1st puppy class... training

[dal]

Hi Everyone!  Time is flying - Cooper will be 14 weeks on Wednesday!  Anyway, he was a super crazy jumpy nippy new puppy and is still very jumpy.  Nipping has calmed down quite a bit.

I took him to puppy kindergarten on Saturday and we met with a trainer one on one right before the class.  The trainer told me I don't have much control over him.  She gave me some tips which worked really well Saturday afternoon and evening but I think he was also exhausted from all the excitement of the class etc.  My husband has much more control over him than I do yet I do 99% of the work?!  The tips she gave me didn't work as well for me yesterday but were still working for my husband.

The class went okay - he was definitely one of the more excitable dogs (maybe because he's a doodle?).  However, at the end, they split the dogs into two groups to play - the more tentative ones and the more excited ones.  They put Cooper on the excited side and he didn't want any part of the dogs.  He jumped on a few people then pretty much just sniffed around the walls.  So they moved him to the calmer side and he just crawled under a chair?!  Is this normal?  He was from a littler of only two but he did play with many adult dogs while still with our breeder.  Could he have just been so overwhelmed and tired from the one and one session then the class?  He was interested in the other dogs at the beginning of class - he would sniff their noses and such...

Just not sure what to expect since I've never done this before.  I am thinking of getting a private trainer to come to our house too.  The trainer Saturday made some comment about him being a great dog if we train him but if we let his behaviors go on, that's how aggression comes to be?!?!?  Is that true?  I have three kids, 6, 10 and 11 and her comment about aggression made me a little nervous.

I'm tired and frustrated today and I know this is a great place to come when feeling like that since you have all gone through this or are going through it.

Thank you all for saving my sanity during these early weeks!!

[Elizabeth Boychuk]

Hi! First of all - great name :). My 3.5 year old goldendoodle is Cooper as well. So, first of all - what kind of 'behaviours' was he demonstrating that made the trainer throw out the word 'aggression'? I'm not an expert but I'm going to share my experience with you - past and present.

Cooper was the biggest brat in puppy class. I would argue that he was the smartest one there (though I know I'm bias) but he would literally bark the entire class while all the other puppies sat nicely. I would leave each class feeling totally mortified to the point where the trainer actually called me out and told me that I had to stop being so stressed out in class as he could pick up on it. He was also a VERY rowdy player and up until about 7 months, I would have to pull him away from playing because he'd get so carried away and I was totally scared he was going to grow up to be a mean dog who couldn't play with others. Fast forward to now and he's still got a lot of energy and isn't a push-over but he's a very sweet, smart and playful dog who is now very respectful of people and other dogs.

We also just got a second 'doodle' (aussiedoodle) who is almost 14 weeks and started him in puppy class. I was thinking 'man it's going to be nice to try this again and hopefully not be the jerks in class'. Nope! Howard is totally excitable and whines and wants to play all class. This time around, I'm a lot more relaxed about it and I just focus on training at home and in other environments. Not all dogs thrive in a puppy class environment!

Like I said, I'm not an expert but I also think you have to be a bit patient - he's only 14 weeks, right? Personally, I'd focus your efforts on the nipping (which you said has improved) and the jumping as those are behaviours you don't want to continue. But being crazy and energetic is part of being a puppy IMO. I'd also focus on socialization. See how he does next puppy class - he may have just been overwhelmed. The biggest thing I've learned with my two guys is I had to let go of  the 'perfect puppy' image I had in my mind and differentiate between what was actually bad behaviour and what was just different behaviours than I had envisioned or hoped for (if that makes sense). 

Unless I'm missing a bit part of this story, nothing your saying throws up the 'your dog is going to be aggressive' card!

I hope that helps somehow! 

[dal]

Thank you, this was very helpful!  I'm not sure what she saw that made her use the term aggressive - I think she was generalizing that if I didn't get a handle on him, he would continue to be the boss and that's what leads to aggressiveness??  I'm honestly not sure because later I asked her, well can he become a good family dog (i NEED that!) and she said absolutely, he will be wonderful?!  I was getting mixed messages but it was so hectic in there because our session was right in between an obedience class and a puppy class so there were dogs coming, going etc... and the whole thing was stressful lol.

The only thing he does that makes me wonder is he will tug on the leash with his mouth and get all growly when he needs to go out to potty, especially when he has to poop.  Also, I gave him a bully stick twice and he was all sorts of possessive and snapped at me but I have heard others having the same reaction to bully sticks so I don't give them anymore.  I didn't tell the trainer any of this because we barely covered what she was trying to cover in the time allotted. 

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

From what I have read puppies like to chew on their leash. Sounds like he's trying to tell you it's time to go now, mom with the growling to potty! :)
Hand feed him kibble if he's too possessive with food. If he only gets to eat out of your hand, then he learns who the boss is.
It doesn't sound like agression - sounds like a puppy, but I'm no expert.

One thing, if you aren't comfortable with the trainer, find a new one.

[Kathryn Clark]

Oh, we were SO in your shoes a few months back! I started Dewey in puppy class at 12 weeks and we had the exact same experience. We ended up spending the play session with him completely off on his own watching the excited and shy dogs play separately while he was left out since he didn't fit in. The big problem I realized later was he was just too young for that class as the excited dogs were all much older than him, about 16 weeks so it was overwhelming. We also had a not so great trainer who told us to back off when he growled and nipped. Well, it just reinforced the behavior and it did grow into a more serious aggression. I ended up calling the breeder when he was five months old and she helped me fix things practically overnight. We needed to show him we were in charge by intervening when he growled and nipped at us. He wore a leash around the house with the handle cut off so we could give it a quick snap when he misbehaved. Now at 6 months things are SO much better but we do seem to have a dog with a strong but goofy personality (funny, sounds like a lot of labradoodles are like this!). He still tests me but he really listens, especially when it's with treat reinforcement. Our vet told us we get to learn how to channel his energy and drive by making sure he's getting enough exercise and socialization with other dogs so we hired a dog walker. That's probably a bit early for you but perhaps there's a similar aged dog around he can have meet ups with. Having other dogs to 'teach' him his limits and place in the group works miracles really fast. Doesn't hurt to have an exhausted dog at the end of the day either! Good luck! Hang in there. Everyone tells me at 2 years they mellow out ... eek.

[dal]

Thank you and eek is right - two years!  Ha ha.  How come you cut the handle off the leash?  He is always leashed in the house because he will run through the house like crazy if he's not.  He's either tethered in the kitchen, to me, in his expen or his crate.  So did the quick snap help the gowling and nipping or did you have to do anything else in addition?

Yes, I'm going to get him together with a dog down the street soon.  I'm thinking that will help and will be less stressful than the group setting.  I will still take him to the group class but I think the one on one with another dog will help.  I'm also going to get a private trainer.

[Kathryn Clark]

Okay now I really relate! Dewey gets crazy too when he needs to poop! No one else I knew had heard of this either so I thought I was crazy. Thankfully that mellowed a bit starting last month but I still know when I take him out on a walk he's going to go by the way he acts. I think they must just not understand their bodies yet. At least I hope that's what that is.

2 years seems SO far off! But I will tell you things get easier month by month (although we did just go through an adolescent rebel week, ugh) The breeder told us to cut off the leash handle since it can catch on things as they run through the house and if you're out of the room (which you're probably not at this age), it can catch on things. She also told us to every now and then when he's lying down, not asleep but just hanging out to walk up really close and invade his space a bit to show him you are in control. They will jump up and move out of your way.  I suspect some might disagree with this but when you've got a really alpha dog (and a submissive human like me), it helped a lot. Otherwise coming up to him to get him to get up was a nightmare with growling and defiance. Not anymore. She said no tug of war with ours until he knew who was in charge. We can do it now but we choose when to end it.  We like to play little games of fetch in the house for treats to really wear him out and do training sessions throughout the day which he loves. He's now doing tricks for no reason when he wants our attention. Spinning around in front of us. So cute. Good luck!

[dal]

See I can't even imagine letting Cooper run through the house.  He would be a terror.  I am sure the trainer is going to tell us to puppy proof all the rooms so he can run through them.  One of the rooms is my son's playroom but I will have to get his stuff out of there or out of reach.  The kitchen and family room are fine but it's an open floor plan so he would have access to the other rooms if I let him run free.  One of the problems with always having him tethered is that he can't go to the back door to tell me he has to go potty - hence the leash biting.  ugh!

When your dog spins, is he chasing his tail?  Mine does this.

[dal]

Just wanted to say thank you to you all!!  You have made me feel so much better!!  I have a call in to a trainer to set up private in home training, I will continue to take Cooper to the puppy class for socialization and I will also be setting up playdates with a neighborhood dog to ease him into interactions with other dogs.  I can't say thank you enough for making me feel better today :)