Spike went through a little rebellious phase at about the eight month mark. Here's what helped for us:
1) You are the pack leader. You are in charge. This means that sometimes you have to act like a boss, not as a friend.
2) To prevent accidents, I took Spike outside every hour, whether he needed to or not. I would set the timer on the microwave to remind me. Most times he would pee, and it also helped him to learn that "outside" doesn't necessarily mean "walk". "Outside" sometimes just means "go pee"!
3) When he misbehaved, I would pick him up. Not to give him a cuddle, but to make sure I had his complete attention. Then I would give him a tiny shake (certainly not enough to hurt him in any way), and say "no"! Then I would immediately put him back down. NOTE: This would only work if I caught him "in the act", so to speak. If you find an accident, some kind of destruction, after the fact, it is pointless to punish them. They have no idea what you're punishing them for.
4) When Spike was at home alone, he did NOT have the run of the house. He was confined to my bathroom. When he started getting the hang of the pee pads, I gave him more room - now he has the run of my bedroom and the bathroom when I am not there. He's two now, and does really well. If your pup has regressed a little, and is now having accidents when or where he did not have accidents before, make the area he stays in smaller until he gets the hang of the pee pads again. Then slowly increase the space he has.
5) Lots of exercise helped. We went for a long walk every day. When he was a bit tired, he would misbehave a lot less!
6) Reward good behavior. Treats and lots of praise.
7) If you haven't already, take him to obedience class. If you already took him to puppy class, maybe try the next level up. Not only do they learn good behaviour, it tires them out and reinforces the fact that you are boss and should be obeyed.
Good luck! It is a common problem, and it will pass. Remember - you are the boss! |