[Astaris888]

I teach the "Leave It" command to puppies. Over the past fifty plus years have not had anything destroyed. The dogs are, however, free to shred their own toys. So far it has worked quite well.

He's getting better. I have worked on leave it and he does listen alot more now at 10 months but I wouldn't say it's perfect. When he's overstimualted he's trouble.

 

[Astaris888]

Oh he is so handsome 🥰 his face looks like he's the most gentle boy

Hahha..looks are deceiving.
He is very SWEET and loves everyone..he's a very outgoing and confident boy. He hasn't met a stranger and wants to greet everyone..dogs and people. He's not anxious and is stable which I knew he would be as breeder told me he was confident.

That said...he plays ROUGH.
Once we got past the toddler raptor stage..he became very good inside the home. He's not hyper inside and will just hang out when we are busy.
Obviously there are puppy behaviours like counter surfing since he's taller now etc but he's pretty calm inside for a puppy. He chases one of the cats as the cat hasn't put him in place like our other cat who is the Queen of the home lol so that's a work in progress.

That said..lately when we play fetch he gets so overstimulated and starts play biting me and body slams me etc..very rough. He's not aggressive as he's smiling the entire time..he just gets overstimulated and very demanding and that energy he doesn't really express inside comes out and it's all jump and pounce..
He sees me as his playbuddy since I've always made it part of the schedule to train via fetch as he loves fetch and running and I train obedience during it. But damn he's definitely not gentle doing play. He got better but since he turned 10 months he's back at it. So obviously I'm training that.

 

[Astaris888]

Don't get me wrong..inside he's pretty good at listening to commands and I practice them everywhere..on walks etc.
But when he's finally PLAYING..seesh.

And he not the sensitive type either so training is trickier
He basically thinks everything is a game right now. He's 10 months.

He is a solid " boys boy" but he loves to kiss everyone. Also..a solid alert barker and is very aware of who is near the property.

 

[94Magna_Tom]

Don't get me wrong..inside he's pretty good at listening to commands and I practice them everywhere..on walks etc.
But when he's finally PLAYING..seesh.

And he not the sensitive type either so training is trickier
He basically thinks everything is a game right now. He's 10 months.

He is a solid " boys boy" but he loves to kiss everyone. Also..a solid alert barker and is very aware of who is near the property.

He sounds a lot like my Elroy was 😍!

 

[Astaris888]

He sounds a lot like my Elroy was 😍!

That's a relief.

I am a first time dog owner.

I was born in Eastern Europe and we had working german shepperd on the farm but we emigrated when I was young and my father had a no dog rule. We did have cats in the home when I was a teenager and up.

So I did not expect a pup to come flying through the air at me pushing me with his paws..it's very different lol. He literally body slams me to get me to throw the ball.. crazy boy.

 

[Charliethespoo]

Hahha..looks are deceiving.
He is very SWEET and loves everyone..he's a very outgoing and confident boy. He hasn't met a stranger and wants to greet everyone..dogs and people. He's not anxious and is stable which I knew he would be as breeder told me he was confident.

That said...he plays ROUGH.
Once we got past the toddler raptor stage..he became very good inside the home. He's not hyper inside and will just hang out when we are busy.
Obviously there are puppy behaviours like counter surfing since he's taller now etc but he's pretty calm inside for a puppy. He chases one of the cats as the cat hasn't put him in place like our other cat who is the Queen of the home lol so that's a work in progress.

That said..lately when we play fetch he gets so overstimulated and starts play biting me and body slams me etc..very rough. He's not aggressive as he's smiling the entire time..he just gets overstimulated and very demanding and that energy he doesn't really express inside comes out and it's all jump and pounce..
He sees me as his playbuddy since I've always made it part of the schedule to train via fetch as he loves fetch and running and I train obedience during it. But damn he's definitely not gentle doing play. He got better but since he turned 10 months he's back at it. So obviously I'm training that.

Sounds exactly like my Charlie. Sounds pretty normal to me as long as it is manageable!! Apart from that he sounds like a lovely dog. I'm sure with all that training it will get better very soon 😊

I totally get your "fears" because I'm a first time dog owner as well. I'd say on top of that, poodles aren't necessarily the easiest breed to own as a first time dog owner! Good luck to us ahaha

 

[Astaris888]

Sounds exactly like my Charlie. Sounds pretty normal to me as long as it is manageable!! Apart from that he sounds like a lovely dog. I'm sure with all that training it will get better very soon 😊

I totally get your "fears" because I'm a first time dog owner as well. I'd say on top of that, poodles aren't necessarily the easiest breed to own as a first time dog owner! Good luck to us ahaha

Really? They are recommended as one of the easiest for first time dog owners in that size group. This is one of the reasons I went with this breed after doing research and speaking to people. I'm also a lover of German Sheperds and Dobermans but they really aren't for first time dog owners. Australian Shepperds are 100percent more active and can be neurotic etc.
Labs are super hyper when young and are more likely to swallow everything.
Goldens are very energetic as well but obv one of the more easier breeds.
Standard Poodles are high maintenance in terms of coat but they are easy to train..just have to stay on top of enforcing boundaries.
Of course temperment will vary amongst poodles with some being more energetic than others but a well bred poodle is stable and they usually adapt to their owners provided you meet their exercise needs.

Poodles are so bouncy and like to fly around but ever since he passed the 6ish 7ish month he doesnt fly around inside(just jumps when greeting people).
He used to fly down the basement stairs but now he listens to "slowly" so he doesnt jump off the last 5 steps lol.

 

[Astaris888]

The first 6 months were very challenging as he was all teeth and their brain is like jdjddhdhjdh. He still picked up fast but he had some weird habits. Whenever anyone in the home would lie down on the floor..he would take it as an invite to pounce and attack..and he looked so serious lol. But that behaviour disappeared at 6 months(thankfully).
The changes happen month by month and its rewarding to see training coming into place.

 

[Astaris888]

Father came to visit and when he sits down to eat..he gets an audience lol.

 

[Astaris888]

That cat btw used to be owned by my brother.
For some reason he thought it was a good idea to spend $1k(Cad) on a cat.
Bengal cats are lovely but I mean..it's a cat and it'd a designer cat..so yaaa. Might as well go to a shelter. No judgment tho but many of these cats are just not meant to be sitting alone in condos all day.
He ended up rehoming him a couple months after purchase lol. These cats are not meant to be alone all day..they are social and chatty.

My 16 year old cat passed away months before my brother got this cat so I ended up taking this little guy.

These cats are veryrrr chatty so if they aren't stimulated they will annoy you. We have a fenced yard so we just let him out as he's never jumped the fence and never will as he's too scared too. Now that it's winter...he doesn't like going outside and he can get very annoying.

 

[Astaris888]

Soaking up all the attention from dad lol.

 

[Astaris888]

I really like how friendly he is. He will greet every guest that arrives like an old friend.

But at the same time..he's a great watch dog. If you are that friend outside the home close to the property..he will alert bark to let us know and will get pretty vocal.

So he has a good balance of being friendly but also being a watch dog.

One time we had a winter storm and my father was coming from the shed and it was hard to see him from the back door...so my poodle started barking like crazy and launched himself at the glass. He then realized it was my father and calmed down.

He also barks at the landscaping people(when they are outside) and does a low growl. But as soon as you step inside the home and he realizes you are welcome..he will give you kisses.

It's pretty cool.

He doesn't take kindly to trespassers but he's very context aware.

 

[Astaris888]

 

[94Magna_Tom]

I really like how friendly he is. He will greet every guest that arrives like an old friend.

But at the same time..he's a great watch dog. If you are that friend outside the home close to the property..he will alert bark to let us know and will get pretty vocal.

So he has a good balance of being friendly but also being a watch dog.

One time we had a winter storm and my father was coming from the shed and it was hard to see him from the back door...so my poodle started barking like crazy and launched himself at the glass. He then realized it was my father and calmed down.

He also barks at the landscaping people(when they are outside) and does a low growl. But as soon as you step inside the home and he realizes you are welcome..he will give you kisses.

It's pretty cool.

He doesn't take kindly to trespassers but he's very context aware.

Yep! Elroy's the same way😍! He has rugged, mean sounding bark, but once you come inside he'll kiss you to death 🤣!

 

[Astaris888]

Yep! Elroy's the same way😍! He has rugged, mean sounding bark, but once you come inside he'll kiss you to death 🤣!

I love that about them. And they do pack a mean bark..which is super cool lol.

Its like they have the friendly disposition of the Golden but they also have the watch tendencies of a GSD or Dobie.
My boy woke up yestederday at 1am and went straight to the window and started barking. They are very much watch dogs which is awesome. I wasnt really annoyed as I do want an alert dog so I just got up and took a look around and told him "good job".

I dont mind the barking and figured as long as we acknowledge the perceived "threat" and tell them good job..they will quiet down if we teach them the quiet command.

Dogs need a job.

 

[Astaris888]

So I had to shave his ears..ugh not happy about that. I love the fluffy ears.

I wasn't brushing deep enough on the ears and there were small matt's deep down underneath the layer of hairs..prob from all the rain and snow we had. I just shaved them..eh. It is what it is.

He also has mats on his lower legs from all the snow balls and I'll see what I can salvage.

 

[Astaris888]

He was pretty good with allowing me to shave them. He just makes it difficult for me to get a nice shave on his front feet due to me nicking him..hope he forgets eventually.

 

[94Magna_Tom]

What grooming combs & brushes do you have? I brush (and comb) Elroy's long parts (TK, Ears and Tail) almost every day. The CC slicker (Big G, Large) works great, and I love the wide spaced, long tined All Systems comb.

 

[Astaris888]

What grooming combs & brushes do you have? I brush (and comb) Elroy's long parts (TK, Ears and Tail) almost every day. The CC slicker (Big G, Large) works great, and I love the wide spaced, long tined All Systems comb. View attachment 503120

Thanks.
I have a slicker brush and a greyhound comb as well. I also have a detangler keratin spray I use on his coat.

The matts were small but mighty underneath all the hair next to the skin. I think the adult coat is coming in. I also haven't lined brush the ears so there you have it. They just came out of nowhere lol. I brush the ears daily but wasn't getting deep enough. It's a learning curve.

His coat from the neck and around the spine is starting to get courser so I know it's coming in.
But the legs and the rest of body and tail is still puppy coat.

He also had matt's on bottom of front legs and they are hard to stay on top of because of the weather. I managed to cut them out tho.

He sees his groomer in 2 weeks so I'll have him taken down to quarter of an inch to half an inch.
He will feel better too because he runs hot. It's winter and we keep the home temp at 24C but we had to bring it down for the dog lmao.

 

[Astaris888]

The ears had a couple matts that could only be removed by shaving and I shaved them because I don't want to be charged extra at the groomers.
I also don't want the dog to be stressed at groomers during the process when I can do it myself at home. I was nervous handling ears but I just took my time.