Doggie Dan advice

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

Hi all! We are new here!  Zoey is a 5mo ALD.  She is doing pretty well - we are following along with Doggie Dan.  He seems to make a lot of sense.  I have difficulty, though, with Golden Rule # 3 - ignoring after separation.  She is crate trained and when I get her up in the morning to go outside for potty, we kind of have a ritual.  I pet her and rub her belly.  I can't resist that little wiggling booty!  When she takes a nap, then wakes - she comes immediately to see me.  How can I make it better without being scrooge?!!

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

I love Doggie Dan! However I do agree with you. I cannot ignore those sweet little faces and wiggly butts! I have no advice to offer. I think if you follow the rest of it, your smart Doodle will learn.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You personalize your own situation so, if something is NOT a problem you want/need to change, don't change it. We don't always feed our dogs after we eat.  It depends upon the day, the time, whether we are hungry yet ourselves etc.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I think you are doing just fine.  His advice is to keep from developing a dog that jumps for joy or pees all over you when released.  Or even worse, whines, barks to get out and get his attention.  Obviously you have developed something that works.  My dogs are 8 and 9 and have been crated off and on their whole lives.  They get petted and talked to when they get out, and they are fine.  He is trying to keep people watching his video from treating or "throwing a party" for the dog when he comes out the crate. Just keep on doing what you are doing, it seems to be working well. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Many years ago, I was taught that being very nonchalant about coming and going (ignoring the dog for a few minutes when arriving home, etc) helps prevent separation anxiety. 

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

So, Karen - do you think it would be best to wait awhile when I come home to let her out of the crate?.  She doesn't seem to have separation anxiety, but does sometimes jump up when getting the leash out or when someone unknown comes to door.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would try to wait until she's calm. Jumping up is one of my personal pet peeves. Won't tolerate it in my own dogs and can't stand it when someone else's dog does it, lol. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I use a lot of the Doggy Dan methods.  I used a private trainer for a few years, and the Doggy Dan program is pretty much aligned with what I learned from my trainer.  My dogs are not crated, but when we leave they are gated in our bedroom.  When I come home they know that they have to sit calmly before I will move the gate.  After I remove the gate I greet and pet them.  I really think it's all about conveying that you are a "leader" and so things (like even affection) are on your terms.  For many dogs, this may not be that important.  I happen to have a Doodle who is very "pushy" and so I really have to "manage" his world in order to prevent behaviors that lead to trouble.  If your Doodle is sweet and calm I think some of these training tools may be less important...but for dogs like my Murphy they have made all the difference.

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

Thanks guys for all the insight!  She does seem to be doing well at most times.  Still gets overexcited occasionally  and jumps up.  She is very loving and smart.  (I do not let her sit on my foot anymore.)  ;^)

[Linda Jansing]

My puppy, Scout is a standard Goldendoodle with more energy than I ever anticipated. I thought I knew what a high energy dog was but I have never had a dog with this much energy. It has been difficult to change some of her jumping habits as well as her continued mouthiness.  She just turned a year this month but is still very much puppy or should I say teenager.  Even though she knows the rules, sometimes now she seems to be challenging us.  

Due to her new rebellion, I too started to follow Doggy Dan recently.  After following Golden Rule #3 for about a couple of weeks, I decided that I wasn't spending as much time with Scout as I would like due to this rule so I gave up on that one except when we would leave the house and come back.  I quickly saw a difference in her behavior.  She was jumping on me again and the mouthiness has increased as well. I hope I can undo the damage I have already done in this regard.  Maybe when she is a mature dog I might be able to relax Rule #3 a little more but now I know it is way too soon for me to do it. 

As others have said you may not even need this rule. All puppies are different in personality.  It has become obvious to me that we do need to keep Rule #3 for Scout.
Good luck with your puppy!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I give you a lot of credit for recognizing this and going back to following it.  Sometimes it is actually our own need to greet our puppy with affection and excitement....because we love them and missed them.  It's really hard to make them (and ourselves) wait until they are calm and then greeting them affectionately but without excitement....but I have found following all of the Doggy Dan rules consistently makes such a difference for so many dogs.

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

Thanks for that!  I too was feeling like our time was more limited by obeying the rule.  I will wait for calm and just initiate interaction more often.

[Laura and Angus]

We have an overly excited doodle too and we have also found that calm greeting and ignoring especially when new people come into the house is crucial for our pup - he needs about 5 minutes with visitors ignoring him before he settles into new company. It's so true that personality is key here. I think with a young pup, if you don't fully know the personality yet, it's best just to follow it to the best of your ability. When we get home and let Angus out of the crate, I say "hi" verbally to him, but I mill around the house putting my things down before petting and snuggling - this helps to keep him from getting overly excited.