Calling all Naughty Doodles!

[Sandy]

Okay - I seriously need to see that Toby is not the only non-perfect doodle out there! So many times people write about how wonderful their dogs are, how well behaved, etc. I need to know that there are other dogs Toby's age (14 months) that a) jump up on people, even though they know full well they are not supposed to, b) pull on their leash when they really, really want to go see something, even though they have passed obedience school demonstrating that they DON'T do this, and c) completely ignore my commands when in public if their is something more interesting going on.

Toby is truly a work in progress, and I love him dearly. We work hard at being consistent in our commands and expectations. But....today has not been a good day. We're bringing him to my Mom's for Thanksgiving dinner tonight, but we're only 7 minutes from home, so if we have a repeat performance, he'll be coming home to spend Thanksgiving evening in his crate....

[GBK]

I take my two everywhere with me and sometimes it is just he luck of the draw what will catch their eye! For the most part they are both well behaved and I worry the least about Buddy the 4 yo. However, Saturday we went to a dog outing with many people and dogs, and all was fine until the miniature horse walked past........ To say this boy did a double take would be putting it mildly :) I would give anything to have captured the look on his face when he sniffed the horses butt, thinking it a dog and it wasn't.

I had to have my eyes peeled for them walking around because Buddy definitely wanted to investigate futher. My arm still hurts from him lunging towards it when I was turned in the other direction.

For us, the more we got them out there, the better they behaved. As for stealing of socks etc, it is a losing battle here as well. Buddy steals the article and then they play tug.....

[Adina P]

No dog is perfect naturally. No dog is perfect...period.
They all have their quirks, weaknesses, naughty points. Rosco and I were away at a dog training seminar this weekend. We stayed at a 'dog friendly' hotel which of course predisposes dogs to this...but FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ... Rosco lifted his leg INDOORS to mark the table! I'm 100% certain another dog had marked there before, but still not okay. He found out it was NOT okay and because of that and by using his obedience (lots of stays to keep him from wandering out of my view and repeating the incident) it didn't happen again and it also didn't happen in the second hotel we stayed in this weekend.

Training can fix most if not all common issues--Rosco is FAR more trained than Thule and thus he does far fewer naughty things than her. But some things just have to be managed. However, if your training classes are NOT helping and haven't really led to an overall improvement ... then I would say you need a different trainer or different class--find someone who has an EXCELLENT track record for getting results out of her students. It's not your fault--it's the trainer's job to help the students succeed with their dogs. I don't believe you just wait till the dog is old and then call him behaved...it should NOT take years to get a dog to walk on leash without pulling. But sometimes it takes finding the right method that will work for Toby and you. One that you can do every single day and see increasing improvement--even if there's a bad day every great now and then...if he's not CONTINUALLY improving and if it takes years...it's NOT a useful method. The whole point of obedience training is to have control over your dog in daily life circumstances...that includes guests coming over, a walk down the street, a trip downtown, vet visit, etc. If what you're doing isn't working...it's time to do something else. Repeating the same training that's not gotten results won't magically change things. Time to switch or find a trainer who is willing to take time and help each student succeed.

[Phoebe's Mom]

What a great post! I am currently going through this with a friend who seems to have a perfect and 'brilliant' child. As for Phoebe, my 'little angel'...who also happens to bark a LOT, jump even more, chew my kitchen chairs (STILL at 9 months) and nip at us ( a lot) plus, she was absolutely perfect when I had the trainer come to the house to witness these behaviors first hand. You are not alone! But I would not trade Phoebe for anything--we, too, are works in progress. I hope I survive!

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

Dexter is 3 and he's still naughty. He is much better than when he was younger, but I think we are on the 5 yr plan to having a mature dog :)

[Holly St Pierre]

All & all Gunner is a great boy, however he does get in to some trouble. He pulls when he is excited & has dug up about 4 holes in a backyard. He has been a blessing for us, but it hasn't been easy some days. Its always easy to forget the bad days, when you have so many good ones, which is probably what most people do. He went through the "puppy phase" less than a year ago & I can't even remember the bad days anymore. Like others say, NONE of them our perfect.

[Karen & Lucy]

Is there a "perfect" doodle out there in doodleland? I DON'T THINK SO :-)
It gets better with age. Just hang in there, I think we all have those same problems at times.

[Kai Doodle (Kathy & Keith)]

Kai is 6 months old now, graduated from puppy school last Wednesday & apparently passed as he got his Star Puppy. Fifteen minutes later we get home. I let him out of the car, like always,(always being for the last 4 months) and tell him "Go in your house." for the first time ever he took off! I was mad and scared. He finally went inside when I ran away from him and he decided to follow. So much for Star Puppy!

[Adina P]

He's still young and gonna test.

[Sandy]

That's what I always say - if Toby was a shih tzu, nobody would complain when he jumped on then. But...he's not. :)

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

Dustin and Fenway can be just as naughty as they are perfect angels. It seems like just as soon as I start talking about how good they're doing they'll go and do something to prove me wrong. Dustin has done basic obedience and Fenway is currently at the advanced level, but still have their moments which is so frustrating. Hopefully as they grow older this will calm down some. Who knows, but you're in good company!

[Sandy]

Thanks guys! I'm feeling better now. I knew there had to be other "less than perfect" beasties out there.... Onward and upward. :)

[Jodi Edsall]

I know this may be hard to believe but Murphy, our 1 1/2 year old 83 lb. male doodle, is the most perfect dog. Right from the day we got him (17 weeks old) he has been a perfect angel. We have never crated him even after leaving him home alone for 6 to 7 hours he has never destroyed a thing. I honeslty cannot think of one thing that he was done bad... Murphy has never been through any training at all.

Then there's Bailey, our 2 1/2 year old 72 lb. female doodle.........

Bailey has been through obedience training. She still jumps up on people when they enter the house, insists on smelling people in the crotch, eats sock and underwear, steals the kitchen towels and then runs away when I try to get it from her and humps Murphy.

I love them both with all my heart. But I have to admit that I have said that I would take 10 more doodles if they were just like Murphy. I do think he is one in a million.