Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
A Slight Update
First, I must apologize for not being on in a while and hope everyone in the community is doing well. I'd also like to wish congrats to Adina for the (soon to come? or already here?) new arrival. I'd throught I'd write a quick update and ask for advice again from the lovely people on here.
Bella is doing fantastic! We love her so much, she's such a beautiful dog; both inside adn out. She loves everyone but is a little shy with dogs, especially if they bark. She's gotten a lot more gentle with her mouth every since we started puppy socialization classes. She's gotten so darn big though, to the point where she really doesn't fit in her crate any more, especially when she stretches out. (That is becoming an issue...) We knew she was going to be a big dog though, her paws are huge. I think she needs to start going to the puppy romps we have around here, well not really around its a good hour drive away, to get her more used to other dogs.
First off, we started puppy classes at the beginning of November and thus far she's done very well. I agree with the trainer on almost everything and really am learning a lot on what not to do and what to do. It's really helped open the lines of communication with Bella. We've also just grown to know her better to the point that we can guess what she's going to do before she does it. She's so mischievous and fun loving, just absolutely the class clown. We've only got one issue and that's another person in the class. The first week we arrived a bit late and we're unsure if we should join but we were welcomed with open arms. As soon as Bella found out that she could play with the other dogs, she was off. She didn't stop for the entire forty-five minutes. Class was over, but the trainer was perfectly fine with it and said that this was fine. We made sure Bella calmed down the next week and we certainly learned more. It was so good to see her having fun and just being a good dog with the others.
We have a very small class, only two German Shepard and a Boston Terrier besides us. The problem lies with the Boston Terrier's owners; her name is Bella too by the way. We all know that the breed is relatively small but extremely hyperactive. Their dog is sweet and just loves Bella, she's not the issue. Her owners are. All they do, every time, is pick her up and hold her and not let her play with the other dogs. It got to the point that last week they were making things up about our dog biting their dog and leaving marks in her neck. I know this is complete lies becuase she's gotten so gentle that she could have my hand in her mouth and I wouldn't notice, not so before the classes but certainly now. She's so loving and absolutely loves Bella. Bella just doesn't understand why she can't play and is basically like begging at these people's feet. Bella is so loving it amazes me that they could say such things! For whatever reason they just don;t like her, maybe because the German Shepards don't bother with her. Who knows?
The trainer basically got really aggravated with the whole constant holding thing last week and finally asked the young woman why she continuously held her dog and that's when the lie came out, of course only after begin pressured that just becuase she was small wasn't good enough. The trainer didn't buy it and basically tried to push the issue and stopped because the young woman was getting very upset, almost to the verge of feeling like she was being personally assaulted. It's strange. The trainer is very understanding and not pushy at all. But every time she says something to this couple they like blow her off. For instance, also at the last meeting, they had a halter type leash on their dog. She asked them to take it off because honestly the poor dog would become a flinging toy if they dogs caught on that they could pick her up by it. They left it on. The trainer has decided on this new idea of letting them play and then stopping the dogs and teaching them and then letting them play again, it works really well.
The thing is, while the dogs are allowed to play the poor Boston Terrier is being held, she's only placed down when its time to train and of course she doesn't want to listen. So while we try to teach our Bella, they are CONSTANTLY AND LOUDLY yelling her name and of course our Bella wants to listen and becomes very distressed and distracted. This couple just isn't good for this class and its sad. I feel so bad for their dog. All they do is pay attention to their dog and yell her name through the whole class. They want nothing else to do with the other dogs. It's stupid. The German Shepards are such cutie pies, they bark because they're shy and a little aggressive but as soon as you start the petting they are all love and licks and just general sweet hearts.
I really hope this couple quits the class, I know its selfish but Bella can't learn anything is all she does is get confused by them calling her name constantly. She wants to do what they ask, she goes over to them and everything. The young man had the nerve last week to push her out of the way and hold the treat out to their dog. I was livid! Their dog also hasn't progressed any at all. It can't even sit, for Christ's sake. They say, "Oh she does it all the time at home." All I can think is well if you let your dog play she might be a little more receptive when it came time to train instead of wanting to play when it came time to train. Grrrr.... By the looks of it, they are going to. They flew out of the training session, they were gone before the rest of us even made it to the parking lot. It was so insane, honestly! I really wish that they understood that this was puppy socialization and that it's so crucial to do this for your dog. They just can't seem to get past the part that she is small. She will let you know if she gets hurt, she'll squeak or yelp or something and then you can get in the middle of it and see if she wants to join in again. don;t just assume that its just going to happen. It hasn't happened once and its so sad. Bella is Bella's favorite dog int eh class. She loves their dog so much and they can;t even treat her with respect. Lieing about our dog and pushing her out of the way. It all just makes me so upset and worried.
Anyways, aside from doggy class Bella is doing pretty okay on training. She has fallen a bit behind. She knows sit and down (lay) like a pro. She knows paw amazingly well. She knows stay and wait and come on, pretty alright but if there's anything else going on that's more interesting then it's out the window. She walks very well on a leash. I'm starting to press Leave it. She got it so well the first day yesterday. By the end I could turn my back and walk the other way and the treat would jsut sit in front of her, she'd be staring at it intently, waiting. I'm not sure how she's going to do with other things but I'm going to accomplish that tomorrow, start replacing the treat with her favorite no-no, the socks.
My main big issue is the crate. She hates her crate. My dad puts her in it and less then fifteen minutes later either me or my mom are up with her. All she wants to do, unlike before, is just sleep. That's it. She doesn't want to play, bite you, fool around, eat, go potty; nada, nothing. She just wants to get out of the confinement and sleep. I can't blame her. The crate is supposed to be the correct size for her, the size of a grown golden retriever. For whatever reason it isn't big enough. She's just gotten big. She is pretty cramped, especially when she tries to stretch. It so frustrating though because I can't sleep on the couch in the living room and she's too young to be left alone. Her crate is in the living room, by the way. We were thinking of buying another gate and just blocking off the stairs, we already have one that blocks her off from the kitchen. I really like the idea of the puppy play pen idea or something like that. Honestly I think she's still too young for just two gates. I'm not sure what to do about this crate issue. She hates it and has never really been one for it. Now that she's gotten to big for her to be comfortable its become a big issue for her. I love her dearly and know that she just can't take it. I've heard her roll around and bump into the metal sides and just make a racket trying to get comfortable. She can't have a bed in there because she gets too hot and its already too small. Even when it wasn't small she'd never sleep on it. She hated it, she's such a hot dog. Anything above seventy and she's dieing. :(.
Any advice on the crate and doggy class issue is appreciated. I'll make a list in case you just wanted to skim.
1. Bella's (the BT) owners are getting ridiculous and are hindering Bella's (our's) learning.
2. Bella hates her crate and won't stay in it.
Bella is doing fantastic! We love her so much, she's such a beautiful dog; both inside adn out. She loves everyone but is a little shy with dogs, especially if they bark. She's gotten a lot more gentle with her mouth every since we started puppy socialization classes. She's gotten so darn big though, to the point where she really doesn't fit in her crate any more, especially when she stretches out. (That is becoming an issue...) We knew she was going to be a big dog though, her paws are huge. I think she needs to start going to the puppy romps we have around here, well not really around its a good hour drive away, to get her more used to other dogs.
First off, we started puppy classes at the beginning of November and thus far she's done very well. I agree with the trainer on almost everything and really am learning a lot on what not to do and what to do. It's really helped open the lines of communication with Bella. We've also just grown to know her better to the point that we can guess what she's going to do before she does it. She's so mischievous and fun loving, just absolutely the class clown. We've only got one issue and that's another person in the class. The first week we arrived a bit late and we're unsure if we should join but we were welcomed with open arms. As soon as Bella found out that she could play with the other dogs, she was off. She didn't stop for the entire forty-five minutes. Class was over, but the trainer was perfectly fine with it and said that this was fine. We made sure Bella calmed down the next week and we certainly learned more. It was so good to see her having fun and just being a good dog with the others.
We have a very small class, only two German Shepard and a Boston Terrier besides us. The problem lies with the Boston Terrier's owners; her name is Bella too by the way. We all know that the breed is relatively small but extremely hyperactive. Their dog is sweet and just loves Bella, she's not the issue. Her owners are. All they do, every time, is pick her up and hold her and not let her play with the other dogs. It got to the point that last week they were making things up about our dog biting their dog and leaving marks in her neck. I know this is complete lies becuase she's gotten so gentle that she could have my hand in her mouth and I wouldn't notice, not so before the classes but certainly now. She's so loving and absolutely loves Bella. Bella just doesn't understand why she can't play and is basically like begging at these people's feet. Bella is so loving it amazes me that they could say such things! For whatever reason they just don;t like her, maybe because the German Shepards don't bother with her. Who knows?
The trainer basically got really aggravated with the whole constant holding thing last week and finally asked the young woman why she continuously held her dog and that's when the lie came out, of course only after begin pressured that just becuase she was small wasn't good enough. The trainer didn't buy it and basically tried to push the issue and stopped because the young woman was getting very upset, almost to the verge of feeling like she was being personally assaulted. It's strange. The trainer is very understanding and not pushy at all. But every time she says something to this couple they like blow her off. For instance, also at the last meeting, they had a halter type leash on their dog. She asked them to take it off because honestly the poor dog would become a flinging toy if they dogs caught on that they could pick her up by it. They left it on. The trainer has decided on this new idea of letting them play and then stopping the dogs and teaching them and then letting them play again, it works really well.
The thing is, while the dogs are allowed to play the poor Boston Terrier is being held, she's only placed down when its time to train and of course she doesn't want to listen. So while we try to teach our Bella, they are CONSTANTLY AND LOUDLY yelling her name and of course our Bella wants to listen and becomes very distressed and distracted. This couple just isn't good for this class and its sad. I feel so bad for their dog. All they do is pay attention to their dog and yell her name through the whole class. They want nothing else to do with the other dogs. It's stupid. The German Shepards are such cutie pies, they bark because they're shy and a little aggressive but as soon as you start the petting they are all love and licks and just general sweet hearts.
I really hope this couple quits the class, I know its selfish but Bella can't learn anything is all she does is get confused by them calling her name constantly. She wants to do what they ask, she goes over to them and everything. The young man had the nerve last week to push her out of the way and hold the treat out to their dog. I was livid! Their dog also hasn't progressed any at all. It can't even sit, for Christ's sake. They say, "Oh she does it all the time at home." All I can think is well if you let your dog play she might be a little more receptive when it came time to train instead of wanting to play when it came time to train. Grrrr.... By the looks of it, they are going to. They flew out of the training session, they were gone before the rest of us even made it to the parking lot. It was so insane, honestly! I really wish that they understood that this was puppy socialization and that it's so crucial to do this for your dog. They just can't seem to get past the part that she is small. She will let you know if she gets hurt, she'll squeak or yelp or something and then you can get in the middle of it and see if she wants to join in again. don;t just assume that its just going to happen. It hasn't happened once and its so sad. Bella is Bella's favorite dog int eh class. She loves their dog so much and they can;t even treat her with respect. Lieing about our dog and pushing her out of the way. It all just makes me so upset and worried.
Anyways, aside from doggy class Bella is doing pretty okay on training. She has fallen a bit behind. She knows sit and down (lay) like a pro. She knows paw amazingly well. She knows stay and wait and come on, pretty alright but if there's anything else going on that's more interesting then it's out the window. She walks very well on a leash. I'm starting to press Leave it. She got it so well the first day yesterday. By the end I could turn my back and walk the other way and the treat would jsut sit in front of her, she'd be staring at it intently, waiting. I'm not sure how she's going to do with other things but I'm going to accomplish that tomorrow, start replacing the treat with her favorite no-no, the socks.
My main big issue is the crate. She hates her crate. My dad puts her in it and less then fifteen minutes later either me or my mom are up with her. All she wants to do, unlike before, is just sleep. That's it. She doesn't want to play, bite you, fool around, eat, go potty; nada, nothing. She just wants to get out of the confinement and sleep. I can't blame her. The crate is supposed to be the correct size for her, the size of a grown golden retriever. For whatever reason it isn't big enough. She's just gotten big. She is pretty cramped, especially when she tries to stretch. It so frustrating though because I can't sleep on the couch in the living room and she's too young to be left alone. Her crate is in the living room, by the way. We were thinking of buying another gate and just blocking off the stairs, we already have one that blocks her off from the kitchen. I really like the idea of the puppy play pen idea or something like that. Honestly I think she's still too young for just two gates. I'm not sure what to do about this crate issue. She hates it and has never really been one for it. Now that she's gotten to big for her to be comfortable its become a big issue for her. I love her dearly and know that she just can't take it. I've heard her roll around and bump into the metal sides and just make a racket trying to get comfortable. She can't have a bed in there because she gets too hot and its already too small. Even when it wasn't small she'd never sleep on it. She hated it, she's such a hot dog. Anything above seventy and she's dieing. :(.
Any advice on the crate and doggy class issue is appreciated. I'll make a list in case you just wanted to skim.
1. Bella's (the BT) owners are getting ridiculous and are hindering Bella's (our's) learning.
2. Bella hates her crate and won't stay in it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Eileen Ross and Cody on
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Our Cody was out of his crate after several months also because of size. We have gates so he can't get to the cat food. He sleeps in the den and has never caused any problems. He just sleeps. He barks for me in the morning to pee poop and get fed. For a while he was getting up really early and barking but a bark color helped solve that problem. I would try to just gate him or use a doggy play pen.
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Permalink Reply by Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles on
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Is there any reason why she HAS to stay crated? The gate idea should work for awhile and then after some time of doing right, she shouldn't need to be corralled at all.
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Permalink Reply by Kayla Jean Ashley on
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There's really no reason other then safety. The living room is a place where she can get into things. We have a bunny in there with her, in a cage of course, potted plants, a television, wires, light, the Christmas tree, stairs etc. If we could be sure that all she would do is sleep at night and not get into trouble then I'd have no problem with letting her sleep outside of her crate. She's still just really young and mischievous. She hasn't had any accidents since her first when she first came home. She's very well potty trained so that isn't a worry of mine. I really just want her to be safe and happy. I was just wondering if you guys think she would be alright through the night. A playpen may be a better idea but I don't want to spend the money if I don't have to ><. She's fourteen weeks and 2 days old.
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Permalink Reply by BetteB on
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Our pup, Agnes also gets very hot. She didn't seem to mind going into her crate, but she would shift and stir throughout the night. We purchased a big bed for Agnes, and taught her to sleep on it at night (outside of the crate)... it was her new night time spot in our bedroom. That worked pretty well, until we turned on the heat (I get cold -- Agnes gets hot = not a good situation). Then, we moved her bed into our living room, which has hardwood floors and is much cooler. She slept on the bed for a bit, then moved to the hardwood floor. We haven't had any trouble, yet. (I may have just cursed myself b/c we put up the Christmas tree 3 days ago).
Now, Agnes is quite a bit older, she's about over 10 months. We've been doing this sleeping situation for about 2 months.
If you think she can handle it, I say try it for a night.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa & Porter on
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Switch classes now--you are wasting your time and money being in a class with a dog who has the same name and insane owners...just my personal opinion :-)
I am sure the trainer/school will understand. I hope they have the right class time/level for you to switch into. If not, I think it would be worth the wait for the next session.
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I tought I'd let you guys know that the class thing ahs improved. The german Shepards graduated adn the BT owners were not there this week. I'm pretty sure that they aren;t going to come again, thank God. We have two new pups in our class. Our assignment this week was stances, Bella already knows sit and down, with no verbal cues, so she just needs stand. she seems preeeeettty confused by it; she will catch herself standing and will promptly sit without warning. I'm not sure what I can do, seeing as when I go to treat her her butt is on the floor again so fast that sometimes I don't notice. Luring her works but as soon as she realizes what she did, aka stand up, her butt parks itself and she's licking my fingers eagerly awaiting the treat.
I've tried numerous times but it's impossible to hold her in a stand, she's just too quick. It's been three sessions already and no head way. She normally catches on to things in the first lesson I give her, she learned leave it in one lesson. I think its the way I'm doing it that's confusing her. I should try looking at my own hands and make sure I'm using the right gestures continuously. Other than that I'm at a loss. This is such a strange thing for her to have a hard time with. After this, I'm hoping to start to teach her to "stay" it's not required but would help my mom and I when we want her to just sit somewhere without moving for a quick second.
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taught*
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err... not so much thought* lol!
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Permalink Reply by Julie B. on
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Glad to hear your class has become better but I have to say that I understand the terrier's owners in one respect... it is difficult to have "good puppy play" when their is a huge size difference in dogs. A small puppy can get really hurt accidently when big puppies are running around. I am surprised that your trainer did not realize this. On hindsight the owners of the small boston terrier should have taken her to a smaller area and played with her alone during the play times. It can be very traumatizing for a smaller puppy to get hurt by bigger dogs. I have always been the owner of the "big puppies" but I can understand the owner's caution. In terms of the crate, I would gate off your kitchen and get rid of the crate if it is too small or too hot for your pup.
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