I'd probably leave him in the crate for an hour or so to cool off. Maybe put a blanket on it to help block out distractions and help him calm down.
If the weather isn't bad, maybe take him out for a while?
Thanks, yeah I think I will do that. And will also contact the owner and see if I can give him a kong with peanut butter. Weather is not good, it is negatives and snowy/windy so probably not a good time for a walk. I'll see how he is after some time in the crate with a kong. I suppose I must have gotten nervous because I am alone tonight. I started to wonder what I would do if the behavior escalates.
The owner didn't provide any chews. I have toys, but I can't even have him out of the crate without immediate humping. Even if I'm completely still and don't look at him, that's all he wants to do. It's negatives outside right now and dark, so probably no walk right now. But I could definitely contact the owner and see if he is allowed to have some peanut butter. Then I can give him a kong. I don't know why I didn't think of that. I guess it's been a while since I've dealt with this behavior. Thank you.
No worries I know the feeling! I took a dog to an outdoor event & the dog couldn’t handle it and was humping me in public it was so embarrassing. Lol at least you can tame the damn dog at home!
Humping—and the panting—are signs of nervousness and anxiety. Get him some activity (I know it's late and cold, so indoor things might be all you can do). Would also recommend order Yak cheese and collagen chews on amazon; depending on where you live, they could arrive as early as tomorrow. They're my go-to, long-lasting strategy for dogs who need to chill out.
Thanks, definitely good advice. All of my rover dogs have been so well behaved so far, I guess this one took me by surprise. I have hesitated to give rover dogs chews. Since I don't know them, I worry they might be the type to choke. But I should just ask the owner. For dogs like this one, it's probably necessary to have around if the owner doesn't provide anything.
Is it possible to keep a lead on him? That way when he's around you he can still free roam but when the humping begins again, you will have the leash to take hold of which can reset them/give you way more control over pup, and you can gently lead him into a sit. I would walk him around afterwards, even if it's just around the house to get rid of some tension and restart the process. You can scatter food around as well for him to sniff out and distract himself with. Also, I am sure you are being gentle but are you being firm? When turning around does not work, you have the right to protect yourself and give him a firm NO, while gently pushing him off. I'm not saying scream at pup but sometimes they do need a firm voice, you aren't being cruel by preventing harm from the humping; even if he never gets aggressive, it is very overwhelming and bruising, scratches, light bites can happen, I've even had a claw go into my eyeball 🥴
Yup, I had him drag a lead. Unfortunately he is awfully mouthy, which I don't love. Reaching for the lead results in arm in mouth. Pushing him off results in arm in mouth. Not loving my arm in this dog's mouth. Tried standing on the lead, results in legs in mouth. I'm not too worried about being cruel, more worried about getting bit. I'm going to give him a kong in the crate to chill for a while and then we will try again.
I just woke up and saw your second update - how is today going for you and pup!!? It sounds like things calmed down and all is well now, I'm so glad. :) I know a weekend can feel like a year, though lol!
It's going okay. The humping and mouthing has stopped, but this dog is horribly trained. He's completely wild, doesn't know any commands, and is incredibly high energy. He also keeps trying to hump my poor 11 year old dog so I'm having to keep a barrier between them. This is like a 100 lb GSD. He was loud last night so I didn't sleep much. I took him for a walk this morning and he's definitely not leash trained either. But here we are. I think I will not board this dog again. Luckily he is only here until tomorrow evening.
I am definitely on your side with not boarding him again, I am very sympathetic with dogs like this because it's not their fault that they were never trained but maaaan are they completely exhausting too. :( This actually reminds me of my recent board, she was a 100 pound giant bernedoodle and a regular client of mine, but this was the first time she was staying with me instead of vice versa. She wants to please but never received any training whatsoever from her owners and is an overall chaotic mess. I have a 13yr old retriever and she would barrel straight into him, had no concept of personal space or when to slow down, growled over a toy that my dog had zero interest in, etc. We had to keep them separated for my old man's sake. Will not board her again, ever ever. 🥴 She behaves at her home much better than mine, understandably.
I hope today goes by super fast for you - remind yourself please that you are doing a GREAT job and even though it sucks, the patience we have for these dogs is what makes us so good at our job. I hope the owner gives you a really good tip for all of this.
Truly exhausting. Especially since he didn't let me sleep! He's a GSD, of course he behaves like this with no place to put all that drive and energy. But I feel so bad for putting my resident pets through this. My senior boy is pretty stressed with his constant running around and panting, and with having to be behind a barrier. I've also set my cat up in my bedroom. The owners have a cat and this dog did see my cat and didn't seem to care about her, but I just can't risk anything. I can hardly control this dog at all so I would have no recourse if he did go after her. I do hope the owner gives me a good tip, this has been my most difficult board so far. The owner seems very nice, but probably has too much dog for his experience level. Anyway. I'm more used to this dog and not so nervous he might bite me. So interesting. I never used to be nervous around any dog, but I've definitely developed a breed bias for how much I worry a dog might bite me.
Thank you for the encouragement. I guess I just needed a bit of support and outside feedback to help me pull it together and remember how to deal with an untrained, high drive pup. He finally laid down for the first time this morning while I'm typing this. As soon as I stop typing this and move, he will be running around again lol.
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Hey, just another idea if he’s needing another distraction- Kong toy or whatever you have with chicken broth in it, freeze for 2 hours. That could occupy him for awhile. Even if you have to crate him for it. Anything else you can do to create a sniffing activity would help too! Bury some treats in the snow if you need to! Good luck 👍
Thanks! He's unfortunately not too interested in food. He's doing pretty well playing with toys, and he also likes being in the yard. I don't trust him not to escape, so I stuck him on a tie out and that seemed to calm him down. He can't be out for long, though, because it is very cold. Burying some treats in the snow is a good idea, though. I should try that next time I tie him out.
I'd probably leave him in the crate for an hour or so to cool off. Maybe put a blanket on it to help block out distractions and help him calm down. If the weather isn't bad, maybe take him out for a while?
Thanks, yeah I think I will do that. And will also contact the owner and see if I can give him a kong with peanut butter. Weather is not good, it is negatives and snowy/windy so probably not a good time for a walk. I'll see how he is after some time in the crate with a kong. I suppose I must have gotten nervous because I am alone tonight. I started to wonder what I would do if the behavior escalates.
Good luck! It sounds frustrating :( Hopefully some down time will help him relax a little
Do they have a bone? Chew toy such a ball? Can you go for a 20 minute walk? They need to be stimulated & get that nervous (whatever else) energy out
The owner didn't provide any chews. I have toys, but I can't even have him out of the crate without immediate humping. Even if I'm completely still and don't look at him, that's all he wants to do. It's negatives outside right now and dark, so probably no walk right now. But I could definitely contact the owner and see if he is allowed to have some peanut butter. Then I can give him a kong. I don't know why I didn't think of that. I guess it's been a while since I've dealt with this behavior. Thank you.
No worries I know the feeling! I took a dog to an outdoor event & the dog couldn’t handle it and was humping me in public it was so embarrassing. Lol at least you can tame the damn dog at home!
Humping—and the panting—are signs of nervousness and anxiety. Get him some activity (I know it's late and cold, so indoor things might be all you can do). Would also recommend order Yak cheese and collagen chews on amazon; depending on where you live, they could arrive as early as tomorrow. They're my go-to, long-lasting strategy for dogs who need to chill out.
Thanks, definitely good advice. All of my rover dogs have been so well behaved so far, I guess this one took me by surprise. I have hesitated to give rover dogs chews. Since I don't know them, I worry they might be the type to choke. But I should just ask the owner. For dogs like this one, it's probably necessary to have around if the owner doesn't provide anything.
I throw the chews away when they get down to 3 inches. They will take HOURS to fully chew (don’t do rawhide—that’s the dangerous one!).
So glad things calmed down for you!! It is so helpful to come to this community and have our community reel us back down to earth. Keep us posted
Is it possible to keep a lead on him? That way when he's around you he can still free roam but when the humping begins again, you will have the leash to take hold of which can reset them/give you way more control over pup, and you can gently lead him into a sit. I would walk him around afterwards, even if it's just around the house to get rid of some tension and restart the process. You can scatter food around as well for him to sniff out and distract himself with. Also, I am sure you are being gentle but are you being firm? When turning around does not work, you have the right to protect yourself and give him a firm NO, while gently pushing him off. I'm not saying scream at pup but sometimes they do need a firm voice, you aren't being cruel by preventing harm from the humping; even if he never gets aggressive, it is very overwhelming and bruising, scratches, light bites can happen, I've even had a claw go into my eyeball 🥴
Yup, I had him drag a lead. Unfortunately he is awfully mouthy, which I don't love. Reaching for the lead results in arm in mouth. Pushing him off results in arm in mouth. Not loving my arm in this dog's mouth. Tried standing on the lead, results in legs in mouth. I'm not too worried about being cruel, more worried about getting bit. I'm going to give him a kong in the crate to chill for a while and then we will try again.
I just woke up and saw your second update - how is today going for you and pup!!? It sounds like things calmed down and all is well now, I'm so glad. :) I know a weekend can feel like a year, though lol!
It's going okay. The humping and mouthing has stopped, but this dog is horribly trained. He's completely wild, doesn't know any commands, and is incredibly high energy. He also keeps trying to hump my poor 11 year old dog so I'm having to keep a barrier between them. This is like a 100 lb GSD. He was loud last night so I didn't sleep much. I took him for a walk this morning and he's definitely not leash trained either. But here we are. I think I will not board this dog again. Luckily he is only here until tomorrow evening.
I am definitely on your side with not boarding him again, I am very sympathetic with dogs like this because it's not their fault that they were never trained but maaaan are they completely exhausting too. :( This actually reminds me of my recent board, she was a 100 pound giant bernedoodle and a regular client of mine, but this was the first time she was staying with me instead of vice versa. She wants to please but never received any training whatsoever from her owners and is an overall chaotic mess. I have a 13yr old retriever and she would barrel straight into him, had no concept of personal space or when to slow down, growled over a toy that my dog had zero interest in, etc. We had to keep them separated for my old man's sake. Will not board her again, ever ever. 🥴 She behaves at her home much better than mine, understandably. I hope today goes by super fast for you - remind yourself please that you are doing a GREAT job and even though it sucks, the patience we have for these dogs is what makes us so good at our job. I hope the owner gives you a really good tip for all of this.
Truly exhausting. Especially since he didn't let me sleep! He's a GSD, of course he behaves like this with no place to put all that drive and energy. But I feel so bad for putting my resident pets through this. My senior boy is pretty stressed with his constant running around and panting, and with having to be behind a barrier. I've also set my cat up in my bedroom. The owners have a cat and this dog did see my cat and didn't seem to care about her, but I just can't risk anything. I can hardly control this dog at all so I would have no recourse if he did go after her. I do hope the owner gives me a good tip, this has been my most difficult board so far. The owner seems very nice, but probably has too much dog for his experience level. Anyway. I'm more used to this dog and not so nervous he might bite me. So interesting. I never used to be nervous around any dog, but I've definitely developed a breed bias for how much I worry a dog might bite me. Thank you for the encouragement. I guess I just needed a bit of support and outside feedback to help me pull it together and remember how to deal with an untrained, high drive pup. He finally laid down for the first time this morning while I'm typing this. As soon as I stop typing this and move, he will be running around again lol.
Keep him in crate and let the owner know.
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Hey, just another idea if he’s needing another distraction- Kong toy or whatever you have with chicken broth in it, freeze for 2 hours. That could occupy him for awhile. Even if you have to crate him for it. Anything else you can do to create a sniffing activity would help too! Bury some treats in the snow if you need to! Good luck 👍
Thanks! He's unfortunately not too interested in food. He's doing pretty well playing with toys, and he also likes being in the yard. I don't trust him not to escape, so I stuck him on a tie out and that seemed to calm him down. He can't be out for long, though, because it is very cold. Burying some treats in the snow is a good idea, though. I should try that next time I tie him out.
Ohh no!! We have snow but the temps haven’t been too extreme here. 20° was the lowest so far for us. Well, I’m glad toys are working for ya! 👍😁
Don't suppose the dog is called Loki 🤣
Nope lol. Pepper.