# What have you inadvertently taught your poodle?



## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

I realised while out hiking yesterday with Vasco that I have accidentally taught him "Hey you" as a cue for "come over here so I can put you on the lead". He's never very far and I never have to coax him in, but I guess I've been using "hey you" to get his attention when I want to put him on the lead.

He's off lead most of the time, but we often have to cross roads, so there are some long walks we do where he's on and off the lead a dozen times. I never use his recall command ("front") for that, as I don't want him ever to think the recall is ever going to result in anything the slightest bit negative.

Once I figured it out (stupid human), I entertained myself enormously by waiting until he was ahead or behind and calling "hey, you!!" in the happy voice, to have him stop what he was doing and come zooming in (leash is always accompanied by treat). He cracks me up. We now have two firm recalls :smile:.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

When I first got Mia and first started walking her, she was very hesitant to leave our yard. So we would slowly set out on our 100 yard (meter) course to the stop sign. Then we'd turn around and she was so excited to go home, I'd run with her all the way back.

This was fine when our walks were a total of 200 yards (meters). But I realized I was in trouble when we'd go out for a mile (1.5 km) walk to a park, and when we'd turn around to come home, she wanted to run all the way back home.

That's when I realized I had inadvertently trained her that a walk meant slowly making our way away from the house, then turning around and running all the way back home, no matter how far we had gone.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

"Somebody's here" If you even just say "somebody" Henry goes NUTS!

Oh and I didn't accidentally teach Millie this, but somehow she figured out how to open the swinging door in our house!


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

To put her head between people's legs. Because she is in show coat, Delilah can only be rubbed where she is shaved. I have short arms so Delilah has to put her head between my legs in order for me to reach her belly and shave back legs. I also think she likes the pressure of having her head held snuggly. This is fine for me, but when she wants to be petted, she also goes for the crotch dive on complete strangers. :ahhhhh:


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## Feralpudel (Jun 28, 2010)

cbrand said:


> This is fine for me, but when she wants to be petted, she also goes for the crotch dive on complete strangers. :ahhhhh:


I'm not sure you taught her this...it's been my observation that standard poos think that God put their long noses at crotch level for a reason... I call it a poodleoscopy.


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## Feralpudel (Jun 28, 2010)

I noticed just last night that if we are out walking in the neighborhood and I tell Dexter to Sit, it means that I've spotted something really exciting coming our way, and he starts looking around. It's all the funnier because if he sees a dog or something approaching, he will automatically sit. 

Both of my dogs have been acutely attuned to signs of imminent ear cleaning. Seeing me walk to the powder room and pick up a few tissues is BAD news.


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## Lilith (Sep 29, 2010)

To lie down and act tired in the kitchen. When the pup was brand new, I told the housekeeper that 1)pup is not allowed in the house other than the kitchen and 2)when the pup was calm to give her attention and when she was rowdy to ignore her. This apparently translated to petting the pup whenever she was napping in the kitchen and ignoring her otherwise.

Now every time Lil' walks into the kitchen she lies down and puts her head on the floor like she is going to nap (with very alert eyes following your every move). To prove to a friend that this was not actually a sign of her being tired, we walked from porch to kitchen to dining room to kitchen with Lili following. Lilith went "YEAY, OUTSIDE" to nearly asleep in kitchen to "LETS PLAY" dining room to nearly asleep in kitchen - all within 1 minute. It's hilarious.

And Liz - I feel your pain. I did the exact same thing, only thankfully we only ran past the last 4 houses leading up to my house. But now Lilith is great on a walk _until the last half-block_. We hit that point and she takes off trying to run. Even the dog-walker has commented that she is impossible on this little section heading home - she thinks she gets to run the last bit back!


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## Feralpudel (Jun 28, 2010)

Lilith said:


> Now every time Lil' walks into the kitchen she lies down and puts her head on the floor like she is going to nap (with very alert eyes following your every move). To prove to a friend that this was not actually a sign of her being tired, we walked from porch to kitchen to dining room to kitchen with Lili following. Lilith went "YEAY, OUTSIDE" to nearly asleep in kitchen to "LETS PLAY" dining room to nearly asleep in kitchen - all within 1 minute. It's hilarious.


Amy, that's hilarious!


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Chagall early on made an association between hearing me say, "Company is coming" to people parading through the front door and fussing over him. Now, if he even hears me say the word, like when I say to my husband, "Before the company comes would you...." Chagall bolts over and sits in the foyer, hopefully worshiping the front door. And he won't budge! If I call him he looks over his shoulder, sort of worried, then laser locks his stare right back on the front door.

This is quite the issue when he's heard the word at breakfast and guests aren't expected until dinner. All darn day he'll periodically dash over and sit in the foyer and stare at the front door. And he has such a look of concern in his eyes when looks over his shoulder at me as if to say, "Hey mom, where are they?". I tell him, "I've somehow _got_ teach you to tell time buddy."
Anybody got any tips for that?! lol


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Chagall's mom said:


> Chagall early on made an association between hearing me say, "Company is coming" to people parading through the front door and fussing over him. Now, if he even hears me say the word, like when I say to my husband, "Before the company comes would you...." Chagall bolts over and sits in the foyer, hopefully worshiping the front door. And he won't budge! If I call him he looks over his shoulder, sort of worried, then laser locks his stare right back on the front door.
> 
> This is quite the issue when he's heard the word at breakfast and guests aren't expected until dinner. All darn day he'll periodically dash over and sit in the foyer and stare at the front door. And he has such a look of concern in his eyes when looks over his shoulder at me as if to say, "Hey mom, where are they?". I tell him, "I've somehow _got_ teach you to tell time buddy."
> Anybody got any tips for that?! lol


That's exactly how Henry developed his association with "somebody". Whenever the doorbell rings, or if someone walks in the back door, I always say "Somebody's here!!". Now if I am having a conversation and casually say the word "somebody" Henry starts barking, jumping and going crazy!


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## pudlemom (Apr 16, 2010)

cbrand said:


> . This is fine for me, but when she wants to be petted, she also goes for the crotch dive on complete strangers. :ahhhhh:


Two of my kids do this too Luke just pushes through and play bows so you can rub his butt,But Tana she like to root around especially my husband it is hilarious till the unsuspecting stranger gets bounce around. :jaw::sorry:


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Whenever my boyfriend comes over, Henry and Millie make a mad dash for his crotch :scared: It's pretty hilarious! They want to be petted and scratched


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

ChocolateMillie said:


> Whenever my boyfriend comes over, Henry and Millie make a mad dash for his crotch :scared: It's pretty hilarious! They want to be petted and scratched



_Did the same thing with Billy. He gets petted and rubbed and patted on his bear butt so he instantly goes between my legs and tucks his head down. I didn't even think about it until he did it to someone else for the first time. GEESH! _


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Lilith said:


> Now every time Lil' walks into the kitchen she lies down and puts her head on the floor like she is going to nap (with very alert eyes following your every move).


What a smart girl! She is going to be so easy to train.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sounds like your housekeeper is an ace dog trainer, Amy! Just shows how effective positive reinforcement can be.

My two have learned that the sound of several people conversing outside = possible Court party = SAUSAGES! They also know that if I do more than a few minutes of housework, it is time to watch the front door for visitors ... and that putting on my sports shoes means it is time for Poppy to get really excited about going to Agility, and Sophy to lick her lips for the scrummy Kong she gets as a consolation for being left at home. And we've only been going for a few weeks!


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## jazzi480 (Sep 19, 2010)

Here we have a combination of things! No shower, get dressed means fun, bike, walk, dog park= dancing , excited Poodles! Shower, get dressed = Mom is not taking us go throw ourselves in crate, look very sad! 
The word "GO" in any context = excited, happy poodles looking and or bringing leashes. The word "swim" = Jazzi running into bathroom and getting Daddy's swim trunks! 

We've decided to spell now, but I think they may figure that out too! Never have had such smart dogs!


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## jcwinks (Jun 26, 2010)

They also know that if I do more than a few minutes of housework, it is time to watch the front door for visitors ...

I think this is REALLY funny. Sounds like my house!


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I have inadvertently trained my two to act like morons whenever they see me grab the leash.


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## flufflvr (Mar 20, 2010)

Oh yeah, these are cracking me up. I'm loving hearing these stories. Geez poodles are smart!

1. Liberty knows where the treats are kept, and whenever she sees me open that closet, she will come and sit beautifully, right in front of me so I can't close the closet door. Problem is, it's the same closet where I keep my canned goods, so everytime I go for a can, she sits there waiting. 

2. One of my hobbies is letterboxing. It's kind of like geocaching but better because it involves handcarved stamps, so it combines art and clues, and is a lot of fun. Anyway, Liberty knows that when we're out on a walk, when I sit down to stamp in, she lays down close, and as soon as she hears the box snap shut, she stands up because she knows it's time to continue. 

3. Whenever I use the turning signal, Cosita starts to whine. She thinks we're getting out of the car and going to play!

I'm sure there are more. I'm frequently amazed at their ability to learn things we aren't even trying to teach them! Just goes to show how much they can learn if we're actually trying to teach them!


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## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

To Desmond, the sound of my laptop shutting closed means good news! He always springs up from a dead sleep and stares at me with his tail wagging, thinking we're going outside/going out somewhere/getting food/etc.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I have inadvertently trained my two to act like morons whenever they see me grab the leash.


Same here. Suri acts more nutty than Olie.


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

The girls can also differentiate between cloth items. If they see me putting on skirts and high heels....yawn. But if they see me grab those those pair of pants I like to wear hiking or my hiking boots, they start running around and heading for the door.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

cbrand said:


> The girls can also differentiate between cloth items. If they see me putting on skirts and high heels....yawn. But if they see me grab those those pair of pants I like to wear hiking or my hiking boots, they start running around and heading for the door.


Yes!! How weird is that? V does it too. If I put jeans on, he leaps around like a mad pogo dog. Work clothes, no response.


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## Feralpudel (Jun 28, 2010)

Did anybody see the Dogs Decoded program on Nova the other night? It was fascinating. One of the things they talked about was how incredibly attuned dogs are to our behavior and cues. For example, people betray more emotion on the right side of their faces than on the left, and studies have shown that humans' eyegaze shows a "left bias," meaning that we spend more time looking at the right side of a person's face to read emotion. It turns out that dogs do the *same* thing when looking at human faces, but not dog faces or other objects. In other words, they have also figured out that human emotion is more readable on that side of the face. You can watch the episode here:

NOVA | Dogs Decoded


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Feralpudel said:


> Did anybody see the Dogs Decoded program on Nova the other night? It was fascinating. One of the things they talked about was how incredibly attuned dogs are to our behavior and cues. For example, people betray more emotion on the right side of their faces than on the left, and studies have shown that humans' eyegaze shows a "left bias," meaning that we spend more time looking at the right side of a person's face to read emotion. It turns out that dogs do the *same* thing when looking at human faces, but not dog faces or other objects. In other words, they have also figured out that human emotion is more readable on that side of the face. You can watch the episode here:
> 
> NOVA | Dogs Decoded


*
Feralpudel:* Yes, I saw the program! That Border Collie with the 300 word vocabulary who could identify her toys when shown pictures of them, then go and retrieve them, blew me away! I thought, "Oh my, I'm scarcely smart enough to have a poodle, imagine having_ that_ brilliant girl?!" And talk about things you inadvertently taught your dog, her owners were stunned at what she picked up on her own. Who wouldn't be? I was also intrigued to hear they've found Oxcytocin levels rise in people when they interact with their pups and dogs, I always thought so! Snuggling a puppy feels a like snuggling a baby to me. Oh yeah, I know, the "housebreaking" and feeding are way different!! lol!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

:doh:

I totally forgot about these things that I have accidentally taught Millie and Henry:

*Millie DASHES to her crate in anticipation of her meal the minute I take out the dog bowl or grab a piece of raw chicken from the freezer.

*Henry waits by my door every morning at 6:30 am when he hears my alarm go off. I sleep with my door closed so Millie doesn't decide to go exploring and Henry sleeps in my mom's room. He knows that I will be waking up and feeding him shortly after my alarm goes off.

*When I take the trash bag out of the trash can in the kitchen, Henry and Millie both go bonkers. They know I will be walking outside with the trash...My first spoo Tony did the exact same thing!!!


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Recently, Vegas has associated me brushing my teeth with getting pets. I did it twice without realizing it, he just came up to me when I was brushing my teeth and I rubbed his neck and chin. Now, when I'm about to go to bed and brush my teeth, he is in a strict heel (on his own) all the way to the sink. If I ignore him while brushing my teeth, he'll poke me with his nose.


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

JE-UK said:


> Yes!! How weird is that? V does it too. If I put jeans on, he leaps around like a mad pogo dog. Work clothes, no response.


Nickel does the same thing. Work clothes: he does his sad face and gets his toys ready for his playpen. Jeans: he goes to the coat room where I keep his harness and leash.


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## Spencer (Oct 7, 2009)

Any sort of pants, and Tate goes crazy. It doesn't matter if I already have shorts on and am putting on track pants... he goes crazyyyy.

All the dogs immediately look for food in their bowls as soon as they come in from pottying. They all go crazy if they see a leash or their "going" collar, and view their tag collars as their property. If you take it off of any of them, they'll wait around and rub against me until I put it back on... or if I put it down, Tate will take his to his crate and lay with it, TQ will take hers and put it with her duck on quail in a safe spot. And TheGrey? He's the best hider ever, and we still can't find his tag collar!

And all of the boys howl and start each other off if there is a siren going by anywhere that they can hear. We didn't mean to encourage it, but laughing sure isn't stopping it! Tate did it alone in the car the other night, and it was the most adorable thing I have ever seen, so A and I started laughing. A's mom on the phone could even hear his little howl! Again, laughing? Not discouraging! Thankfully, with that, I can tell them "enough" and they will all settle down. Now why doesn't that work with regular barking?!


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## Teffy (Jul 4, 2010)

When the girls hear me play with my cell at night and only late at night, they run to my bed and get into position...bedtime! I set my cell to be my alarm clock.

People and dog's names...never intentionally taught, but they know...scary!

They go insane when they see me park the car and take out flags...they know that they're going tracking. Any other time in the car...nap time!


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## FozziesMom (Jun 23, 2010)

If Fozzie were a spoo he'd be a crotch diver. But he's not...so he does exactly the same thing....at my knees. Every morning or whenever he wants his ears rubbed. You can hear him sigh with pleasure. 

I've also taught him "this way" which means "follow me" when we're out walking off leash (in designated areas, not in traffic!). It worked and now I stick with it. 

Fozzie gets two cookies in his kennel each night after his last potty. So about 9 or 9:30 every night (or when I turn the TV off), he jumps up from a dead sleep and stares at me to go out. he does his business, then I unhook his leash and he sits beautifully in front of the cookie area. I grab the cookies and say "Night night!" and off he trots, running into his kennel and waiting for the cookies to be presented. 

He now knows that when the TV is on he must lie down next to me. This is ONLY because we have him on leash at all times, I thought I would lose my mind the last six months trying to get him to settle. But he's finally getting there. 

That's it for now, but I'm sure there's more to go....they're smarter than we are I think!


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