Getting a puppy out of a bad habit

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

* food not good!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We have a Cockerpoo who is coming up to 6 months of age. We love him very much but he is manic. Full of energy and very intelligent, won’t listen to commands, barks at everything and shreds his toys and any paper he can find. Took him to puppy training, wasn’t interested. All he wanted to do was play with the other pups there. Take him out with his lead on and he kangaroo hops all the way there and back. Talking to other owners of this breed, found out that this is standard performance for them. It takes years for them to calm down. I read somewhere that one lady said 7 years. He is very loving, loves his cuddles but can be very naughty. Wouldn’t change him though.

While training may help I am afraid this is a 'poodle' thing. My parents had a standard poodle, he was adorable - to us - but he could never be left on his own and was pretty grumpy to other people and dogs!

^ Watching Graham Hall on tv won’t help the OPs friends . They may get a condensed idea of simple training techniques but, training needs to be consistent, calm and a 24/7 activity,^

I totally agree with this statement!

I’ve loved my cockapoo and hug labradoodle. They taught me more than any other dogs I’ve lived with. I’ve also fostered poodle crosses for the charities who rehome these dogs.

Cross two sensitive, intelligent dogs and expect you’ll need to join and commit to well run training classes - months not weeks. They’re prone to separation anxiety, nipping, jumping up. Most behaviours can be improved.
Watching Graham Hall on tv won’t help the OPs friends . They may get a condensed idea of simple training techniques but, training needs to be consistent, calm and a 24/7 activity,

Sorry, I meant to say that if you gently stop the puppy from doing things you don't want it to by diverting its attention, a cavapoo will learn very quickly what it can and can't do. They're very intelligent and want to please.

I have a 6 year old cavapoo who appears to not be the norm going by above comments. He was crate trained when I got him as a puppy and I kept it up. The door is always open and he takes himself off there to bed when he wants to sleep. He's never bitten because when he was teething I gave him toys to help and diverted him before it started. He's extremely clever, knows and obeys several commands which I taught him by praising him when he did the right thing and ignoring what he did wrong. He thrives on praise.

He has never been off leash even when we walk over the fields opposite, not because I don't trust his recall but because I don't trust other dogs. There have been so many times when out of control, enormous dogs have bounded over to us and ignored their owners, meaning I've had to hang on to their collars at times. He's very sociable and loves to meet them (and their owners, once they've caught up!) The fields drop down to a major A road and I wouldn't take the risk - lots of dogs have lost their lives on it because owners haven't been able to stop them. He loves everyone and, unless they indicate for him to, doesn't jump up to greet them (but does get underfoot in his desire to be petted).

He's not perfect; if I go for a shower/bath/visit to the loo and close the door, he'll tip the bin over in the lounge and glare at me when I come out again but strangely, he doesn't do it when I leave the house. He'll also scarf dropped food and doesn't make the connection that doing so will give him a dicky tummy - same goes with things he finds on our walks, if I don't spot it in time, it's in his belly.

But he's perfect to me.

I've got a ' needy and anxious' cockapoo. She's 5 and we still do a lot of training so we can ask her to do something rather than tell her not to do whatever is annoying. She understands 'no' and stops what she's doing immediately despite never having been scolded or told off, she sits and waits for the next instruction. Always wants to please. She's a delight and everyone (almost) likes her. While she doesn't need hours of exercise like a previous springer, she still needs a lot of stimulation and company - these intelligent doodles are known to be Velcro dogs so not the right breed to automatically expect self sufficiently. My springer could be left a few hours easily, my Labrador up to 3-4 hours but it's taken years to get my cockapoo to be happy being left for a couple of hours. It's partly a breed thing. Loads of training is the best way forward, with a proper trainer so you don't reinforce bad habits by accident. Trouble is, it's not your dog. If you ask people to leave a dog like this at home when they visit they probably can't. Could they bring the dogs bed? Maybe put it beside or on the sofa? Or a big thick towel to sit on? My little dog is happy to sit on a towel on my lap for example. Asking the dog to behave differently to normal in an unfamiliar or stressful place like someone else's house isn't fair on the dog unless some serious training has gone into it. The biting sounds like the puppy was taken away from the litter too soon.

Puppies minds are formed in the first few weeks of life and a good breeder will do things in those 8 weeks that result in happy confident dogs.

The next 4 weeks are as important too because that is generally when the socialisation skills are learned from their siblings which is why a good breeder will not let their puppies go until they are 12 weeks old. If you do take on a puppy at 8 weeks, you have to work doubly hard at socialising it which often gets missed because they aren't allowed out and about due to needing their vaccinations. I really think there should be strict laws about when puppies should leave their first homes.

We bought a cockapoo from a person in Wales. When I picked her up she was shaking all over. I didn't realise that meant she hadn't been socialised properly or had much contact with people. Was ok as a young pup but latched on to my OH and gradually 'protected' him from everyone in the family including me. Would run at people snarling growing and barking and try to chase us out of the room. DD and baby DGD living with us at the time so v dangerous. Spent nearly £200 on behaviourist - no improvement at all. We rehomed to a single person through a rescue where she's bonded and doing extremely well. It's all down to socialisation as a young puppy and the temperament of the mother, breeder and any other dogs around. The mother dog teaches bite inhibition to her pups, and teaches them not to bite hard. This dog is young so training may help OP.