GUINNESS IS MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ABUSIVE MOTHER- Expecting ASPCA At My Door

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness has a new trick and it's totally embarrassing me. When we're out and people come over to greet him, I put him in a sit/stay before there is any petting. If he gets up and pulls or lunges I take him right away, and he never gets to greet the person. Well Saturday we took him to an Open House at a large area pet store, so there were lots of new people to meet. Each time I put him in his sit/stay he would totally do it, but he cried like a little baby the whole time. People would say...".oh, he's just being a puppy", or "he's so cute, he just wants to get up to greet me", or "I really don't mind if he jumps". Sure, I felt like a complete mean, loser Mom. Today he went to Daycare. Again, when we first get inside he's very excited, but I make him sit and wait for one of the staff to come out to get him. Same thing....cried like a baby. Absolutely pathetic sounds coming from this "obedient" puppy. The person who came to get him gave me a look like I was some kind of monster. I know I have to do this if he is going to pass his Therapy Dog test but I'm mortified by his "drama". I know he knows just what he's doing. Oh, and he stares at me the whole time looking like I am torturing him. Has anyone else had this kind of "drama king" behavior with their Doodle?

[DeeDee and Sheila]

Oh Jane, you meanie you!! Just catching up on posts, have had the plague (you know, the bronchitis, sinus, coughing just icky winter stuff). I can't believe how imaginative and resilient Guinness is. He is just a CORKER!!! My labs weren't that smart-they would just disobey period and get up. When our deaf daughter used to close her eyes in "time out" I asked my husband if this was "backtalk". I definitely think Guinness knows EXACTLY what he is doing. How embarrassing for you. The little crackpot!! Gotta love him-all boy!!

[Ann]

Samson does this too!! In fact, it happened today! The crying and whinning when he sees somebody! And I don't want him jumping on people at all. I really don't like it when someone says "it's okay if he jumps on me, I don't care" because, yes, you are trying very hard to teach him NOT to jump on people. My chocolate lab did this all the time. By the time he became 5 years old, he did not jump on people anymore. But, I hate waiting that long. Samson is only 7 1/2 months. I want him to learn now, not to jump and cry and whine. I think this is the hardest thing to teach a dog in their younger years.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I wish I could write this post, Jane! What I would give for Peri to have the restraint that Guinness has. We are working on it, but I know what you mean. Someone says "it's okay if she jumps", I respond with "well it matters to me because we are training her NOT to jump". I have finally trained my family to turn around and walk away from her if she does this. You are doing the right thing! Peri is not at the point of sitting and whining though. That sounds like a sight to see - if I saw that, I would think "wow that dog is trained". Kudos to you.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I wouldn't worry about these ignorant people thinking you are an abusive doodle mom. It is so rude of them to undermine your training practice! When someone says "I don't mind if he jumps" I would reply, "Well, I mind."
And when the ASPCA comes to the door, give us a call; you have a few thousand people here who will testify to the fact that you are a great doodle mom!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I'm thinking that when the people say "Oh it's ok if he jumps" etc., that possibly they are just trying to make us feel better. Although I wouldn't want someone else's dog to jump up on me, I would probably do the same thing if it did because you know that the moms/dads feel bad because the dog jumped.

[Wendy and Eddie]

Elmo is all about the drama! When he was younger and I'd go to clip his nails he would howl at the top of his lungs as soon as the clippers got within an inch of his paw. I could touch his paws no problem without the clippers in my hand. He'd even turn down treats to make a scene. He didn't do this at the vets or at doggie daycare, just for me. I was sure the neighbors were going to report me. :-) After about a year of paying other people to trim his nails, I tried it again and he was fine.

[Adina P]

No drama queens here...but Thule can whine/whistle at times when she has to be behind a gate and there's company in front of her.

What I'd like to know is HOW are there so many people out there who don't mind stranger's dogs jumping up on them (given that so many say "oh I don't mind if puppy jumps to greet me!") and yet MOST OF US all want to teach our dogs to greet politely?

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Timbow doesn't mind as well as Guinness, but I absolutely expect him to be a drama king once he does start minding. :-)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Luca whimpers over many things balls like being under the bed where he can't reach them. It really is more effective than his particular bark for ball under the bed.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

No, but then Ned doesn't mind as well as Guinness! What Ned does is, if you grab him, yelps like you mortally injured him!