# whats the most difficult age



## shay (Nov 27, 2007)

Our pup is now 11 weeks old and fairly well behaved, the more tired she gets from playing the better behaved she is .
The only problem we have is stopping her jumping up at us and chewing on our feet ant trousers.
I can handle it but , we have a 10 year old daughter who get a bit nervous when she jumps up and her nails dig in.
Any suggestions to control this .

Also what is the most difficult age through puppy hood?


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

The best way I have controlled puppy jumping is to catch them with your knee as they are on the way up. You just pull the knee up so they the power of their jump determines how much force they encounter. Usually after a few times of this and being knocked over they get the message.

Chewing you just have to redirect as they are still learning bite inhibitions so the nest thing is just have something to give them to distract them from the pants leg.

As long as you are showing yourself as alpha to the pupper then you shouldn;t have a real difficult age. If there is n training or direction at all then everyday a person has a pupper could be a long one.

The pupper sounds pretty much behaved and I always love a tired pup they settle down alot more.

Good luck with the pupper and welcome to the forum if I missed doing that earlier!!!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Welcome,
Sounds like you have a great puppy and as Hooch says putting the knee up may help or you may want to put a leash on them and when they start to jump up pull on the leash to stop them. 
A tired pup is a happy pup and a happy parent. Good luck with him and we want puppy pictures. We love seeing pictures.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 20, 2007)

At puppy class this past weekend, the trainer recommended keeping a water bottle with rocks nearby. When the puppy jumps or does something unpleasant, toss the bottle on the floor without your puppy seeing you. This noise will startle the puppy and distract him temporarily. The more you do this, the more the puppy will associate the jumping with an unpleasant response (scary-sounding bottle!)

Note that we have not yet tried this ourselves but are going to very soon.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

The pup will soon be old enough for puppy classes. If tere is any way possible I would have your daughter be the pup's handler at class. The pup will try to asserts it's spot in the pecking order until it realizes it can't get away with something. The class will teach your daughter how to handle this and will be very beneficial to all.


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## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

The most difficult ages, IMO, are 7-12 MOS and then again at 17-22 MOS. Or close to those ages. They forget everything you've taught them and become headstrong and willful.

In between, and afterwards.......it's much better!

Puppies can be taught sit, come, heel, off, etc starting at 8-10 weeks. As they get a little older, you can start adding commands. Obedience classes are very good.

Only train for about 5 minutes 3x a day. They don't have much attention span then.

Even at 7 mos....their attention span lasts about 15 minutes MAX.


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## Bailey & Bentley (Feb 25, 2007)

I think that until the puppy reaches about 6 months or so, it can be difficult. It will end, I promise, just make sure you keep doing what you are doing, with exercise, attention and obedience training. My oldest dog is 1 and a half now, and he is so different than he was as a pup, I never thought we would see the day.


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## shay (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks for comments, 

I've just tried raising my knee, and it seemed to work, the higher i lift my knee the more it seemed to work, once she sees the base of my shoe hovering over her head she seems to divert her attention to something else.
We will be starting Puppy classes in 3 weeks , I have to wait until 2 weeks after her final shot. 
My daughter should benefit a lot from the training, she needs to become more confident with the pup, but i'm sure it will just take some time.
I'm looking forward to be able to bring her out ( instead of being confined to our garden and house)
p.s , she loves her crate, it took a day or two to get to love it . I'd be lost without it. 

Again thanks for advice and comments


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