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Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Dec 22, 2019

Puppy Teething: Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde

So I was really beginning to think I had a problem: from the moment we arrived in FL (early Nov) Augie the Aussie pup (then 3 months old) was an often unpleasant fellow. His general attitude was sour/surly/"what can I do to make you angry?" He had a rather cavalier attitude towards being housebroken, so every time he asked to go out (about twice an hour even though he easily went all night without pottying in his crate) we let him out. And when he pooped - ugh. Always stinky and loose and impossible to clean up in this coarse St Augustine grass - on the advice of our vet, we started pouring the pumpkin into him, and only achieved slightly less-soupy messes. Fearing that he was allergic to either the wheat or corn in his puppy food, we switched to a chicken/rice "all life stages" food when he was 4 months old - it helped with the smell - but not the texture :-( Once in a while I would see a glimmer of a potentially-awesome dog....and then it would disappear behind an image of Cujo...

And then last week (5 months old), he lost a bunch of big teeth. It's like someone waved a magic wand - he's happy, listens and obeys, poops nice solid piles that don't gag a buzzard.

In hindsight, I have to wonder if all the sourness was due to teething? (I do remember my sweet little daughter being a cranky girl when cutting teeth) I don't ever remember having a pup who started out so bad make such a dramatic change, but I sure am glad he did.

Has anyone else gone through this; or am I just imagining things and this turnaround is simply the combined diet changes finally coinciding with the loss of puppy teeth?
  • SteveAE's avatar
    SteveAE
    Explorer
    Dec 22, 2019
    Deb and Ed M,

    Greetings from a fellow Aussie pup owner (our's is about one month older than your's). I thought that i would reply with our experiences.

    Puppies, when awake, do have to pee quite frequently (like every half hour). Only when asleep can they "hold it". At about 5 months of age, we noticed significantly longer pee's (signifying more complete emptying of the bladder).

    The diaharaha could be the grains. Our prior Aussie had the same problem until we switched to a "quality" grain free food.

    It was a joy (to us) when the puppy canines (sharp needles) fell out. But we didn't notice any change in her temperament when this happened.
    Of course all pups are different.

    Perhaps part of what you were seeing was a fear stage. "Usually" there are two such periods in a pup's life, one at ~2 months and a second at ~9 months of age. The timing is a bit off, but maybe????

    Aussies want to please their owners. But being a working bread, they also need tons of exercise (both physical and mental), least they turn that energy into more destructive behavior. In our experience (four Aussies over the past ~40 years), a well exercised Aussie is a happy Aussie. Besides regular walks and playing with other dogs (also very important), you might consider agility (when he gets a bit older), nose work, rally, etc. to keep his mind busy.

    You might also wish to consider once a week doggie-day-care for 6 months or so to help with dog socialization. Of course, regular human socialization time is also important.

    I suspect you'll wind up with a great dog, it just takes time and lots (and lots) of patience.
  • Pawz4me's avatar
    Pawz4me
    Explorer
    Dec 22, 2019
    IME it's not uncommon for teething to cause some diarrhea. And yeah--needing to go out every 30 minutes is very typical, especially with smaller pups. It's exactly what I strive for when working on housebreaking.

    Enjoy this golden period. Puppy adolescence will no doubt strike before too long! LOL
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    Dec 22, 2019
    SteveAE wrote:


    Perhaps part of what you were seeing was a fear stage. "Usually" there are two such periods in a pup's life, one at ~2 months and a second at ~9 months of age. The timing is a bit off, but maybe????

    Aussies want to please their owners. But being a working bread, they also need tons of exercise (both physical and mental), least they turn that energy into more destructive behavior.


    The reason we chose the breeder we got Augie from, is that she and her family spend a LOT of time doing psychological things with the puppies to make them calm, trusting, and unafraid, and I can certainly see that in Augie (I was SO grateful to see him run up to the TV and happily watch fireworks!) so I don't think he has fear issues?

    Exercise? We are blessed to have a massive dog park nearby - today Augie played with a labradoodle a few months older than him; and yes, 10 minutes romping with a dog friend is a LOT more effective than Ed and I simply walking him.....LOL! So for everyone's sanity (especially our little 20-lb Ben the Aussiedoodle) - going to the park is a daily routine.

    I've owned Aussies for 40-some years. I'm used to their quirks (and the challenge of staying one step ahead of them....LOL!) but had never encountered such a huge change in attitude over the course of just a few days.
  • SteveAE's avatar
    SteveAE
    Explorer
    Dec 22, 2019
    Deb and Ed M wrote:


    The reason we chose the breeder we got Augie from, is that she and her family spend a LOT of time doing psychological things with the puppies to make them calm, trusting, and unafraid, and I can certainly see that in Augie (I was SO grateful to see him run up to the TV and happily watch fireworks!) so I don't think he has fear issues?

    Exercise? We are blessed to have a massive dog park nearby - today Augie played with a labradoodle a few months older than him; and yes, 10 minutes romping with a dog friend is a LOT more effective than Ed and I simply walking him.....LOL! So for everyone's sanity (especially our little 20-lb Ben the Aussiedoodle) - going to the park is a daily routine.

    I've owned Aussies for 40-some years. I'm used to their quirks (and the challenge of staying one step ahead of them....LOL!) but had never encountered such a huge change in attitude over the course of just a few days.


    Sounds like Pawz4me has seen this before so you must have it pegged.

    I agree with you that choosing a good breeder is very important (Nature vs. Nurture).

    If you feel like giving your pup a, slightly older, red-tri "girl friend", take a drive out to sunny (I hope) Southern Arizona. We plan to spend the winter circling the southern part of the state, camping, bird watching, hiking/backpacking, and packrafting.
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    Dec 23, 2019
    SteveAE wrote:


    If you feel like giving your pup a, slightly older, red-tri "girl friend", take a drive out to sunny (I hope) Southern Arizona. We plan to spend the winter circling the southern part of the state, camping, bird watching, hiking/backpacking, and packrafting.


    LOL! Have a great time!

    Augie was getting to be a bit of a smart-aleck because he could outrun most of the dogs at the dog park. Then "Quinn" showed up - a beautiful blue merle female a few months older than Augie, who ran him down and put a (gentle) "beat-down" on Mr Smarty-pants several times :-)

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