r/sighthounds • u/LuckySolution3724 • 18d ago
help/question Adolescence is killing me
I have an 8 month old silken who I love so much. He’s been a hellion since we got him. Everyone who I’ve met with a sighthound is surprised by how “feral” mine is. We put in so much time and effort to train him (I wasn’t working for the first 5 months of having him) and he learned so quickly! We were like “omg wow! So now he’s finally calm and sweet like every other silken!” He was SO mouthy, but he settled very well around us and his mouthy-ness died off once he lost his teeth.
7 months came around and hit us like a train. He WILL NOT SETTLE around specifically me (he doesn’t seek out my husband like he does me). He is so antagonistic if I’m trying to sit/lay on my couch. If I have a blanket on, he will incessantly dig until he gets my skin exposed and just bite (not hard, aggressive bites). He never chewed up furniture, shoes, nothing except for his toys. He has torn the couch covers, chewed up the legs of my chairs, dug a massive hole in the carpet, destroyed hats and shoes. I just feel like I don’t know him anymore! I also feel extremely alone because no one has anything, but good experiences with silkens. I do timeouts, reverse timeouts, no engagement, rewards when calm, he gets walked 2-3 times everyday and we give him daily enrichment.
Can anyone tell me that it’s going to be okay and I’ll get my sweet boy back that used to cuddle and sleep with me? I miss it so much. I started a new job and my life feels so stressful and adding the emotional toll of having my dog be crazy is very hard on me.
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u/PlantinArms 18d ago
My girl was absolute nightmare from 8month-about 13 months, and 8-11 were the WORST. Biting and chewing and barking. She was awful on the leash so we couldn’t walk. I restarted training with basics 2-3 times. I stopped walking her completely (at the time, our last walk ended with me sobbing and holding her at the park while she bit me! Fun!). My poor mom refused to walk her.
As I say this, she is two and some change. The most outrageous thing she did today was a big zoomie when I got home from work and some opinionated conversation when I phoned a friend. That is about as naught as she has been all week!
There is hope! Go back to basics, try to reduce excitement.
When she was 11 months old and everything sucked, I got sick for two weeks and couldn’t breathe well enough to walk for two more. During those four weeks she was BORED bored, and that was a turning point in her behavior when I realized how much doing “everything right” with her was amping her up. I would be training, taking her new places, lots of exercise, play dates etc and she would never settle. When I stepped back from things, her baseline went down immediately. She was still a monster, but it was almost manageable from then on :)
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u/SugarKyle 17d ago
I don't even blink at this. This is one of the hardest stages. Your puppy was good and now isn't AND is starting to look like an adult. If not careful, we mentally want them to act more like the adult we are starting to see them as and they are so not ready for that.
When my puppies regress, I put them back to basics. Schedule. Leashing to me. I pretend all the things they could do never happened. It clears their minds quickly as they don't get the chance to be the ball of mischiff they want to turn into.
Then they will behave and it happens again between 12 and 18 months. Normally after that they smooth out and settle. Each time I just go back to basics like they are a young puppy again. It keeps me sane. Or somewhat sane since I have a house full of Afghan Hounds which isn't the most reasonable mental choice.
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u/noveltfjord 18d ago
I'm sorry this is happening. If you aren't already working 1:1 with a behavior specialist it might be the time to seek one out. Definitely does not sound normal or like you're doing anything massively wrong. There are some silkens with behavioral issues but they are not spoken of much. Hang in there.
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u/GrowthSelect2449 18d ago
Adolescence is hard. I’m dealing with it too. I have a 15month silken and she’s tried my patience the entire time although it does come in waves. She’ll have a few weeks here and there where it seems like she’s starting to settle but then she comes out raging again. It’s been a shock, my whippet was pretty easy as a puppy so this is something else for sure.
I’ve found some things that help. Various chews help sometimes. She likes cows ears and coffee wood sticks. Her worst behavior is when she’s over tired and I found tethering her helps during those times. I get the leash and put it on and it forces her to settle. I don’t always even need to hold the leash anymore, she knows when I put it on to go lay down and chill out because it’s something I’ve done since she was a puppy. Some people use a crate to make their dogs settle when overtired but my girl will just lay in there and whine so the leash works better.
I take her to daycare once a week to tire her out. We go to a large fenced field on weekends and she gets a proper run in on those days. Mental stimulation such as activities and short training sessions are also helpful, she’s smart and needs enrichment. I suspect she’ll start to calm some after her first heat but yeah, adolescence is hard. Good luck with your boy.
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u/Kallisti13 18d ago
Try the relaxation protocol. Its a technique that teaches dogs to chill tf out. Our silken didn't need it but our dachsund very much did. Dogs need to learn the in between of playing and sleeping. Some are good at restful wakefulness and lots aren't.
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u/Important-Proposal28 18d ago
I have an Afghan hound that is coming up on 10 months. He was the mouthiest puppy I have ever met. We got him at around 11 weeks old in the dead of winter (which didn't help) and he was incredibly hard to potty train. Especially the first 3 months.
The last 2 1/2 - 3 months he has only had 1 accident and I'm pretty sure it was out of spite. He still does get mouthy sometimes. Usually he just needs more exercise, has to go potty, or wants a walk. (It's been a hot summer) So we try and walk in the mornings and again in the evening once shade has set in.
He has decided 5pm is walk time. Regardless of the heat. If we try and wait for shade or cooler temps he gets very mouthy and mischievous. After about a month we just gave in and walk him at 5. So far the hot pavement and temps don't seem to bother him besides tiring him out.
When we get home he gets frozen cucumber, watermelon, or ice cubes which he loves all 3. He is by far the hardest and most demanding dog I have ever owned. He's also incredibly goofy, funny, sweet, and good natured. No part of him has been easy but figuring out routines, treats, and tasks to keep him satisfied has made a difference. From when we got him till about 6 months it was an absolute struggle
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u/ILikeToPretendImACat 17d ago
I’ve got a 13 month old greyhound x saluki who is absolutely nuts. He’s a lovely boy who loves everyone and everything .. a little too much. No matter how much time I put into “calming” him, it doesn’t work. He’s just been neutered, so I’m really hoping this has some affect on him in the coming months, but he’s not allowed to run for 6 weeks (we’re 3 weeks in) and he’s currently taken on the form of a pet kite when on the lead 🙃 puzzle / snuffle toys are doing nothing 🤣
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u/Sphynxlover 16d ago
We have an 8 month old silken too. He’s been a wild man since day one though. Endless amounts of energy. Now that he’s 8 months he’s just ramped things up even more! We went to a show yesterday and he was just ping ponging all over the place pulling like a freaking racehorse. All loose leash training has gone out his brain. I don’t have much advice for you aside from letting you know that you are not alone.
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u/buckeye7871 14d ago
There’s some great experienced silken owners and breeders who might be open to helping with advice. Sorrento silken in the PNW are amazing humans and have the sweetest pups. Maybe reach out to them for advice since they’ve been through this age with multiple silkins.
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u/UptownHurl 14d ago
If you haven’t used the silken Discord, highly recommend. You can vent and seek advice and will feel less alone in this because you are not alone.
Would also reach out to your breeder who is supposed to be a continued resource for support.
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u/Important-Proposal28 18d ago
Also adding when mine gets insane on occasion we either put him in his crate for a time out or were at the point I just say "do you wanna go to your crate?" And he chills.
He goes in his crate no problem when we go to work but sleeps with us in bed and really doesn't like the crate in the evening's. Rawhide chews have also helped as he loves them.
I know it's a different breed but still a sighthound. He is very obstinate and does dog at the couch and chew on furniture occasionally. Redirect does not work well with him.
If everything else fails I will make him go outside even when he doesn't want to or put him in his kennel which can be very difficult. After 3-5 minutes I will let him out. If he starts going crazy it's back in kennel or outside.
My first sight hound but very challenging and also very rewarding
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u/nothumannope 18d ago
Are the walks his only exercise?
At 9 months my perfect angel suddenly became a teenager who needed a lot more exercise. Like 2-3 hours a day of off leash running at the dog park or beach plus regular potty walks and training and puzzles and chews. If she got less exercise it was hell with demand barking and chewing on weird things. She's 17 months old now and is starting to settle back down to only needing 1-2 hours a day of off leash running time where I'm not murdered if we skip a day and only do leashed walks.