# Changing behaviour - 1 year old puppy..



## LML (Feb 10, 2014)

Hi all

hope everyone had a great Christmas..

just wondering if its normal for cockerpoo behaviour to change around 1 year old?

We have had Lola since february when she was a pup and at the beginning of August got a rescue dog (beautiful calm older springer spaniel..) which went really great and they get on really well.

But in the last month or so Lola has started eating things - usually when we are out but also sometimes when we are home. Lola shredded a lot of our christmas cards (both ones that were put thru the letter box and those that were left out,,) she has destroyed a small tv remote control, and generally will chew and eat anything she can find..especially paper / cardboard / or anything small really

She has lots of toys and both dogs play and share - neither have any guarding issues.

Its not a huge problem as when we go out we shut them both in the kitchen now and make sure nothing is left out on the worktops and this is working fine - they both seem sleepy and chilled when we come back in and they dont destroy any furniture or anything.

Also Lola now has to wait until our other dog Molly goes to the toilet, she then runs up to her and growls and then she has to pee on top of Mollys pee - is that normal?? Molly take no notice at all when lola does this...

She is still the loveliest little puppy though - give the absolute best welcome home ever.. every single time you walk thru the door and even if you have only been gone for 10 mins! 
x


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## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

Hi
Sounds like a lot of fun in your household at the moment 

You didn't mention whether your dogs have been spayed? The peeing thing at least sounds as though Lola is trying to cover your other dog's scent and ensure that hers is 'available'!

Not sure about the chewing stuff... Miss Lill's knows that anything left on the floor is hers for the taking and that everything else is out of bounds. She adores shredding paper etc...

Have you tried rotating their toys so that they don't get bored of them? Miss Lill's has three of four toys 'on the go' at any one time and every few days I remove one or two and replace them with others. To her, its as if there was a never ending supply of new toys and it ensures that she remains interested. 

Plenty of physical and mental stimulation should help too. A tired dog is definitely a well behaved one!!


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## LML (Feb 10, 2014)

Hi

Oh yes - lots of fun in our house!  but wouldnt have it any other way..

yes Lola has beens spayed... not sure about Molly though. The rescue centre said there is a scar around the right area but our vets also said this could be c-section scar ... molly hasnt come into season yet but we have only had her just under 5 months.

we might try the toy rotation and see if that changed anything..

like i said its not a big problem - just have to make sure we tidy everything away when we leave them which is a plus in my eyes - everyone seems to be happier to tidy up for Lola than when I ask them to do it!


thx
x


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Not experienced with bitches, but I imagine its just as Lola is now coming up to adulthood they probably need to work out for themselves who is where in the pecking order, maybe it is still dog adolescence as they often change and push boundaries and can revert a bit to young puppy behaviour a bit more around that time too.


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

Gandhi loves to shred paper. He got so excited whenever we got a Christmas card because he is allowed to play with the envelope

We do a game with him sometimes where we will take a little piece of cheese and an old magazine and wrap several layers of paper round it like pass the parcel, but twist the ends into a cracker shape so there's no tape involved, then we hide them round the house. He loves to sniff them out and shred them to get the cheese. Keeps his shredding focused on the right things!


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