I can't think of another breed of dog who deserves the nickname 'Goofball' more than a poodle. It's part of their charm.
Random; Sometimes I wonder....
...Just how smart Saleen really is. Being a poodle and all I would have expected her to be brilliant, and sometimes she is. She isn't however scary smart like the two tibbies, (guess which is more challenging to train LoL).
Sometimes her intelligence amazes me. She picks up new tasks in training quickly and with little stress. Occasionaly her willingness to please stresses her out when she hasn't figured out what you want, but those times are rare and she recovers quickly. Jazz too, does this though she doesn't enjoy thinking nearly as much as Saleen does.
Sometimes the complete absense of any brain at all amazes me, these times are more frequent that our star of the class training amazements I'm sad to admit. :doh:
An example;
Thanks to our approching tropical friend Ida it rained today and the poodles got soaked when I had a bad mommy moment and forgot to keep and eye out for the new wave of rainshowers. Jazz happily played in the flower bed, (umm wonderful - she's dark brown from the belly down), while Saleen sat forlornly out in the middle of the yard getting rained on. Come on Super poodle, at least get under the covered part of the porch goober!! So I put them both out in the newly finished groom room, aka my garage to play and dry. Aside from getting into a couple of minor things, nothing of which could have hurt them and poking around and exploring all the new shelves and baskets and kennels they didn't cause much trouble. I checked on them every so often since I couldn't see them from my office. In between the last time I checked and the time John got home and checked on them (about 15 minutes) Saleen decided she was hungry I guess. Ummm yeah, guess what else resides in the groom room.... yup the dog food bins. They have snap down lids and are airtight. Saleen figured that was only a minor detail and managed to flip the latch unsnapping the lid, then flipped the hindged lid open and helped herself. I call that smart. The tibbies would have figured it out long ago if they were tall enough, thankgod that they AREN'T! (They figured out how to get up on the window seal in front of the dinning room table and from there get either onto the table or onto our counter via one of the table chairs)
30 minutes later all four dogs were in the office with hubby and I and Saleen wanted to peep through the blinds on the window. I guess Jazz passed on her peeping poodle habit afterall lol. The window was cracked open which I guess is what got her attention, the blinds however were closed. They are those heavy wood-like blinds that the cats can't tear up and fit our beach themed decor in that room. Saleen repeatedly banged her head and face into the blinds, about 12 times, until John pulled them up for her. I call that less than smart.
Almost every day I shake my head watching her do this or that. From wacking her head on the coffee table, (she does that at least twice a day!!), to tripping over the little dogs, to running into the wall in front of our bedroom when she's excited. She turns round and round and hopes and gets all dopey when it's dinner time and has smacked into the corner there a number of times. She also manages to tangle herself in the power cord to my laptop when I have it plugged in. None of the other dogs do this, only Saleen.
I'm thinking she is a bit like my mother, very bright but no common sense LoL! She is the gifted blonde you sat next to in highschool would couldnt walk in a straight line but could rattle off the periotic table without a second thought. Poor Saleen LoL. Just a big 'ol goofy puppy :
Sometimes her intelligence amazes me. She picks up new tasks in training quickly and with little stress. Occasionaly her willingness to please stresses her out when she hasn't figured out what you want, but those times are rare and she recovers quickly. Jazz too, does this though she doesn't enjoy thinking nearly as much as Saleen does.
Sometimes the complete absense of any brain at all amazes me, these times are more frequent that our star of the class training amazements I'm sad to admit. :doh:
An example;
Thanks to our approching tropical friend Ida it rained today and the poodles got soaked when I had a bad mommy moment and forgot to keep and eye out for the new wave of rainshowers. Jazz happily played in the flower bed, (umm wonderful - she's dark brown from the belly down), while Saleen sat forlornly out in the middle of the yard getting rained on. Come on Super poodle, at least get under the covered part of the porch goober!! So I put them both out in the newly finished groom room, aka my garage to play and dry. Aside from getting into a couple of minor things, nothing of which could have hurt them and poking around and exploring all the new shelves and baskets and kennels they didn't cause much trouble. I checked on them every so often since I couldn't see them from my office. In between the last time I checked and the time John got home and checked on them (about 15 minutes) Saleen decided she was hungry I guess. Ummm yeah, guess what else resides in the groom room.... yup the dog food bins. They have snap down lids and are airtight. Saleen figured that was only a minor detail and managed to flip the latch unsnapping the lid, then flipped the hindged lid open and helped herself. I call that smart. The tibbies would have figured it out long ago if they were tall enough, thankgod that they AREN'T! (They figured out how to get up on the window seal in front of the dinning room table and from there get either onto the table or onto our counter via one of the table chairs)
30 minutes later all four dogs were in the office with hubby and I and Saleen wanted to peep through the blinds on the window. I guess Jazz passed on her peeping poodle habit afterall lol. The window was cracked open which I guess is what got her attention, the blinds however were closed. They are those heavy wood-like blinds that the cats can't tear up and fit our beach themed decor in that room. Saleen repeatedly banged her head and face into the blinds, about 12 times, until John pulled them up for her. I call that less than smart.
Almost every day I shake my head watching her do this or that. From wacking her head on the coffee table, (she does that at least twice a day!!), to tripping over the little dogs, to running into the wall in front of our bedroom when she's excited. She turns round and round and hopes and gets all dopey when it's dinner time and has smacked into the corner there a number of times. She also manages to tangle herself in the power cord to my laptop when I have it plugged in. None of the other dogs do this, only Saleen.
I'm thinking she is a bit like my mother, very bright but no common sense LoL! She is the gifted blonde you sat next to in highschool would couldnt walk in a straight line but could rattle off the periotic table without a second thought. Poor Saleen LoL. Just a big 'ol goofy puppy :
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Goofball is the perfect name. Harry fits it to a T. He likes to use his paws when he is given the down command. I'm sporting some fresh scratches because we were practicing down stays tonight.:doh:
Mandy is smart Casey may not be the sharpest crayon in the box but is definatly the prettiest colour LOL.
That boy has ADD I am sure. Put them out for a pee and he heads 2 feet sees a leaf chases that spots a bug chases Mandy then comes to the door. I look at him say did you pee and a little light goes off and he runs back to have a pee.
Must admit he has figured out the food bins the first day here.
I aways say he is like Jessica Simpson plays dumb but is smart enough to realize the dumber he plays the more he gets loved on by everyone cause they feel sorry for his lack of brains
That boy has ADD I am sure. Put them out for a pee and he heads 2 feet sees a leaf chases that spots a bug chases Mandy then comes to the door. I look at him say did you pee and a little light goes off and he runs back to have a pee.
Must admit he has figured out the food bins the first day here.
I aways say he is like Jessica Simpson plays dumb but is smart enough to realize the dumber he plays the more he gets loved on by everyone cause they feel sorry for his lack of brains
LOL! We call my mom's "dumb" greyhound Britney Spears. She (the dog) is actually very smart and obedient, and catches on faster than her brother... but because she is so compliant, and her brother is such a brat, my mom says she's the dumb one.I aways say he is like Jessica Simpson plays dumb but is smart enough to realize the dumber he plays the more he gets loved on by everyone cause they feel sorry for his lack of brains
i.e. we say "go home" and she runs straight to her crate and waits for her cookie and the door to be locked, HE on the other hand runs and peeks around corners pretending you're not talking to him, too!
LOL! We call my mom's "dumb" greyhound Britney Spears. She (the dog) is actually very smart and obedient, and catches on faster than her brother... but because she is so compliant, and her brother is such a brat, my mom says she's the dumb one.
QUOTE]
I've always felt this way about breeds like Goldens and such. Just so eager to to whatever you ask once they understand I thought they were kind of dumb. Of course they aren't dumb, they are really smart it's just that they don't question WHY nearly so much as other breeds. I feel like my poodles fall into this group as well, smart and eager to please 90% of the time.
Other breeds, like a lot of terriers I've been around kind of give you the doggie equal to the finger. I think this is super smart. You say Down and they say Why.. or even more commonly MAKE ME. I had a tibbie who was a fantatsic dog, SUPER SMART but if you were out of motivation, (toys or cookies) in a training session she was out of time for you. I guess some dogs are smart enough to realize you're going to feed them and probably love them either way so whats this sit, down, and stay business all about?
I don't see myself getting bored with Saleen's training anytime soon, it's rather refreshing to have the big happy goofy dog to work with rather than the snotty I don't feel like it today kind that I've always had in the past. I just hope I don't get used to it and forget that all the rest of the dogs I'm working on can and will try to outsmart me given the chance.
Poodles are challenging. I think it's a lot more like living with a human toddler than a dog. Teddy obeys commands when he wants to, and sometimes when we're around other people, he acts like I don't exist when I ask him to do something (just as a 3 year old might). The other day, this woman who had only been around us for all of ten minutes offered her unsolicited opinion that I was a push-over and I wasn't firm enough. It was my fault for trying to demonstrate what Teddy can do while he was distracted. We haven't yet done a lot of intensive training in busy places. Yet. Right now, my main focus is getting him to heel. When you walk your dog on crowded city sidewalks and across busy city streets, it's important--life-saving, even. He's very cute when he sits down while we're waiting for the light to turn. He makes other people smile when they see him do it.
But anyway, back to the woman who pissed me off--first of all, he's a 5 month old TOY poodle, not a Rottie or a pit bull, and second of all, sometimes I feel bad because I think I'm being too tough on him, especially with the heel training. But just because I feel bad doesn't mean I'm going to let him do whatever he wants. I know the training is working because it's becoming more and more frequent that I have to actually look down to make sure he's still attached to the leash. That is a great feeling!
I just needed to vent about that woman. Some people seem to think they know everything (she doesn't even have a dog--she has a friend who trains big scary dogs and is "a tough cookie"). Ho hum...
But anyway, back to the woman who pissed me off--first of all, he's a 5 month old TOY poodle, not a Rottie or a pit bull, and second of all, sometimes I feel bad because I think I'm being too tough on him, especially with the heel training. But just because I feel bad doesn't mean I'm going to let him do whatever he wants. I know the training is working because it's becoming more and more frequent that I have to actually look down to make sure he's still attached to the leash. That is a great feeling!
I just needed to vent about that woman. Some people seem to think they know everything (she doesn't even have a dog--she has a friend who trains big scary dogs and is "a tough cookie"). Ho hum...
I think smaller dogs are more of a challenge than the larger ones just because of size. They are low to the ground and you can't reach out and touch them without bending over, which at the moment is becoming difficult for me LoL. Getting to FAT!! I think thats what draws me to larger breeds, and thus why we have a standard poodle. Their head is just you know right there if you need to tap them or get hold of a collar for some reason it's easy. With the little dogs I've always had in the past I always wished they were taller for that reason lol. With the terriers... well I wished a lot of things about them ROFL.
That's a good point. I always think of large dogs as being more challenging, just because of their size. I should know better, because even at 9 pounds, Teddy pulls like a sled dog when he's being stubborn. Feels like he weighs about 30 pounds when he does that! haha
True enough about bigger dogs being easier to handle, except....
and yes, there is always an exception...
For a big dog that is so confused they THINK they're a small dog.
I'm fostering a Great Dane, five months old, who honestly thinks she's one of the smaller dogs. It's so difficult to work with her when all she wants to do is dance and prance and wiggle all over my feet. That can not be easy to work with when she's already pushing 75lbs! It's hilarious to see her try to squeeze under the couch or under the coffee table untill she actually tips over the table! I got to love that girl, even though her behavior is making it difficult for people to want to adopt her. No gentle giantness about her. She's a prancing, dancing, knockin-over-stuff giantess.:doh: lol
Ahh well, Ray-Ray thinks she's the best kind of fun and will put her in her place if she gets a little too anoying. He thinks she makes a great pillow when she finally falls asleep.
and yes, there is always an exception...
For a big dog that is so confused they THINK they're a small dog.
I'm fostering a Great Dane, five months old, who honestly thinks she's one of the smaller dogs. It's so difficult to work with her when all she wants to do is dance and prance and wiggle all over my feet. That can not be easy to work with when she's already pushing 75lbs! It's hilarious to see her try to squeeze under the couch or under the coffee table untill she actually tips over the table! I got to love that girl, even though her behavior is making it difficult for people to want to adopt her. No gentle giantness about her. She's a prancing, dancing, knockin-over-stuff giantess.:doh: lol
Ahh well, Ray-Ray thinks she's the best kind of fun and will put her in her place if she gets a little too anoying. He thinks she makes a great pillow when she finally falls asleep.
LOL I remember those days with the Mastiff when he couldn't get under something he could the day before. When he climbed into our lap and you couldn't see us anymore.
Good thing about the giants is they grow so much they sleep so much Gaining a lb a day takes lots of energy so they make the most of the few hours each day they are awake.
Good thing about the giants is they grow so much they sleep so much Gaining a lb a day takes lots of energy so they make the most of the few hours each day they are awake.
No doubt! And those huge tennis-ball feet that clunk around noisily! In a way that's really good, because Ray-Ray can hear her coming!
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