Is It Normal To Feel Like This??? Arrgggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[markquinton]

Hi All

 

I've posted before and sorry in advance for my rant.

 

I have  7 month old mally which I adore but at this present time she is driving me nuts and more often than not i'm feel down about her not happy like I should be. Is it normal to go through spells where you think you spend all your time stressing about your dog misbehaving or being a complete pain in the ass???

 

I'm struggling with the following:

 

1) random attacking me mid walk which i'm beginning to hate, she even does this with a headcollar on which I bought this week. I'm still sure it's not aggression but it's driving me insane and is embarrassing to the max when cars are driving past and seeing this big malamute standing on her hind legs mouthing me wherever possible and me trying to restrain her.

 

2) Her mouthing is still a problem at 7 months, If I kneel down and try and play with her she just jumps on me and mouths me (not hard though). I've tried nipping her lip, fingers down her mouth, turning my back, walking away, shouting and bitter apple spray. All result in the same thing,...she mouths again to try and get me to do the same thing again. It's like a massive game to her.

 

3) Every single night and day she goes straight to one particular sofa and bites or claws the end of it, she knows she is not allowed to do it and does it for a reaction, if I try and take her to time out she plays dead and lays down. The fact she does it just for a reaction is soooo infuriating! I can't just let her destroy the sofa though, she realises it presses my buttons and makes me angry but refuses to leave it alone and will wine and paw the sofa constantly to let me know she's still touching it.

 

Do I have a particular naughty mally? There are some things she is now fantastic with and like I say I love her to bits. I do wonder whether I've been a failure though as she's still mouthing at 7 months. I also wonder whether she actually loves me, I treat her so well and spend lots of time with her and her ears go down whenever I come home which shows she's excited to see me but sometimes I wonder why she's so naughty. I have wanted a mally so much and well willing to put in the effort in order to get a wonderful companion out of it in the end. She's great with other dogs and has a lovely personality but sometimes I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew....I really hope not.

 

Please can I ask, apart from walking how do you keep mally and sibe puppies enterained in the evening, I find after walking Jazz she gets so bored even with a kong etc and then the mischief starts.

 

In all honesty I can't wait for her to grow up.

 

Thanks

 

Mark

[Stormy]

What you are feeling is completely normal!

Now the bad news is you may feel like this for a while and more than once Skye drove me abs insane would have me in tears etc she is a year and 2 months now and only just calming down and my hard work is showing now finally! It was the same with shadow also!

So hang in there keep at it and you will get the rewards trust me I do prefer mine older lol

[Devildust76]

Hi All

I've posted before and sorry in advance for my rant.

I have 7 month old mally which I adore but at this present time she is driving me nuts and more often than not i'm feel down about her not happy like I should be. Is it normal to go through spells where you think you spend all your time stressing about your dog misbehaving or being a complete pain in the ass???

I'm struggling with the following:

1) random attacking me mid walk which i'm beginning to hate, she even does this with a headcollar on which I bought this week. I'm still sure it's not aggression but it's driving me insane and is embarrassing to the max when cars are driving past and seeing this big malamute standing on her hind legs mouthing me wherever possible and me trying to restrain her.

2) Her mouthing is still a problem at 7 months, If I kneel down and try and play with her she just jumps on me and mouths me (not hard though). I've tried nipping her lip, fingers down her mouth, turning my back, walking away, shouting and bitter apple spray. All result in the same thing,...she mouths again to try and get me to do the same thing again. It's like a massive game to her.

3) Every single night and day she goes straight to one particular sofa and bites or claws the end of it, she knows she is not allowed to do it and does it for a reaction, if I try and take her to time out she plays dead and lays down. The fact she does it just for a reaction is soooo infuriating! I can't just let her destroy the sofa though, she realises it presses my buttons and makes me angry but refuses to leave it alone and will wine and paw the sofa constantly to let me know she's still touching it.

Do I have a particular naughty mally? There are some things she is now fantastic with and like I say I love her to bits. I do wonder whether I've been a failure though as she's still mouthing at 7 months. I also wonder whether she actually loves me, I treat her so well and spend lots of time with her and her ears go down whenever I come home which shows she's excited to see me but sometimes I wonder why she's so naughty. I have wanted a mally so much and well willing to put in the effort in order to get a wonderful companion out of it in the end. She's great with other dogs and has a lovely personality but sometimes I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew....I really hope not.

Please can I ask, apart from walking how do you keep mally and sibe puppies enterained in the evening, I find after walking Jazz she gets so bored even with a kong etc and then the mischief starts.

In all honesty I can't wait for her to grow up.

Thanks

Mark

Hi Mark

From what I've read this is all part of he Mal growing up 'charm'. Kodiak still nips my feet sometimes when walking especially if he doesn't get his own way! He has recently stopped mouthing me all of the time and I do mean very recently. He still plays quite rough with me but that's my fault I guess for letting him! He has started to settle more in the evenings especially at around 9.30 which is when he has his last walkies. We've been lucky though as he hasn't chewed any furniture and prefers his Stag Bars to chew. He was very time consuming (more than I ever thought) at around 7-8 months as he wanted to play all night so I feel your pain I really do but it does get better he is really starting to come into his own now and is still a goofball at times but he is also more settled too if that makes sense. For instance now he is laid at my feet after a case of the zoomies prompted him to fling his squeaky piggy from one end of the room to the other for 15 minutes flat! Feel free to message me anytime though

[Chula]

I completely feel your pain, as my sibe is still really mouthy at 6.5 months. I feel the same sense of failure and embarrassment. I haven't figured out yet how to stop the "attacking" that happens when I am in the yard with her. I know with her it isn't aggression in the sense of her trying to hurt me, it is just her trying to get her way or get attention because she isn't an aggressive dog at all otherwise, it's like a switch in her head and she suddenly goes nuts and becomes this jumping, biting little brat. There doesn't seem to be any method that works, though I know that the advice is always to stick with one thing and keep at it until it does work.

 

In the evenings, we play a lot of fetch. She also has an antler chew that she loves. I've also been trying to bring her to play with other dogs as often as possible because that tires her out (and I get to sit on my friends' patio and drink a beer!) Of course she is so food driven that she will play with a kong or other kind of treat ball/game all night long.

 

Don't give up! I am at the point of contacting a behavioralist to see if there is something specific I am doing that is encouraging her behavior. Perhaps you could try a trainer?

[Elyse]

Posts like these make me very glad I skipped the puppy stage (adopted my pooch).

[Chula]

I actually posted in the behavior section earlier today that one of the issues my sibe was having is that she would get on the couch and bark and demand play time. If you came near her, she'd try to nip at your hands or your shirt in order to get you to react. Forcing her off the couch just made the game more fun, so we'd repeat it over and over, with no change in behavior.

 

I swear this weekend I had to leave her barking on the couch and go into the kitchen at least 15-20 times before she realized it wasn't going to work. Sometimes she followed me and would stand there barking, trying to get me to play. I'd go into the bathroom or bedroom and shut the door. It took a LOT of repetition, but by Sunday she wasn't doing it anymore. I'm sure she'll try again with the same thing, but hopefully the next time it will only take 10 trips out of the room, etc until she finally gets it through her furry little head. It is a CHALLENGE! These northern breeds are stubborn. 

[Devildust76]

There really are stubborn. No amount of research prepared me for how stubborn Mals are, but I love him so we deal with it at least we all have each other to rant at

[Removed #5]

What can I say, I have one who'd over three and he still will grab my pants leg as I walk past ... but he and I both know it's in play. It's him saying I'm bored come play with me!

It sounds to me like this dog needs a lot more exercise to get him "down". Avalanche has reached the point where I can tell him "That's enough!" and he listens ... but it's now getting hot out and they're both inside all day long so I expect the "C'mon, I want to play!!!"

And I completely agree with Elyse ... mine were adult rescues - I'd have been tempted to kill a pup!!!

[markquinton]

Thanks. It does help knowing I'm not alone but still doesn't remove the frustration. The problem I find is I can't play with her like we would all like to because if you play fetch or football she just looses control a little and starts the zoomies but with jumping up, growling and nipping...just like Chula mentioned above. Its the same loosing control we experience during walks. I keep being told she will grow out of it and I really hope so because I can only just deal with her being 7 months but any stronger and she will be overpowering.

 

I keep reading everywhere that the malamute breed trait is to want to please the owner.......I haven't experienced this yet!! Hope I do soon.

 

I really wanted a malamute or sibe and wasn't interested in any other breed but I must admit I do look at the other more popular breeds when on our walks and think...my god that looks enjoyable and easy going.

 

If Jazz grows up to be a good girl I would have another northern breed but safe to say I wouldn't have another puppy.

 

Thanks

 

Mark

[Stormy]

They are not an easy breed sorry to say you get out what you put in

[Devildust76]

I agree with Storm, they are not the average breed and do require that extra attention but I honestly felt the same as you when Kodiak was 7 months old. I would look at the people with the Labs and other popular breeds and think 'Why me?' Me and the OH had some huge 'disagreements' about Kodiak's behaviour as he wasn't like it with him! I still get frustrated with him but he gives me his goofy look and woo's at me and I melt. It's a shame you are so far from us because we could arrange a play date for them and you could see what I mean. How much does she weigh now? Kodiak is currently 54kg and still growing! 

[Chula]

But sometimes you bust your butt "putting in" and it just isn't the right thing for that particular dog. Just because someone's dog is struggling with certain parts of obedience doesn't necessarily mean they aren't trying really hard. 

 

Mark, will your dog ever play fetch nicely? Or is she always jumpy/bitey? Sometimes I just keep the apple spray in my pocket, and she will play fetch nicely. If she starts to get jumpy/bitey, then I tell her "no", grab her as gently as possible by the scruff, and put her feet on the ground and go inside, game is over. I can also pick her up and carry her inside when she is going nuts, but she's still small so I'd guess your mally is too big for that. She hates the apple spray enough that she won't nip me when she knows I have it. I know that isn't a good long term solution, but she needs to do something to get the energy out.

[Stormy]

Putting in isn't the right thing for a dog??? Then tell me what is? I can't see anywhere where I have said the owner isn't putting in?

Putting in is taking the time to train your dog and spending time with them and playing with them etc the list is endless what you can do I can't quite understand how you have just come up with that!

[Stormy]

And yes it is hard work putting in but it's going to be harder work if you don't and if I hadn't put time into Skye she would have ended up an extremely fearful dog which could have potentially turned into aggression.... Now I know I'd rather have the frustration of 'putting in' than a dog who is extremely unhappy because It was to much hard work 'putting in'

[Chula]

I think you misunderstand me. What I mean is that you may be trying one thing over and over and isn't working. So you are "putting in" all of the effort in the world, but it's for naught, because it isn't what the dog responds to. Trust me, I have tried and tried, over and over again, many different ways to stop the nipping. It's not like my dog sits there and I just let her do what she wants. But the things I try don't always work. I think the thing that is frustrating is that people see a disobedient dog and assume the owner isn't really trying. That is why it is embarrassing. 

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

I almost wanted.to rehome storm.

Its really common to feel like this.

[markquinton]

Thanks guys....it's good being able to rant at you all

 

I don't doubt for a minute that behind all the mentalness there is a sweet girl because I've seen it! Its the jumping up and mouthing me mid walk that puts a seed of doubt in my mind sometimes as I don't understand why...I guess she's like a kid on chocolate!!

[Stormy]

Trust me mine aren't perfect Skye will jump on anyone that comes into the house etc which can be embarrassing if people aren't used to dogs.

What I'm saying is putting in is any kind of method not just one

[Devildust76]

Thanks guys....it's good being able to rant at you all

 

I don't doubt for a minute that behind all the mentalness there is a sweet girl because I've seen it! Its the jumping up and mouthing me mid walk that puts a seed of doubt in my mind sometimes as I don't understand why...I guess she's like a kid on chocolate!!

I now lovingly refer to this as a Malamute strop! It doesn't happen every walk but when he really thinks he should be getting his own way he grabs my foot or the back of my leg (not hard) and woo's at me as if to say 'Look dad I really don't want to do this' So now all I do is stop dead and refuse to move until this passes (usually after 30+ seconds) and then we walk on. I feel as if everyone is watching me when he does it and imagine them thinking 'Wow he has no control over that huge dog' Which isn't the case 99% of the time it's just these little blips and control is regained quite quickly and we continue our walkies.

[sjwrx]

They are very stubborn indeed.

 

Panda grew out of a lot of habits at home, with age and a lot of correction from me and my gf's end. He used to jump on guests or mouth them, do zoomies everywhere, bite on walls cushions enything his mouth can get a hold on. Training him took a lot of time as he seems to think about it for a while before he does it. He's also going through his teenage stage, so just be firm and consistent.

 

With mouthing i've only tried the saying ouch in a high pitch voice and then standing up and ignoring, ive also tried pushing my thumb on his tongue. 

When he would bite my walls, i had to run and correct him whenever i thought he was about to do it.

 

With him tiring him out helped a lot. I bring him to the dog park every day for 1-3 hours and that seems to be enough for him. His schedule now is waking up at 7 30, back to sleep at 8am. gets a walk for about 40 mins at 10 30, back in the crate till 6. and then park and he would sleep till next day.

[markquinton]

Lots of people have said that me trying to restrain her is probably egging her on as she thinks it's a game and I should ignore it, how can you ignore a malamute standing on it's hind legs and mouthing you arms/chest/elbows etc

 

next time i'm walking in a suit of armour then i'll give it another try.

[Chula]

You can't. I think if it doesn't get better soon I'd try a trainer. That's what I am doing, because I can't ignore the biting either. 

[goingsolo]

Posts like these make me very glad I skipped the puppy stage (adopted my pooch).

I agree. We still have the odd hiccup but over the 6 months he has been here he has settled well. Tends to be Charlie who misbehaves on walks, got laughed at last week when threatened to leave him at home by owner of a collie lol.

[markquinton]

Really at the end of my teather now and very upset.

 

Just took jazz for a walk, got halfway down the main road and she decides to start attacking me, jumping up and mouthing hard on my arm, pulling all my clothes and lunging at me, we end up both on the floor and I pin her down, all the traffic is watching and nothing I do calms her down, this goes on for 5minutes or so until she breaks out of her collar and runs into someones garden. I manage to get her collar back on and then she starts again, my arm is bruised and my clothes are ripped in places.

 

I can deal with her stealing food and being naughty but the attacking me has to stop or she will go back to breeder.

 

I'm sad cause I feel like i'm not good enough to control her.

[Stormy]

Have you thought about getting a behaviourist to help you out they can show you how to deal with the situation and resolve it 

 

Sorry you are having a hard time