Dinner time

[Dawn]

I was wondering what your doodles do during dinner (sounds like a tongue twister :)     We usually feed Lucy around 4:30 but we don't eat until later.    I put the spray bottle next to me and give her a squirt if she comes to the table.    I know some people crate their dogs but I don't really want to do that.  We do crate her when we're gone and when we go to bed.      I think we may have failed with the crate training because she does not go in willingly.  We made the mistake of putting a pet pillow on the floor and she prefers that over the crate.   

 

Also, what do you think about putting your puppy in a time out (in the bathroom) if she snaps/nips at you?  We are still having a problem with her nipping at my 9 year old daughter. 

 

Thanks,

dawn

 

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

When we're having dinner my guys are not allowed in the kitchen.  They lay right outside the kitchen door.  We taught them to lay there, and while they were "learning" when they got up and started toward the kitchen we would verbally correct them, and I would walk them right back to their "place" and have them lie back down.  At the beginning it took many, many repetitions of this....and then they "got it".  Now they wouldn't think of coming in while we're eating.

As for putting your puppy in the bathroom for a "time out", that is not something I would do.  First of all, I don't think a puppy can connect the nipping with why she's being closed in the bathroom.  Second, I think for some dogs being put in a small room with a closed door can be a little stressful.  If Lucy is nipping because she's overly excited, I would give her a strong verbal correction and then put her in the crate to calm down.  Some people have had luck with using a squirt bottle with puppies this age.  I never used that method, but it seems to have worked for some others.  You might try searching the Puppy Madness group discussions, as nipping seems to be a common problem and there have been other discussions on how to deal with it.  Good luck.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jane is right on with the advice about not putting Lucy in the bathroom behind a closed door. Some dogs will actually develop barrier aggression from that. If you have to close her off in a small area, use a baby gate.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Oh No! I am currently dog sitting and in order to have any sort of peace and quiet I need to put her in a seperate room. Sophie gets too wound up, and Puddles keeps chasing the cat. Last night my neighbour below me left an angry note about all the noise. I don't have a baby gate anymore. I am alternating crating Sophie and putting Puddles in the spare room so they each have some freedom time. I don't really know what else to do. :o(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A normal sized room (like a bedroom) with a window doesn't have the same effect as a small windowless closed in space behind solid barriers.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

But a good used baby gate is one purpose for which Craig's List can be put to good use.

[Diana Erhart]

Charlie, who is now 5 years old, obviously thinks he is one of the humans in our family.  I try to feed him before we eat, but he refuses.  When we sit down to eat, he goes to his bowl and eats his food then.  He won't eat before we do.  When he is done I get him his "dessert" (doggie oreo cookies) and then he just lays down in the eating area while we finish.  Hard to believe my picky eater and crazed puppy has turned into such a gentleman!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Hard to believe! Wow! I really can't imagine my dogs leaving food in the bowl even for a second--that is remarkable!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Luca often won't touch his food until I come home and sometimes he just eats later on even when I am home.

[Doris]

Bodi gets a treat when we sit down to eat.  Then he lays under the table and doesn't bother us at all.  I guess we are lucky!  When we adopted Bodi at age 2 he was a nipper.  We tried a few methods to correct the behavior and the squirt bottle worked.  No more nipping - ever.

I guess we all try different things until something works!!  I will say that he nipped my youngest the most . . . . we thought he felt he was "higher in the pack".  Try having your daughter do the feeding and perhaps walking (if your doodle isn't huge!).  That helped us too.

Good luck!

[Amy and Lily]

We pay no attention to our fur kids at dinner time so now they just lay down in the other room.  I have noticed if we give them people food they will be by the table next meal.  We have cut out giving people food so now thet don't know what they are missing!

[Christine & Shelby]

Shelby is allowed in the kitchen and doesn't disturb me/us during meal time.  She'll either eat her own food or lay down.  I don't feed her from the table, so she doesn't expect it.   If I do want to give her a nibble of something (chicken, etc.).  I will save that and feed it to her after the table has been cleared.

As for the nipping - I did do short timeouts for Shelby in the Laundry room.  I would immediately give a verbal correction, pick her up walk to the laundry and set her down (with no talking).   I'd stand outside and only have her in there about a minute.  When she came out I would say "no biting" give her some  loving and then we'd go back to play.  It seemed to help.

I don't think you failed with crate training.  My Shelby wasn't like most of the doodles I read about here who love their crates!  She would go in if I gave her the command, but never - ever - went in on her own to laydown, get away or anything.    I had to crate her a lot initally all day while at work (came home at lunch to let her out), and then at night while sleeping.  I struggled with this - and worked hard to move her to house freedom.   Not all dogs *love* their crates...

Keep us updated!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Cooper doesnt eat until we have eaten - we are the top dogs. She doesnt bother us when we eat. When she was little we would put her in her ex-pen while we eat. My inlaws dog went into her crate while we ate til she learnt to not beg.

I think a time out is good - reprimand her first - say no - then time in the crate, or ignore her for a while.