# Really bad nipping. So frustrated and worried.



## SPGem (Jul 28, 2014)

We also have a 4 month Spoo puppy. She nips but has gotten a lot better. If you search for nipping on this forum, there is already a lot of great advice. I think it comes down to immediately stopping all attention, touching, interaction. For everyone involved at the time. And you have to be consistent. Even the negative attention to redirect or physically touching to move puppy into a time out area is still attention, and puppy won't stop the behavior.

I always ask her to sit when I greet her (one of her most excited times). If all four paws are not on the ground, she is ignored. That one technique was a bit of a turning point for us. And another is when we play, if a tooth touches me or my clothing, play stops, I give a loud "I can't believe you just did that!" reaction, turn my back and ignore. Even if she continues to jump (wear old clothes), ignore. I used to have her only in the kitchen. That way when we played, I could step over the baby gate to get away from her and get out of sight. It is working, she is improving a lot! Part of my challenge is asking the kids and husband to be just as consistent and serious about it.

No advice yet for strangers. We struggle with that, too. She jumps but at least she doesn't bite adults anymore. Children are another story. If we have the time, she eventually calms, then the children are allowed to pet her.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Buck is 9 weeks and one of my arms is dotted with little puncture marks! I only wear blue jeans, even though it's broiling hot. If we're outside, I stand still after loud exclamations, of "Ouch! No Bite!". If that doesn't work, a tug toy comes out to re-direct and for self defense. I can usually get him to sit, so we have something to praise. Inside, I leave the room. This is not malicious nipping, more exuberance, not knowing the limits. It's gotta stop! I would consider buttering my arms, but I would crisp in Houston!


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

If you are not working with a trainer, I'd get one. They can help you to identify the cause and help you to stop it.


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## Drala (Aug 14, 2014)

I wouldn't worry too much. Have you had a puppy before? We thought our standard poodle was possessed (!) and my partner even still has a scar on his nose from getting nipped when he was a pup. He developed a gentle mouth for everything (but his own toys!) Maybe you can also help re-direct some energy to (appropriate) exercise for his age.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

EXERCISE ! I would wear him out ! He is a baby and this is normal, it will pass. But it sounds like he has way too much built up energy. Read the threads about nipping, lots of great advice. It will get easier, hang in there .


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You've already gotten some good advise about redirecting and exercise. I think those matter, but make sure the exercise is mental as well as physical. Make your puppy think, LOTS! Make your walks into training. Stop at intersections and have him do sits and downs, work on stays of increasing duration before you move along. I would not allow him to greet people unless he is sitting and holds the sit. You can explain to the people that you encounter that he is training and you want them to "help you." 

Another thing that I found very important when Lily used to do this to me (and she did, big time) was my attitude. I had gotten very concerned and anxious over how she was going to be when I got home from work. My internal stress was certainly coming through to her and making her stressed too. One day when i got home, I went for a walk and did some deep cleansing breathes along the way. I went through the door in a really relaxed state and was greeted by a much more relaxed dog. It was truly a transformative moment for both of us. So you have to work at not being stressed by this behavior and that has to be consistent among all members of the household when they are with the pup.


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

Thanks for all the tips. He is in a puppy kindergarten and we went tonight. The trainer made me feel better by reminding me that it's totally normal and Wallace is very young and teething. Work on it, but don't worry too much. So I"m trying. I'm a pretty quiet and mellow person, but it just gets to me sometimes and is so frustrating. We try to give him lots of exercise, which is hard too because he will go for our legs when we throw a ball, not the ball! And the kids don't want to take him walking or running because of his little outbursts. He's also really rough when he plays with other dogs. We love him to death, but he's like a bull in a china shop. He's 25 lbs. now and doesn't know his own strength. And it's so odd too because he's really smart but just has not figured this out. I'm wondering should I go right into regular obedience after this puppy class or wait til he matures a little? Would it help with the nipping? And will it naturally improve when his adult teeth come in?


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## Theo'sMom (Mar 23, 2011)

My dog theo bit us until he was a little over 5 months old. Nothing we did helped in the short run except kongs and bully sticks. I have holes in two sweatshirts because of his biting. My second spoo never bit us when she was a puppy, she bit Theo, the first spoo. Karma for Theo. 
It sounds like you are doing all the right things.


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

Theo's Mom, thank you so much for making me laugh! Guess kharma came back to bite Theo in the butt  Too funny, thanks again.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Nicolen said:


> Hi. I posted earlier about my spoo puppy (4 months old now) nipping us. It's not getting better.* He nips and bites when we pet him, or play at all. It's been really difficult and we have tried yelping, saying no firmly and turning away, offering him a toy, etc. We have tried the spray bottle a few times, which stopped him briefly, but then he resumed. * Nothing seems to work. It's not so bad when we can just walk away, but sometimes he gets worked up and jumps on us biting. He will bite our arms, back, LEGS, clothing, and anything he can get his mouth on. Sometimes he barks while he's doing this.
> 
> We are at our wits end. We love him to death, but are worried about this behavior. This morning, I took him for a long walk. A woman stopped to pet him and he started nipping her hand and getting crazy. Then he jumped, barked, and tried to nip at her body. Luckily he didn't get her. We moved on. 10 minutes later, almost at home, he started biting the leash, getting crazy, and jumping on me and biting my arm. And barking. It was really hard to get him under control. I had to repeatedly stop him, make him sit, calm down, and start again. He eventually calmed down and we made it home. My arm was bleeding in two spots and I'm really upset. If one of my kids had been walking him, I don't know what they would've done. I know he's not nipping aggressively - he's a sweet puppy and so young. But how can I stop this behavior? I'm really upset and worried. Thank you in advance and sorry this is so long.


Everything in a dogs world is cause and effect. If what they do is rewarded, even inadvertently, it will continue, if it is not, it will eventually become extinct. 

For every behavior, I like to place behaviors in column A, there has to be only one CONSISTENT and IMMEDIATE response. If you like the behavior, then you must consistently and immediately reward it. If you don't, you have to consistently and immediately give a response that is non-rewarding. The response is column B and there should only be one response for each behavior. The problem is that for every behavior in 'column A', we humans have too many inconsistent responses...column B, Column C, D, E... and so on.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Nicolen, how is it going with Wallace and the nipping?


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

Well, pretty much the same in the house. We are still working on it of course, and hoping when his adult teeth come in, it will help. When he nips/bites we say NO BITE!, and stop petting him or playing with him. We have tried everything and this makes the most sense to us and we will keep at it. 

I have started bringing treats on my walks with him for when he gets crazy and starts jumping and biting the leash and me. I stop him firmly and make him sit and calm down. Then we start walking again and when he walks nicely, he gets a treat. I also give him treats randomly other times on our walk when he's walking nicely and not pulling. This does seem to help on our walks. 

Thanks for asking Nifty, how is it going for you?


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## Spoos+Ponies (Mar 26, 2014)

My girl Magda is the same age, and I find she turns into a bit of an alligator when she's hungry. I also do the 'gasp and ignore' thing, but I often find she either needs something to eat, or something to chew, since she's starting to lose her baby teeth. It seems to calm her down. She also has to work for every treat - you get the most exuberant sits and downs and shake a paw, when they're hungry and growing: ) 

The hardest thing is keeping her from gnawing on her brother - constantly hanging off ears and tail, and he is far too tolerant - I wish he'd give her a quick snap to discourage her, poor guy.


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## GeriDe (Mar 2, 2014)

My boy is 7-1/2 months old and I'm lucky, he was a mouthy, nipper when I first got him and I would say "no bite" and put a toy in his mouth and say "play" and luckily it worked within a couple weeks. Now and then when we play he does accidentally nip at me when going at his toy - I yelp and he stops.

What has helped me the most from this forum is learning consistency is the key. Don't give up on something after a couple of days in frustration. Mentally challenge the dog and physically challenge him/her too. I still walk with treats in my pocket. Every walk has at least 5-10 minutes of command or trick review. I take him daily to the dog park so he can run off his excessive energy too.

They are babies and if a baby wouldn't understand, we can't expect our pups to so it truly is cause-effect...stimulus-reward...Keep up the good work


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

Hi. So I'm still working with Wallace. When he bites/nips/mouths us when we pet him, we still say NO! and stop playing. He does seem to stop - very briefly!- but I do think he recognizes that he shouldn't be doing it, so there is a little tiny eensy bit of improvement there. At least he pauses!

Unfortunately, when he is excited, he still jumps and nips and bites and barks. That hasn't changed. When he does it on walks (and it's not every time), I make him sit, calm down, and then continue. He gets treats periodically when he walks nicely. If he does it right when we get outside, we turn right around and go back in. But sometimes he does it in the house. To us and to guests! Last night he did it to company in our house and I had to put him in the crate for a minute (which I hate to do because I don't want it to be a place of punishment) We consistently tell him NO! and freeze, but other than that we are at a loss. We've tried the spray bottle with no results. What are we doing wrong?

He's now a big 5 month old spoo, so we really need to get this under control. He's a smart little guy, but doesn't this seem like he should've outgrown this? He loves people and attention and is doing this to get us to play with him, but it's really getting to us. Thanks for all the help with this, I appreciate it!


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

is the crate in another room? it probably should be at this point. and you put him in it and leave him alone for only a minute or so. if you've been crate training all along and he is used to going into his crate for treats, to nap, or whatever, this is about like sending a child to a time out. the "punishment" is not the crate itself, but isolation from people, other pets, etc - in a safe place (the crate). do it every time. if you don't, then you're rewarding him enough to keep the unwanted behavior alive. try to stay calm and matter of fact when you crate him.

my dog (not a poodle, but a lowchen) was five months old when he came to live with me. he had been kennel raised and was not house trained. using the crate was critical to training. in later years, i could just tell him to go to his crate and he would, but the fact is that he would go to his crate on his own to nap, get away from vacuum cleaners, etc.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Nicolen, thanks for posting this! I was about to post something similar myself!

Dulcie is 5 months old today. We are on vacation with a friend of mine and although Dulcie has been really a good traveler again, I've seen an uptick in the nipping, jumping and humping my legs. After a period of what I thought was the gradual fading out of this behavior, oh boy it's back big time! 

I am hoping it is the change and the travel. Her routines are definitely changed and she is definitely not getting enough exercise. As in August when I was here with my aunt, the weather is too hot for her and Dulcie seems to get very hot very quickly. She becomes worn out from the heat long before she has had enough exercise. I have to take it in short spurts (no more than 10-15 minutes, max) and then I hose her down, give her plenty of water and all she wants to do then is flop on top of an air conditioner vent and sleep for awhile. 

I've taken her for morning and evening walks on the beach - still too hot to stay for long - and she has become very excited by the wave action. That's a good story, actually - she is getting used to it and getting daring and going in! -- however, I think it also raises her excitement/stress level (I am not forcing her in, by the way) and next thing I know, my well-beahved adorable little SPOO suddenly starts grabbing the leash in her teeth, jumping up on me and nipping. My hands are covered in scratches. I've begun to joke that she is Jaws Jr,

ARRRRrrrrrrrggggghhhhhh! 

Like you, Nicolen, it is starting to make me anxious (especially as my friend and other friends with dogs have begun to remark that she is "dominating" me and making it seem like they think I will never be able to train her). She is now a substantial size (about 20 inches and 25+ pounds) and I am concerned that if I don't get this behavior under control soon, she may bite someone who won't laugh it off and this thought terrifies me. I keep her under a close watch - and yet, until she seems to hit some sort of wall, emotionally, she is fantastic! She greets other dogs at the beach, loves to be greeted and petted by children and adults alike - with me being very careful and having her sit first, advising the children to pet her on her side or chest, etc - and so from a socialization perspective, she is doing really well.

Then, she hits that wall and I have all I can do to get her home without too much damage (to my hands and legs). 

We are doing lots of fetch inside, especially in the evenings. I do think she needs more exercise and more mental exercise. I hope that's the trouble, anyway!

Anyway, I just wanted to send sympathy and understanding your way. I am in the same boat! Let's hope both Wallace and Dulcie come out of this phase soon!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Nicolen and nifty, be patient and persistent. I can guarantee you that Lily was still doing all those lunatic kinds of things (jumping up, pulling on my clothes, leaving marks on my hands) at the age your pups are at this point. But right after she turned one she got her CGC! I don't think I would say she really started to get it until she was a bit older and now look where we are together. Use your walks as training opportunities. Use your play times as training opportunities. Use evening TV time as training opportunities.....Got it?


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

My husband claims I have forgotten that puppies go through this stage. The trainer says Buck is going to get worse, until his teething is over. I wear jeans and long sleeves, but my left arm looks like I've been in a knife fight. I am hardly ever without an alternative for him to chew or treats when he's doing something good. What worked yesterday, may not work today. One night I put Buck through quick reps of his modest routine of commands, per a PF member's link and it worked like a charm. That time. One day, I put him in his training collar and leash in the house and gave corrections. Felt SO guilty. I'm really trying for "firm but fair". Crate time outs, leaving the room, ignoring, standing like a statue, exercise, distractions. I don't see it as dominance, more attention seeking, annoying base touching. OUCH! I do that too. Ready for this phase to be over, for sure.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Your poodle behavior sounds exactly what we had with a lab mix we got from the humane society at 3 months old. I believe she ended up there because of her high energy level and wild behavior. Of course, none of that was apparent when we viewed her at the h.s. She did all of the stuff mentioned here. We ended up having to put a short leash on her inside the house to catch her when she was acting nuts. We called the first day of the work week Mad Mondays because she was crated more than on the weekends and the lower level of exercise did seem to make it worse. She also bit me savagely several times as a pup.

1-1/2 to 2 years later, she had mellowed out and while still energetic, she became a good dog. The horrible puppy phase did get better although it lasted much longer than we wanted. So I agree with others. Keep working with her and she will grow out of it.


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

Thank you all. I just needed to vent! And it helps to be reminded that this is normal for puppies and makes me feel so much better hearing from others who have experienced the same thing! I appreciate people taking the time in their busy day to offer suggestions. Nifty, Dulcie and Wallace are kindred spirits. I know one day we will post about our sweet, smart, well behaved dogs! In the meantime, thank you all for the advice and encouragement. We will keep doing working on it, using the crate as needed, and being consistent. Will keep you posted.


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## mags (Sep 21, 2014)

SPGem said:


> We also have a 4 month Spoo puppy. She nips but has gotten a lot better. If you search for nipping on this forum, there is already a lot of great advice. I think it comes down to immediately stopping all attention, touching, interaction. For everyone involved at the time. And you have to be consistent. Even the negative attention to redirect or physically touching to move puppy into a time out area is still attention, and puppy won't stop the behavior.
> 
> I always ask her to sit when I greet her (one of her most excited times). If all four paws are not on the ground, she is ignored. That one technique was a bit of a turning point for us. And another is when we play, if a tooth touches me or my clothing, play stops, I give a loud "I can't believe you just did that!" reaction, turn my back and ignore. Even if she continues to jump (wear old clothes), ignore. I used to have her only in the kitchen. That way when we played, I could step over the baby gate to get away from her and get out of sight. It is working, she is improving a lot! Part of my challenge is asking the kids and husband to be just as consistent and serious about it.
> 
> No advice yet for strangers. We struggle with that, too. She jumps but at least she doesn't bite adults anymore. Children are another story. If we have the time, she eventually calms, then the children are allowed to pet her.


Hang in there! Had the same issues with Maggie. The vet told me when she was very young that she'd never seen 'such an oral dog'. What helped us get through the worst of it; stick toys in their mouth when the biting starts when able, disengage with him completely; turn your back, refuse to look, speak or play until he calms down. Drain his energy as much as possible. I ended up taking Maggie to doggie day care which was the only way I found to really drain her energy, walks and play just didn't work. It's can be spendy, but I found it to be well worth it. I was taking her 4 days a week, but only once weekly now. Also bought her knee caps from the pet store to chew, toys, even resorted to raw hide after a long talk with the vet about the pros and cons. (I don't let her eat too much at one time and always make sure the product is made in the USA and not imported) I also realized I was speaking to her too harshly at times, just out of frustration. I've learned she's really sensitive and responded to my harsh words by getting 'snarky' (behaviors just worsened). Again, hang in there, this will get better. Post again when you need encouragement, this can be so difficult to deal with day after day.


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

Oh this brings back memories. Sandy used to zoom around and as she would pass by she would do a open mouth scrape down your arm and take off. My middle daughter would cringe every time she came near. What helped us was to redirect with a toy (long rope toys so hands stay away from mouth), if she was out of the kennel we were very near and correct her as soon as she started opening her mouth with a loud deep( Aaaaattt). Teaching her to be gentle with her mouth. Even now Sandy is very mouthy but she's gentle and doesn't bite down. Puppy stage can be pretty rough.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Hi Nicolen! Another month has gone by and teething is almost finished here - and I have noticed a significant reduction in the nipping. Well, to be strictly accurate, I ought to say that while Dulcie does still mouth my hands from time to time (in a playful way) the absence of the razor sharp puppy teeth means this is far less of a concern now. 

We recently moved to the city and had a period of renewed leaping and lunging and nipping going on as Dulcie was trying to take in all of the sights and sounds of busy city streets. I took it slow with lots of short little outings, lots of stopping to sit and listen/watch unusual sights (such as trucks unloading, cement mixers backing up with beepers, other dogs being walked in packs, honking taxi horns etc you get the idea. In the city, the noise and sudden bangs, crashes, honks and shrieking sirens are pretty much nonstop).
After two weeks of this program of short jaunts and also discovering a nice dog park not to far away, Dulcie has improved amazingly! Definitely, the dog park has made a huge impact on her life and her behavior. She can run and run and play and play with the other dogs. She is learning doggy manners through natural interactions with the other puppies and older dogs - she is learning that not every dog appreciates an eager jumpy approach, she is learning to moderate her biting in play just as the other dogs are learning it with her. I could not have achieved in a month what she has learned in a couple of days there. I am sold on dog parks (even with the occasional issues and the conjunctivitis she has already developed after a particularly rambunctious play session). I kept her home for a day and a half when I noticed the irritated eye, until she had seen the vet (turns out to have been a bit of sand or gravel got in between the eyelids and caused the irritation - she is on drops and can now go back to the park) and let me tell you, the difference between Dulcie playing with me and her toys and getting a couple of short walks per day - compared to Dulcie having had one or two energetic sessions at the dog park with lots of other dogs - well, it's like night and day. 
I am lucky enough to have the time right now to be able to do this a couple of times per day, although I think even one longish playtime off leash with other dogs would be very helpful.

Anyway, I've been thinking of you and wondering if you have noticed improvement in Wallace after teething? Has he lost all his puppy teeth yet? I find now that Dulcie may occasionally mouth my hands or arms but she never bites down, is easily stopped with a gentle word and a an appropriate toy and the adult teeth just don't scratch or hurt like those puppy teeth so it is just not as much of a concern anymore. It is almost like she is just communicating with me lovingly - and that is something I thought I would never say! Even when I was holding her for the vet yesterday while she was messing with her eyes - something Dulcie would never stand for without a big fuss 6 weeks ago (I had to let the vet tech hold her before, and then she would be quieter, but not for me) - she was calm in my arms (mostly) and allowed the vet to do what she needed to do. Ditto for my putting in her eye drops. During the summer, putting in ear drops was a major hassle because she would not let me touch her when I approached with the drop bottle - and the nipping would go into overdrive. Now, she lets me put in the drops, lift and clean her ears etc. MOST of the time - she is still puppy and has her moments, but I've seen a lot of improvement in all of that.
I look forward to hearing a progress report on Wallace!


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

Nifty, I was just visiting PF for the first time in days and thinking about posting - you read my mind! Anyway, Wallace has finished teething, thankfully, and his big boy teeth are way less sharp. yay for that! His biting/teething on our hands when we pet and play with him has improved. He still does it, but seems to understand when we tell him "no bite!". 

Unfortunately, the jumping and nipping at our butts and arms has not stopped. He does it to guests in our house too, which is really not appreciated! I had friends over Friday night and he greeted them sweetly at first and it was going great. Then he got a little crazy and started barking at a friend and jumping on her, nipping and acting INSANE. Did it to a few other friends and was removed from the room. Tried again later and had the same problem. We have people over often, so it wasn't like he isn't used to company. He did the same thing to my son's girlfriend this weekend and my neighbor, etc. It's still really frustrating.

But I do think he needs more running and playing with other dogs, Nifty. We play catch with him and take him for long walks/runs, but I think your advice is good. More exercise and dog play. There is a dog park not too far away that I can try. And more dog play dates. Really, truly, he is an awesome dog and we love him to death, but this is really trying sometimes. I now worry when people visit, and I'm worried about taking him to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. They aren't really dog people and would probably not understand that it's all in play and puppyhood. He's almost 6 months old. Seasoned spoo people, is this still normal?


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## PoodleDude (Oct 19, 2014)

My girl does it all the time (17 weeks), but totally in play mode, not being aggressive. I say "no bite" and she goes right into "oh crap, I'm sorry, please still love me" mode. haha. When she meets new people, I've never had her do it right away unless they start playing with her. She just needs to stop jumping on everyone, we are working on that.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Nicolen and Poodledude, you are describing Dulcie to a "T" when she hasn't had enough stimulation. And by "not enough" I mean that everything I tried to do was just never enough - fetch, playtime, long walks, training etc. I can't tell you how much of a difference it made once she started playing with other dogs off leash at the dog park. I hadn't really believed it could make such a difference and the dog park was 8-10 blocks away - which I imagined would be a nightmare walk with her pulling and lunging etc. And it was - the first time walking down there when neither of us knew if the payoff would be worth it at the end. At one point, she was literally taking flying leaps at bike riders going by! Fortunately, on one of those occasions, a very kind passerby smiled and said "That guy must have had a sausage in his pocket!" wo we had a bit of a chuckle over it, but seriously, she almost pulled my arm out of its socket. I have managed to keep her from actually getting to people, but it was really starting to worry me, I have to admit. I thought OMG will she EVER stop this?

And you know, that was only within the last couple of weeks. Then, one day we found a little park nearby that is not a fenced dog park. Dulcie met several other dogs (on leash) and they all played as best they could with the leashes - Dulcie was in heaven! I still didn't think we were ready for the dog park, though. I was so concerned about how she would fare with lots of unleashed dogs - so I persevered for another week trying to work with her in walks and leash training (with mixed results - I did see some improvement, however it wasn't hugely encouraging) - and after a week, we returned to that little park. At one point, I happened to not have a tight grip on Dulcie's leash and she suddenly lunged and took off dragging her leash. It turned out that she had spotted the dog she had played with the week before, whose owner had let him off leash. We met up and he said he had found a dog park and had a revelation - it was the best thing ever for his Ziggy and now he has more confidence to let him play off leash. I let DUlcie play dragging her leash and I, too, had the revelation - especially when the walk home was the best ever!

So the next day, I found the park Ziggy's owner mentioned - it was a long tough walk down there, even walking under the el tracks at one point. Yes, I wondered if it was all too much. I hadn't taken Dulcie out for such a long exposure to city noise yet and I was really concerned that she would get beyond her stress threshold. We stopped a lot for breaks and quiet talk.

Once we made it to the park, however, it was amazing. I did what Frank from PF recommends and made sure she was unleashed between the gates - she went right in, had a few insecure moments, made sure she knew where I was - and then pretty quickly took off to play. She played and played and ran and ran. She learned a lot about other dogs and she also visited with all the owners, working her way around the park. That first day, she did do a bit of jumping up on people, but most of them knew how to handle that (ignored her until she was on the ground) and combined with my "Off" command, she soon cut that out.

When we got home that day - after a much better walk home BTW! - DUlcie needed to sleep for about 2 hours. I noticed an improvement in her boredom behaviors immediately.

Since then, we have gone every day for about a week, with just a day and a half break there this weekend because I was concerned she might have conjunctivitis (viral) and did not want to spread it to other dogs. 

Every day, she trots to the park pretty well - a bit of excitement lunging, but getting better every time - and at the park, she plays hard, runs hard and now makes the rounds of the owners, sitting by them politely for a few minutes to be petted before moving on. 

Walking home has been the most amazing of all. She walks so well on the leash going home that I have to look down sometimes to make sure she is still there! This has been stunning and so fast.

I cannot stress enough what a difference playing with other dogs has made for Dulcie. It is just about unbelievable - and I now see that my own attempts to play with her and wear her out/walk her on leash simply cannot do what an hour at the dog park with other dogs doing doggy play can do. 

The day and a half when Dulcie did not go tot he dog park this weekend was notable because I saw a return of some of the jumping up to nip my butt behavior - and I now believe it is simply that she does not know what to do with her extra energy. Visit the dog park? Problem solved. It seems to be that simple for Dulcie and I would never have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.

I hope you will be able to try it Nicolen. Wallace sounds like a wonderful dog, like you said and I think that he, like Dulcie, is simply trying to say "I need WAY more rough and tumble play, and it would be cool if that could be with other dogs instead of humans' butts and legs and arms!"


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

And all of you are describing Lily when she was that age (there were days I hated her for all of her craziness). There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train wreck about to land on you either. Patience, consistence, persistence....


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

I love hearing that other pups have been like this and they matured to be normal, wonderful spoos. Nifty, I wish the dog park was closer. We have one about 15 minutes away, and it's pretty nice, but haven't tried it with Wallace yet. Was waiting till after he's neutered, which is November 7th. But I do think you're on to something. A tired dog is a good dog! After reading your post, I took Wallace for a walk and we ran into a friend with her sweet golden doodle. They got along famously and had a good play for about 15 minutes. He came home tired and covered in slobber, but still jumped and bit my son's legs when he came home from school and then my husband when he returned from work! I did notice the walk home was very peaceful though, and he didn't jump like a bucking bronco or lunge at one bike, mom with a stroller, or moving car! (weird, I know).

I know it must just be an energy thing. I'll try to get him more dog time. Glad things are going well with Dulcie though!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Don't forget that mental exercise will help along with physical exercise. I know of people with German short-haired pointers where the wife used to ride her bicycle to try to run the dogs enough to exhaust them and they were still crazy. Once they started taking them to a conditioning class where they had to do sits, downs, stands and other activities on balance equipment where the dogs had to *think* _and_ work physically they calmed down tremendously. Mindless running is just that, mindless for smart dogs like poodles, not enough. Make those puppies think!


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