Confession
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 I ya, Oliver is 13 months. He is a hand full too. I have read a few post and it talks about stimulating them mentally. Try teaching her new tricks, or a little bit of give me the toy ( Oliver doesn't know how to drop really good. )I find the widest spot in the house and just throw the toy in the house so he is still running and jumping in the house. These are only at special times though. Other dogs are usually kenneled so that he doesn't step or run over them. I am holding on to the thought that this puppy stage will only last another 6 months. I hope that his energy will subside a little. LOL  He is wonderful and I love him it is just sometimes our schedules don't match up, lol.Traci |
| You are at a tough age - especially with a lack of exercise. Is there an obedience class you can join? Highly recommended. Puppies need some training and it burns off some exercise. If you have a long hallway, try practricing some recall exercises. Have someone stand at one end of the hally and call your dog. reward when she comes. Then go back the other way. Throwing the ball back and forth is good too. We love Bully Stick when the weather is bad. We buy the "premium" 12 inch and it keeps them busy for a while. Also, a Kong stuffed with peanut butter and rrozen will keep them busy a while... I think the best thing is to enroll in a class...I am sure others will put in their advice as we have all been through this stage.  |
| Our Mady turned one in November. I found that, for a little while, we had to step up on the training. She was showing signs of being a bit stubborn (I know, you are all shocked that a sheepie can be stubborn ). It was nothing dramatic, just small stuff. For example, I would tell her to sit and she would sit but it would take oh so long before that fuzzy bottom hit the floor. So we worked on the basics again, sit, stay, down kind of stuff. We could work on that in the house, but we also worked on it during walks. Made the walks more tiring! I am finding that if she gets challenging, I have to step up and work a bit harder, which is tough because I am already tired from her being challenging! This stubborn phase didn't last long, though, and I am sure she won't go through it again...... |
| Yep - your pup is growing into a young adult, with puppy craziness but big dog endurance. We keep really busy here - both physical and mental stuff - it really, really helps. A class with stuff to work on each day gives a great thinking workout, as well as you are learning stuff that makes life easier for all in the long run. At this age mental exercise works well to tire them, especially if it's after a bit of the physical to take the edge off so they can think....  |
| The ugly time. Just keep reminding yourself it will pass and you will get through it. Ever tried teaching tricks? Or target training? You can even do some basic obedience in your home if you can't find a class. I've also been known to play hide and seek with my dog!  I take "active" dogs on car trips when I am running errands and the temperature won't bother them. And when they are young and active, I try never let them sleep while I am awake!  |
| the dreaded one year old! Don't take it personally. Keep up your training. If you can take her to one day of puppy day care a day so she can play with other dogs it will go a long way. She will get very tired and also the other dogs will remind her how to behave |
| that was me....and I meant to say one day a week. (sorry just woke up. Was sitting here while Chiquita did her morning business outside). |
| Please attend our STLOES meeting on Saturday, I pm'd you with all the information. In addtion to meeting great sheepiepeople, we can empathize with what you are going through and we may have some suggestions!!!! |
I am thinking a training class might be the trick. We do Camp Bow Wow once a week and she loves being there. We also do the dog park whenever weather is decent. I knew she was going to be a ton of work, but I am exhausted. I am ready for the day when she can be somewhat content. We haven't figured that out yet.  |
| I totally understand your feeling of being overwhelmed...I am too. Howie turns 10 months old next week. It is non stop from morning until night with him, he never 'settles down'. It has been this way since we brought him home at 8 weeks old. I put him in his crate so I can have a few minutes to myself. I've had other dogs and they play alone, go for naps, entertain themselves, not my Howie. We are big on exercise and training in our house, so I know he is getting lots of mental and physical exercise. I think it is just Howie's personality LARGER THAN LIFE. He is just now able to sit with me quietly for maybe 4 minutes without getting ants in his pants. Today Howie is getting neutered, I have been edgy all day with worry. Got a call from the vet saying that the surgery went great. I can pick him up tomorrow afternoon. My confession...I am happy to have the day to myself without my pup. I love Howie so much and I feel lost without him, I would not trade him for anything. Will neutering help just a bit to calm Howie down? I am not expecting much, just a little less bouncy? thanks for all the other advice, nice to know that it is normal for sheepies to be this way! peg |
| Oh you have no idea how encouraging it is to hear that. I, like you wouldn't trade Khloe for anything, but she is a handful from morning till bedtime. Oh sweet glorious bedtime!!!! |
Izzy will be 1 on Tuesday, and I have to say the beginning of January had me wondering if she'd ever see the day ! My husband and I were both home over the holidays and Izzy was the most AMAZING fluffball. We even had a houseful over for Christmas Eve and she just snuggled and looked cute - didn't even jump! Then we went back to work, and it started....I couldn't walk her long enough, couldn't train her hard enough, and couldn't find anything to keep her attention. My husband and I took shifts and barely had anytime together. Now, I've found that a schedule of fun has kept her much better. When I get home, we go for a half-hour walk where she interacts with most of the neighborhood. We come home and train (I can't BELIEVE how much I can teach her - she picks everything up so quickly!) Then my souz chef helps keep the floor clean while I cook, and at 5:30 like clockwork, she's at the window waiting for her daddy to come home. After dinner we play some sort of fetch - which she loves and tires her out! - and then we do another round of training. Then my husband gives her one really good play session and and brushing. We end the evening with an antler and the chewing seems to calm her down so she's ready for bed. Knock on wood she's been much more manageable lately. I'm happy to report I think she'll see her first birthday  |
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Meg???...What was your schedule like BEFORE Izzy???? I think I know....maybe a nice quiet winddown, after work? A glass of wine? A leisurely dinner, by the fire, with you and your hubby having a relaxing conversation about the day.Planning what you will do this weekend? Watching a little TV, maybe falling asleep on the couch, then to bed???? BAAAWWABAWWWBAWWW!!!! But...I am sure you love the change as much as we ALL do!!!! We are ALL sheepiecrazy~~~~  ((can't wait to get home to my 3 in about 45 minutes!!!)) |
| I want to formally thank all the above posters. Every once in a while, I get a thought(yeah it happens), that maybe we should get another puppy. I have two sheepies, five and six years old. MOST of the time they are quiet and well mannered. They keep each other entertained. Wild every once in a while. We have a good life. So thank you!!!! I DON'T WANT A PUPPY ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| One day, when Hudson was almost two, my hubby and I looked at each other and said, "Is he sick? He hasn't been a little turd in nearly a week." That was a magic moment. He'd been known as evil puppy until then, and it was fabulous to see him mature. We survived our first year with our Rudy (rescue). We think he was one when he arrived, so we think he's about two now. Last night we were discussing how much he's changed and matured. For us, the magic is around two years. We currently have our fourth and fifth sheepies, and the first three were similar too. Hang on. It's a long road, but there is hope. At one they are pretty crazy... Play mental games. Find a good chewy toy. I've taught many of our sheepies to play hide and seek with me. Get a good sit/stay, hide somewhere in the house, call them and let them find you. Have a treat ready for when they do. Learn some new tricks. We have this ball you put kibble in. A piece drops out every minute or so as the dogs push with their noses. It's a great hit, amuses them for a long time, and they pass out from exhaustion when they are done. Good luck. One day you won't even believe it's the same dog. |
| Thanks Traci, It is really comforting to know that this crazy pup will settle and be a great dog someday around 2 years old. We have a list on our fridge, 2 columns, what wild behavior Howie did or does have and the other column what Howie does that is so wonderful now. Example before: wakes up on average 12 times at night crying/barking (in crate) now: wakes up 2 times at night a softly rings his bell (out of crate) It may seem silly but it does help Mark & I know with training, love and time it does make a huge difference. It is hard to see those changes day to day when we sometimes feel so over whelmed. So visually on the fridge it is a good reminder that we are all doing okay and be proud of boy. peg |
| Hello! AWWW, I feel all fuzzy inside! Knowing i'm not the only one wishing to put ziggy in his crate so we can have quiet time  He is the best ever!! he turned 1 back in Oct, and he is full of enrgy!!  we walk him like we are training for a marathon, in the a.m. and in the p.m. we do training, we also play in the basement or back yard!. now with so much snow is kinda hard to go for walks and his poor legs cant carry all those snowballs! Lol!! and he still full of energy in the house! when i let him be in the backyard to him self, he just sits there! or goes to sleep. but not ever here in the house! OMG!! i can not wait for him to calm down! we just went in for his check up and shots, and vet said he was great! @ 97.5 lbs. im glad he is growing, but i do worry that he wont just be "good" when we visit friend with dogs, I am amazed at how they are jsut there minding their own business, not my Ziggy! he has to be in your face, and if your hand is notr busy he'll nudge it so you can rub his ear or pat him in the back and if you stop, hell nudge his nead in your hand until you keep rubbing! Thanks for letting me vent Andrea |
| But you know what when they do start to calm down and stop doing all the crazy stuff you get to missing it. |
This, too, shall pass.  The age of two does seem to be magical when it comes to OES maturity. It is a gradual thing, and then one day you wake up and realize that your dog is no longer a complete doo-doo head!Laurie and Oscar, Former Doo-Doo Head |
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