We have a 10 week old Australian shepherd x Bernese mountain dog who got all of the Aussie energy.
We’ve been working so hard to keep her entertained, but not over tired her, allow her to heard with a ball only and not us, chew her chew toys and not our hands and everything but I’ve had a few tears and just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. She is great at the basic commands, sit, paw, go to your bed but it’s the nipping and sleep that’s killing me. She goes to bed fine but wakes up at 4am. This morning it was 3:30! She was up and wanting to play. She sleeps next to our bed we don’t lock her in a crate but even if we did she starts to bark when she’s done. I know I shouldn’t let her call the shots but we have neighbours I can’t let her cry it out at 3am. We do very quiet play and may be a frozen Kong, trying not to engage with her too much at this time so as not to reinforce it but she’s done sleeping.
When she’s excited she bites our shirts, hands, feet, socks and long pants are especially exciting. We’ve been training “drop it” when somethings in her mouth but she will listen for one second then do it again. As soon as she does lock into our hands we use leave it or redirect her with the sit command which works and will give a treat. Is she playing us and has associated bad behaviour = correction = treat? I try to praise as much as I can when she’s doing the right thing. The other thing is she will bark and try and jump up when we are sitting on the couch. Again, we do “in your bed” then treats every 30/40 seconds she’s laying there but then is back at it again.
Loosing my mind a bit with the so little sleep and my hands are in shreds. She’s good during the day, will sleep 9-11 when I work then again 1-4 again. Is she sleeping too much during the day? Do I need to push bedtime which is 9pm?
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