who is arriving in a month. When we got Jackson, we lived in SF, so we have to find new classes and socials for #2.

Barley's mom - glad to hear you are all OK post-earthquake. That must have been terrifying. I'm sorry to hear that Barley is having a rough week. Maybe Barley is picking up on the aftershocks and just general stress energy post-earthquake? If Barley is teething, can you give him his meals in a frozen Kong? That'll keep him occupied for a while, tire him out, and the cold will be soothing. We also froze a lot of produce bites for Jackson when he was teething - bananas, apples, carrots.

I will send you a PM.

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Not to hijack the thread, but can you give me the info for your puppy classes in Los Gatos? I live in LG and am looking into classes for our new pup, who is arriving in a month. When we got Jackson, we lived in SF, so we have to find new classes and socials for #2.

Barley's mom - glad to hear you are all OK post-earthquake. That must have been terrifying. I'm sorry to hear that Barley is having a rough week. Maybe Barley is picking up on the aftershocks and just general stress energy post-earthquake? If Barley is teething, can you give him his meals in a frozen Kong? That'll keep him occupied for a while, tire him out, and the cold will be soothing. We also froze a lot of produce bites for Jackson when he was teething - bananas, apples, carrots.

Frozen apples and carrots!! Great idea! He goes through a Kong (well, a small one) in about 10 minutes frozen with a few treats and peanut butter. He is a crazy fast eater. I bought a new harness on Amazon which arrives on Thursday. I am afraid to walk him with the leash on his collar because our old lab damaged his throat this way as a pup - so I don't want to chance it. Thank you!

[Woodrow_Woodchuck]

My only help for the inside bathroom going is NEVER OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. If Barley is out of his crate or enclosure, he is under your direct supervision! Yes, it is a PITA but is required. Tie a leash to your waist if need be but watch the little bugger like a hawk!! :-}) Much easier to prevent bad habits from forming than to try and correct later. If he is out of sight, he is finding his own fun, not a good thing. By now you should be able to 'read' him and know when he is 'looking' for a spot. Drop what you are doing and outside!!! Give the command for poop and pee, then HUGE PRAISE PARTY for being a good boy!!! YEAH!!!! At 3 years old (almost), Sunshine still gets a big party for peeing & pooping outside. I have had some interesting comments, most ignorant but some in praise. I can pull into a shopping center parking lot, open the door and tell her to go pee. She will hop out, unleashed, and RUN to where I pointed, squat, pee, then RUN back into the car. "YEAH!! You are the best Pee'r in the whole world!!!" It didn't happen overnight but with Barley only 4 months old, you are working towards the long term investment.

How much exercise is he getting a day? Is it just leashed walks or does he have time and a place to run off leash like a nut and be a lab puppy? Now that he has had all his shots, find a good off leash park and let him go at it. Supervised of course!!! He needs to find someone to roughhouse with and needs to be socially reminded that some older dogs do not play like that. All part of being a puppy. These are social lessons he needs to learn and nothing you can teach him. If you find someone with another pup he gets along with, set up times to meet there. The other person might just be as happy as you are that after an hour or so of roughhousing with a 'buddy' their pup will go home and crash.

When my black gal was that age she would go through a few 'buddies' in a session. My goal was to stay long enough to wear her out. She would find a pup, they would roughhouse. The owner would leave, she would find another.... We would spend hours there. Other days we would go for off leash "explorations" in the woods out back or to the local lake. GREAT time for working on off leash verbal control.

Granted, Sunshine is not the average lab pup in energy and exercise requirements. She is the extreme. But before I could even think of training time, she needed to be exercised to the extreme first, then a nap, THEN work on training.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing. Besides... Who doesn't want to spend time with a lab puppy!!!!!

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

My only help for the inside bathroom going is NEVER OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. If Barley is out of his crate or enclosure, he is under your direct supervision! Yes, it is a PITA but is required. Tie a leash to your waist if need be but watch the little bugger like a hawk!! :-}) Much easier to prevent bad habits from forming than to try and correct later. If he is out of sight, he is finding his own fun, not a good thing. By now you should be able to 'read' him and know when he is 'looking' for a spot. Drop what you are doing and outside!!! Give the command for poop and pee, then HUGE PRAISE PARTY for being a good boy!!! YEAH!!!! At 3 years old (almost), Sunshine still gets a big party for peeing & pooping outside. I have had some interesting comments, most ignorant but some in praise. I can pull into a shopping center parking lot, open the door and tell her to go pee. She will hop out, unleashed, and RUN to where I pointed, squat, pee, then RUN back into the car. "YEAH!! You are the best Pee'r in the whole world!!!" It didn't happen overnight but with Barley only 4 months old, you are working towards the long term investment.

How much exercise is he getting a day? Is it just leashed walks or does he have time and a place to run off leash like a nut and be a lab puppy? Now that he has had all his shots, find a good off leash park and let him go at it. Supervised of course!!! He needs to find someone to roughhouse with and needs to be socially reminded that some older dogs do not play like that. All part of being a puppy. These are social lessons he needs to learn and nothing you can teach him. If you find someone with another pup he gets along with, set up times to meet there. The other person might just be as happy as you are that after an hour or so of roughhousing with a 'buddy' their pup will go home and crash.

When my black gal was that age she would go through a few 'buddies' in a session. My goal was to stay long enough to wear her out. She would find a pup, they would roughhouse. The owner would leave, she would find another.... We would spend hours there. Other days we would go for off leash "explorations" in the woods out back or to the local lake. GREAT time for working on off leash verbal control.

Granted, Sunshine is not the average lab pup in energy and exercise requirements. She is the extreme. But before I could even think of training time, she needed to be exercised to the extreme first, then a nap, THEN work on training.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing. Besides... Who doesn't want to spend time with a lab puppy!!!!!

Thanks!! I am going to have my husband read this because he is giving him free reign in the house with the outside door open when I am not home and thus unsupervised. And we have scolded him when we catch him going inside so he has become sneaky. I wanted to crate train and not just be in the dog run but the dear husband would not get on board as our old dog was never a problem. He is finally starting to listen and I am sending him lots of articles. It is all about training us. He needs more exercise but he just got his last shot so I can finally walk him. (Once his new harness comes since he chewed through it yesterday.) We are on 2 acres of fenced land so he has lots of free running and play. He is learning to fetch but really prefers to race around the yard with the outdoor broom or a plastic pot. And then, I work so need to be gone much of the day leaving him with my husband who works from home.