Puppy energy or personality?

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some advice about Timber's energy. Let me just start by saying that I love my dog and wouldn't change him at all. He is smart and loving, and he goes with me everywhere and is very well-socialized. My problem is that he loves everyone, and feels the need to say hi to every human and dog he sees, no matter what we're doing, or whether the other people/dog actually want to say hi to him too. He also doesn't listen very well when he's distracted, so it's hard to get him to "sit," "stay," and "focus" when he'd rather be playing with someone else's dog (even though he's mastered these commands at home).

Is this just a puppy thing? Timber is my first puppy, and he is my first male dog. My family had a female terrier growing up. Does this behavior have to do with him being a 7 month old male? My breeder asked me not to neuter him until he's about 1 year old, so that could be influencing his behavior too. I asked the instructor at puppy school, and she said that this is herding behavior. (However, she owns labs, so I'm not sure if that statement is accurate.)

It is very important to me that Timber learns to listen and overcome these distractions. We love to hike, but I can't let him off-leash until he can reliably "come," even when we're sharing the trail with people, other dogs, moose, and bear. We go in public on a regular basis to work on socialization, so should I increase the amount of time we work on obedience in public? Is his age a big contributing factor, and recall will get easier as he matures into an adult? I don't want to make it sound like Timber is a bad dog (because he's not, far from it!), I just want to do everything that I can to help him reach his full potential. Thanks in advance for any advice!

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on March 21, 2015 at 8:36pm

Good point about the leash issue. I wish folks would figure out that leash laws (which probably don't apply out in the sticks) protect them and their dogs as much as their fellow citizens' kids and pets. I had to stop taking the late, great GerShep to the park, because even though I kept her leashed, other people ignored the signs reminding them of the county law and let their dogs run loose.

My pooch was dog-averse...actually, what she wanted more than anything else on this earth was to remove other dogs' heads. But she was quiet, calm, and very, very, very patient. She would pretend to be friendly -- wag and grin and put her ears up and never raise her hackles -- until another dog was within grabbing reach. Then she would go straight for the jugular. People would look at me as though I was crazy when I asked them to PLEASE call their dogs when they came bounding over to us. Some, of course, couldn't call them -- the dogs would blithely ignore calls to come. After a small boy got between his family's loose pit bull and the Ger Shep -- miraculously was rescued by his dad within a nanosecond of disaster -- I had to give up on taking my dog out.

Because of that experience and the number of people who let their dogs run free in the park, I don't take the corgis over there either. Kinda annoying, because my taxes pay for that park, too...

Please keep your dog safe by keeping him on a lead, even if it's a very long lead. <3

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Permalink Reply by Bogart the Cardigan on March 22, 2015 at 9:56pm

Bogart just turned 3 and is still super excited to see dogs and people. We work on obedience at the park almost daily, using "watch me" and small treats when other dogs and people approach. I don't know how long it will take, but I do see improvement.