# Crazy 1.5 Year Old Standard - Seeking Advice



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

What's her daily schedule like? What sort of training/exercise do you do?

What are the circumstances for the biting and the chewing? Does she have any thing she is allowed to chew on/able to safely chew?

Have you tried these exercises? I found them helpful to explicitly train my spoo to relax.



http://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Relax_on_a_mat.pdf



For encouragement - I will say that at 2.5, my girl is SO MUCH CALMER than she was at 1.5. She met new people this weekend, and everyone raved about how calm and polite she was. Calm was NOT a word used to describe her a year ago. Some of that is natural, some of that is training and persistence.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I understand that you have a lot on your plate with a yound infant and a young dog. One thing I can say is that neither of my spoos really clearly acted like a grown up until they were two and for Lily more clearly approaching three, Javelin even at four still did a lot of crazy puppy things.

I think your dog is not getting enough supervised and interactive attention. You probably need more training time (even just if in short sessions). Hiring a good trainer who can help you build a viable routine for balancing all of your needs is probably a good idea. Look on ccpdt.org to find a good certified trainer who can help you. You probably only need a few sessions with a trainer to develop a better routine.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Many of us have an evening poodle bully stick/bonding session to help with their chew drive. It might worth a shot.

We also found the best price.









Costco bully sticks (pictures) 12" $2.83/stick


I forgot who, but someone mentioned that Costco had a really good price on 12" bully sticks. Basil's grandma did some investigation and snapped some pics for us. I thought I would share because we're collectively notorious at helping you spend money, not save money. If you know someone who...




www.poodleforum.com


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I can totally understand how drained you must feel from trying to satisfy the needs of an immature dog and a baby human simultaneously. 

It sounds to me like she is a very energetic dog who isn't getting enough of the kind of mental stimulation she needs. Simply playing fetch and walking won't tire them out mentally. Fetch may actually make things worse by amping the dog up. I dealt with my energizer bunny by starting to work my way down the list of activities needed for the AKC trick dog certification as well as tricks we had made up. At the worst, most energetic peak we were probably spending around an hour a day, spread across several sessions, learning and practicing tricks. The attention my little monster got during these sessions helped diminish other destructive behavior; it also helped build a bond. He looked to me as a source of entertainment rather than a taskmaster. 

I would do a consultation with a rewards based trainer to see what you can do to add more fun to your dog's life.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

I have nothing to add to the above comments (all good suggestions), but my nearly 6 year old standard still leaps in the air when excited, primarily when encountering squirrels. I've trained him to sit when he sees a squirrel while walking--though usually he's already done the vertical leap by then.

Mind games tire my dog out as much if not more than physical exercise. We play 'tricks for treats' and also do sniffing games indoors. Maybe introduce a snuffle mat for independent focus. I can see where this would be a challenge with a 5 month old child. Scheduling time for this might be helpful if it's built into the daily household routine.

Best of luck.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I don't have a certified trainer in my area. Think it could be so useful to keep Asta on track, tho we seem good on the most important commands we could go with working on some obedience. Looking on tricks, thank you Lily re cd. Also anything that helps focus- That is so important for training, recall - Really most situations. I am always looking for different ways to train focus.

Have you seen PeggythePartis thread Poodle Adolescence - Support Group
Could be useful to help with the craziness.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I understand. Spoo’s are slow to mature and they need a lot: training, exercise and a routine. Hard to meet all those needs with a baby human at the same time. Lamb ears, bison knuckle bones and Virbac C.E.T chews could replace your house. That said, my poodle and yours do bad things to get attention and to get their ya ya’s out. I’m retired with 4 fenced acres and the road to calm has been long and daily.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Mfmst said:


> the road to calm has been long and daily.


This has been our experience, too. At almost 2.5 years old, Peggy is very much like a human toddler. Her naps are just as important for me as for her.


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## CM839 (Oct 1, 2021)

For Want of Poodle said:


> What's her daily schedule like? What sort of training/exercise do you do?
> 
> What are the circumstances for the biting and the chewing? Does she have any thing she is allowed to chew on/able to safely chew?
> 
> ...


That's good to hear your girl has calmed down at 2.5! It gives me some hope. We learned the "relax on the mat" at her last round of obedience classes. She will always go to her mat but doesn't stay long - I need to work on re-enforcing that command I think. Thank you for the tips! Oh and she has lots of bones / durable chew toys but I think she just gets bored of them.


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## CM839 (Oct 1, 2021)

lily cd re said:


> I understand that you have a lot on your plate with a yound infant and a young dog. One thing I can say is that neither of my spoos really clearly acted like a grown up until they were two and for Lily more clearly approaching three, Javelin even at four still did a lot of crazy puppy things.
> 
> I think your dog is not getting enough supervised and interactive attention. You probably need more training time (even just if in short sessions). Hiring a good trainer who can help you build a viable routine for balancing all of your needs is probably a good idea. Look on ccpdt.org to find a good certified trainer who can help you. You probably only need a few sessions with a trainer to develop a better routine.


Thank you - yes maybe a better daily routine is in order. That's good to hear she might "grow up" in a year or two. I really wasn't prepared for this extended puppy stage. It must take the bigger poodles longer to mature.


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## CM839 (Oct 1, 2021)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> Many of us have an evening poodle bully stick/bonding session to help with their chew drive. It might worth a shot.
> 
> We also found the best price.
> 
> ...


That's cute! Thanks for the tip. I will try it.


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## CM839 (Oct 1, 2021)

cowpony said:


> I can totally understand how drained you must feel from trying to satisfy the needs of an immature dog and a baby human simultaneously.
> 
> It sounds to me like she is a very energetic dog who isn't getting enough of the kind of mental stimulation she needs. Simply playing fetch and walking won't tire them out mentally. Fetch may actually make things worse by amping the dog up. I dealt with my energizer bunny by starting to work my way down the list of activities needed for the AKC trick dog certification as well as tricks we had made up. At the worst, most energetic peak we were probably spending around an hour a day, spread across several sessions, learning and practicing tricks. The attention my little monster got during these sessions helped diminish other destructive behavior; it also helped build a bond. He looked to me as a source of entertainment rather than a taskmaster.
> 
> I would do a consultation with a rewards based trainer to see what you can do to add more fun to your dog's life.


This looks great - I think she would love learning some new tricks. I agree it must be the mental stimulation she needs because long walks /off leash runs don't really curb the destructive behaviors. Thank you for the ideas and support!


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## CM839 (Oct 1, 2021)

scooterscout99 said:


> I have nothing to add to the above comments (all good suggestions), but my nearly 6 year old standard still leaps in the air when excited, primarily when encountering squirrels. I've trained him to sit when he sees a squirrel while walking--though usually he's already done the vertical leap by then.
> 
> Mind games tire my dog out as much if not more than physical exercise. We play 'tricks for treats' and also do sniffing games indoors. Maybe introduce a snuffle mat for independent focus. I can see where this would be a challenge with a 5 month old child. Scheduling time for this might be helpful if it's built into the daily household routine.
> 
> Best of luck.


Thank you! I will look into the snuffle mat. And wow, I guess the poodle jumping is more common than I realized! My girl goes crazy for squirrels also...


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## CM839 (Oct 1, 2021)

Asta's Mom said:


> I don't have a certified trainer in my area. Think it could be so useful to keep Asta on track, tho we seem good on the most important commands we could go with working on some obedience. Looking on tricks, thank you Lily re cd. Also anything that helps focus- That is so important for training, recall - Really most situations. I am always looking for different ways to train focus.
> 
> Have you seen PeggythePartis thread Poodle Adolescence - Support Group
> Could be useful to help with the craziness.


Oh my gosh, reading through that thread was so interesting. Thanks for sharing. It helps knowing I'm not alone here with my crazy spoo!! So many similar stories!


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## CM839 (Oct 1, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> This has been our experience, too. At almost 2.5 years old, Peggy is very much like a human toddler. Her naps are just as important for me as for her.


Reading through your support group thread was like reading a day in our life around here! It does help knowing I'm not alone.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

CM839 said:


> Reading through your support group thread was like reading a day in our life around here! It does help knowing I'm not alone.


You are definitely not alone.


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