My dog just turned 9 months old. Up until then… things were okay. Not perfect, but manageable. He had his “puppy moments,” sure, but I was always so proud of him. Despite being a little troublemaker, he never cared about chewing cables, destroying furniture, or doing any of the stereotypical “chaos puppy” stuff.
And then he hit 9 months.
And he became zoomies on four legs.
He always used to steal things here and there, but now? The stealing has reached a completely new level. This dog steals literally EVERYTHING. If you take something out of his mouth, you barely turn around and he already has something else.
You cannot leave anything at his eye level — phones, headphones, clothes, decorations, NOTHING. He’ll grab it. And yes, stealing dirty laundry is one of his absolute favorite hobbies (right next to stealing phones, apparently). And now he’s started chewing furniture.
My soul left my body when I saw the couch. Then the chairs. Then the baseboards. I genuinely don’t know how to get him to stop. I can’t gate off the entire house. Sometimes I put chairs on top of the table just so he can’t reach them. I feel like I’m living in a puzzle room designed for insane puppies.
Humping also kicked in at full force. Sometimes he jumps on me with so much enthusiasm he almost knocks me over.
And the leash pulling?
God. From the outside it must look like I have zero control over my own dog. He pulls like crazy. My hands literally get cut from the leash because he’s so strong. I can’t even take him on a normal walk most days. When I try to take him on a longer walk to burn energy, I come back more exhausted than he is because I have to fight him the whole way.
He’s very reactive to dogs — not aggressive at all, just insanely excited. He wants to play with every single dog he sees. And while I’m glad he’s friendly, it’s also a huge issue. I’ve had to change direction so many times because he simply cannot handle walking the same way as another dog. He squeals, pulls, lunges, acts like he’s losing his mind from excitement.
Please… someone tell me this eventually ends. I adore him. He can be the sweetest, most wonderful dog in the world and I love him more than anything.
But right now?
It’s really, really hard sometimes.
If you’ve been through this stage, please share your stories because I genuinely feel like I’m losing my mind 😭
How was it for you? When did it finally get better?
Any tips on how to actually tire out a teenage large-breed dog? Walks, lick mats, training sessions… none of it seems to make a dent right now.
I’d love to hear what helped you, or even just to know I’m not alone in this teenage chaos spiral.
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