# Terrible Twos?



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

Zephyr just turned two and will be getting neutered on Thursday. In the past month or so he has been getting a lot worse about coming when called, and I am wondering if this is normal adolescence, or is there something else going on. 

Most days we walk at one or another park, he is off leash and we frequently meet other dogs, sometimes he plays with them sometimes not. They are not dog parks, just places where they can be off leash. He used to be very good about coming when called, even when other dogs were involved, now he only comes if there is nothing more interesting going on. Today we were coming back into the fenced yard after a walk and he wouldn't come inside the gate, started playing "keep away" in the driveway. That just drives me nuts! 

Is this just a phase we need to work thru? I know some of you have said that three years old is when poodles "grow up".


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

If one of my dogs had gotten to thinking that coming when called was optional I would not allow them off leash privileges until I got that notion out of their head. Recalls are something that should be practiced often and rewarded lavishly to keep them fresh. I think adolescent "forgetfulness" about things like happen as poodles (and most dogs) approach one year of age. I think you just need to play some really fun recall games and make sure Zephyr does not have any opportunity to treat coming as optional until you know he understands it is a must to come the first time he is called.


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

Ah, recall. There's nothing more breathtaking than a full out sprint toward you. Watching the dog soar across open space, trying hard to run faster than their legs can run, because you called, "Zephyr, come!" How does this happen? It's not magic. It's built. 

I am in total agreement with Lily that Zephyr needs to learn that recall is not optional, and right now it is optional to him. The further away from him you are, the less likely he is to come when you call. Recall is one of those skills you can't force your dog to do from 250 feet away from you. The dog has to choose to come to you. Like links in a chain, you can do things to strengthen the desire for the dog to come, or you can weaken that desire.
The number one thing that weakens recall is a handler being a fun vacuum, sucking away the dog's pleasure. 

Call the dog, surprise, you won a leash and now we're leaving the park. Fun vacuum. 
Call the dog, surprise, you won a bath. Fun vacuum.
Call the dog, surprise, you won a nail trim. Fun vacuum.
Call the dog, surprise, you won a free trip to the vet. Fun black hole.

If this happened over and over, and you were as intelligent as a poodle, would you notice a pattern? Come=fun vacuum. Change this pattern. Practice three and five foot recalls at random in the house, dozens and dozens of times a day. Focus on being fun bringer.

Call the dog, surprise, you won five small pieces of chicken. 
Call the dog, surprise, you won a game of tug.
Call the dog, surprise, you won a brand new bully stick. 
Call the dog, surprise, you won a chance to chase me around the yard. 

Recalls do not have to be formal like in dog class. Grab some treats, put the dog in a sit/wait in the kitchen (or have someone hang on to Zephyr) hide in the bathroom. Come! Only call once. Then wait quietly, until... You found me! You found me! Good dog. You're so smart. Treat. You're too clever. Repeat this game, but hide somewhere else. 

Take hide and go seek outside. Hide behind a tree, behind a rock, crouch by a picnic table, behind a garbage can. Come! Clever dog! You found me! Laugh and laugh, send Zephyr back to what he was doing, then hide somewhere else. Hide and seek builds value in finding you. It will build a desire for being with you, because you're the fun bringer and not the fun vacuum. The more you practice short recalls, the more Zephyr will get used to coming when you call. His recall muscle memory will improve. Recall = fun bringer. Yippee! I'm coming!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

In Ian Dunbar's puppy classes the emphasis is on having puppies socialize with each other and with new people and not so much on training behaviors heavily, but the behavior training that is there is all fun. Call a puppy, touch his collar, give a treat and then send him back to play, repeat repeat repeat....

Touching the collar of the dog for recalls is important. You don't want a recall where the dog comes nicely but then takes off on you when you try to put a leash on as you reach for the collar.


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

Again, Lily hit on something important: sending them back to what they were doing. Your recall adds something good to the dog's day, but doesn't end play. 

Noodling around, sniffing this bush. That smells interesting. 
Zephyr, come.
Spin around race over. Ooh play tug. And the touch the collar game, and I won two treats. I am so happy. 
Wait where are you going? You took me back to that interesting bush. I get to sniff my intresting bush again. Yay! Today has been the best day ever.

Incoporate recalls into your dog's free time. Come/reward/go play. That's being the fun bringer, not the fun vacuum.

Thanks for the reminder Lily, the collar touch game is so second nature I forgot ever learning it.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

We've done all that! We've been walking this way since Zephyr was 9 weeks old. Come is a big priority for me, like you say it is not negotiable and we have worked on it A LOT. Zephyr had a really reliable one, I'm just wondering why it all of a sudden is not reliable any more.

Guess it doesn't really matter why, just need to go back to square one and reteach. Thanks all for your input.


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

You'll get through this. Just keep practicing. Take heart.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Here is the short version of a story about why the collar touch matters. Years ago I was walking Lily through my neighborhood and as we went down a very long block with no cross streets I realized we were (sort of) catching up to a woman trying to catch a loose dog. She was doing everything wrong: yelling at the dog to come; chasing after the dog, etc.....Every time she got close to the dog and reached for the collar the dog took off again. Dog thought it was a great game, person thought it was horrible and was getting more and more aggravated.

When we got close enough to the woman I asked her where her leash was and whether she had any treats for the dog. No leash, no treats. I told her to ignore her dog and to walk towards her home. Dog followed all the way to the front of their house. As we got there I told her to go get a leash and that I would give her dog some of the treats I had while she went to get the leash. I had the dog sitting in front of me, but I wasn't holding its collar because I had Lily. Instead of going to get the leash the woman tried to take the dog by the collar and the dog took off again. Now she went and got a leash and I lured the dog back with my treats and this time she was able to get the leash on the dog.

This whole thing took about 20-30 minutes from when I first saw them and lord only knows how long she had been chasing the dog before that.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I know it's frustrating, but sometimes things you thought the dog knew well - fall apart and need to be retrained. The good news is it usually doesn't take long before they are back on track.

I do want to add to something that Trick said - in the house it's good to play hide and call your dog - it can mimic what can happen in an accident. But crouching down and hiding sometimes can throw your voice off and send your dog in a slightly wrong direction, maybe another room in the house. Sounds can echo off hard surfaces and travel in odd directions. As long as you hear your dog racing to you when you call, if they get close and are confused as to where you are located (with the reward) you can call again - as many times as they need to orientate to where you are. Do not repeat if they are not coming.


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Click-N-Treat said:


> ...The number one thing that weakens recall is a handler being a fun vacuum, sucking away the dog's pleasure.
> 
> Call the dog, surprise, you won a leash and now we're leaving the park. Fun vacuum.
> Call the dog, surprise, you won a bath. Fun vacuum.
> ...


I don't know why, but this had me laughing. I guess it's the irony. Thanks to you, Catherine and Skylar for explaining why this happens and how to deal with this better. Much better.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I have to work at keeping Molly obedient to 'come' even at 6! If I let her she would blow me off a lot! hahaha! Thankfully, due to her intelligence, and our bond, she always makes the right decision, but boy is it maddening when she takes her time about it..........I can practically see the wheels spinning in her brain! LOL! She is truly a 'What's in it for me' girl LOL!!!!


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## doditwo (Nov 7, 2017)

I admit I’ve abused the come command.
I never use it for anything negative, in fact it’s always connected to positive things. But I have used it when the chances of her complying are slim and she’s blown me off plenty of times.
Also I’ve gone into auto mode with the comecomecomecomecome too much.
I do have a secret word though. I trained her for it not long after I got her and I reinforce it once or twice a month. It’s for emergencies or (blush) sometimes I use it to show off in a class or puppy social... lol.
The word is chicken, and she tears off running from great distance at top speed and stops at my feet in a beautiful sit. No distraction stops her, she’s on a mission for “chicken” & I make sure she hits the lottery.
I’m afraid to dump come for the emergency word, I might ruin it too if I used it everyday.
But mimi came up with an alternative that she picked herself.
One day we were all watching a documentary about a yodeling cowboy and mimi went NUTS everytime he yodeled. She ran to each of us and jumped on us, as if to say please make it stop.
One day she wouldn’t respond to Mimi come, so I said “yodelayihooo” and she came running immediately.
It’s a little embarrassing, but it works. Did she pick it out on purpose to have a laugh at me? 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

doditwo said:


> ...Mimi went NUTS everytime he yodeled...She ran to each of us and jumped on us, as if to say please make it stop... One day she wouldn’t respond to Mimi come, so I said “yodelayihooo” and she came running immediately.


Dodi, I'm sorry to tell you this, but she may be Martian poodle. Please don't yodel too long, her head might explode.


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## doditwo (Nov 7, 2017)

OMG it could have killed her.










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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Love that pic!



doditwo said:


> OMG it could have killed her.


Yes, and the cleanup would have been memorable.

Btw Dodi, I love your sense of humor.


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