# Problem with 9 month old Cockapoo



## melhardy

Hi everyone, new to this forum and looking for any advice from Cockapoo owners. 

We have had Charlie our 9 month old dog from the age of 8 weeks old. As this was our first Cockapoo it came as a bit of a shock just how demanding and active this breed of dog can be. We went through the stages of puppy nipping and chewing anything he could get hold of. We also took him to the basic dog training classes for 14 weeks where he learnt all of the basic dog training skills and passed with flying colours. We had him castrated at 6 months and we hoped it would help to calm him a bit. 
The problems we are experiencing at the moment are that he will still chew anything he can get his mouth on,as we have to lift everything out of his reach,he has got plenty of dog toys to play with but loves to chew slippers,shoes i.e. anything that does not belong to him. Our main concern is when he wants attention or wants to play on his terms, if you do not respond he barks and puppy nips you until you react back to him. We have been trying to ignore him or "sin bin" him in his pen so he can quieten down.
We are of the opinion that he is still a young puppy and should eventually grow out of these habits.

So the questions are, is this normal for a 9 month old cockapoo? at what stage or age will he settle down to be an acceptable member of the family?or are we worrying about nothing and it is just the breed. 

Has anyone out there been through these types of problems or difficulties and has any advice?


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## fairlie

He is a teenager, things will get better!

On the other hand he might be one of the extremely overactive dogs like Rufus. Rufus is at his best with about four hours a day of exercise and problem solving. I knew that some working breeds required that much activity but it still came as quite a shock. I put it down to poor breeding, did you get Charlie from a reputable breeder?


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## Lexi&Beemer

At that age I was taking Lexi and Beemer to the dog park at least once a day. Sometimes even twice a day. My two mellowed out but that's been a recent thing (20ish months). Also I doubled how much training I was doing. It's almost like their adolescent brain has dumped all the learning - except they haven't. My two were total chewers. That has gotten better. I've left a shoe on the floor the other day and it survived. But my clothes seem to get destroyed. I figure it's my responsibility and that makes my life easier than trying to "fix" their behavior on this one. It gets better. 


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## Marzi

Charlie doesn't sound like a problem to me. He passed his puppy class with flying colours? He sounds like a good pup who is clever and keen to please.
Are you still doing training classes with him? He would enjoy it. It would be good for him and for your relationship with him.
9 months he is full of energy and testing boundaries. You need to give him plenty of opportunities to exercise his body and his brain. And manage his environment to ensure he gets more things right than wrong.Put things away. If he is asking for attention, rather than shutting him away think ok let's do something fun with our dog: 
go out for a walk or a play in the garden, make sure he has a toilet opportunity.
do some training
Play fetch in the hall
Practice playing with a tugga toy and releasing on command
If you are enjoying him you'll be happier and he will be happier.
Dogs need us to help them be good. I do not buy into this idea that cockapoos are particularly challenging pups. I've had various different pups over the years and been a trainer at 2 different clubs. All pups need consistent boundaries, kind positive training, plenty of interaction and exercise.
Puppies and winter are a hard combination. 
Don't give up, Charlie is a great dog.


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## DB1

He is obviously a smart dog, but I do have one that can be a little like that, he has calmed down loads but still likes to boss us around a little, we thought he was so clever when he first barked to go out, then barked to let us know his water bowl was empty, then barked to say there is a bit of dirt in my water will you change it please, then barked to say - servant, I would like to go out now..etc, etc!! I ask him to sit now before opening the door for him, he looks at me as if to say, what? but you don't have a treat, eventually if he wants to go out he will sit. 
Ours was also a chewer, my Mother-in-law thought he was great as it was the only time we have kept the house really tidy!!
I would say he calmed down on that from about 10 months, we had him neutered at just over 8 months, we couldn't be sure if the calming down was due to being neutered or age, it was a very gradual process and to be honest we noticed the biggest difference after 2 years! 
Now he generally just like to pick up shoes to carry them around, he still chews occasionally, but its usually toys - unless he is doing it on purpose to get attention when he knows we are watching him, he is still quite pushy for attention, I would say though the combination of time out and ignoring does sink in eventually even if it doesn't feel like it ever will.


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## fairlie

I know you don't buy into my pet theory Marzi, but you've always had multiples and I bet they burn off a LOT of energy together. Rufus was twice the work of any pup I've seen.


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## Marzi

Obvious solution to Rufus-itis is get another pup 
Bright pups are demanding in the same way bright kids can be, but in the end they aren't difficult or bad, they just need our help to learn the rules, the more you put into them the more you get out.


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## wilfiboy

Try something like an Anco root to chew , dried scalp or hooves they're great and last months, Stagbars are long lasting too but there have been reports of them splitting teeth , not sure how long the split ones last but they'd be better for teeth. 
You could try a treat box , a cardboard box with newspaper in then put his toys in and or food treats to keep him occupied. 
If you kibble feed you could scatter in on a kitchen floor or outside if it's dry to keep him occupied and give him something to do . 
Those puzzle toys where you've to find the treat would be good too .
I can remember Wilf wanting attention in an evening when he was little, bringing tug toys, wanting a ball throwing ..... You soon find yourself with three poos who sleep most of the evening.
Ps he sounds lovely a credit to you x


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## melhardy

Thanks to all for advice and re-assurance about Charlie. Looks like we will keep taking the "Valium" until he is around 2 years and hope for the best! We had Yorkshire Terriers for 20 years so Charlie came as a bit of a culture shock to us. He is a very intelligent, bright, active dog and we will continue with the exercising and stimulation. In fact we are both retired so he is very lucky in that respect getting a lot of our attention and many walks. He is also very mischevious so we have to make sure things are at a good height. Just yesterday he was on top and in the middle of the dining room table! Look forward to receiving any other tips or advice.


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## DB1

ha ha, just need to make sure he never benefits from that, ie - no food left on worktops or dining table!! once they have got something nice by doing it stopping them is even harder work! agility it great for wearing them and you out! (and yes, we have retired people at our club) but obedience training clubs would be good too as anything that makes their brain work can help tire them. How are you managing with his coat? the maintenance of the adult coat comes as a big shock to a lot of new owners too.


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## fairlie

You'll find the need for valium is diminished when you are so worn out from all the hiking, training, visiting and games that your own blood pressure will go down substantially. My best advice is to teach him to fetch and buy both a chuckit and an auto tennis ball launcher.


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## Lexi&Beemer

If your dog will follow, a laser pen (aka laser crack) works wonders. Just keep in mind that they can become obsessed with it. But it definitely tired Beemer out. 


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## 2ndhandgal

I would strongly advise against playing with a laser pen - it can tire dogs out - but can also go very very wrong and lead to obsessions and is a game which the dogs can never win as they are never going to catch the light so for most is going to be incredibly frustrating - this article put it better than I ever could

http://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/the-dangers-of-playing-with-laser-lights/


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## Marzi

2ndhandgal said:


> I would strongly advise against playing with a laser pen - it can tire dogs out - but can also go very very wrong and lead to obsessions and is a game which the dogs can never win as they are never going to catch the light so for most is going to be incredibly frustrating - this article put it better than I ever could
> 
> http://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/the-dangers-of-playing-with-laser-lights/


Thanks for this - Lizzie was given a pet laser pen for Kiki by a friend 2 years ago. Kiki absolutely goes nuts for it - but I have always limited its use and intentionally 'lost' it about 5 months ago to remove temptation from Lizzie's path. Personally I don't think it frustrates Kiki, but it definitely encourages obsessive behaviour and made her reactive to reflections.
Interestingly Inzi really didn't seem to see it and Dot was not really interested in it.


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## Hollysefton

All excellent advice here, out of interest tho, what are you feeding? Stuff like bakers with lots of additives in them can make them hyper? But saying that, some if them are just born that way!!! See about agility or flyball at your local dog club? 


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## Rowena

Hollysefton said:


> All excellent advice here, out of interest tho, what are you feeding? Stuff like bakers with lots of additives in them can make them hyper? But saying that, some if them are just born that way!!! See about agility or flyball at your local dog club?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's a really good point about food, would be interesting to know


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## Catherine malcolmson

melhardy said:


> Hi everyone, new to this forum and looking for any advice from Cockapoo owners.
> 
> We have had Charlie our 9 month old dog from the age of 8 weeks old. As this was our first Cockapoo it came as a bit of a shock just how demanding and active this breed of dog can be. We went through the stages of puppy nipping and chewing anything he could get hold of. We also took him to the basic dog training classes for 14 weeks where he learnt all of the basic dog training skills and passed with flying colours. We had him castrated at 6 months and we hoped it would help to calm him a bit.
> The problems we are experiencing at the moment are that he will still chew anything he can get his mouth on,as we have to lift everything out of his reach,he has got plenty of dog toys to play with but loves to chew slippers,shoes i.e. anything that does not belong to him. Our main concern is when he wants attention or wants to play on his terms, if you do not respond he barks and puppy nips you until you react back to him. We have been trying to ignore him or "sin bin" him in his pen so he can quieten down.
> We are of the opinion that he is still a young puppy and should eventually grow out of these habits.
> 
> So the questions are, is this normal for a 9 month old cockapoo? at what stage or age will he settle down to be an acceptable member of the family?or are we worrying about nothing and it is just the breed.
> 
> Has anyone out there been through these types of problems or difficulties and has any advice?


Yes I have Barney he is 9 months and going through exactly the same as yours.
Did the training read all the books,but I must admit the attention biting is a pain in both ways ,I too wish for that simple cure,my neighbour who has spaniels says its that breeds personality love attention she told me about 2years old he will calm down.So I'm sorry not to be much help but at least it's not just your dog.Please keep in touch.Catherine malcolmson first time on site


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## melhardy

*Hi Catherine*

Charlie is now 18 months old. He has matured in certain ways and has settled down from the puppy stage. We take him out three or 4 times a day. One of those times at least is taking him to a safe place in a park/field where he is let off the lead and runs for a ball that we use a thrower for. We do this for around 30 minutes which tires him out. The other times are usually walking or a short run. Certainly if you can increase the exercise with them the less mischief they will want to get into. The rule of thumb is 5 minutes for every month of their life. We have found he is extremely bright, he will do anything for a treat or food but the rest of the time he still behaves in a way which is "on his terms" i.e. wanting to be leader of the pack and at night if he is on a chair and it is time to go out for a last wee if he does not want to be disturbed he will resist and tries to nip you sometimes. We have recently talked to our dog groomer who has 5 dogs, breeds and shows at Crufts so has a lot of experience with all breeds of dogs. When he is there he protests at being bathed so he gets muzzled. When he is clipped and trimmed and has his nails done he stands on a table and he lets her totally handle him and do what she has to do. I think he realises she will stand no nonsense and she is in charge. She has told us that we really must clamp down on him with regard to his behaviour. If he is naughty and pushes toys in your lap and nip for attention or does not do as he is told to remove him from the room for a while. Make him understand that you are not going to let him behave that way without consequences. We are trying now to put this into practice and we have a pair of leather gloves so if we are in a position of thinking he might react we have the gloves to protect us from him nipping us so we can still follow through with whatever it is we want to do. In the past we have backed down and he has won. I am also particularly worried because we are expecting our first grandchild in November and obviously do not want to think that she will be in any danger. When we take him to the park and he is off the lead if any other dogs come up to him he is as meek and mild and just submits and lays on his back. Everyone comments on how placid he is and what a lovely dog so it just goes to show he knows what he can get away with from us. Hopefully, in a week's time we are taking him for a meet and greet with a dog walker we know with a view to leaving him there for a day at some point and see how he is there. We wish you all the luck in the world with your dog and the only thing I can say is that a dog does not understand sometimes so if you can, and it is hard, be consistent with everything you do, follow through and you do not have to be cruel to let them know you are the boss but it is very hard. We had two yorkshire terriers for over 20 years and believe me this breed has been quite a culture shock. Just bear with Barney for the moment and he will mature with time. Keep in touch, Sue and Mel Hardy.


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## 2ndhandgal

melhardy - I am concerned with your plan to use leather gloves to follow through with your dog and he hardly sounds like he is trying to take over the world if he is such a pleasant submissive chap when he is out and about.

I would avoid direct confrontation and up his general obedience - you say he will obey with a treat or food so you need to do some work to transfer this to other things he wants in life, so if he wants a fuss ask for a sit or down and if he ignores you then you ignore him or walk away. The same for playing and you can even ask for a little more control before doing things like taking his lead off or opening the door to go out for a walk.

Practice calling him off chairs, initially for a reward but then you should be able to increase his compliance and teach him coming off when asked is good. The trick with rewards is to be variable, sometimes a normal treat, sometimes a game, sometimes a really top value reward and sometimes nothing - keep him guessing.


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## melhardy

2ndhandgal said:


> melhardy - I am concerned with your plan to use leather gloves to follow through with your dog and he hardly sounds like he is trying to take over the world if he is such a pleasant submissive chap when he is out and about.
> 
> I would avoid direct confrontation and up his general obedience - you say he will obey with a treat or food so you need to do some work to transfer this to other things he wants in life, so if he wants a fuss ask for a sit or down and if he ignores you then you ignore him or walk away. The same for playing and you can even ask for a little more control before doing things like taking his lead off or opening the door to go out for a walk.
> 
> Practice calling him off chairs, initially for a reward but then you should be able to increase his compliance and teach him coming off when asked is good. The trick with rewards is to be variable, sometimes a normal treat, sometimes a game, sometimes a really top value reward and sometimes nothing - keep him guessing.


Thank you for your advice. Much of it we would agree with. However, my husband has been bitten quite badly twice so I rather think it makes sense to have some protection (i.e leather gloves) without resulting to any form of cruelty - don't you in the light of this? One visit involved a journey to hospital.


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## 2ndhandgal

Sorry to hear about your husband being badly bitten. I think you have misunderstood me I am saying you should not be confronting your dog and putting him in a position where he feels the need to bite not that you should not wear gloves when you are doing that.

It is not a case of winning or losing, more of finding ways to mange situations so everyone is safe. So teach him what you want at times when he is calm and you can teach him the good manners he needs in specific situations. Dogs don't generall bite for no reason so you need to change the way you are managing those situations not just put on gloves to deal with them. If he won't move from a chair and you need him to, tipping the chair or pulling a throw off (with him on it) are far better ways to mange the situation.

For the record my girl was rehomed from her previous home at the age of 17 months for aggression. She has never bitten me and although I joke about how bossy she is, she is generally a well mannered girl now who does as she is asked. I am fairly sure she would have bitten when I first had her if pushed too far and forced to do things. Incidentally because of her issues I do not send her to a groomer - I groom her at home and respect her wishes if she needs a break. She has never needed muzzling for this as I work at a pace she is comfortable with.


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## lady amanda

melhardy said:


> Thank you for your advice. Much of it we would agree with. However, my husband has been bitten quite badly twice so I rather think it makes sense to have some protection (i.e leather gloves) without resulting to any form of cruelty - don't you in the light of this? One visit involved a journey to hospital.


I would never suggest leather gloves. it doesn't teach what you are hoping it will. but that is me.


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## alfiemorton

I really do sympathise with anyone who has been bitten by their dog, and I think it is sensible to take preventative action. When Alfie attacked me (on my lower legs and ankles) several times over the summer, I took to wearing boots around the house. It was the only way I could feel brave enough to exude some confidence around him. It's a horrible situation to be in to not have that mutual bond of trust with your dog. Christine and Alfie x


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## melhardy

2ndhandgal said:


> Sorry to hear about your husband being badly bitten. I think you have misunderstood me I am saying you should not be confronting your dog and putting him in a position where he feels the need to bite not that you should not wear gloves when you are doing that.
> 
> It is not a case of winning or losing, more of finding ways to mange situations so everyone is safe. So teach him what you want at times when he is calm and you can teach him the good manners he needs in specific situations. Dogs don't generall bite for no reason so you need to change the way you are managing those situations not just put on gloves to deal with them. If he won't move from a chair and you need him to, tipping the chair or pulling a throw off (with him on it) are far better ways to mange the situation.
> 
> For the record my girl was rehomed from her previous home at the age of 17 months for aggression. She has never bitten me and although I joke about how bossy she is, she is generally a well mannered girl now who does as she is asked. I am fairly sure she would have bitten when I first had her if pushed too far and forced to do things. Incidentally because of her issues I do not send her to a groomer - I groom her at home and respect her wishes if she needs a break. She has never needed muzzling for this as I work at a pace she is comfortable with.


I now realise what you say is correct and does make sense. I now do not try to control or discipline charlie with a confrontational approach or manner,as it just frightens him hence the biting back. I just offer a treat to him to get him to co-operate and then reward him afterwards.Hopefully treat and reward will turn into into acceptable behaviour.
I now realise that Charlie, albeit 18 months old, needs a pragmatic approach to training and discipline so he grows up as a well behaved member of the family.


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