owner of a psychotic puppy....

i adopted the cutest little fuzz ball from the pound about 6 months ago. my family and i already have a 3 yr old (also adopted from the pound) the problem is...the puppy...is absolutely crazy. i know puppies are fun loving high energy little things but this one. i'm not so sure. he's not neutered yet so we were thinking that might be his problem. he runs laps around the coffee tables, buries his nose in the upstairs couch and is a pany and sock eater. nothing is sacred to him! i love the big guy to death!!! any suggestions on breaking the crazy streak in him?

[April2]

Hey, I've got a friend for him! A psychotic kitten! :) She's crazy too. She thinks she's a dog half the time, tries to eat human food, jumps up on my kitchen counters, is tearing up my Christmas tree trying to climb it and knocking off ornaments and will get those bursts of energy dashing around the house. I wonder sometimes if I really want to keep this kitten but my daughter really wants her. I'm hoping too that she wil settle down once she's spayed and a little older.
I think your puppy sounds pretty normal for a puppy. What breed is he? Some breeds just naturally have more energy. Try and take him for walks every day and wear him out. Keep everything up you don't want eaten! :) You can buy bitter apple from your local pet store and spray that on things you don't want him to chew. Also, invest in some good chew toys to help with that powerful urge to chew. Good luck! Oh, and if you have any ideas for crazy cats, let me know! :D

[heatherlynn22]

we're not sure what he is. the pound said a beagle mix....yeah he has as much beagle in him as i am maddonna!!! he's some sort of hunting mix. the vet's not even sure. lol. he points and loves to swim. he goes running on our property everyday but that doesnt slow him down. him and the 3 year old just got down with their crazy run around the house. (they run in and out of every room jumping on every piece of furniture...causing as much of a rucus as they can). we're scheduling his neutering for after the holidays so our fingers are crossed. he's also started eating his food bowls. dumping out food and/or water and chewing on the bowl. the pups got so many chew toys, rags you name it!!! and the eating of personal objects...he ate my favorite stellettos AND my favorite bra. 3 pairs of panties (we can't determine who's they used to be....) and a t shirt. he's a monster. he's just lucky he's soooooooo loved and just so damn cute!

[hounddogmomma]

I can relate! Our youngest beagle who is now almost 3 years old came from field trial hunting stock and he was the most rambunctous pup we've ever had! There was no wearing him out! He's finally more settled down. Yes, pups will destroy a lot of things and it seems like its crazy for someone who had never had a puppy...they are all different just like people.  You just have to think ahead and
remove things that they can get into, especially electrical cords. Our beagle ate through the wire to the TV three times!  Fortunately, I thought ahead and had it unplugged all three times. Then we were finally able to block off the TV and its cord, so that he couldn't get to it. They like the texture of plastic, which is not a good thing, considering they might swallow a jagged piece and cause big problems in the intestional tract.

[Jaybay]

LOL!  I'm loving these stories, but very glad I don't have to deal with the behavior!  :-D

Dogs get this way when they don't have pack discipline.  He needs some disciplined exercise in addition to the "crazy" runs with your other pup.  Start taking him on walks, but not on one of those awful flexo leashes.  When you walk him, YOU make the rules.  He doesn't just get to do whatever he wants.  Use a 5 or 6 foot leash, and keep him either next to you, or even better, a bit behind.  He only gets to move ahead if you make it clear that you want him to.  The object is to get him to see you as his Pack Leader, and give him some mental exercise in addition to the physical.  You can also add a small backpack with a little weight to make the walk more challenging.  That will give him a job to do.  

Once he's good and worn out, get started on working with those great hunting and field instincts he's displaying.  Get some books on field work and start training him to use his nose to seek out toys with treats hidden in them.  If his brain is just as tired as his body, he'll settle down a whole lot more.

[Fourpaws]

My pup does that too! I call it the crazies. A nice long walk should help the situation. My dog likes to raid the panty & socks too! We have to keep doors closed and drawers shut! You just have to work around it. Puppy proof everything. I still have to hide the underoos from our adult dog, he will gobble them down in 10 seconds!! But, give long walks a try, it should help....

[heatherlynn22]

the thing is he goes for walks and runs. we have another dog who lives with us...chester...then a farm dog who runs with both the boys. even after his LONG runs (we have 48 acres of property...he even runs with me when i'm riding my horses!) he's still SOOOOO hyper. i don't know if maybe it's his breed...which we don't know since we got him from the pound...some sort of hunting dog i think. but sheesh.....he usually settles down around 11 or 12...the monster is actually sleeping on my lap. (he weighs a good 35 lb and thinks he's a lap dog....) but it's like no matter how busy you keep him he has extra energy stored. if the pantry door wasnt kept shut i'd think he was eating the sugar!

[Jaybay]

ROFL!  You sure have a bundle of energy there!  I think Fourpaws is right: you're just going to have to work around it and hopefully as he ages he'll slow down... maybe in another 10 years?!

My 60+ pound mutt still thinks she's a lap dog.  Odd thing is that she doesn't feel all that heavy.  She'll jump up in someone's lap and land perfectly on their legs instead of sucker-punching them in the gut.  Don't know how she learned that trick, but I'm glad she did.  :-)

[Fourpaws]

That's funny! I have an 85 pound dog who also thinks he is a lap dog, but he is not so graceful!!! He always manages to get you with the elbow, head, paw, etc.......