spoospirit

I totally agree with cbrand. Set your home up so that the dog is not able to get into the trash and make the mess he is making. He doesn't think like a human. He lives in the moment and the trash is just to tempting to him.

However, I know that, being the intelligent creatures they are, they do know guilt. I have seen it first hand with Billy. When I walk into a room and he has done something that is not acceptable (usually staring down our cat) he will sit in a corner with his head down. He KNOWS he is doing something he is not supposed to do and I show him the cat and tell him in a very strong voice to 'leave it' and then release him. He skulks off to go lay down somewhere looking over his shoulder every now and then with his head hanging down. I sometimes have to hold a laugh in because he looks pathetic. But, he doesn't get away with unacceptable behavior.

He rarely counter surfs but every now and then he will smell something tempting and have to get up with his front feet to check it out. Sometimes he grabs a piece of bread or scraps that are to go into the garbage (Yes, this is my fault for leaving it out). I will go out to the kitchen after I eat to clean up and there will be Billy coming in behind me with his head down looking guilty all over the place and literally looking all over the place but at me. Again, He KNOWS that he did something he is not supposed to do. I show him the counter and say in a very stern voice 'leave it'. He'll put his nose right down to the floor in shame. Then I release him by sending him into the living room where he lays down in his bed.

My poodles also adore me. They get tons of lovin' and attention and training. They will come right to me after they have been reprimanded to say they are sorry and make up.

Poodles are very intelligent animals. They do know when they have done something good and when they have done something bad. At least, that has been my and my sister's experience with ours. I don't have a problem letting them know they have done something unacceptable after the fact since it is obvious that they know they did. However, I do not hit them per se. I have cuffed Billy up under the chin when he was being particularly obnoxious to get his attention. And, I have given him a light pop on the butt when I have found him harassing one of our cats. He gets obsessed with the cats (doesn't hurt them though) and it is the quickest way to get his attention away from them.

You are right that you should not chase a dog for any reason. I did obedience classes with Billy and that was one of the first things that we were instructed in when learning the recall. NEVER chase a dog. Go in the other direction with a happy, playful voice to make your game look more interesting, or offer a favorite toy, or do anything you know will get them to want to come back to you. In my case, opening the car door and offering a ride would be my best choice. Billy and Taffy never turn down an opportunity to get a ride in a vehicle. They will even get into a strangers vehicle if they let them. When he returns, praise him big time and give him treats so that he knows that returning to you was a really good thing. Otherwise, he will become weary of you and you will not have the relationship with him that you wish to have.

If my dog was in danger, I would do whatever it took, even running outside naked, to prevent them from getting injured.

fjm

I have no problem with telling a dog NO! and scolding when the dog is caught in the act - I too use it when mine tease the cats (usually because I didn't get Leave it! and a distraction in quickly enough). Assuming that when they show conciliatory behaviours minutes or hours after the act that they are demonstrating guilt puts us on much less certain ground, though. Poodles are very intelligent, and very quick to pick up on cues from our tone and body language. If you have punished your dog for spilling the garbage, and then spill garbage yourself, and take a deep breath to start yelling, I suspect the dog will show all the same signs of "guilt". The cause and effect the dog understands is Mess on the floor + cross human = bad stuff for dogs. Not Dog knocked over garbage an hour ago = justifiably angry owner. It is great that we are recognising the intelligence and emotional life of our dogs - and there is a lot of excellent research that shows how right we are to do so. None of it has indicated that dogs feel guilt as we understand it (lucky things!).

SnorPuddel

I had a Newfie Aussie mix that I rescued when he was 9 and he lived to 18, he loved to shred paper. He would shred any paper that he could get his paws on, even my mail. Don't know why he did it, but he sure loved to do it

HiSocietyPoodle

No more dumpster diving at my house lately... I sprinkled a small amount of pepper in the trash (before I had a chance to read all the other posts everyone posted on this thread) and it never happened again.