Please tell our dog will grow out of her "puppy phase" soon!

Our dog is about 8 months old and is already about 65-70 pounds, and still growing! She's already bigger than I wanted her to be, but we got her from the shelter and didn't really know what breeds she is made up of. It's starting to get very frustrating because she still runs around and gets so excited like most puppies do, but she doesn't realize how big she is and how sometimes it can be painful/dangerous to us or our guests when her excitement results in us getting knocked into and sometimes almost knocked over. We have a large crate that I have to put her in when I'm cooking because I got sick of her crashing into me while I'm cooking because she can't stay still. Some people have been telling us to give it until she's a year or two and that she'll start to calm down. I've never really had a dog except when I was little, so I don't really know if this is true. Does anyone have (or had) a dog that is at least a couple of years old that can tell me if your dog calmed down as it got older? Please give me hope that she won't always be like this! We love her, but she makes it so hard to do anything in the kitchen where we keep her.

Re: Please tell our dog will grow out of her "puppy phase" soon!

dogs are supposed to calm down as they get older but my aunt's dog is now 4 and still hyper! she is calmer but not where they would like her to be....it really depends on the breed, some are more known for the hyper activity and others for the mellowness..... maybe try obedience training? good luck and it's great that you saved her from a shelter!!

Re: Please tell our dog will grow out of her "puppy phase" soon!

my westie is 14 and she still has major hyper moments! have you tried the clicker?? it worked very well for my aunt's dog...her dog had very long arms and was constantly jumping and knocking things over. he also barked excessively...the clicker was a great tool for him

Re: Please tell our dog will grow out of her "puppy phase" soon!

Your dog is plenty old enough to be trained at this point. I would get a reputable trainer and work on that. Some dogs don't grow out of the puppy phase for a long time - Scout is 2 and a half and is still a big (75 lb.) puppy -- but he is also well trained and therefore managable...

Re: Please tell our dog will grow out of her "puppy phase" soon!

She definitely needs some basic obedience training. Sit, stay, down, heel....and you need to teach her not to jump on people because that can be truly annoying and overwhelming for small people.

But, that being said, she is also still very much a puppy. Misty was over-excited all the time up until she was about 2 years old...and then it just stopped. But, we did make sure that she had obedience training as soon as we got her....It's worth all the time and investment to have a well-trained dog, and they listen better as they get older so it makes life much easier.