# Some advice please



## Wilverley (Sep 19, 2011)

Hi,

Our cockapoo Woody had his adolescent check up at the vet this morning. He is eight months old today. My husband came back really annoyed as Woody behaved so badly, jumping up at people and mouthing. Its becoming a real problem as he seems to do this in certain situations no matter what we do. The vet felt that he was trying to assert dominance and that if we can't get it in check we could have problems in the future. 

Whenever someone new comes into the house he leaps all over them - even if they do as we ask and completely ignore him. He also does this with us from time to time, jumping and biting at our clothes or hanging onto trouser legs and nothing seems to calm him down. We have tried ignoring him and walking away, dragging him to his crate and all disappearing out of the room but no success so far. The vet said we should tap him on the nose (something we have avoided so far) as he needs to be put in his place but we tried this a few minutes ago and he just kept coming back at us until it got ridiculous and he had to go in his crate. He seems to think its a game so I'm not sure its going to be that successful. He also leaps at people whilst we are out walking which is awful... 

I know adolescence can be a tricky stage. The vet said that he could be castrated any time from now on and that would likely calm him down. He also has an appointment with a dog behaviour specialist next week so hopeful that will help a bit. We've already been to puppy training and also passed a good manners course (seems unbelievable at times!).

Just wondered if anyone else has experienced this and how you managed to sort things out. We're trying hard to be consistent and clamp down on the bad behaviour but we must be going wrong somewhere...

Any advice much appreciated!


----------



## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

It can be very tough but you are doing the right thing by consulting a behaviourist, they will give you the proper tools to be able to work with him. Do not hit your dog, you will find he will come back at you just harder! I am surprised at some advice handed out by professionals sometimes. It sounds to me that Woody knows perfectly well that you are struggling to be in charge and do is taking the preverbial!  your behaviourist should give you the best tips and ways to deal with him with out force. Hang in there and let us know how you get on.


----------



## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Forgot to say that using a long training line in the house would help a lot as you can control him without going near him. They do ones especially for using in the house. Pets at home do them if you have one near you.


----------



## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Sorry to hear you are having a few problems with Woody, as Karen said above it is best to see a professional dog behaviourist about this and nip it in the bud quickly. 

If you tap his nose it could only make the situation worse, so just continue with lots of praise for all good behaviour. 

Cockapoos do like to jump up, but the nipping needs to be stopped and a behaviourist will help you in the best way possible. 

Don't be hard on yourself as all dogs are differnet and you have done the right thing by asking for help now and getting the problem sorted out.


----------



## Clairasol (Sep 8, 2011)

Archie is almost 8 months old and he does this too. He has always done this and I have never seen it as a dominance thing. I think he is just extremely friendly and pleased to see people. He goes nuts when I walk in the door whether I have been gone for 3 minutes or 3 hours. I have started to ignore him (Which is really hard) and then speak to him when he's calmed down. He also jumped up at people whilst we were out walking but this has stopped now. I think I used to say to him 'get down' and pull him away and then when we approached people I told him not to jump up....he now ignores other people. With regards to the mouthing he has (again) never stopped this either totally but it is getting better. He now only does it with my boyfriend, who does wind him up when playing, and new people who fuss him. He has totally stopped with me and my 2 young children. I have put this down to him still being a puppy and will grow out of it. I tell him firmly 'NO biting' and he stops. Again I haven't seen this as dominance(or perhaps it is when he is playing with my boyfriend!) 

Did Woody stop doing all of the things you mention and has recently started again? Maybe I should be worried about Archie also?


----------



## RubyCockapoo (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi there - Ian here - we have Pepper, Woody's sister 

She's much the same, she is going through the cheeky, testing her owners phase too.

She gets quite boisterous too and even likes to bully her big sister sometimes.

I would say there is nothing wrong with him, he is going through the same phase - a behaviourist won't hurt, they will say the same probably, but just give you ways to be more effective of stopping it.

Pepper still jumps more than we would like, but we keep reinforcing the sit when she meets someone, it's getting better.

Don't worry

Would love to see a picture of Woody 

Ian (Helen may want to add to this too)

Pepper very recently after being groomed by Helen on the grooming course at Merrist Wood -I think she did a lovely job:


----------



## anndante (Oct 26, 2011)

Polly still likes to jump up too, but it's never appeared to be dominance: just sheer joy at seeing us. Still mouths as well at times with us (not other people) and has to be reminded not to. She does know she's not supposed to jump up but just seems to forget in her excitement. But she does seem to be getting better.


----------



## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Well he sounds like Buddy's twin!!

Buddy went into be castrated a mth ago and i would say he hasnt changed one bit.

Ive tryed the tapping on the nose ,just makes it worse.

I thought at first it was a dominence thing but i dont think it is now i think he's just full of beans and is being a puupy.

He usually loves climbing up on tables pinching stuff and getting us to chase him however ive now realised that i can stare him down (so no dominence there) and if i make my voice deeper and sterner he stops in his tracks and drops the item.

Please let us know what the trainer has to say it may come in useful for us as well.


----------



## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

Have you tried "Pet Corrector" this is a harmless can of compressed air. When your dog does a behaviour you do not want you press to release some air NOT TOWARDS THE DOG the hissing sound breaks their concentration and they stop what they are doing which is then rewarded with a treat. At my puppy training they were totally against any artificial aids but sometimes you have to get your point across. I bought some the other day as Hattie can be a bit of a barker in the garden. I have only used it once when she was being particularly persistant and it worked. I would not use it unless I felt she was really ignoring me and most of the time I can distract her in other ways but I think it is a useful tool if used in moderation.

PS Hattie jumps up and can still be quite mouthy but she does not bite. I just ignore it and she is begining to get bored with this behaviour.


----------



## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

Betty still likes to jump up to 'meet and greet'...to be honest I love it when she does it when I come home ( I know I shouldn't). If I think she is about to run up to people when out on a walk I quickly distract her with a ball or stick..it seems to work. Good luck with Woody x


----------



## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

oh yes cockapoos love to jump up ... my 'off' command training is constant


----------



## doreen (Sep 17, 2011)

Hi l have buddy,hes 8mths and from jukeedoodles too,and yes it sounds just like buddy he just loves everyone he does jump up at people we meet on the park,but l do warn them before they fuss him, at this time hes usually doing his dance on two legs,and yes he stopped the nipping for awhile after his baby teeth came out,but then started the biting he thinks its playfull but sometimes it hurts,its usually when hes being ignored or if lm on the phone,if it gets really bad hes put in the kitchen till he calms down,lm sure as they get older they will calm down,l just think probably hes still a big puppy


----------



## doreen (Sep 17, 2011)

HI


RubyCockapoo said:


> Hi there - Ian here - we have Pepper, Woody's sister
> 
> She's much the same, she is going through the cheeky, testing her owners phase too.
> 
> ...


Hi met you at jukeedoodles when we chose our pups,pepper looks so stunning colour is gorgeous she looks quite a big girl buddy as grown to be quite big.


----------



## RubyCockapoo (Feb 5, 2011)

Yes, I remember you and Buddy, Doreen, he slept on you most ofthe time as I recall.

She's about 9.5 kg and I suspect one of the smaller ones from day.Helen has just posted a thread on here if Ruby and Pepper and if you remember Ruby you'll see Pepper is quite little

Nice to hear from you, thanks for your kind words 

Ian


----------



## Wilverley (Sep 19, 2011)

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your replies. Its good to know that lots of you are in the same boat and maybe we don't have a delinquent dog!

We went to see the dog behaviour lady last week and she pretty much said the same things as you. We are doing the right things with Woody, just need to perservere. Apparently it takes a dog at least 100 times of doing something for it to sink in so all you can do really is constantly reinforce what you do/don't want them to do. 

She also disagreed with the vet about tapping a dog on the nose which was good news as we didn't want to be doing that and it didn't work anyway.

The vet had us a bit worried (although she certainly didn't see Woody at his best) but the behaviour specialist was a lot calmer about the whole thing and doesn't think he's aggressive just a bit bonkers at times which hopefully will calm down with age and consistency from us. 

Really nice to hear how you're getting on with puppies around the same age and very reassuring to compare notes! Ian, Pepper looks lovely! She is definitely a lot smaller than her brother. Woody is 13.5kg now so a bit of a porker. Will see if I can find a pic to add to this thread in a bit. 

Thanks again


----------



## Wilverley (Sep 19, 2011)

*Woody pics*

Here are a couple of pictures of Woody taken n the forest last week.





















Not looking quite as sleek as Pepper! He had his haircut not long ago but its soon grown back around his eyes so he's due again. Makes us laugh when he comes back from the groomer as he puffs up so much it looks like he's been in the tumble dryer!

His colouring is changing as he gets older as he had a lot of white which has now gone more grey and the very dark brown has got a bit lighter, in fact he's definitely got a bit of an auburn hue at the moment (the sun maybe?).


----------



## RubyCockapoo (Feb 5, 2011)

Wilverley said:


> Not looking quite as sleek as Pepper! He had his haircut not long ago but its soon grown back around his eyes so he's due again. Makes us laugh when he comes back from the groomer as he puffs up so much it looks like he's been in the tumble dryer!
> 
> His colouring is changing as he gets older as he had a lot of white which has now gone more grey and the very dark brown has got a bit lighter, in fact he's definitely got a bit of an auburn hue at the moment (the sun maybe?).


What, like this  :










Woody looks great!

Ian


----------



## S.Claire (Sep 1, 2011)

Gorgeous!


----------



## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

Woody and Pepper are both gorgeous! 

JoJo, I loved your comment about 'off'. It's become a major part of my daily vocab. 

Good luck with Woody - it sounds like you're doing really well.


----------



## EvaClareEva (Oct 11, 2011)

As sue said the pet corrector spray works really well my lottie is 2 and still jumps up but the spray really deters her but I have always had a stair gate between my kitchen and the lounge so when visitors come through front door she is not allowed to be petted until she has calmed down very normal behaviour for cockapoos as they just love attention and fuss! X just to add I wouldn't use it on younger puppy's as I think it would be too scary x


----------

