[Tina Atwood]

2.5 years ago I purchased a standard poodle from an animal shelter. This poodle is male and was rescued from a puppy mill, they tell me he was a stud. When I got him home he was not house broken (of course), could not cllimb stairs, did not know how to play with people or other dogs and was afraid of men. I was told they did not know his age. But he was jet black and now 2.5 yrs he is silver and black. So I am guessing he was less than 1 year of age and not a stud, although he does have a number tatoo in his ear. Anyways, he is a wonderful dog but is to bouncy. When he comes into the house we open the door and he will almost knock us over getting in. If I am with him outside I make him sit at the door while I go in and then give him the command he can come in and he is doing very well with this. If we go up any set of stairs he is likely to knock us over if we are not careful. I have never had a dog like this and do not know how to help him. He is kind and loving and totally devoted to me. Please does anyone have any suggestions? Tina

 

[thestars]

Training, training, training. Find a reputable, "positive" technique trainer in your area.

 

[Tina Atwood]

training

The area I live in is very remote and does not have dog trainers. I need ideas I can do myself to train him.

 

[roxy25]

You can try clicker training him , I just started to venture into this method of training and love it so far !

when he jumps ignore him , since he is new to your home you need to set the rules. No petting or praising if he is jumping wait till he is calm and submissive. This also goes for walks do not put the leash on him if he is bouncy let he relax calm down the put leash on.

You can use the clicker with this by clicking and giving him treats only when he is calm he should get the idea and stop jumping.

 

[thestars]

This is my Dog Trainer's site and resources she recommends; http://everydogcan.com/resources.htm all very useful!

 

[thestars]

Food is always a good start to encorporate with clicker training or just on its own. Something they don't normally get but yet healthy. Good examples are Biljac, Natures Balance, and boiled/roasted chicken (not the skin). Don't feed them their meal and expect them to get alot of training done. It only takes a little bit of the treat, the size of your thumbnail. Keep the training periods short enough so they don't start losing interest and give them free time breaks during the training.

 

[highhorse]

As well as clicker training, which I think is a really super way to train, you could try a little back yard agility. You can make jumps with two garden canes, clothes pegs and a piece of piping. A childs crawl tunnel makes a useful tunnel for the dog and the same canes used for jumps can be stuck in the ground and used as weaving pins. The dog will be using his mind as well as his exercising his body. I teach my poodles tricks and am now doing doggy dancing. You don't need to go to lessons for this, just put the music on and dance. The clicker is good for teaching tricks because as soon as they do what you want them to do, the click marks the exact behaviour. I introduced mine to a skate board the other day and just sat and watched what they would do. When they touched it, I clicked and rewarded, then waited for them to put one foot on board, clicked and rewarded. Soon they were both standing on it and one even attempted to move it. This was the first time they had seen a skate board. Inca opens and closes doors and can pull little drawers open. She also pulls socks off and other articles of clothing (watch out you leave a bit dangling if you don't want to be bitten). They are such capable dogs that you can teach them almost anything.

Another trick, using an empty toilet roll, is to cut a slot in it, then insert a piece of card through the slot. If you put a treat on the card and encourage them to pull to get it, it keeps them amused for ages. My youngest dog was very hyper and wore us out with her constant running, jumping and general mayhem. Since I've been exercising her mind, she is a lot more focused.

 

[BFF]

The only thing I would add is don't get in a rut with your obedience training. Poodles are really smart and will anticipate the next command or get bored. You can make it more like a rally event and time yourselves. The 'course' could be anything you want it to be that day.

Learning how to walk on a leash seems easy, but rarely mastered. Once he becomes a little more focused, you can start training him how to walk figure 8's staying by your side. It's easier when you can use your leg to keep him in line. The challenge is keeping him by your side when he is on the outside. This will train him to 'watch' your legs and anticipate your direction and hone in his ability to focus. Hopefully, this will help prevent crashes on the stairs.

You will have a lot of fun and enjoy his company on a whole different level.

 

[spoospirit]

Looks like you've gotten a lot of good advice here to help you out. Good luck with the training.

 

[Tina Atwood]

Thanks to you all

Thanks to you all for your good advice I will let you know how things are going in a few weeks. Tina

 

[Pamela]

2.5 years ago I purchased a standard poodle from an animal shelter. This poodle is male and was rescued from a puppy mill, they tell me he was a stud. When I got him home he was not house broken (of course), could not cllimb stairs, did not know how to play with people or other dogs and was afraid of men. I was told they did not know his age. But he was jet black and now 2.5 yrs he is silver and black. So I am guessing he was less than 1 year of age and not a stud, although he does have a number tatoo in his ear. Anyways, he is a wonderful dog but is to bouncy. When he comes into the house we open the door and he will almost knock us over getting in. If I am with him outside I make him sit at the door while I go in and then give him the command he can come in and he is doing very well with this. If we go up any set of stairs he is likely to knock us over if we are not careful. I have never had a dog like this and do not know how to help him. He is kind and loving and totally devoted to me. Please does anyone have any suggestions? Tina

oh my goodness! your story is almost identical to mine. Teddy - the silver beige in my avatar - was dark brown when we resuced him - he was taken from an elderly lady's home who had been a breeder and she had a lot of dogs - he hadn't been fixed at that point. when we brought him home, unbeknownst to us, he was sick so he was quiet - but when he got better - he does the same thing as your dog. knocks me over - rushes to be first. didn't know a leash from a hole in the wall. He has responded well to trainined also - but his high energy and "forgetfulness" lol make him a challenge. they said he was 2 when I got him but no way was this dog 2 at that time - lets see I have him for 2.5 years also and he is still puppy-like. I make him sit and wait for all the other dogs to go out etc but he still will forget and try to push everyone, including me, out of the way. but he is such a loving, submissive dog. But he wants to play al the time and the other dogs are not as playful anymore lol Isnt it funny the coincidences - the changing color and the knocking down lol lol her is a comparison pic of him when I got him and one and a half years later, which would be last summer. obvilously I have no advice lol

 

[Tina Atwood]

Hi,
I was out of town when your message arrived. It is good to hear from another person who knows exactly what a challenge this can be. My dog, Prancer, is doing better but the thing that worries me is this running up the stairs beside us. We are very careful but an accident could happen. I am doing like you as far as I am making him sit until our other dog gets outside and then let him go last and I make him sit until I am in before letting him in. My daughter says this will help him learn I am Alpha and not him. But honestly I think he doesn't have any thought when it comes to Alpha Dog but is just like a rambuncious little kid. I will post a picture of him soon. Your dogs look beautiful. Thanks for the message. Tina

 

[Mandycasey'smom]

I have started making Mandy and casey sit at all stairs up or down as in there quest to get there first they are tripping me stepping on my slippers. Now they know wait and are doing it thankfully.

 

[thestars]

Teach him to walk the stairs, we have a large flight off the deck and all six know they must walk up or down the stairs and absolutely "no [email protected]$$" They take off once at the base. I had stairs in my last house and had to train my eldest girl not to run cause she put a nice big scratch at the base of the stairs trying to get to the TV when she heard her favorite comercial. (TREX decking with the pantomime and jack russell.) She also put a gouge in the TV attacking that. Trust me that was the LAST time for that.