So smart

[Dexter Doodle]

I will not take back my feelings of a raising a puppy being one of the hardest, most draining things I have ever done, but this morning I am sitting here amazed at how smart these little puppies truly are. I got the poochie bells in on Wednesday evening. I sometimes rang them on the way out to potty, but sometimes I forgot too. I never actually showed Dexter how to ring them. Yesterday my husband stayed with Dexter while I ran out in the morning. He said that the bells were ringing so he took Dexter out and sure enough, he had to go and he ran to the nearest spot and went like it was an emergency. I thought it was just a coincidence. Twice this morning he rang the bells to go potty. I'm still not fully convinced because it just can't be that easy!

Has anyone else found that your puppy listens better to your husband than you? I just don't get it. He was jumping like crazy trying to get my can of soda out of my hand. I tried everything to get him to stop. My husband takes it and he stops. He then put it on the ground in front of his face and told him to leave it. Sure enough he just sat there and eventually turned his back to it giving up. He does the same thing with socks. My husband will do a little rough play with Dexter. He loves it, but will run over and hump my leg in excitement. He will not even attempt it with my husband. I have him sit and wait to eat, wait at doorways, etc. I am not a complete pushover. I'm not saying he doesn't listen to me at all, but not nearly as well as he does for my husband. Especially when it is time to settle. I have to think this some how has to do with him being smart too.

He is obviously capable of so much at only 13 weeks. He does sit, down, stay (duration varies depending on focus), high five, roll over, and is really starting to do better with leave it. Now, leash walking, off, and nipping are really a work in progress! I wonder how quickly his attention span will grow over the next few months. I'm sure I will post the positives and negatives as I continue this journey!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Enjoyed your story with my morning coffee, while Yarrow and Shiloh eat their breakfast. They're 13 months old now and very clever and mostly no trouble, but they do still get excited at the drop of a hat. I take them for two hikes a day, mostly off leash through the woodland trails, but I still have a whole lot of wrestle-mania in the house. Their bodies may be full size, but they are still a work in progress. It IS a lot of work, and even after having dogs all my life I've found that the intelligence, sensitivity and silliness of these doodles made them more challenging... And also, dare I say, more rewarding. (No disrespect intended to all the dogs I've loved before.)

[Dexter Doodle]

Off leash hikes sound like a dream! Our goal is to get there. At dinner last night my husband (who had a dog growing up) assured me that Dexter is a very good puppy and he will be a great dog. I can't imagine dealing with a difficult puppy then! We raised a great young man (13 year old son) and I have faith we can do the same with Dexter. Luckily, it won't take as long though!

[Dexter Doodle]

Just saw this old post and had to post an update. Dexter has been off leash for a bit now.... No longer just a dream. ;)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Yay for Dexter! Sounds like you all are on the right track.
As for listening to your husband, better....he sees your husband as the Alpha. Now you need to assert yourself and make YOU the alpha in his eyes too. Sterner voice and never let him get away with anything. If you tell him to sit...make sure he does it, no matter how long it takes. He needs to learn YOU are the boss . The sooner he learns this..your training will go much easier.

[Dexter Doodle]

I'm trying to be as stern with him as I can be. I'm at a bit of a loss with the humping and biting my jeans though. I could tell that he liked the "game" of me pushing him off. Doing nothing doesn't seem to be the answer either. I am asking the trainer when she comes.

Unless he is really wound up, he listens to me. The difference is that it doesn't matter how wound up he is when it is my husband. If he is overtired and my husband tells him to lay down on his bed, he will. (He usually sighs and falls asleep) If only I had those magic powers. At least I feel lucky enough that my husband is around a good bit to take care of those put of control moments. I won't give up though!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

At this point...the humping is not sexual behavior, but another " I'm the alpha here" behavior.. A loud yell of somekind ...and a placement of his body down....a push is going to be a play gesture for him. Consistency is key.
Just found this article, that may help:
http://www.dogster.com/puppies/How-to-Stop-Your-Puppy-from-Humping-114

[SK & Hudson]

For the leash walking, we have really enjoyed having a belt leash that is wrapped around our waist and has a short lead for Hudson. This has really kept Hudson from flinging herself towards things and staying close to us during walks. It is also really great when we go to people's houses and want her on a leash with us but still we have both of our hands free. We bought ours on Amazon for around $15. 

[Tiffany Clark]

I tried the "stop walking when they pull" method with Abigail and it worked a little, but she still attempted to pull. I ran across  this method on youtube that has worked wonders! For me, it literally worked after two walks.  The first day, after the first 3-4 corrections, she never got to the end of leash. Now when the few occasions that she gets ahead of herself, she feels it and she readjusts. It also helped her pay more attention to me on walks. She checks in with me more often and notices right away if I am changing direction. It took 1 correction today at the gate of a dog park which she went to for the first time today. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoJPUH6ULLc  

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

I think they listen to whoever is the most consistent. At least here that's what I've found with Gracie.
I have to train my hubby how to interact so that the dog will do what he wants. Though she does enjoy his company and wants to go to with him whenever he goes out the door. He doesn't make her mind as much as I do, but I remind him that if he wants a good dog, he has to be consistent with following through. For instance, he tells her to sit at the door, but doesn't wait for her to do it before trying to open the door. She knows how to sit and wait while opening the door - so it's a bit frustrating when he doesn't follow through (on my end).
I have found Gracie to be smart as well and she catches on quickly. I remind my husband of that too. She can be smart and learn the behaviors we want or smart and learn the behaviors we don't want. ;)
We don't use the potty bells though. Maybe I should because she just quietly stands by the door and looks our direction when usually we are in a different area of the house.