7 months old, still hates me

Couldn’t decide on a flair because this is going to fit under a few of them. If anyone wants to offer advice, I will gladly accept it.

I live in an extremely isolated community, where stray dogs and abandoned litters are common. In November 2025, I found a litter of shepherd/mix puppies on the side of the road and simply could not help myself. I thought about all of the mistreated dogs I’d seen since getting here, and thought that if I could give at least one of them a better life, I’d be doing my part.

So my wife and I got a puppy. At that point, he was about four weeks old. We brought him home and did what we could to make him comfortable. Resources are extremely limited up here, so he started on puppy kibble / wet food earlier than he should have. His mom was no longer around.

That night, he slept in a cardboard box next to my bed. He was so small and barely made any noise. The next couple of weeks were experimental. He roamed in the house, but we kept a constant eye on him. He had lots of accidents, but it was no big deal. We didn’t have a crate for him, so when it came to nap time, we put him in a spare room that had been empty. We put some blankets and toys and stuff in there for him, and tried mandating naps.

As he got older and bigger, and the teething began, the nips started and they were rough. But we got through the teething phase, and he’s got all of his adult teeth now. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the biting.

His schedule at this point is as follows:

8:30: wake up, breakfast, potty/walk

9:00: attempt to chill with us on the couch (fails)

9:30: nap time

11:00: potty break, play outside (approx one hour)

12:00: training

12:15: nap time

14:30: potty break, walk. Attempt to chill with us (fail)

15:30: nap

16:45: supper, walk, play, etc. Chill (fail)

19:30: potty, walk

21:30: potty, walk

22:00: bedtime

Times are approximate. You may notice that he spends a lot of time napping. It’s important to note that he hates this, contests it relentlessly, and barks for about 15-20 minutes every time before settling down. He also hates his new crate, and will bark for an hour + if we try to have him nap in there.

Any time he’s not napping, eating, or playing outside, he’s destructive. He’ll pull stuffing out of furniture. Rip his toys apart. He could be sitting next to me on the couch with a treat in front of him, and suddenly lose interest in the treat and decide my arm is tastier. If I ignore him, he’ll chew harder until I say something. If I scold him, give him a “no,” he’ll either bite at my finger or start barking. If I redirect him to a toy, he’ll push the toy away with his nose and bite my hand.

He’s about 7 months old now and just seems to be in a constant state of being overtired, while also being under-stimulated and bored. He’s not fixed, but that will be done as soon as possible. I want him to be able to sit with us on the couch, snuggle up and relax. I know he’s still a puppy, but I feel like we’re getting to a point where these behaviours are going to be ingrained in him.

I’m sad, discouraged, annoyed, frustrated, and out of energy. I will take any advice that anybody has to offer. If you need any more information or have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer.

Thank you in advance.