Feeling a little bit better about my Salvador!

[Sarah Bennett]

I won't lie, though I have felt like I've gained a TON of information from this website, sometimes with so many great and experience dog/doodle owners, I have felt, well, less than a great doodle owner.  I am a first time dog owner (well, we had dogs when I was a child, but well, I was a child)... 

Salvador is almost 23 weeks and sometimes I feel like he's crazy!  He does well on the leash when it's just me (most of the time), but goes crazy and pulls when others are around; he does the doggy dashes around the house, is nippy (like while playing-plays with his mouth alot-not snappy or mean/aggressive) and hyper as all get out. 

He does sit (well, most of the time), handles "leave it" ok (though when he doesn't really want to leave it, he just lets it dangle from his mouth...), will usually come when I call him, loves other dogs (but doesn't get a huge amount of playtime with them because my friends dogs are not interested in playing-none of them were really socialized with other dogs), and loves to follow me around the house. 

Sometimes when I read everyone's thoughts on other discussions I think to myself, "They must have the perfect dog...they must be the perfect owner" (now I realize I have not seen all of your background and history with your pups, but I can't ever imagine being the super owner like I feel some of you are). 

But, I have been told by multiple people, that for Salvador's age, he's a really good dog.  Once he's acclimated to a situation, he calms down, he comes when called, when people see me walking him, they've commented on how good he walks on a leash, and I do have a friend who is a dog person (her dog is Salvador's BFF) and she says that he is a good dog and that he is very eager to please and that he wants to listen to me. 

So, I guess I feel a little better about this.  And I know that not everyone started out as perfect dog owners, and not everyone is currently living with a 23 week old puppy that is completely too big for his age (think gawky teenager with feet too big for them) and doesn't know how to handle his body and energy (we do go for 2-3 walks most days between 0.5 and 1.25 miles at a time, lots of play and try to schedule play dates with his BFF 1-2 times per week).  I'm just feeling better about him (and me!)!

[Sarah Bennett]

Yeah, I plan on doing obedience classes, but 2 current things: 1.  I'm only working part time and looking for a full time job (I think I'm close!) and 2. the classes around me (small town) all offer classes for dogs 6 months and older (unless I do private classes).  Once those two things are taken care of, I'm totally pursuing these items!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Sarah, you are doing fine. My near perfect doodle is now 4 yrs but he sure made life interesting as a puppy. I had more clothes with holes in them, and Quincy was a complete spas at times. Someone always had to be playing with him or he would be poking one toy or another in your hand. There is lots of training you can do on your own, either from online videos or borrowing dvds from your local library. You can also check out the Training group here on DK if you haven't already done that. I didn't find DK until Quincy was 9 mos old so you are way ahead of the game. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Salvador sounds like a great dog - just full of puppy madness.  You must be doing a lot of things right because you are getting compliments about him.  Pat yourself on the back.  Some of the people here are awesome dog owners - truly role models for the rest of us.  Most of us are regular guys with dogs with lots of faults - mine are so rowdy when people come to the door, I would like to strangle them.  It is my fault though because only one of the dogs used to be this way, but it has gradually escalated to all three.

[Heather & Brinkley]

He's so cute!  And Brinkley was my husband's and my first dog as an adult.  Same situation-- I grew up with dogs but we never had a puppy-- my mom always rescued abused dogs.  And let me tell you, we all think our dogs are great but it's work!  Brinkley is a fantastic dog BUT he's 3 1/2 and we are still training him in problem areas.  He gets overly excited when he sees other dogs during our leash walks.  At first I thought he was being aggressive but I learned here that he's dog reactive.  He doesn't want to fight.  Actually if I drop the leash and the other owner does the same, they play.  But I'm still training him to stop reacting when he's on leash-- because I can't always drop the leash. 

Also, Brinkley is very smart but there are times he chooses to ignore my "drop it", "leave it" and "come" commands". We've been through three rounds of training classes and we work on his training on a regular basis at home... because while I know he knows the commands, I'm worried he'd choose not to listen when it is most important-- if he's in a dangerous situation. 

When we first got him, after no sleep for a week and constant potty accidents, my husband yelled down the hall, "what in the world did we get ourselves into".  But just one day after that, Brinkley learned to use the bell to tell us he had to go out and it was uphill from there.  We couldn't imagine life without him... and I'm very thankful for this website because there were so many times in the beginning that I didn't know what I was doing!

You've got a great pup!  Do not worry!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - just as a "perfect" dog is in the love we have for them!  

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Sarah, I think you are doing great with Salvador, remember he is still a puppy!  Libby is over two now and those puppy days were a challenge to say the least.  At times I thought, “is she ever going to be a good girl”.  She jumped, chewed on everything, and our backyard was destroyed.   With lots of training, love, and patience, she all of a sudden surprised us and we totally forgot about “puppy madness”!  She is not perfect by any means, but she is our girl and that is all that counts!

[Jen W]

It's so easy to compare ourselves to others.  I must admit that last week as I was leaving Obedience class with my 9-month old I had a total breakdown and was crying b/c my dog was nowhere near as well behaved as the other dogs in class.  The trainer reminded me that the other dogs in class are much older than mine and assured me that mine is not nearly as naughty as I seem to think she is.  Though I suspect she may have just been trying to make me feel better, I've decided to trust her since she seems more dogs than I do.

 

If you think you're surrounded by perfect puppy owners here though, I've got news for you - you are not alone.  I'll give you a run for your money!

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

I'm know where you're coming from, I grew up with family dogs that knew sit, down, stay, and come (most of the time) but, I had never trained a dog. As Fozzie, my first doodle, and I took classes I realized HE was a better and much faster learner than I was! Shaggy is 16 months old and still has issues with lose leash walking.
The best thing I did was join a kennel club where I met very experienced dog trainers willing to share their dog knowledge and experiences. Don't give up...before you know it, you will be answering questions for new " newbies!!"