Help - Dog Behavior

Ahoy :)

My DF and I got a Maltese x Silky puppy earlier this year and he's now 9 months old. He is a very playful, excitable dog that is very well behaved MOST of the time and understands basic instructions like sit, stay, lie down, comes when he's called and knows what "NO" means.

My DF plays games with him (mainly fetch) and runs around with him alot... The problem that I'm having is that my DF works in the mines in up north and is away from home half the time and when he's away Oli just wants to play with me, and being as big as a house and barely being able to walk now it's just not possible for me to run around with him, or bend over and pick up the "fetch" object.

So the problem that i'm having is that Oli barks at me when I don't play with him. I've tried giving him a smack on the nose but he thinks that is a game and just runs away and barks more. He barks at me if I go in for a sleep because he's bored and wants to play. So how do I stop this behaviour? I've tried ignoring him as well, so he knows he wont get attention by barking, but he just keeps going and going. He has plenty of toys, and space to run around outside, and he's such a good boy when DF is home and he gets lots of attention.

I'm worried because in a few weeks i'll have a newborn, and even less time to spend with him, and I can't have him barking everytime I want a nap and waking the baby up as well.

I've never had a dog before, any suggestions on how to help control him would be appreciated! He's booked in to lose his boy bits next week, apparently this helps to calm them down, does anyone know if that's true? He's such a gorgeous dog, but he drives me nuts every second week when DF is away!!!

Cheers :)
Janine

I think he is barking at you becuase your DH gives him too much attention. Your DH needs to ignore him more.

Yeah you're probably right. he only plays with him a couple of times a day, but it just seems to be enough to wear Oli out so he gets exhausted.

Do you know if desexing helps calm them down?

Actually I don't agree.... I think he is only a 9 month old puppy and needs some stimulation. If you aren't able to do it, maybe find someone, a teenage neighbour or family member, who you can pay $5-10 for taking him for a walk?

He needs mental stimulation and exercise, and I know how hard that is when you are pregnant. I got my labrador when I was pregnant and she was 6 months old when I had our baby. I spent pregnancy training her for a baby, and getting her used to indoor behaviour vs outdoor.

Do you have mentally stimulating toys for him? Kong? Food box? Treat ball? Maybe try feeding him through things he has to work at in order to help stimulate him. I did not feed my dog out of a bowl for the first 18 months of her life ;)

** I should say now, I studied dog behaviour & training puppies and ran puppy schools for 10 years. I do know what I am talking about :D **

Take out what he should be eating per day & put it in a bag or something. Grab an empty coke bottle and take the lid off, put 1/3 of his daily food in there. When he starts getting a bit frisky, give him the coke bottle.

At night before bed, put some peanut butter in a kong, put 1/3 his daily food requirements in it as well and pop it in the freezer. Give him the kong in the morning for breakfast.

Get a treat ball and put the last bit of food for the day in there, and give it in the afternoon or sometime during the day.

This has a huge impact on the behaviours you are describing. As well as daily walks, he needs around 20 minutes daily. If you aren't able to do that (I understand! I had a 6 month old labrador when I was 42 weeks pregnant), you should get someone else to do it. BUT it is great for positioning the baby to go for a walk as well ;) If you get someone else used to walking him, you can then use them when you have bubs as well for the first few weeks.

Good luck! But he does need stimulation. Ignoring his behaviour and not stimulating him will lead to worse behaviours and serious anxiety conditions.

Janine, just thought i'd put in some experience with dogs and their boy bits XD
When DF and I first got together he had a German shepherd (family pet) which was rather hard to control, and they removed his bits and he was exactly the same dog. I'm not 100% sure when they did it though, how old he was or anything, as I have heard age can make a difference. I guess the younger they are the better?

DF and I have a german shepherd now (not the same one) who still has his manhood intact and he is the most dopey laid back boofhead of a thing, and he's 3.

I think Christy has given you some good advice and some ways of keeping him occupied without having to actually be there phyically. Conning a kid you're familar with to keep him occupied seems like a good idea too ;)

Christy, great advice.
I would love to do a dog behaviour course.
I love my GSP so much, she is one clever chook. I think so often that I'm the one that needs the training not her.

Janine,
As a suggestion, have you seen the ball thrower sticks (I think I've seen them at Woolies)? They're great when you can't bend down to pick up the ball.

Best Wishes to you and your family.

Sorry I missed the boy bits alltogether. As far as behaviour, it means that less testosterone is released, so the younger the better! It should help with dominance, wandering, urinating inappropriately, and a general calming. BUT he is still a puppy and will want stimulation. That will not change with desexing. Sorry :(

Maybe you could get a totem tennis pole or make one with a bit of wood & tie a tennis ball on a string on it, for something for him to play with

That's awesome advice, thanks so much!

He does have alot of toys, but nothing where you put food or treats in, so maybe a kong will be a good idea to keep him busy.

Or one of those scoop things so you can throw the ball with that and when the dog returns it you dont have to bend over to pick it up you can scoop it up ... not sure what they are called but they lob the ball so far! My dogs love it :lol: good luck!

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Or one of those scoop things so you can throw the ball with that and when the dog returns it you dont have to bend over to pick it up you can scoop it up ... not sure what they are called but they lob the ball so far! My dogs love it :lol: good luck!

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Oh yeah! Good idea I forgot about those! They're very effortless and dogs love them because you can flick it to go for miles!

Christy, While you're out and about (and without high jacking the thread :redface:) I thought i'd see whether you might know if this is a problem or not. Our german shepherd is 3, and still squats, and still has his boy bits... The poor bugger is a bit of a family joke because he's not a "man" yet :doh:

LOl Teagz... nah its just some boy dogs never do it.... even with their bits ;)

Hi There

I know the feeling with my pooch he wanted to play outside with the ball all the time and it's tough when you're the size of a house!

Something I learned was if you get a special toy....a specific one that only YOU and the dog play with (maybe the ball/stick thingy thrower) only get it out when YOU want to play...not when the dog provokes you into it. Means that you are playing on your terms, not the dogs, and if you've had enough, just stop...not a word...and put the toy away where it can't play with it whenever it feels like it. This worked with my dog, we had a sqeeky toy that I would pull out only when I felt like it and it was the only toy he'd drop on command! I guess it would teach them that they aren't the ones in charge!

Young dogs want to play....as far as getting him desexed I think it would only work in calming them if you did it before the testosterone kicks in! It makes a difference in some dogs, not in others. My pooch still has his, and he's as mellow as they come.

Good luck :)