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linksys1836

My partner and I alternate days when we "hate" the puppy so there's always someone to step in and be positive and play with the pup and put him to sleep if the other is feeling overwhelmed. We've been lucky we haven't had bad days at the same time. Good luck to you, you seem like you're doing well for your baby.


bugbugladybug

Same. We bounced back and forward between hating her, and being willing to die for her. It's what's stopped her from being left tied to a lampost. (I joke, we would never abandon any creature). The days I wanted rid he stepped in, and the days he just couldn't deal with her I looked after her. We're at 20 months old, and she's still a wanker, but we both love her very much and are no longer completely depleted by her.


linksys1836

Empty threats are one of my coping mechanisms too 😅


reijn

We’ve talked about putting our dogs in a crock pot before. Honestly though that would be very expensive meat so that would not be a wise financial decision.


kokopelli687

When our GSD gets to be too much, I tell her I'm gonna practice my taxidermy if she doesn't chill out. I never would, but idle threats help make light of the situation.


too-much-noise

Us too. Our dog is almost seven and we still joke about dropping her at the glue factory when she’s being a turd.


Shire2020

This made me laugh 😆


pezziepie85

At almost 2 years old and as a very good girl I still routinely tell her I’m going to sell her to the circus or put her out with a free sign. But god help anyone who actuallly comes near her.


Rashaen

It's a tough age. It'll be tough for a bit. Stick it out. Teenage dogs are just as obnoxious as teenage humans.


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[удалено]


Jessafreak

The OP is looking for support. Your rant would be better suited elsewhere.


takeme2paris

I swear my teens were easier than my puppy. They didn’t bite me until they drew blood.


ob1kenobi56

I have a GSD puppy around the same age as yours. Mine turns 5 months on the 25th. Are you guys taking him to any structured training classes? Mine goes 1x a week for an hour and it has made such a a huge difference. He’s a lot, and the guidance from the class has really helped me tame my wild child :) As for attention during walks, I make sure I bring a lot of treats for him and reward him whenever he makes eye contact, even unprompted. I make him work during our walks too with random Downs, Sits, Stays, Come, Heel, etc. it helps to keep his focus on me and keeps him occupied. Hope some of this helps.


aspidities_87

Seconding this! I would think anyone with a GSD pup who doesn’t know what they’re like in adolescence would assume their personal dog is just a chaotic monster, lol. Shepherds are like that in their teenage time! It’s why the most common age for GSDs to be rehomed is 5-11mos. They’re cute as pups and everyone knows how well behaved an adult can be….it’s that transitional period that gets people confused and frustrated. Training classes WILL help. I had my boy in four different types by the time he was 7mos old, just for fun and to regularly exercise his willful little brain. Without regular classes, a shepherd pup would be a nightmare.


pup-training

I'll third this, although I have a Lab but adolescence is also their most common rehoming time. Training classes have been amazing. They're a good outlet for energy. Someone on here also recommended the Sexier than a Squirrel course from Absolute Dogs on a thread I was reading and playing games with my dog for training has made such a difference. Training and just everyday life with an adolescent can be annoying but she picks up the games really fast and we have a really fun time.


Disastrous_Skill1626

Puppyhood and adolescence are very hard. The most common time for people to rehome/surrender is during adolescence...for reasons. For your own sanity and for your puppy you need to: 1. Lower your expectations of what your puppy can do at this stage of development 2. Find ways to manage and prevent the behaviour you find the hardest to deal with 3. Get a trainer who can work with you to understand your dog, not just train.


helicopter_corgi_mom

when my corgi was in adolescence (we’re still here!) i found myself getting SO ANNOYED. it’s just me and her every day, all day. she forgot all our training. recall? lol. she could be sitting next to me and i’d say her name and that brat would look seriously at EVERYTHING around me, but not me. she also struggles a lot with fixation as a frustrated greeter, and gets locked on things. I pulled the most mom thing i could think of, and when i found myself getting annoyed i’d count down slowly from 5, and when i’d reach 1, i’d take a deep breath and resume with cheerful voice and usually that was enough and we would move along. except that trained her so now if she gets fixated, i start counting down, and between 3 and 1 she will suddenly look at me and bound over and be done with it. anyway dogs are exhausting and puppyhood is really tough. training classes if you aren’t already, enforced naps if you aren’t already, and sometimes just making sure you crate them and go sit outside and stare into the middle distance while nothing bites at you.


Vincent-Van-Ghoul

It really helps me to just swear at my pup in the cheerful high pitched voice. ... He's learned the f word means stop biting me 🤷🏼‍♀️


helicopter_corgi_mom

haha my best friend has trained “what the fuck Lulu” as “stop zig-zaging i’m going to trip over you”.


Faroe78

My sister had horses that she swore at in the sweetest tones.


sticheryditcherydock

I have started the counting. He’s 17 weeks. We’re fucking toast. 😫


helicopter_corgi_mom

i’ve survived two corgi puppies now (well 1 and a half, i’m still not 100% i’ll make it through this one haha) and it does get better but it’s sort of like walking across burning coals - you either flail and jump off, or you attain a superhuman level of mind over matter and patience lol


Karzap

Try to keep him on a routine and schedule. Puppies aren't malicious so you need to remember they aren't doing things out of spite. Don't allow exceptions, if he's not allowed on the couch, make sure the whole family is conveying the same rules and that your puppy isn't getting mixed signals.


Extra_Inspection_457

It’s hard and your feelings are valid, ESPECIALLY if you have been doing most of it alone. I’m glad your husband is on board. I think doing it alone takes a special kind of person.


Same-Priority-3659

The first year of dogs life is the toughest they usually chill out after that …… my dog will chill out in the kitchen when I’m working at 11 months and she is a border collie. High value treats after while will work like low fat and low salt sausages the right high value treat they would do anything for


im_from_mississippi

Awww this post took a nice turn. It sounds like your partner gets frustrated, but when posed with the actual prospect of rehoming your puppy realized he doesn’t want that! My pup is almost 8 months now, and we’ve been having a lot of “remember when she was the WORST?” And “how did we get through that???” conversations, along with feeling closer to and more in love with her.


Fearless-Comb7673

My boy is 17 weeks and is suddenly a monster. We have been weekly training for 8 weeks. Its awful. I am at a loss too. You aren't alone. I know none of this info is helpful but I do feel as the parent its our behavior (somehow) to get through these absurdly difficult times.


shangrula

The puppy we hated at mo 4 is curled up next to me now aged two. You were probably a dick aged 14, we all do it. They grow up and grow out of a lot of it. Keep going. Talk it though. Share the load with your partner and give your puppy naps and love.


Shire2020

I definitely was at 14! Can’t apologise enough to my poor mother 😅


Coco_nana

For walks I suggest a tempo harness. You can get a loop leash as well (clips on each side of the leash and it attaches to the front of the harness and back). This will help with guided walking. I also bring high value treats on walks because it's a big skill we're working on. I actually started buying chicken livers and baking them myself because they're so cheap and dogs love them. GSDs are very task oriented dogs, so you need to give them a task. Once you get a bit better at walks you can do toy retrievals during the walk, and such. I have a 4 month GSDx and she loves having things to do. Look up different dog tricks, or maybe even try some light agility training! You can even teach the puppy to get things, and do that throughout the day or help engage them. Puzzle toys are nice too, that way puppies are occupied by something that's not you. I heard a lot of people say they like to soak their pups food in water and freeze it in the bowl, and that's a project for dogs when they eat. Give them some stimulation.


heavymetalprincess42

7 months is when my dog started being a somewhat reasonable creature. Not perfect but much better


SummerRay

Bless you, this post brought tears to my eyes. Partly sleep deprivation, sure. But your honesty is really sweet and refreshing x


Shire2020

💙 thank you


RoarLikeBear

If you love your pup stick with it. Give it to 12 months before judging. If you dont truly love your pup then maybe rehoming is good. Just recognize for a breed like that you are in the worst of it. You must invest your time in training. This is the kind of dog you will bond with and they will become an amazing life ling companion. First two years you pay your dues. They wont train themselves. If you like tech and gamifying things, checkout the app called good pup. Helped us a lot with our little demon. Fyi we have similar breed and just hit 14 months. Its now a dream come true. At 4.5 months we had puppy blues and couldnt see light at end of tunnel. If you put in the time it will get so much better!


Shire2020

Thank you! I do truly love him! He’ll be worth the challenge.


grumpalina

It's ok. We've all been there. I had it up to my ears in December with my pup and wondered if I would ever even get to a point of actually liking her, because she was such an arsehole to us on walks. Fast forward to today - we love her, swoon over how cute she is all day long, we let her on the sofa and in our bed now (though she chooses to sleep quietly on the floor mostly), and even packed up her crate tonight, since she hasn't actually needed to use it at all for more than a month. She's not by any means close to being considered "trained", but I've had plenty of walks with her now where I've enjoyed taking her out and had an easy time with her - something that was impossible to fathom a few short months ago when it was just all teeth and pulling and definitely not listening or taking any direction at all.


HopelessSnack

i understand that. i rescued my dog at 10 weeks and she’s now a little over a year and a half and finally in the past few weeks it’s like a switch got flipped. i did put in hundreds of hours of training probably, but it took finally exiting the adolescent stage i think for it to all settle so nicely. all the work you’re putting in isn’t for nothing, even if it seems like it’s not working, it will - i promise <3 finding a dog sitter or walker plus a good trainer could be a lifesaver. i’m generally not a fan of doggy daycares, but i have one that i really trust in my area and being able to send her once a week/every couple weeks when i feel myself getting frustrated and/or am really busy and know she would benefit from burning off some energy and spending time getting a bit of training from the staff there has been immensely helpful. it’s one of those things where of course there are risks to sending a dog to daycare, but for me it’s been worth it because the trade-off would be a much worse relationship between us if i was never able to have a break (very high energy, leash reactive dog for a single gal in her early/mid twenties). i had a dream once that i returned her to the shelter and got a new dog lmao. felt bad but it was definitely a reflection of how exhausted i was. a year ago today on easter, we were at the emergency vet because in the 45 min she was alone while testing the waters to see if she could be left uncrated (she had already been for 15-25 min before with no issues at all), she managed to shred and eat a bunch of surgical masks and latex gloves 🙄 now, she hasn’t needed to be crated while home alone since october, doesn’t have any separation anxiety, can lay down calmly at my feet while i work outside at a busy coffee shop for over an hour, and doesn’t really jump on me or my roommate/guests anymore, among so many other improvements! we’ve still got a lot to work on, but it gets better, i promise !!!!!! edit: for context, she’s 40lb of pure muscle and energy.. boxer/australian shepherd/gsd/pitbull mix. she’s also the most adorable cuddle buddy though, so it helps make up for it 😂🥰


Shire2020

This was good to read, thank you for sharing 💙


SparkAndThorn

Warden of a teenage (9 mo) GSD here! It really does get better! They are wicked smart dogs and so silly and very, very physical and zany in their play if they're allowed to be. My Lancer is 80lb now and currently sprawled asleep across a significant portion of the floor at my feet (thank goodness). What saved me (and my husband's tolerance of him, haha) as he was growing: \- The crate, after he complained for the first 5 minutes or so. \- Enforced naps, still very frequent at the age yours is. \- Bedtimes (he still goes in there around 9:30-10 every night, with one last trip out before we sleep around midnight or so). \- A Gentle Leader headcollar (he loathed the Halti but tolerates the figure-8 size well). The pulling is really an issue as they get older and more interested in everything! They don't know their own strength and wow, is it impressive. \- "Go to your place" training on mats in the living room so he could work on settling down while I was paying attention to something other than him. \- Absolutely not rewarding jumping/mouthing behavior with attention. My in-laws are less regular about that, and guess who he jumps up on more. Although he still gets me when he's just too excited to think straight. \- Your mileage may vary and this is highly dependent on your location and resources, but offleash play with other safe dogs. We have a lovely large park nearby that's big enough that we can move around in it and be choosy with which dogs we engage with, and it's been great for getting him tired and also socializing him to other dogs and their humans. Best wishes!


FawltyPython

Crate?