We've had our pup (rescue, probable jack russell mix with some sort of big dog) for about 3 months now, and have not been able to settle him down. He's still teething and is an absolute nightmare most of the time, both because of it and in addition to it. From the moment we first got him, I made sure to teach him commands like yes, no, sit, crate. He's at the regression phase so he ends up not being able to respond to some of them, but he's solid with yes' and no's. He's also very aware he's not supposed to bite us, as he usually reaches as if hes going to and then recoils at the last minute as if stopping himself from doing so. I did my best to make him understand that by redirecting him and also by reverse pull aways. This is only sometimes though, other times he is jumpy and bites anything that hangs off of us, mostly our (mostly my) fingers. I can't even move around him sometimes because the moment I do he will bite my toes or my hand or anything he can reach. I know at this point of his lifetime it is not easy to have him follow rules all the time, but he has been super dodgy about rules (or rather commands) in general. He only listens when there's any benefit to him, and if he can use blunt force to bypass them he will. He is still not big enough open doors, but he absolutely knows how to, and in a couple of weeks I am guessing he will be able to. In his space we had a carpet which he absolutely tore to pieces, he also demolished our stairs by chewing on the corners, and I know he definitely is nowhere near stopping if he ends up with access to the other rooms. We unfortunately can't crate at night because his response to crate training has been super inconsistent, and will be crying absolutely nonstop when he doesn't feel like being in it and we live in an apartment flat so we can't force crate him for many times in a row. So once he is able to start opening doors I am not sure how we will stop him. Like I said, he is also very hard to control, doesn't listen a word if you don't have treats to appease him with. He is also so reactive to other people, he barks at anyone passing through the halls of the building, he barks at anyone remotely passing through when he's in the garden of the complex. I understand the behavior isn't uncommon nor is it abnormal, especially with his breed mix, but we are first time puppy owners so we feel a bit stuck in how to handle him moving forward. Most of the advice I have seen being asked here are from people who have gotten their puppy recently, and since we have had him for 3 months now I feel like we might not be doing things so right if we are not seeing any progress. I am looking for any kind of advice and guidance about the how long this kind of behavior usually lasts, or if there is any way to maybe make it easier or less destructive, or literally any advice on how to handle things is appreciated.
submitted by /u/Other_Ingenuity9818
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