Miles is NOT on my list of Favorite Dogs

[Pyr Heaven]

Yep, that's right. He has pushed me as far as he can push.

Ok, so I take Miles for short walks around the block at LEAST 5 times a day, between my boyfriend and myself. He also gets at LEAST one longer walk, usually two or more. Plus, I take him to the dog park at LEAST 3 times a week. We don't really have a yard, so this is pretty much all the time he gets outside (except for potty breaks which turn into 15 minutes each because he will lay down in the snow and refuse to get up. I'm at the point where he is too heavy to drag more than a few feet.

Well, he has now taken to jumping on me, and biting at my coat and at my boots to the point where I cannot move because i will fall flat on my face tripping over him. This is only when we start getting near our home after our walk. He basically doesn't want to come inside so he does this. I'm almost positive this is why because he will ONLY do it when he knows we're close to home. But this is RIDICULOUS. He has put numerous holes in my coat now because of this. I'm sure people walking by think he's attacking me!

When he starts to do this, I've done a number of different things. Attempt to keep walking. When he jumps, turn around and push him off, tie him to the nearest tree and walk away, show him treats to entice him to walk like a normal dog (he always gets a treat once we get to the door of our building now so he sees going inside as a good thing). Grab him by the collar and walk as fast as I can around the block to get home. And as SOON as we get in the door, in the crate he goes.

None of this is working!!!! It's snowing buckets outside, no one has come out of their house to shovel their damn sidewalk so the difficulty of walking in a foot of snow on top of a dog biting my boots, and my coat, and jumping on me, has gotten me SO upset. As soon as we got inside, I threw him in his crate (ok, not literally THREW...but I didn't give him time to do anything else) and walked away. I locked myself in the bathroom and took a shower. hahaha Ok, I am now OUT of the shower and I let him out of his crate. I haven't talked to him or said a word since I got out. He seems to know he was wrong. he keeps coming up to me and sitting and just staring at me. He wants me to pet him, but I won't do it.


ANYWAY, I know this is really long, but what do YOU think I should do about this? I'm about out of ideas.  

[People Whisperer]

Do you have a room for me in your boat? 
Lily does exactly the same thing to me and to my hubby. She just started it a couple of months ago. It's NOT as dramatic as Miles but she gets super hyper towards the end of walk (we usually walk 2 miles each time) and starts running and biting the leash and jumping in the air. I play along and then say stern "Stop it" and don't move for a couple of minutes to give her some time to rethink her bad behavior  She usually comes down after that
The thing is Lily is soooooo good 99% of the time that I am willing to forgive the rest 
Teenage times are tough but when it's over and if you don't loose you mind you will have one GREAT dog...or GREAT pyrenees 

[GoldenPyrs]

It's true, the puppy teen times are tough but when they're over you have the most amazing buddy for the rest of their life.  The jumping & nipping are very annoying and can be a real hazard with a big pup (especially when you are standing on a slippery surface), so I feel your pain.  Here is what has worked well for us:

1. As soon as he jumps or nips you, say "Owwww, NO!" firmly in a high pitched voice, and immediately turn your back to him.  When he jumps again (and he will at least the first few times that you do this) at least he'll get you in the back as opposed to hitting you in the chest (ouch!) or the face.  Keep your back to him until he settles down.  This may take 20 seconds to a minute or more, but he will settle down faster as he learns what you are doing. 

2. Once he's calm and you've turned back around toward him, keep your voice very calm & soft, but praise & pet him.  If he gets excited and starts to jump/nip again (likely), immediately say "no" and turn your back again.  Whatever you do, don't hit him or yell, Pyrs learn best with gentle methods and this really does work. 

Cassie was 21 months old when we adopted her and she did this constantly & extremely roughly.  We kept her w/my hubby in his home office (away from our kids) for the first 2 weeks until he & I had worked with her (we also did NILIF behavioral training with her).  We were always gentle with her and she learned so fast.  Within a few weeks she was in the house and she is wonderful with our kids.  On Feb. 11th it will be a year since she joined our family and she very, very rarely jumps or nips now.  Some of you may recall that Cass is our unofficial reading therapy dog, that's how wonderful she is with our kids now.    So it really does work wonders.

Hang in there, sadly this is the time that so many poor Pyrs end up in shelters or rescue b/c they are huge, exuberant puppies and people don't know that it will pass and they will have the sweet ol' area rugs that mine are now.  LOL    

[Pyr Heaven]

Thanks so much Marie. I think I will just have to be more persistant with him with the turning my back thing. I guess I just haven't been doing it long enough. Especially today, I just completely lost my patience since I was cold, snow was pelting my face, and NO ONE had started shoveling their sidewalks. hahaha (We are expected to have between 14-20 inches after it's done snowing tonight! ick!)

I still love him. I guess I just needed reminding that he will eventually grow out of it!


P.S. That is crazy that Tobey and Lily and Cassie ALL have acted this way too. Now, Miles might be a little bit worse than the other pups, but I thought it was just him. I was beginning to think I had the worst puppy ever. hahaha

[GoldenPyrs]

You are so welcome and you are definitely not alone, hun!  I didn't mention it before (it was so long anyway) but Cara & Halley did this, too.  I really think that it's a normal part of Pyr Puppyhood.  Still, I can sure understand your frustration.  It's miserable enough to be walking in the freezing cold with snow hitting you in the face, you sure didn't need a big puppy trying to play (roughly) with you about then, did you?  Agh.  You are right though, consistancy is the key.  I think when they're doing this, they're doing it to get your attention, so you just need to teach him that jumping/nipping doesn't get attention, but sitting quietly gets lots & lots of snuggles & pets.    He's a smart boy and he really wants to please you, so he'll learn fast.  I'll be thinking of you guys, so please let us know how it goes, ok?   

[Bubbalove]

Please believe me when I say that you are DEFINITELY NOT alone in this struggle.  I think that everyone's experience differes in the details, but overall I can concur that Kana has put us (me) throught the same torture. 
I am not really one for advice, since I am actually the one that is looking for advice...but I will tell you that all these other posts are correct.  I have tried them all.  I can't pinpoint exactly what ONE worked for me, but the advice is right!  I honestly and truly believe that it is purely adolescence and our reaction to it. I HATE to give you the advice to stay calm, reassure him with love, use positive praise vs. BEATING HIM TO DEATH...becaus e in the heat of the snowy, cold, slippery moment (I live in Chicago so I can relate)it's very hard to seperate your feelings from his behaviors, but it IS TRUE. 

A few times when Kana was in his first year I called our 'dog whisperer' friend in tears, sobbing that I "have to get rid of this dog!"  Hubby never was much support since he felt that as long as you "alpha-d" him he would "respect you enough to not do these things". Hmmpphh...what ever. 
Never the less, I feel your pain and wish you the best through this adolescence... keep in touch b/c this website would have been great for me during that time! 
 

[GreatPyr]

I have another suggestion to add to the great ones already stated.

This might come off as cruel but its not,i use to breed,show dobies and this was a training tool for me...I used the pincher collar sometimes called pronge collar to get them to behave on the leash,of course after the leash manners where introduced then they eased into the pincher collar,this will prevent him from pulling,tugging jumping on you and give you complete control on the leash,a 100 pounder plus dog you cant afford to have acting this way on a leash for your own safety.The pincher collar is a great training tool to get the correct behaviour on the leash,he may tug and get pinched a time or two before he learns but once he does he will walk along like a champ

Last i checked they had them for sale at my local Petsmart.

[marypyrs]

Send him to me! I'll take him in a heartbeat! What you're dealing with is small potatoes.  Sorry guys! But there has been such an influx of Gr Pyrs of late = over 1050 on Petfinder alone. And it breaks my heart!

I'm really getting tired of talking to people. They pay no never mind.

When anyone even starts to think of adoption I would pray that they do their background check. Research the breed. Is it right for you? Are YOU right for them?

Again = sorry Guys. But heartbreak overwhelms everything else right now. One more went to the Other Side today.

I am broken. My heart is on the ground.




 

[Pyr Heaven]

Send him to me! I'll take him in a heartbeat! What you're dealing with is small potatoes.  Sorry guys! But there has been such an influx of Gr Pyrs of late = over 1050 on Petfinder alone. And it breaks my heart!

I'm really getting tired of talking to people. They pay no never mind.

When anyone even starts to think of adoption I would pray that they do their background check. Research the breed. Is it right for you? Are YOU right for them?

Again = sorry Guys. But heartbreak overwhelms everything else right now. One more went to the Other Side today.

I am broken. My heart is on the ground.
 

I sure hope you don't think I wanna give up my Mr Miles!!! I certainly do NOT. I wouldn't trade this guy for the world. I couldn't imagine my life without him. I am just fed up with this certain behavior. hahaha

I know how you feel. About people taking dogs to shelters because they didn't research the breed first. It breaks my heart. It's just plain not fair.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'll certainly be working on this diligently!

[bigdogs@5501]

Ah Pyrenees teenagers. You will get thru it. And he will be a wonderful dog. Tugs will jump on me if I let him but only because he is excited I am home. I am fortunate, he has acreage to run and play on and he releases a lot of pent up energy with out me being drug behind him. Please dotnt give up on him and maybe try to enroll in a training class to get some extra help.

[People Whisperer]

My friend who researched the breed and fell in love with it and put his name on the waiting list got a puppy last week...He returned her to the breeder 3 days later because he couldn't handle the stress  You know...think billion times before buying a puppy 

[patrick]

Did you ever stop to think that by putting him in the crate as soon as you get home that is a punishment- for coming home!!  You need to think like a dog- going home means locked in jail.  Hopefully you don't put him in a crate every time you get back from a walk. But you might want to consider something as a reward for when he comes home- like a wonderful bone so he starts associating coming home with something really great!  Is your yard fenced?  Even a small fenced yard would let you put him outside as long as he wants- and with snow they can stay out there a LOOOOOOOOOONG time.

I don't have this problem with any of my Pyrs as a pup so I am not much help I guess  If mine do get exuberant on a leash I just stop and ignore them until they settle down  I only walk if they are sensible- if not then they will stand there until they are- repeated as often as necessary.  If I have to do this 20 times then I do it 20 times- it does work

[People Whisperer]

It is interesting how so many of them go through this stage though - I don't recall this ever being discussed as a drawback when I did my research.

I don't think it's a breed. It's just a horrible teenage stage that every dog goes through  Just like with children...ver y tough but will pass sooner or later

[Pyr Heaven]

Did you ever stop to think that by putting him in the crate as soon as you get home that is a punishment- for coming home!!  You need to think like a dog- going home means locked in jail.  Hopefully you don't put him in a crate every time you get back from a walk.

He hardly ever goes in his crate. He sleeps in it, he's in there when I'm gone (never more than 6 hours at a time while I'm at work), and when I'm fed up with him to the point where I do not want him bothering me. And then of course there are the times when he goes in there on his own too. I do not abuse the crate privilege.

In this case, I definitely don't think he associates going home with going in his crate. I've only done that maybe 3 times after a walk, and that is because I needed to breathe. hahaha


I've been giving him treats everytime he goes to the door after a walk. So far it hasn't phased him much until I've almost got him to the door. When I mean almost, I mean he's like 2 feet away. hahaha

[People Whisperer]

Hang in there Samantha! It will get better 
I was ready to shoot myself many times BUT the joy of getting through this is much higher 
At our obedience classes instructors are ready to shoot them selfs as well while trying to find a way of working with Lily.
It is not easy to own a VERY smart breed