# Puppy behaviors



## mommymunoz (Nov 4, 2017)

This is Luna, our 1 year old (as of yesterday) Spoo.









I wanted to create this post to share some behavior issues that we are trying to work through at the moment and see if anyone has any tips, tricks, or changes for us. 

We are building a new house than will be ready this winter and hoping we can get a better handle on her behavior before we move. 

1. Behaviors with other animals. We will be living on acreage and want to have farm animals. We have taken her to my grandparent’s farm a few times and she harassed the cows to the point of almost getting herself killed. Last week, we took her to a friend’s house and she chased and killed one of their chickens. Is this engrained in her genetics or is there something that can be done to prevent her from doing this? All attempts to stop her where completely ignored. 

2. She has eaten every plant/bush in our backyard including my entire garden. She doesn’t spend much time in the backyard, but when she is out there she has to be alone which brings me to my next behavior. 

3. If anybody walks into the backyard with her she jumps and bites. I feel like she is just playing but she barks and growls, as well. She doesn’t do that anywhere else. Only if you go in the backyard with her. I’m sick of getting attacked and we can no longer enjoy our backyard. She is 61 lbs. and 27 inches tall so she can really do some damage and we have 2 young children. 

4. She purposely seeks out our belongings and brings them close to us and sets them down waiting for us to move towards her and she grabs the item and runs off. 100 times a day the whole family has to work together to catch her and retrieve the item. I have tried to teach her to drop things many times never having any luck. I know she just wants to play, and we play with her often, but this behavior is very difficult to deal with and she is destroying all of our things. She has her own toys in every room of the house. 

5. The second we let her out in the backyard, she immediately runs to the far corner and then runs all the way across the yard and slams her body into the door and the window. Our screens are destroyed as well as the house around the window and door. We only leave her out long enough to potty. 

6. When it is time for us to leave, she knows and runs and hides from us to avoid her kennel. She is never in there long and I always make sure to leave her with something to chew on. She is very big and trying to wrestle her into her kennel everyday is wearing on me. 

She is a very smart dog and I have been able to teach her several commands but she only obeys when she wants to and when I need her to most is always when she doesn’t want to. 

Thanks for reading and any input you have for me! 


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I think you can conquer these issues. Remember that even though she has turned one and looks like an adult dog, her brain is not fully mature. Take advantage of this time before your move to work on impulse control and focused attention. Play games that redirect her attention back to you and away from chickens and cows. If you look at some of my threads about Javelin's training you will find descriptions of what to do. 



We have chickens and Peeves used to chase them around to try to herd them and now he can be out in the yard and leave them alone while they are loose and foraging (some of that is his age, but mostly it is about lots of attention refocusing training done when he and the original birds were young). Javelin still will try to chase them but has a really rock solid recall and I can call him away from loose birds.


Don't let her rehearse behaviors you don't want, so when you next visit cows and chickens keep her on a leash and at a distance where she is not so obsessed that she can't pay attention to you. Do LAT (look at that) training. 



As to going into her kennel look up Susan Garrett's crate games and put some fun into going back into her crate.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

Start feeding her meals (hopefully kibble) only from your hand and in response to desired behaviors. Start small and work up. Maybe review Ian Dunbar's puppy publications (free download) and hit "do over" on puppy obedience.

It's important to stay calm and matter-of-fact in response to unacceptable behavior. Excitement/stress begets excitement. An example, my boy (same size as yours) must sit at every outside door and look at my face, remain there while the door is opened, and then he is released to go outdoors. If he's too excited looking at squirrels outside the window, he goes into the crate, wait a minute or two, released from the crate, and we try the outside door behavior again. It can be frustrating and definitely time consuming, especially if we're headed to the car and somewhere fun (anywhere he goes is fun!). But if I give in once and don't ask that the rule be followed, I'm telling him that it is okay to try this every time. And if I get upset, the process will take longer, if it succeeds at all.

Is there any way to remove your things from his reach so that you don't play keep away? My boy will also jump and nip the air when he's excited and looking for direction (usually in agility). This isn't acceptable and I try to counter it by being calm, giving him an easy task (sit, spin, etc.). He will be banned from dog sports if he ever nips someone in the ring.

Building a relationship with several short training sessions throughout the day can help. Again, Ian Dunbar has ideas. It doesn't need to seem like formal training, just something that you're doing together, and rewarding for positive outcomes.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think I would find a good reward-based trainer and get some one on one help. She is doing these things because they are rewarding for her - just think how much fun for a young dog to get the whole family involved in a game of keep-away! Or bitey-bitey with anyone who ventures into the yard. It sounds as if she makes play and exercise hard work, so that less of it happens, leading to a bored young dog who plays up even more. None of it is insoluble, but I think you would benefit from some professional help.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

fjm yes even just a couple of sessions with the whole family on board so that all the people's cues and behaviors are consistent would do a lot to help settle Luna's silliness down. She most certainly is making a grand game of things.


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## rkj__ (Dec 24, 2017)

My inlaws had a large dog on their farm. It liked to bother the cows too. They used a remote triggered electrostatic collar to correct the behaviour. After some time, the dog became afraid of the cows, because it thought that the cows shocked him. As a result, he never went anywhere near them. They co-existed without issue until the end of the dog's days.


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## doditwo (Nov 7, 2017)

lily cd re said:


> .... As to going into her kennel look up Susan Garrett's crate games and put some fun into going back into her crate.



I want to second lily’s suggestion to check out Susan Garrett.
I joined her Recallers.com group and it has been both super effective and a revelation.

Reading through the issues you described I thought wow, Recallers has a game that addresses that very thing.

There are crate games, but also much more. For example It’s Your Choice teaches a dog self control without the need to use leave it. Garrett emphasizes operant and shaping conditioning, and uses reward based training (instead of luring with treats).

It’s all games & fun for the dog and the trainer too. The program is carefully layered, teaching one game builds a foundation to the next more advanced levels. 
I learned about Garrett from a post on PF and I’m so grateful. It’s making a huge difference for me and Mimi and especially growing our relationship.



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## mommymunoz (Nov 4, 2017)

I took everyone’s advice and even hired a dog trainer and spent too much money and somehow she has only gotten worse. We are forced to sell our house now rather than waiting until our new house is ready so we will be moving in with my parents very soon. I don’t know what else to do other than to re-home her. My question is- What is the best way to go about finding her a new home? 


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I hope you don’t have to rehome her. Buck was an exceedingly frustrating young dog and that thought crossed my mind more than a few times. I took the long view of “poodle perfect” by two and then had to reset it to three. I had one outstanding trainer and two who were completely worthless. Susan Garrett’s books, the advice from experienced trainers on PF, making training part of our daily life and plenty of exercise helped. Luna sound like a typical teenager that wants to be with her people.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

mommymunoz said:


> I took everyone’s advice and even hired a dog trainer and spent too much money and somehow she has only gotten worse. We are forced to sell our house now rather than waiting until our new house is ready so we will be moving in with my parents very soon. I don’t know what else to do other than to re-home her. My question is- What is the best way to go about finding her a new home?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It’s only been 5 weeks since you posted, so how long did you try ? Having a trainer helps, but you have to put in the time yourself, that’s what’s most important. She will be a teenager soon, so she will need work, patience and dedication.

If you do rehome her, please don’t buy another dog because this scenario will only repeat itself. Dogs need time and dedication.

I really hope you keep her. She looks like a lovely dog from the picture, and she’s only a puppy still.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Oh please don't re home her. Luna is at the most challenging of ages right now. Things will get better. I understand things are turning upside down with a temporary move, but if you can tough it out and then find a good trainer to work with it will turn it around. Dechi is right it will take longer to make new patterns than the time since this thread started. and I also agree if you give this girl up you should wait a good long time to get another dog.


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## mommymunoz (Nov 4, 2017)

I honestly never want a dog again so don’t worry. I tried posting her on a poodle rescue site and got multiple harassment private messages. I have spent hours every single day since the day we got her almost a year ago and she acts worse every single day. I have tried and tried very hard. I do put a lot of time into her. I have a family that needs me and the dog sucks all of my time away from them and honestly my husband and children trump a dog any day. 

I have taken the best care of her and treated her as a member of our family but she destroys everything and literally growls and bites me on a daily basis. She pushes my children down anytime they try to go out the door and runs around the neighborhood barking at people and harassing them and won’t come back. 

My parents who we will be living with will not let us bring her because they have chickens and she has killed one of them, they have cows and she’s chases them to the point of breaking fencing, their dog hates her because she jumps on her and she is little, and she chews up everything in sight and I can’t hide every single thing I own. I homeschool my children and she literally tears up their schoolwork as they are trying to do it while surrounded in her own chew toys. 

I was just asking for advice on a good way to re-home her because I want her to have a good family, but thanks anyway. Yes, she is a pretty dog and looks great in pictures until you have tried living with her. 


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I'm so sorry you're having these problems with Luna  Have you contacted the PCA rescue resources? https://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/all-about-poodles/rescue/rescue-referrals I wish you and Luna all the best!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

I am also sorry to hear this. I too would look at the PCA link that ZM sent you to. You may want to make a separate thread if you want to hear more ideas. Best to you and Luna.


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## Tamika (Jan 7, 2018)

I made a post with suggestions before seeing your update that you have definitely decided to rehome the dog and the reasons why. So I deleted my suggestions. I live on acreage with livestock and have had to separate dogs from them with fencing as yes it is natural for them to chase anything moving - wildlife, rabbits, birds. Good luck.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

I also should have suggested earlier that you should definitely contact her breeder. But I think that I remember that she was rehomed to you as a young puppy. If you know who her breeder is, definitely contact them. This is why we push responsible breeders so heavily here. Responsible breeders will take back or help with the rehoming of their puppies at any time throughout their life. So see if you can find out who her breeder is and definitely contact them if possible.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I don't think there is any shame in admitting that you made a mistake, that Luna is a bad fit for your family and your circumstances, and that it is time to find her a home where she can thrive. I do think, though, that at her age and with her known issues she needs to go to a well established breed rescue organisation that can place her in an experienced foster home for a while. Rehoming her direct risks her going to someone who sees a beautiful, pedigree dog, and may be unprepared for the shenanigans of a one-year old wild child. I would not post her online for just those reasons, but contact poodle rescues direct with full details of her background and needs.


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## mommymunoz (Nov 4, 2017)

chinchillafuzzy said:


> I also should have suggested earlier that you should definitely contact her breeder. But I think that I remember that she was rehomed to you as a young puppy. If you know who her breeder is, definitely contact them. This is why we push responsible breeders so heavily here. Responsible breeders will take back or help with the rehoming of their puppies at any time throughout their life. So see if you can find out who her breeder is and definitely contact them if possible.




I actually did and she told me she was suing me and pulling her papers because the original owner was under contract to give her back. That was never disclosed to us when we got her, obviously. After talking to AKC we found out she can’t do that and we have no responsibility to give her back and chose not to due to her unstable reaction. I would say she is definitely not a responsible breeder and just wants to be able to sell her again but I would really like to personally find her the right home. 


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I'm sorry you feel the need to rehome her but if it has come to that point you should go ahead. We have an excellent poodle rescue here in Louisiana. Please contact them for advise. I am quite sure they will be more than willing to help you. They are Creole Poodle Rescue. New Orleans, La. You can find them on Facebook, if you want to send me any info you can PM me and I will pass the info on to them. I don't know where you live but I do know they sometimes arrange transport. Mose poodle clubs can also help you find the right place and can place her in one of their foster homes.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Okay I understand better now. I agree that there is no reason to apologize for re homing a dog that isn't a good fit for your family. Of course your husband and children are orders of magnitude more important than the dog.


PCA rescue resources or a local breed based rescue would be good resources. I wish you the best.


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