Puppy regression and behavior changes after an injury
Injury recovery and crate rest force a young puppy into sudden confinement, triggering severe behavioral regression like excessive barking, biting, and house-training setbacks. This constant chaos leaves owners unable to work or rest, as the puppy requires round-the-clock supervision and forgets all previous training.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Locking the puppy into a play pen almost 24 hours a day
- 2Using an inflatable cone to prevent licking and chewing
- 3Giving kongs and other puzzles
- 4Utilizing crate rest and room rest resources
- 5Keeping the dog on a lead or long line during walks and creating more distance from other dogs
- 6Using high-value treats and trying to redirect attention
- 7Enforcing naps and tethering the dog to the owner to encourage settling
- 8Ignoring demand barking completely until the dog is quiet
- 9Hiring a professional trainer and going back to basics with training
- 10Enforcing 60 minute crate times to regulate her
- 11Searching other resources for advice
- 12Freezing a wet, twisted up washcloth to numb her mouth
- 13Repeating mantras that things will improve in a year
- 14Jokingly threatening the dog with being sent away
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My 13.5 week old puppy has been a terror this past week.”source ↗
“How can I get her to stop barking and growling at me for no reason?”source ↗
“She’s not the puppy she was. I cannot keep going like this.”source ↗
“I feel like our dog has suddenly turned into a completely different dog over the last 2–3 weeks.”source ↗
“On his walks, we currently can’t really let him off lead because he is OBSESSED with other dogs.”source ↗
“Barking is probably the biggest nightmare at the moment. He has suddenly become SO barky.”source ↗
“He also just WON’T settle. He’s constantly at the back door, scratching, barking, running around, wanting to go outside, chewing things, etc.”source ↗
“Basically forgetting every bit of training they previously knew”source ↗
“Well the teenage hormones have officially kicked in for my 7 month old collie. She's forgotten every training thing and if I touch her when she doesn't want it my arm gets mauled (...lightly but noisily).”source ↗
“Unfortunately, the tail injury is not what is toughest on us right now.”source ↗
“He will do one normal pee and then like 10 phantom pees after that.”source ↗
“This has made him an a lot more chaotic dog and like 10x bitey than he was before.”source ↗
“Right now we are feeling so down and it's hard to make things work with our full-time jobs (that we can do from home) as he needs almost constant supervision.”source ↗
“Haha, I don't miss the young puppy days but man adolescence is difficult!”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Puppy blues and regret when training isn't working
- 5Why does my dog forget house training after the vet?
- 2How to keep a hyper puppy from reinjuring healing bones
- 6Potty training regression after a medical break
- 4How to handle a traumatized puppy who is too scared for treats or touch
- 12Puppy too scared and overwhelmed on walks