# Standard Aggressive/Unfriendly with Visitors (+related)



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Well you seem to have a lot on your plate.

I am going to start with the end of your post regarding Teddy's training. That is the key to everything else. If Teddy doesn't listen when he most needs to do so then truth be told he is not really trained at all. Being trained doesn't mean a dog will respond when conditions are perfect and comfortable but not at other times. It is only in those moments where things are chaotic and imperfect that responses are meaningful. I can tell Lily to stand stay in my driveway while a cat runs out from under my car. I can easily get Peeves and Javelin to come back in the house if they slip past me while I talk to my landscape guy. I can leave Lily out in the yard with loose chickens since she isn't interested in chasing them. My boys do want to chase them, but I can call each of them away from them. Those are the kind of responses that everyone should be aiming for. 

The first thing you need to do is double down on your basic obedience. Rather than going out to hoist a beer or such I would urge you to find a good AKC affiliated obedience club and take a beginner obedience class to get Teddy to be able to do rock solid sit and down stays and recalls. You need to get him to a point where you can put him on a sit or down in a designated place and know with 100% certainty that he will stay there until he is given permission to move. Teaching it at a class and then taking it to places like PetSmart, Lowes, home etc. is essential. Explain to the trainer that he is not fond of physical contact and work on desensitizing him especially to collar touches. If he is struggling to free himself when you hold him by the collar as people come into your home he is likely to be getting ready to turn to bite to gain his freedom.

I remember that your family was not very on board about helping with Teddy when he was young. That is very sad. Not only are they missing out on what should be his lovely companionship, but it also sounds like he doesn't trust or like them and that makes hazards simmer where they are concerned. I hope you can convince each of them to invest even just 3-5 minutes two times a day to do basic respectful obedience work with him after you get him better trained yourself. I would have each member of your family have Teddy do position exercises sit, down, sit, stand, down, stand and recall with him either in the yard or in the kitchen. Then let them pay him with a goodie. Make it a daily habit for them. Hopefully he will respect them much more and maybe they will even decide the really like him which would be really good for all concerned.

Please ask as you work through this. I think your life with this dog as a member of your family is on the line here. If that sounds overly harsh as an assessment I am sorry, but I want you to succeed with him.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

That is worrisome. I see why you're concerned. I think where I would start would be calling your vet and asking for a recommendation for an animal behaviorist. Someone trained in observing dogs and figuring out what makes them get revved up could be helpful.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I too would look for a referral to a fully qualified behaviourist. This sounds to me like a dog with considerable anxiety, and possibly issues around guarding you as the only thing that makes him feel safe. Get things wrong, and someone is likely to get hurt with disastrous consequences for Teddy too.


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## homemadehitshow (Jul 8, 2015)

I realized as I wrote it that the training is definitely an issue. We did find (almost by accident), a very reasonably priced in home trainer that we are going to try out, mainly because my wife will be involved them. 

He also is reasonably responsive to a raised voice command. I need to try it more but, for example, when we are at a local park (not dog park), he runs around off leash and will not come for a regular toned command, but if I raise my voice with the same command he almost always follows it. I need to try that at home more, but we'd really like to see him just not do it rather than have to be commanded. I don't think having 2 older barky small dogs helps the situation with the doorbell etc. either.

To clarify one point, my family enjoys ALL the benefits of Teddy. He loves to play with my 21 yo son, always accepts time with my, very busy 18yo daughter, and is a huge lovable baby with my wife - when I am not there  (though my son gets plenty of attention when I am). The minute I am home two things happen (1) he wants to see me (2) my, by now worn out, wife needs a break. So it's self fulfilling in most ways. And of course I thoroughly enjoy it. I have lost tons of weight, exercise every day and enjoy his loving presence.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Don't let him off leash if you don't know he will come 100% of the time. Use a long line or a flexi attached to a well fitted harness rather than letting him think returning to you is an option.

I am glad things are better with your family than I had the impression of, but I would still work on having them do some training with him and he will become easier for him to handle in a way that they can have him take a time out. The sit down sit stand down stand routine is an Ian Dunbar exercise. As Teddy gets better at it you can increase the duration of each position and move further away from him and things like that to make his understanding deeper.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

In addition to what has already been mentioned, I would recommend having him on leash when people come to your house so that you can better manage his behavior.


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## homemadehitshow (Jul 8, 2015)

I'm probably not expressing myself well. When we are in a local park, and there are few people around (or even one or two dogs), he is 100% fine. He gets excited but I can control him with voice commands. He doesn't go near people and plays with the dogs. When we are at home or out on a leash he can be less pleasant.


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Is he crate trained? Something like a gate just creates barrier frustration when strangers are in the house, but a crate should make him feel safe and should be his chill place. 

This is a tough age, especially for the boys. Working some more on obedience training should both increase his confidence and give you all the tools to help him respond more appropriately in these situations.


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## homemadehitshow (Jul 8, 2015)

He is crate trained, he will stay quietly in his crate if people come but that's not the goal here 

The gate is necessary because he needs to be contained in about 2/3 of the house otherwise he gets up to other mischief (mostly eating towels and cloths).


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

"He is clearly unfriendly and borderline aggressive with people who visit the house". That sentence alarmed me. Is he growling and snarling or is he jumping and grabbing? At that age Buck was jumping and licking. He absolutely would have joined a group of kids and dogs tearing up the stairs, amped by the energy and excitement. And would today. Lol! The book "When Pigs Fly Training Success with Impossible Dogs" was very helpful. Best of luck with Teddy.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Great advice given. Now it's up to you to take it.


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## homemadehitshow (Jul 8, 2015)

Mfmst said:


> "He is clearly unfriendly and borderline aggressive with people who visit the house". That sentence alarmed me. Is he growling and snarling or is he jumping and grabbing? At that age Buck was jumping and licking. He absolutely would have joined a group of kids and dogs tearing up the stairs, amped by the energy and excitement. And would today. Lol! The book "When Pigs Fly Training Success with Impossible Dogs" was very helpful. Best of luck with Teddy.


He's not growling or snarling, he's barking loudly and running after people who move rooms or upstairs. I did have sympathy when they ran in (they needed the bathroom ). I do not consider him to be biting and we don't really know what he will do but he's never bitten anyone or anything like it.

Interestingly he is always quiet and gentle with small children.


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## homemadehitshow (Jul 8, 2015)

I had a look at the "When Pigs Fly Training Success with Impossible Dogs" and I'm not quite sure it's the right one. Poodles are not hard to train (in theory) and they are very smart and have an urge to please. That book seems focused on breeds that have some different attributes. Is it really a good choice for a Std? It's only $7 on Kindle so I'm happy to give it a shot.


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

homemadehitshow said:


> He is crate trained, he will stay quietly in his crate if people come but that's not the goal here


I don't know if you've tried this, but crating him at first and then letting him out once people are settled can help a lot. 

If you're up for something a little more advanced, then I'd teach him a Base command on a mat or a dog bed--he can reposition himself, but he has to stay on Base. That puts him in charge of his behavior and directs all of that adolescent energy towards self-control.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Verve your comment is related to my early suggestion to get Teddy to be rock solid for his stays. Once he has that then it can be a stay in place order when people arrive and then he can take the time he needs to get over the excitement of people arriving to earn being released to greet.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

I would endorse all that lily cd re has advised but add, when some progress has been made, have other people, starting with the daughter's boyfriend, also take part in training sessions. Later still arrange for strangers to come into your home while you have control and train the dog to take _*your*_ lead as to how they must be treated.
Eric


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Well..I think you need to be realistic about your goals. If you have a dog who is uncomfortable being pet on leash, I think it's reasonable to expect that he may be uncomfortable with strangers in his home, and that requires training and/or management. It's something that can be worked through with most dogs, but at the very least, a crate is better than letting him practice problematic behavior. 

I would keep him on leash when visitors come to your home. I wouldn't allow anyone to pet him on leash, since that makes him uncomfortable. I would keep him on leash, with me, the entire time the visitor is present and reward him for the behaviors I want (quiet and calm in the presence of the stranger).


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

From your later explanations it sounds as if things are less dire than they sounded in your first post, but I would look for a behaviourist even so. I think you need someone who can observe and advise, having seen exactly what the dog's triggers and reactions are. The solution might be very different depending on whether he is fearful or over exuberant, for example. In the meantime, as others have said, management to try to avoid having him rehearse the unwanted behavious is your best bet - if he is anxious on leash he might be better knowing to go to a safe and comfy bed when there are people at the door.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Charismatic Millie and fjm you both raised an important point about not allowing the dog (in this case Teddy) to rehearse unwanted behaviors. I tell this all the time to my training class folks. If you expect a beautiful drop on recall in a trial then do not allow the dog to drop slowly and think it is an acceptable performance to then call the dog to front. Stop at the point where the dog went wrong and fix it then continue. The longer amount of time and more repeats for which the dog is allowed to think an incorrect response will be accepted the harder and harder it becomes to pattern a new and correct response. 

homemadehitshow in other words you will have to be very patient in changing Teddy's patterned responses since he has been allowed to think that what he is doing is okay. I also endorse Eric's suggestion to recruiting other people into the training as your family gets better with Teddy. Dogs are not great generalizers and the more repeats in different places and with different people that can be practiced the more truly the dog understands the exercise. This is the basis of observations that we have all heard (and probably exclaimed ourselves), such as "but she never does anything like that at home" or "I never saw him do anything like that ever before!"

And one more time, whether it be a class (my thinking), an in home trainer or a consult with a behaviorist I do hope you will spend some time with an objective individual who will be able to give you a good read on the roots of Teddy's inappropriate behaviors as part of your strategy for teaching him good poodle manners.


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## aasteapots (Oct 6, 2013)

homemadehitshow said:


> He is crate trained, he will stay quietly in his crate if people come but that's not the goal here
> 
> The gate is necessary because he needs to be contained in about 2/3 of the house otherwise he gets up to other mischief (mostly eating towels and cloths).


He is bored! Any dog that is walking around and getting into mischief needs a job. Poodles are working dogs they can't be expected to lay around on silk pillows all day. He needs mental work. The first job I would give him is place command. Lay here and don't get up. Every few mins get up and reward him. If he gets up give a negative marker and put him back where you wanted him and then expect him to stay there. Again continue to treat him as long as he is laying there and not leaving the spot you put him. This is mentally draining for the dog and will lowers his need to be on his feet and destructive. Also ALL THINGS come from being calm. You want food? you bette be laying down. You want to go out... lay down... you want to play? only if you are laying down and invited to play. All of this needs to be followed up by mentally draining him with mental walks. This is a text book case of a bored poodle!


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## frecklesdmk (Mar 27, 2013)

Curious about the petting, are people trying to pet the top of his head? Some dogs do not like being petted on the top of the head because they can't see the hand coming down. I usually try to pet necks instead of heads


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

aasteapots said:


> He is bored! Any dog that is walking around and getting into mischief needs a job. Poodles are working dogs they can't be expected to lay around on silk pillows all day.



It's so funny, as I was reading this, Maizie was literally lounging on her silk pillow on my bed :lol: But, I had worked with her several times already today, and I plan on another walk and training session this evening. Forced rest in the crate can also be good for the dog who is acting busy, assuming they've had all the exercise they need.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

while I am new on this forum and to poodles. We have a boxer and I have had rotties and gsd in the past. There are some good videos you can google. Jeff Gelman for one he has several video's that may help you. Two in particular come to mine and they are teaching calmness. "sit on the dog" well you don't actually sit on the dog but you have him on leash and you sit on the leash. You can practice while watching tv or whatever your doing sitting. The dog just lies at your side. Then there is "place" the dog learns to stay on a mat or bed and just lies down but is not permitted off until you free him. Both are good videos. Gillian also has a site and answers questions on line from time to time. This is h is website 
Solid K9 Training aggressive dog rehab, dog anxiety - Rehabilitation and Family Dog Training he is also on Facebook. And just for the record I have no affiliation, I just think he has some good tips.


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