Evening all.
We adopted our little Rhéa just over a month ago; she's now three and a half months old.
She’s brilliant. Very sociable (maybe a bit too much!), almost house-trained (very rare accidents at night), full of love, and follows our 'sit' and 'stay' commands nearly all the time. She’s active, playful, and so on. Even my vet had nothing but praise for her during her check-up a few days ago.
But there’s a 'but'... For about an hour and a half every evening, Rhéa 'transforms'. She stops listening, nips at our feet and even our arms, tugs at and rips holes in our clothes, and even growls if we have the misfortune of correcting her when she’s doing something she shouldn't (like getting on the sofa). In short, she becomes unmanageable, and I have to admit that coming home from a long day at work only to deal with her tantrum—with no solution other than locking myself in my bedroom—is becoming quite a burden.
We’ve tried ignoring her, but she just comes back twice as hard and nips even more. Pushing her away isn't any more effective as she just thinks it's a game. Saying 'stop' (which she understands and obeys outside of these episodes), redirecting her to a toy, trying 'sit/stay' (which she completely ignores at these times), saying 'no'... basically, nothing seems to get through to her. Her excitement just keeps building and building, and then after 90 minutes, she goes back to being my 'normal' puppy again, wanting cuddles and kisses.
Since I have a two-hour commute to work on top of a 7-hour shift, she only goes out twice a day during the week and three times at the weekend. She gets a 45-minute walk in the morning plus 10 minutes of play before I leave. She then has a snuffle mat, a Kong, and two other toys to keep her occupied during the day. When I get home at 6:15 pm, she has 10 minutes in the garden while I clean up any accidents, and then we head out for a 50-minute walk where we play as well. Halfway through the walk, she already starts getting worked up, and once we step through the door... she turns into a total Gremlin. During this time, we can't play with her or cuddle her because any contact just sends her excitement levels through the roof.
I’m feeling a bit helpless. I’m doing my best with the little time I have to meet her needs. I give her so much of my time that I have almost none left for myself. I understand she’s a puppy and needs to let off steam, but the fact she takes it out on us is getting harder to deal with. I’d at least like to be able to prepare my dinner without having my feet nipped and holes bitten into my trousers.
I'd appreciate any advice or explanations you might have. Looking forward to reading your replies (please be kind...)
