Getting a puppy out of a bad habit

My tip would be don't invite them around again unless the dog stays home. It's not going to improve, they pander to it and don't know how to train it.

Sounds like this poor dog is crying out for some basic training. My dog was 2 when I took him on, but we went to puppy classes and found it helpful. I saw dogs much younger than mine go from bouncy and mouthy to calm and under control.
The Dog's Trust does classes at a reasonable cost. Perhaps you could find a way to hint that they might like to try something like that.

I only wish a friend of mine would take her Cavapoo puppy to a training class as he is so naughty when he visits I have had to ask my friend not to bring him. His teeth go dangerously close to my little dog's one working eye. My request wasn't well taken and has endangered a friendship going back 60 years.

The dog has spaniel in it and they can be very energetic. Your friends need to have professional training on how to deal with their dog. It's 9 months old so they should get going
before all the anmoying behaviour is fully set.

On the programme Graeme Hall always says his methods are just a starting point and not a quick fix - that the dog owner needs to be consistent and carry on daily with the training after he’s gone. The programme might be a starting point that they can build on, give them a few new ideas and they can watch for free in their own home.

As a lifelong dog owner/dog lover, I would NEVER inflict my naughty dogs on anyone else, in my own home if guests are not dog friendly I ensure my dogs are either right next to me or locked into another room with chews and toys as distractions. I’d never ever dream of taking a dog which didn’t behave nicely to any else’s house.

No, it’s not the breed, it’s the lack of training and the fact that this little chap is still a puppy. The owners need to socialise this little dog better and correct his behaviour and start to leave him for very short periods alone or they’ll have a (doggie) lifetime of poor behaviour and distressed dog. It’s not unreasonable to expect other people’s dogs NOT to sit on your furniture, they should have brought dog bed and blanket and toys/chews with them.

The other thing is exercise, sometimes people very mistakenly that smaller dogs need less exercise than larger dogs! Big mistake. This particular dog would benefit from at least two medium walks each day and if not trained to recall then taken somewhere very secure and trained. Luckily many dogs with spaniel in them are VERY good motivated

* food not good!

They now say not to exercise young dogs too much while their growth plates are still growing ( you can’t win).Puppies and young dogs, like children, can get cranky when they’re tired. I’ve never understood people getting puppies for Christmas. Kittens are adorable but puppies are downright hard work for a long time! I spent a lot of the first nine months of my dogs life in tears.

Young dogs need stimulation which takes the form of a mixture of an amount of exercise suited to their growth plates and brain training. You do not have to walk your dog for miles, stimulation takes place if you allow your dog to sniff and explore for a good length of time.

I find Graham Hall's system of ongoing training & lots of praise works fantastically. He also does a podcast which is again informative.
We recently took on a West Highland terrier who is 7 & had obviously been given titbits off the last owners plate and slept on their bed. (They are old & both ill & couldn't care for him any more). He was overweight and I can't fold myself around a dog on the bed & wouldn't sleep well. We've been practicing lots of praise and cuddles in order to retrain him away from begging. He can't get on the bed by himself & sleeps well in his bed from night one after keep taking him back to his bed & praising him. It took 40 mins. We don't mind him on the furniture. I'd probably not go to folks houses who don't like dogs, I'd just feel awkward & uncomfortable. Luckily all our friends & family have dogs or don't mind them
Point them into the direction of 'Dogs behaving very badly' Graham always says the owners need training & not the dog.

I didn’t realise he did a podcast. I’ll check it out.Someone did tell me that when he does his tv programmes he does actually spend a lot of time with the dogs featured.

I don't know how long he spends with dogs but I think a lot of his work with reactive dogs gives the false impression that you can cure them in half an hour. I would far prefer them to be honest about how long it takes to desensitise a reactive dog where their anxiety is high. The tv show makes it look so easy and whilst I agree that most of the problem is with the owners, I think the false impression that you can fix a dog's behaviour so easily makes people think they only need to copy Graeme. Training and reinforcement never stops and needs to be consistent.

Graham Hall is not a qualified dog trainer or behaviourist. He has no qualifications and in comparison with the trainers/behaviourists I work with, has very limited experience of dogs.
I agree with icanhandthemback.. Desensitising an anxious reactive dog is not a quick fix. Dogs are like children, some are easier to bring up than others. The GHall programmes give the impression the owners just need a nudge in the right direction and all will be well. This is nonsense.
Training/reinforcing behaviours you want doesn’t end. We have more reactive, badly behaved dogs than ever. They’re not fur babies - they’re dogs. The need routines, boundaries, decent diet, exercise/sniffing time and to know their place in their pack

Everyone should see the excellent comments from Watermeadow, and Icanhandthemback. For OldFrill, and that "Graham Hall does telly, others do dog training", 1) it's Graeme - you apparently haven't seen the shows if you don't know that?!! and 2) of course the TV shows are just snippets of the training needed. He's a widely respected trainer, and there are films and books available for more complete guidance. His shows give a quick and entertaining insight into the problems caused by invariably daft owners, and clues as to the analysis and remedies.

There is a lot of difference between biting and 'mouthing' - as dogs don't have a thumb, they can get hold of you only with their teeth. If they really do bite you, you would know all about it, but grabbing a sleeve or hand for attention is different. Our puppy did this constantly, but a firm 'No', a pat on the head and 'Good boy!' when he let go gradually sorted it out. A breeder told me that even a small puppy has a bite that can crush a chicken bone - or your little finger. Mother dog teaches them not to do this, and consequently their grabbing at humans is much gentler. It is very annoying - several ragged sleeves later we can attest to that - but dogs do everything for a reason. They want your attention, they want to play, they have excess energy to work off - none of it is done to annoy as they just want to please.

Thanks for all your knowledgeable advice. I will gently pass it on, though she has more experience of keeping dogs than we have. We only kept an old dog of my fil when he died,so the dog was already trained.

I like dogs, unlike DH, and I think our friends picked up his negative vibes. I won’t stop inviting them, as we only see them twice a year because of distance.

I hope they persist with him, as he is a sweet little dog. Thing is, they are well into their 70’s, and though very active, they say he is taking up all their time, and they’re giving up their hobbies.

They are wondering now if the breeder was all that reputable. He cost much less than normal for a cavapoo, so he might have been taken from the litter too early, and not socialized.