# Newly Stubborn Poodle



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Do you train with a treat pouch on your waist? I find that when Elroy get a little aloof, I can get control of him again by doing some practice training (of anything, just keeps him busy thinking). He is definitely more attentive if I'm wearing the pouch. He knows. I think it's kind of like a Look At That (LAT) command in progress.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Your not alone. My poodle was pretty mouthy as a puppy. I have a few holes in my northface sleeves and jeans that I had to sew up.


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## New Spoo Mom (May 25, 2021)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Do you train with a treat pouch on your waist? I find that when Elroy get a little aloof, I can get control of him again by doing some practice training (of anything, just keeps him busy thinking). He is definitely more attentive if I'm wearing the pouch. He knows. I think it's kind of like a Look At That (LAT) command in progress.


If I have treat bag and we’re training, she’s on a leash. But if she’s just outside going potty or playing and I say “come” for whatever reason she bolts. I can grab a toy or treat, and ask again but she does not care. She’s too busy being in her own world.


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## New Spoo Mom (May 25, 2021)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> Your not alone. My poodle was pretty mouthy as a puppy. I have a few holes in my northface sleeves and jeans that I had to sew up.


We can’t even pet her, forget cuddling this fur ball, she wants nothing to do with us and just bites and nips anytime we are close enough.


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## Oonapup (Oct 16, 2020)

Sorry to hear about your struggles! Sounds like you have a poodle puppy who is starting adolescence and it's adding up to a super rough patch. There are lots of threads on puppy biting here, but the most effective thing I've found for our dog has been the time out. We do it on warning cue/2nd strike, you're out model. First mouthiness - "that's enough!" in a cheery voice. 2nd time, "too bad!" and off to the crate for 30 seconds - 3 mins. We use "that's enough!/Too bad" for other undesirable behaviors too, like counter surfing, chewing things she shouldn't, and barking. Consistency is super key, and is still something we are working on even at 9 months. My dog is much better but still gets mouthy when overexcited. Self control games have been super helpful here too, maybe the 2nd most important thing after the time out for us.

As for recall, there are lots of games you can play to help build up her recall. Leashing in the yard is a good idea though and maybe using a long line if you are out for a walk in the woods or open space. She is probably wanting you to chase her for fun. If she doesn't like to be petted at this point, I'd stop trying to pet her until she can calm down and not bite. With brushing you can go super slow and give treats for everything - bring out the brush and she doesn't bite it? treat. touch with the brush without biting? treat. etc until you can work up to short short brushing periods. If she will chew a bully stick while being brushed, you could also try using that in a pinch. It's important to sort out what is motivating for her - a game of tug? Toys? Food/treats? Playing fetch? And become the purveyor of that thing or activity, so she learns you are the source of other kinds of fun than as a chew toy or chase machine. And that nothing good happens when she does those things but she gets paid with fun or treats when she behaves.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

New Spoo Mom said:


> BUT when I say "Come" if she is in the middle of the yard, she takes off. Runs away and refuses to come back.


When she used to come when called ? What happened when she went to you ? Was it always something fun, or sometimes things she didn’t like, such as come back in the house if she wanted to stay outside, or have a bath, or other negative things ?

One rule is that when we call a dog, it should always be for something pleasant, or at least neutral. Never negative in the dog’s view. Especially when they are learning to come as puppies. It’s possible it only happened once or twice but it was enough to deter her from ever coming back to you. Poodles learn very fast !

When you need the dog for something unpleasant, like nail clipping or giving a bath, go get the dog yourself. Don’t use the « come » command.

I suggest you always use a treat for a while when calling her. Until she learns to associate the « come » command with fun. Disregard this advice if you already knew. It might help someone else one day.

I’m sorry it’s so hard with your puppy right now. The good news is adolescence passes. Let’s hope it goes by very fast for you. Hang in there !


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## katmcg86 (Apr 23, 2019)

[mention]New Spoo Mom [/mention] for your struggles with “come” try to imagine what your puppy thinks it means. Does she always have to go inside after she comes? Always have to go on a leash? Get in trouble for not coming straight away? “Come” has to be the happiest command. Mostly treats, pets and more play after. Rarely should something boring or not fun happen after “come.”

For example, when my dog runs off-leash, we practice a “come” with treats and praise and happy voices every few minutes. Then when it’s finally time to go home, no problem putting on the leash after come. You can also try running away from your dog when “come” doesn’t work. I also agree that long line training is good for dogs with a weak “come.” Then you can enforce the command every time. Still has to be a happy occasion even when you’re frustrated!

We are here for you! You can do it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Sounds like you have a perfectly normal spoo puppy! Welcome to two years of chaos. 

By now I hope you’ve read Ian Dunbar’s _Before and After Getting Your Puppy_. If not, it’s a quick read and you can be done by the weekend. I consider it essential reading for all new spoo owners.

For the biting, you just need to keep redirecting her to toys and chews. Animate them. Make them more exciting than flappy human hands and clothes. Don’t get so hung up on the verbal stuff. If you’re saying “No” all the time, it’s just noise. Use your environment to show your puppy what’s desirable and what’s not. This behaviour = fun! That behaviour = fun goes away. So if redirecting isn’t working, remove yourself without fanfare. Count to 30 and come back. If the biting resumes, puppy nap time! Settle her in with a good chew and let her decompress.

It’s going to be a long time until her mouthiness subsides, so be patient and be consistent. The day she grabs a toy instead of you, throw a party for her! What a good girl.

For recall, you want to do everything in your power to make “Come!” mean the best thing on earth. And the reward should vary according to circumstances. Sometimes it’s super fun play! Other times a juicy piece of chicken or some yummy cheese. Maybe your puppy has a favourite toy. This can be a great reward, too. And sometimes chasing the human is the most thrilling thing of all! Read the moment and reward accordingly. And never be without a tasty tidbit in your pocket. You never know when a teachable moment might arise. Now is _not_ the time to slack on rewards, especially not outside where thrills and danger abound.

When your puppy first came home, her survival instincts were telling her to stick close to you. Now they’re telling her to venture further and further out, to explore the world. That’s normal. It’s not stubbornness. It’s not disobedience. It’s just a puppy being a puppy. And it means you now have to work much harder to be the most exciting thing at any given moment.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

New Spoo Mom said:


> We can’t even pet her, forget cuddling this fur ball, she wants nothing to do with us and just bites and nips anytime we are close enough.


Sounds like she _very much _wants to interact with you. She’s just showing her interest the way a puppy does, not a human. Puppies explore the world with their mouths.

I know it’s hard to believe that right now, but if you try to imagine her mouth as a little hand, it gets easier.

Peggy is now the cuddliest dog I’ve ever known, but I’d have laughed if you’d told me that in her first 8 months. Wouldn’t have believed it for a second. But we just kept working at being the centre of her world.

Holding a yummy chew for her was especially good for bonding, as she learned to lie in our laps while she worked away at it. Even full-grown now, she’ll still try and recreate those moments. Tugs at my heartstrings.


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## New Spoo Mom (May 25, 2021)

Dechi said:


> When she used to come when called ? What happened when she went to you ? Was it always something fun, or sometimes things she didn’t like, such as come back in the house if she wanted to stay outside, or have a bath, or other negative things ?
> 
> One rule is that when we call a dog, it should always be for something pleasant, or at least neutral. Never negative in the dog’s view. Especially when they are learning to come as puppies. It’s possible it only happened once or twice but it was enough to deter her from ever coming back to you. Poodles learn very fast !
> 
> ...


Thank you for taking time to answer. As far as “come”, we use happy voices and whistles. All our other dogs come running. I’ll waive a toy and it’s not always “come” to come in, sometimes I just want to throw her a ball or toy. She gets plenty of time outside on our acre of land. Inside she plays with toys, and our other dog, it’s always a happy thing, not negative. Idk. I’m just so lost.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

New Spoo Mom said:


> Thank you for taking time to answer. As far as “come”, we use happy voices and whistles. All our other dogs come running. I’ll waive a toy and it’s not always “come” to come in, sometimes I just want to throw her a ball or toy. She gets plenty of time outside on our acre of land. Inside she plays with toys, and our other dog, it’s always a happy thing, not negative. Idk. I’m just so lost.


If you’re waving a toy and she’s ignoring it, whatever she’s doing in the moment is way better than that toy. So make note of that to improve your understanding of her motivation. And also remember to reward not bribe. Otherwise she’s looking at whatever you got, weighing it against whatever she’s currently doing. A little mystery can be irresistible. As can running in the opposite direction.


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## New Spoo Mom (May 25, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Sounds like she _very much _wants to interact with you. She’s just showing her interest the way a puppy does, not a human. Puppies explore the world with their mouths.
> 
> I know it’s hard to believe that right now, but if you try to imagine her mouth as a little hand, it gets easier.
> 
> ...


I didn’t mention our other dogs, but if they are in sight she only pays attention to them. Which is really hard, bc I can’t eliminate our other dogs from everyday life. But she constantly try’s to play with them and follows them everywhere. But she gets overly excited when they are around and constantly nipping and biting in play.
I can’t even get our poodle close to lay by me or snuggle. I can hold her treat close to myself and she just barks at me. Then she’ll just paw and scratch us up trying to get it. But never settles in close to us. It’s infuriating. I’ve owned many dogs, never a spoo, and never had so distant.


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## Oonapup (Oct 16, 2020)

How many other dogs do you have? How often is she just loose with them vs separated? Does she ever settle when the other dogs are around? And how much one on one time does she get with one or more of her humans? Not being interested in people - especially her own people - strikes me as unusual for a poodle. Some are aloof with humans outside their household but they are known for being pretty devoted to their people. At the same time, they don't all show affection in the same way - some value play more than physical closeness, and it sounds to me like at the moment, that might be true of your girl. To me it still really sounds like you need to figure out what is motivating for her and work to become the source of that.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Having other dogs as a constant source of fun definitely makes things trickier. You need to spend one-on-one time time with her, and also make sure she is spending time on her own so she can sleep as much as puppies need to sleep. It’s very possible she’s overstimulated and way overtired.

There’s no reason to be angry with her. She’s just a baby. 

@cowpony may have some words of wisdom for you. She’s got two spoos, one of which is just a baby, too.




New Spoo Mom said:


> If I have treat bag and we’re training, she’s on a leash. But if she’s just outside going potty or playing and I say “come” for whatever reason she bolts. I can grab a toy or treat, and ask again but she does not care. She’s too busy being in her own world.


Sorry if I missed this - I know this is your first spoo, but have you ever had a poodle before? If not, what attracted you to the breed? Their brains are really something else. You’re _always_ training, whether you realize it or not.

Ahhhhh the fun of a doggy genius! Your investment in her will pay off, but it’ll take time.


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## New Spoo Mom (May 25, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Having other dogs as a constant source of fun definitely makes things trickier. You need to spend one-on-one time time with her, and also make sure she is spending time on her own so she can sleep as much as puppies need to sleep. It’s very possible she’s overstimulated and way overtired.
> 
> There’s no reason to be angry with her. She’s just a baby.
> 
> ...


Yes, when she needs to settle and sleep she is in her kennel or on her bed, which we use as “place” and she stays on it. 
I do separate them and it’s mostly during the day while my older two dogs are at my husbands feet while he works from home. So she is always has time with just me and her and outside to roam abs play. 
Yes, my first Poodle but worked in animal hospital for many years and very familiar with most breeds. Poodle has been my dream dog since and super sad my little fluff ball she doesn’t want to hang with me 😭😭.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

New Spoo Mom said:


> Yes, when she needs to settle and sleep she is in her kennel or on her bed, which we use as “place” and she stays on it.
> I do separate them and it’s mostly during the day while my older two dogs are at my husbands feet while he works from home. So she is always has time with just me and her and outside to roam abs play.
> Yes, my first Poodle but worked in animal hospital for many years and very familiar with most breeds. Poodle has been my dream dog since and super sad my little fluff ball she doesn’t want to hang with me 😭😭.


I didn’t bond with Peggy until she was close to a year old. Give it time. Puppies, like toddlers, take a whole lot and give very little back. Your little genius has a brain that’s whirring a mile a minute. Play lots of games with her. Try some trick training. Figure out what activities you can enjoy together and be open to the relationship that will inevitably develop. Maybe it won’t be what you envisioned, but few are.

Also keep in mind that pups can run hot. Peggy didn’t like to cuddle much because she was more comfortable sprawled out on the floor.


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## New Spoo Mom (May 25, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> I didn’t bond with Peggy until she was close to a year old. Give it time. Puppies, like toddlers, take a whole lot and give very little back. Your little genius has a brain that’s whirring a mile a minute. Play lots of games with her. Try some trick training. Figure out what activities you can enjoy together and be open to the relationship that will inevitably develop. Maybe it won’t be what you envisioned, but few are.
> 
> Also keep in mind that pups can run hot. Peggy didn’t like to cuddle much because she was more comfortable sprawled out on the floor.


yes, they do? I just meant laying by me. 
lots of encouraging words from
This post and she has been pushing my buttons a lot lately. She is such an awesome pup, but very stubborn and wants to do what she wants. Lol


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I recommend relax on a mat as a good game for a young spoo, and the It's Yer Choice game for self control with treats. There's a recent thread on here where this is described in a lot more detail. 

I ended up doing a bit of training of snuggling at one point - holding chews for her on my lap, hand feeding, brushing for hours, etc. I still play a game sometimes when she is wound in the evening and I need her to settle. I hope on the couch, snuggle in for a long sit, with a handful of kibble, then gesture her up beside me. Then I tell her to settle (a cue I worked on from the relax on a Matt training) and I lure her half onto my lap. I then give her pieces of kibble as I encourage her to relax, going from 1-2s between kibble pieces to 10-30s, and requiring more and more signs of relaxation. It's relax time, because I say so! Was a lesson she needed to learn. 

Another thing I found helpful was to learn to not push petting on her. There was a while when she had no interest in it at all. I only pet when she asked for it, so it became something she needed to work to earn rather than a given, or worse, yet another thing that annoying human does. She became significantly more cuddly once I started showing more self control and now can be quite pushy about wanting petting. I do consent tests (moving away to see if she follows/asks for more) a lot when I pet her. 

I also found (previous dog was a border collie cross, heavy on the collie) that Annie's attention span was very very short. Training worked a lot better with several 1-2 min, 3 repetition max sessions rather than one 10 min session. I was often amazed how I'd be struggling at something, quit in exasperation because I never thought she would get it. Next session - bam, right the first time. It's like she processed training between lessons in her sleep. She wasn't stubborn or stupid, just a baby with a short attention span! 

I definitely agree about mandatory naps. My spoo became a bitey little witch if she needed sleep as a puppy. My rule was one bite, I'd go hide in the bathroom for a minute . 2nd bite, i'd hide again. Third time to - crate time for tired puppy.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

With my boy Galen I found I constantly needed to invent games that would interest him. The joy and frustration of having a very intelligent, high energy dog is that I need to work very hard to keep his attention. I also need to spend a lot of time playing with him, at least an hour a day. 

I got Galen started very early with clicker training. He has learned to come running when he hears the clatter of the clicker getting pulled from my training box. He knows it means we are going to play games. I agree with what For Want of Poodle wrote; young poodles get bored easily and don't handle repetition well. Group training classes were difficult for Galen, because he would tune out after the fourth repetition of "sit" or "down". I needed to quietly, unobtrusively, sneak in another command to keep his interest and not disrupt the class. Most of his verbal commands are now paired with a silent hand signal I can use.

Some games we played when he was young:

Basic commands such as sit, down, come, give me a paw, touch my hand, touch a pole
Heel for treats. This was a great game for when he was lunging and biting. We would go out into our fenced yard, and I would walk away from him at a brisk clip. He would usually chase me and try to bite. I would ignore him, shaking him off and continuing to walk if he jumped on me, until he accidentally put himself at my left heel with no physical contact. Then I clicked and gave him a treat. As he started to get the concept I made it harder for him to stay at my left heel. I would weave through bushes, go up stairs, change direction abruptly. I clicked and treated each time he successfully stuck with me. He loved the challenge of figuring out how to stay at my heel. The concentration heeling required, plus the lack of reward for anything other than staying in position, greatly reduced his tendency to jump and bite.
Play with a flirt pole. This thread has a description of the flirt pole I made for Galen and how we played with it.
Fetch. A great game in moderation, but overstimulating in excess. It was good for burning off energy, but he really is an addict and loses his mind if I let the game go on too long. 
Catch a treat. Great for encouraging a focused sit. I ask him to sit, move three feet away, and gently lob the treat at his mouth. He enjoys successfully catching the treat, and he understands he needs to be watching and ready at the correct distance to achieve the catch.
Walks with training mixed in. We would go on walks and mix up leisurely sniffing with more focused training. We would walk with loose leash sniffing for 500 feet. Then I would ask him for a sit, or a down. Then we would go back to sniffing. Then we would practice heeling, with treats, for 100 feet. Then more sniffing.
When he was very young I could walk him off leash on our dirt road. Early on I enforced his attention by hiding or running away when he stopped paying attention to me. I made a point to scare him by disappearing. Puppies instinctively know that losing their caregiver could be a fatal mistake, so having me suddenly drop from view terrified him. After a few "I lost mom" scares he learned to stick within 50 feet with one eye on me. As he hit his teens he started blowing me off. At that point he lost his off leash privileges. He got them back in late autumn, when he was a bit more mature and less rebellious.

As a puppy Galen was always hungry, as most growing creatures are, but in general poodles don't have the food motivation common in so many other breeds. As an adult, if offered a choice between a squeaky tennis ball and a treat, Galen will take the tennis ball about 75% of the time. Like many people, I accidentally poisoned the come command when I intend to end a game of fetch. Galen will bring me his ball, drop it, and scoot out of reach. 

Peggy mentioned I still had my senior dog, Pogo, when I got Galen. I practiced walking and training with the dogs together and separately. Generally I taught Galen a new command, such as down, without Pogo. Once Galen understood the command I would work Pogo and Galen together, making them take turns. I am doing the same thing again with the now adult Galen and my new puppy, Ritter. When Pogo was still alive I would let Galen play with him quite a bit. However, I also gave Pogo plenty of puppy free time, especially after it became obvious how ill he was. Pogo's puppy free time was either nap time for Galen or training time for Galen.


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

Puppy needs one on one time with you. I know that sounds hard & for some it sounds impossible but you need single contact with this young pup. So you spend (start out 10-15 minutes at a time) with just you & her. As for the recall, do something that totally blows her mind. Call her but then run the opposite direction like "chase me", encourage her. If/when she catches you, make it the biggest party. Oh how smart you are little one! If you use treats to train with, this is the time to have that high value special treat that she only gets when she's done something super duper special. This makes you more interesting. We need to think outside the box & do the unexpected in order for the dog to go, "ooooh, what's she going to do next!" because then we intrigue them. One time years ago I had a whole bunch of students who were doing various things their dogs & they all looked bored but the dogs looked like they were in a coma! I took off through the middle of them waving my arms & yelling, "Whoooooo Hooooo!" Now the funny thing was several of their dogs bolted to chase me. No aggression, just a one woman 20 dog party where in I scratched ears, sat on a log & let the dogs climb on the log & vie for my attention. By the time they caught up to us (not because I have ever been fast but they were really surprised as I do not do such things). Later when they watched the videos everyone had the same reaction, "Look at the differences in the dogs' faces before the running maniac & after". I will set my dog up like we are really going to do a major training. But if they give me a good recall, we go walk in the woods instead, or go to the creek. Any dog without a solid recall does not get to go free, however so I'll use a long line. Freedom is bought & paid for between dog & handler through trust & reliable behavior.


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## naybaloog (May 19, 2020)

It's really hard to judge what's going on here.. but a few things... Puppy classes. The advice that people are giving is great but hard to fully explain. A trainer will be able to help with the nipping and show you. While painful it sounds like this is all just out of play but your pup needs to learn how to play with you appropriately. The trainer will be able to work with you and her on appropriate play as well as bite inhibition for the pup. Sounds like a lot of it is for attention so when she is biting the trainer will probably recommend not paying attention. First thing they might tell you it's to stop saying ouch... the puppy isn't stopping biting when you say it and the words might be giving more attention to the behavior. The trainer will also probably work on teaching your pup how to have self control and sit still while tolerating being brushed. The protocol listed earlier is a great process, slow, yes, but very effective.

As far as recall something is causing her to run away from you! You need to teach her that when you say come that she gets something awesome and amazing that she likes. When you first start working with her on recall I'd pick a different word now. Do something like 'here' instead. The cue for the current recall has been poisoned. Doesn't mean that you did something bag or wrong, and I get that you're other dogs follow the current command BUT somewhere along the line the word has a different meaning to her and it now means run away... Could've happened because when you said it she saw a bird and now runs away thinking there is a bird to chase. Anyways... Start teaching in a space of just you and the pup. No distractions. Teach her that the word means when you come you get an awesome amazing reward. Start with her like two steps away, say the word, lure her to you with the reward and then partay away.

Unfortunately, training can be a grueling process. You can't expect instant results. Things take a lot of time, patience, and tons and tons of practice...
but with help from a trainer and repitions after repitions you'll find that in a month or two things are a lot easier.

Also you're pup is entering adolescence now. Teenage years. While you still need to focus on training many times during this growth phase dogs will suddenly 'forget' that they knew anything at all.... And that's completely normal. Even the best puppies will pretend that they haven't just heard mom tell them something. Heck I've even given my border collie a command, she literally looks at me, halfway does it, then changes her mind. She'll glace at me again open her mouth in what I interpret as a cheeky dog smile then walk away without ever completing the command. Total teenage style. Also completely normal.


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## Christy (Aug 21, 2013)

New Spoo Mom said:


> We have a 17-week old Standard Poodle..
> Since we brought her home at 8 weeks, she has been a biter. She nips at everything, our hands, daughter's hair, knee caps, etc. We gave her plenty of chewing toys and chewing options are always available. When she would bite or nip, she would get a firm NO or Ouch. When she stopped, I would praise her with "good" but the moment my hand went near her, she was biting again. I'm seriously yelling Ouch all day. She refuses to STOP. We can't pet her, she refuses to lay by us, I can't brush her without her constantly biting the brush. Im lost on what to do.
> She knows basic commands, sit/down/place/wait/kennel/come, I know she's a puppy, and shes not 100% on any of these (still working on them), BUT when I say "Come" if she is in the middle of the yard, she takes off. Runs away and refuses to come back. She is so aloof, she doesn't care if she is near us or if we are even there. Which makes training 10000% harder. She has been more and more stubborn and refusing to listen lately. I have been placing her back on a leash at all times outside unless I just want her to run and get out energy. She thinks she is the boss and no matter how firm, I am with her, she just does not care.
> PLEASE HELP!


Have you tried obedience training? I found that training in an AKC obedience training school was a wonderful way to bond with my SPOO. She will learn to pay attention to you and how to socialize with other dogs, even though you have other dogs.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

I would suggest getting a professional behaviorist if you are having this many problems. Training poodles is different than training other dogs, and every thing you do is actually training. Whether training it to do what you want, or the opposite. So, if your dog is running from you when you use the command come, then somehow you are reinforcing it going the other way each time you do it. If your dog is biting and ignoring you, then something you are doing is actually reinforcing that. Poodles are super smart. I have sworn at times that my poodle is smarter than I am!

Often it takes a professional eye to watch the two of you together and see what you are doing that is actually reinforcing exactly what you do not want. 

I also have noticed that the best behaved poodles are in families with only one or two dogs. But that is just my experience. Best of luck!


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## specie (Feb 27, 2014)

New Spoo Mom said:


> We can’t even pet her, forget cuddling this fur ball, she wants nothing to do with us and just bites and nips anytime we are close enough.


My girl was such a wild thing at that age (even w training, exercise, tons of socialization) that we sat her down for a heart to heart and told her we packing her up and sending her back if she didn’t shape up. That was the turning point, and her behavior changed. Poodles! Hang in there.


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## Bigbark (Jan 9, 2021)

katmcg86 said:


> [mention]New Spoo Mom [/mention] for your struggles with “come” try to imagine what your puppy thinks it means. Does she always have to go inside after she comes? Always have to go on a leash? Get in trouble for not coming straight away? “Come” has to be the happiest command. Mostly treats, pets and more play after. Rarely should something boring or not fun happen after “come.”
> 
> For example, when my dog runs off-leash, we practice a “come” with treats and praise and happy voices every few minutes. Then when it’s finally time to go home, no problem putting on the leash after come. You can also try running away from your dog when “come” doesn’t work. I also agree that long line training is good for dogs with a weak “come.” Then you can enforce the command every time. Still has to be a happy occasion even when you’re frustrated!
> 
> ...


Love the running away after calling “come“ in difficult situations. If nothing else works, like during a play date, I call come and run away without looking back. Works every time.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

specie said:


> My girl was such a wild thing at that age (even w training, exercise, tons of socialization) that we sat her down for a heart to heart and told her we packing her up and sending her back if she didn’t shape up. That was the turning point, and her behavior changed. Poodles! Hang in there.


I actually had a half dead plant that I did that with one time. It worked! It immediately started growing new leaves and branches


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