# Hyperactive poodle pup



## Jovian (Dec 1, 2011)

Hi,

We have standard poodle pup named Charlie. As long as you have treats, he will usually obey commands, but as soon as he sees another dog or a stranger he goes manic and bounces around on his lead. Not even treats will get his attention. He thinks everyone and every dog wants to play with him. He'll try and play with anything. Sometimes he will bounce around so much, he gets tangled up in his lead and falls over. Also, when we take for walks, he'll try and eat everything: litter, musrooms, ect... How can I control this behaviour? He is amost five months old now. Even at puppy training classes he can be disruptive because he gets so excited.


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

Sounds like a classic description of a puppy! He will grow out of the "trying to eat everything" stage. Puppies are very mouthy and thus want to explore everything with their mouths. Maybe redirecting is better, and you can teach the "leave it" command. When Leroy was a puppy, he kept trying to eat his hair when I groomed him. The over-excitement towards dogs and people may be harder to break. I'm still working on this, and my dog is a year old! I tell him to sit and stay and keep correcting him, then praising him when he is calm. I remain consistent hoping that one day it'll click in his brain what is appropriate behavior. When I come him from work, he greets me excitedly but I avoid eye contact and stand like a statue. He'll then sit and stare at me calmly. I then give him attention. But you get any other guest in the house, he goes crazy! He also doesn't realize not every dog wants to play with him.


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## frankgrimes (Nov 28, 2011)

Good question! Ralph is just under 5 months and he still tries to eat EVERYTHING when we are out on a walk, his focus is so strong it is super difficult to get him to stop fixating on whatever he sees on the ground. He also gets fixated on other dogs/people when we are out walking, he keeps checking over his shoulder to look at them even after they have passed. He thinks everyone on our walk is out to get him, which is weird, because indoors he loves everyone and runs up to them! I don't have an answer for you, but I can say, you are not alone!


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

He is just a puppy. I use words like "hyperactive" and "alpha" very carefully. Since he's very treat-motivated, have you considered trying clicker training? When he gets into things that you don't want him to, tell him "no", once he takes his nose/attention off that object, click and treat and praise.


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

I'd love a solution for this, too. Katie, 6 1/2 months, gets fixated on a scent or sight and nothing can deter her. She's also overly enthusiastic about meeting new people and barky around other dogs.

I think at least part of the solution is increasing attention and focus on you in every situation (Katie is great in the house, but outside, I hardly exist). This book, _Competition Obedience: A Balancing Act_, was recommended to me as a resource for building handler focus. I've not tried it yet - no good reason, just waiting to find a few other things to order at the same time.

Here's a links for building attention 1 and building attention 2.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Our two ate absolutely everything too, rocks, dirt, hair, bugs...you get the picture. I bought pet insurance, and Maddy even ate the tag off her collar. "Leave it" is a great command to teach your dog, but that only works when you're right there close enough to see him eat something and to enforce that he spits it out and reward him etc. Basically you just have to be as vigilant as possible until he grows out of that puppy stage. Lots of age-appropriate exercise and play opportunities with other puppies helps!


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

He's a puppy. Just expect him to have the attention span of a gnat and train in short, short sessions. Making sure he has lots of outlets for exercise and play will help. Other than that, grin and bear it :smile:. At two, my miniature is happy with a total of two hours of walks per day and has stopped bouncing off the walls. 

Might be worth seeking out other people with standards in your area and arranging play dates?


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