Hello all,
I adopted a 10 week old, male, retriever mix August 11th. Things have been getting progressively worse. I have dealt with puppies my whole life, but never behaviors like this. Please help me! He's making me and my fiance' an angry person and it's putting lots of tension between us. I don't want it to turn into a "It's Me or the Dog" type of situation.
1. Biting. It's getting worse and it's breaking the skin. You can't pet him, or walk, or do anything around him because he bites the living -- out of you. I've tried the "ouch!" pull away method, I've tried holding his mouth shut (which I know isn't advised) and I can't find anything that works.
2. Barking. Now I admit, I'm pretty sure there isn't much I can do about this one. I'm hoping he'll just grow out of this vocalization. But he barks, all the time, at anything and everything, and nothing. I don't want to give him attention for it, but I have to so he won't wake up my fiance'.
3. Sleeping schedule. First week was great, and now he wakes me up earlier, and earlier, and earlier. Now he wakes me up at 5:15 on the dot. I'm in full time graduate school and am in class until 8 and then have homework. I can't be getting up that early. It's not that I can just wake up and let him out to go to the bathroom, or even feed him. He wants to play and demands it. Again, can't ignore it because of my fiance'.
He isn't on a strict schedule yet because all my graduate school classes and clinicals haven't began. But roughly:
Wakes me up at 5:15am (very sad doggy mom)
5:15-8: breakfast, play, walk
8-12: put up in the bathroom
12: fiance' wakes up and let's him out, hangs out around the house
1: eats lunch
3ish: I try my best to get home and play/go for a walk
4-8: hangs out with the fiance'
8pm: I get home from class/he eats dinner
11pm-3am: hangs out, usually sleeps
3am: fiance' takes him out before bed
...then it starts all over again.
(Side note: Fiance' does not want or like the dog...doesn't help)
Please help me develop a better schedule.
I admit, I shouldn't of adopted him. I should have waited until I realized how little time I have in graduate school. I really don't want to give him up. He's not enjoyable and I honestly dread coming home to have to deal with the biting and barking. What do you suggest? Would it better for him for me to find him a new home since I really don't know how much time I will have for him. I've had animals my whole life and this is just not my personality to "give up."
I adopted a 10 week old, male, retriever mix August 11th. Things have been getting progressively worse. I have dealt with puppies my whole life, but never behaviors like this. Please help me! He's making me and my fiance' an angry person and it's putting lots of tension between us. I don't want it to turn into a "It's Me or the Dog" type of situation.
1. Biting. It's getting worse and it's breaking the skin. You can't pet him, or walk, or do anything around him because he bites the living -- out of you. I've tried the "ouch!" pull away method, I've tried holding his mouth shut (which I know isn't advised) and I can't find anything that works.
2. Barking. Now I admit, I'm pretty sure there isn't much I can do about this one. I'm hoping he'll just grow out of this vocalization. But he barks, all the time, at anything and everything, and nothing. I don't want to give him attention for it, but I have to so he won't wake up my fiance'.
3. Sleeping schedule. First week was great, and now he wakes me up earlier, and earlier, and earlier. Now he wakes me up at 5:15 on the dot. I'm in full time graduate school and am in class until 8 and then have homework. I can't be getting up that early. It's not that I can just wake up and let him out to go to the bathroom, or even feed him. He wants to play and demands it. Again, can't ignore it because of my fiance'.
He isn't on a strict schedule yet because all my graduate school classes and clinicals haven't began. But roughly:
Wakes me up at 5:15am (very sad doggy mom)
5:15-8: breakfast, play, walk
8-12: put up in the bathroom
12: fiance' wakes up and let's him out, hangs out around the house
1: eats lunch
3ish: I try my best to get home and play/go for a walk
4-8: hangs out with the fiance'
8pm: I get home from class/he eats dinner
11pm-3am: hangs out, usually sleeps
3am: fiance' takes him out before bed
...then it starts all over again.
(Side note: Fiance' does not want or like the dog...doesn't help)
Please help me develop a better schedule.
I admit, I shouldn't of adopted him. I should have waited until I realized how little time I have in graduate school. I really don't want to give him up. He's not enjoyable and I honestly dread coming home to have to deal with the biting and barking. What do you suggest? Would it better for him for me to find him a new home since I really don't know how much time I will have for him. I've had animals my whole life and this is just not my personality to "give up."