Training Advise

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

I am in need of some advise. Schulz who is about 8 months is a very great and well behaved dog. Calm and great with the kids. Only when people come over, he turns into a crazy psycho dog. He wont listen at all. Normally I just say his name and he stops anything he is doing. But when people walk through our door he turns into a wild animal. Jumps and is just all excited. After a short time he will calm down but turns people away from our dog. I hate having to put him away in the other room after people walk in but I cant have our dog scaring people away either. And he started to bark at people as they walk by our yard. Not mean, just loud and a lot. If I tell him to stop he will for a bit then start up again. Just wondering what are some good steps to help with this. Like I said he is a very well behaved dog and very smart and LOVING. Even as he is barking if they come up to the fence he tries to kiss them all.

[BG and Gavin]

I think you have to start with a good down stay.  Have him go to his place in a down stay.  Have someone come to the door and practice over and over.  Put a leash on him so that you can direct him back to his place if he breaks his down stay and gets up or starts barking.  Also reward him with a high value treat if he stays.  This takes time and lots of practice, but is very doable.  When dogs get good at it, they hear the door bell and automatically go to their place.  It gives them a competing response.

[BG and Gavin]

Yep, have him lay down on his bed or whatever is his "spot" and stay. 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

In my dreams!!!!!!!!! If it's not one it's the other. very hyper when company comes.

[Adina P]

Down stay means "lie down and stay there until I give you another command or release you" -- down is the first command and 'stay' is the second that means hold that position.

Scot, this is the main training problem of everyone: "My dog is good until..."  It just means he needs more training around those situations that are tough.  This means keep him on leash and use the first few minutes when people arrive to focus on his training (let your friends know in advance you'll be taking advantage of their visit to spend 5 min training your dog "to be less crazy" and then put him away in his crate or behind a baby gate.  Let him EARN the right to hang out freely with people by gradually working him for longer and longer around your guests and eventually giving him a release command.  Essentially, it just comes down to good training and good training means you work him in tougher and tougher situations until he can handle most anything. 

I do training a certain way so it won't necessarily work for you to follow my lead to the letter, but when I was more actively training Boca I would make Boca heel to within a few feet of the door.  Then I'd tell her to sit  and stay.  Then I'd answer the door and return to Boca's side (who should still be holding her sit).  Then I'd heel her away a distance and return with her in heel.  Then another sit stay and maybe heel around the person who just arrived,  And then heel her next to the person (and heel means she has to stay by my side and sit when I stop) and then heel her to her crate and let her cool down in there).  Or I might make her hold a few more sit stays, perhaps a down stay.  Just command after command (and over time lengthening the time she is in a stay) and then put her in her crate to relax.  This gave her practice but didn't overwhelm her or put my expectations too high -- plus then I could tend to my visitors and not spend the whole time focused on whether my dog was obeying or not until my dog got BETTER at obeying.

Other times Boca would be crated until AFTER my guests arrived and then I'd bring her out and run her through some obedience for a few minutes and then put her back in her crate.  The point is that your sweet doodle must NOT get the opportunity to practice the 'wrong' behavior and must get lots of practice doing things RIGHT.  But that means you have to, at least for a short time, focus on training in that moment so you need to do this when your friends won't mind.  Quite often if you do this enough then after 5-10 minutes of stays your dog will have calmed down enough to let free and mingle.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I have the same problem with Oliver when someone comes into my house.  The only way I can explain it is he is very excited, jumps, does not listen and just wants to say HI and give everyone a big wet kiss.  It is crazy for about 3 minutes then its like someone turned the switch off and he is fine.  He does not bark at all when he sees people walk pass the house or anything he may give one bark at a squirrel but otherwise he does not bark.   I don't get many visitors so this is difficult for me to work on.  At times I have put them both in their crates, let my guests come in and when the doodles settle down then I let them out.  Sasha gets a little excited too but nothing like Oliver, he is just such a happy go lucky kind of guy that wants to spread his love to everyone :)  good luck.  Ollie and Sasha both have a good sit/down and stay but loose all manners when we have a guest.  I am going to work on what Adina has suggested but my doodles take off their listening ears when we have guests for the first couple of minutes :(

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

When Luna was little we always told them not to pay attention to her until she:

1) had 4 paws on the ground

2) wasn't making any  noise

3) stopped paying attention to them (if only for a second)

She greets much more nicely now (when the doorbell rings), but we are still working on making her stay in a "spot" that she has to stay in until guests have their shoes off etc.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

We. Do sit-stay until released to greet here as well. No crates, but they are allowed to go in the backyard for a bit to chill and let people get settled. Then allowed in and they are much calmer and do their sniff and greet. The sit stay took a lot of work around an open door, but worth it so they ddnt run out in the street or knock over children coming in as they flew out! Not acceptable for anyone's safety.