Calming a Crazy Puppy

Does your puppy have endless energy? My foster, Roxi the standard poodle does. I think she could play and wrestle with Norman all day long and still want to zip through my yard and bushes.

Norman, who is 2 1/2 years old is the most tolerant dog I've ever been around.  No matter how exhausted he is, he won't correct her or tell her no. And, I get tired of the constant raucous, especially when I'm trying to work.

I'm a firm believer in "time-outs" for crazy puppies. My favorite method is tethering. I have cable tie-outs; the smallest length, and lightest weight plastic coated tie-outs. I've tried rope, leashes, and chain, and these tethers work the best. Roxi chewed through the leashes and rope and the chain was rough on my furniture.

I just wrap the tie-out around my desk leg several times and give her about 6 ft. of length to travel around. I have another in the family room near "my" chair. This way, she's always close by, which is important. Puppies and dogs are social animals and they need to be with others. I can also move the tether to other locations, if I need to.

She took to the tether easily and settles down immediately when I hook her up. If your puppy resists at first, just be consistent. Ignore any attempts to get attention from you and reward quiet behavior. After a few days of this new routine, your puppy will learn to settle down. It also would help to save bones or great chew toys for this quiet time. Ration toys for when you need to entertain your dogs. Don't let them have access to the toy basket all the time.

You could also teach your dog to go to his bed and stay, which I'll write about in future posts. But that's a tall order for a crazy puppy.

Comments

[jan]

Kim
Thanks for visiting the Poodles and dogs and for your very informative comments about your experiences with Roxy. She is a beautiful dog as well as being gifted and intelligent (even if she is a blonde :>) You have good information on your blog, well written. I'd like to add you to my blog roll when I get a chance to update it.