Posted by Doreen
on April 27, 2008, 9:11 am, in reply to "Puppy mood swings"
Hi,
I don't think the puppies breed will be having anything to do with her mood swings. You do not say how long you have had her, but sometimes with a new puppy there can be so many visitors to see the new arrival that the dog gets tired of never being able to have "chill out time". The other factor which might be coming into play is hormones. Has she had a season yet, or is she just finished one? The hormonal shift at those times can have varying effects on the puppies concerned, some get a bit over exciteable, and can have difficulty in being able to concentrate, and if that is the cause you need to have patience. Most seasons are over in three weeks during which time you will need to ensure you keep her apart from male dogs. At ten months she is still very much a baby so will be needing plenty of rest-- do the growling episodes take place when she is tired and it is her way of saying "I need rest"? If so you need to give her space and time to rest adequately-- remember we all need our own space at times and the dog is no different! It is always handy if puppies have a space of their own to retreat to, say a bed or crate somehwere quiet where they will not be constantly disturbed.
You say this is your first dog, so if you have not already done so I would suggest reading some books and would suggest either Unlock Your Dog's Potential by Sarah Fisher , The Seven Ages Of Your Dog by Jan Fennell and the excellent On Talking Terms with Dogs Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas. Good luck and let us know if there is anything else we can do.
Doreen
www.bestfrienddoglistener.co.uk
--Previous Message--
: Our 10 month old poodle female seems to have
: huge mood swings. Sometimes she is bright
: and happy. But sometimes she is growly and
: withdraws. Is this normal? We've never had
: a dog before.
:
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