Liz asked:
My family’s
poodle is almost a year and four months old. She’s been housebroken, knows the sit command (as long as she’s not excited she will sit in an instant) and ‘hand shake’ command, and has recently learned to roll over and ‘gimmie’ (her way of begging requires grabbing the wrist holding the treat in her paws). It took awhile to train her because she really loves treats and was allergic to her food (the vet didn’t even guess she has a wheat allergy), so she didn’t have much energy or an attention span.
The problem now is that she can become very aggressive and bossy when she hasn’t gotten the attention she wants. I know poodles naturally want to be the Alpha dog–any way to show her, without instilling fear, that she is NOT in charge? She also hasn’t entirely learned the down command, I often need to draw the treat across the floor or nudge her front paw so that she slides down from a sit.
If you have any training tips or the like, it is much appreciated.
I should add that I have a younger sister who is not tall enough for the dog to see her as an Alpha. My sisters friends are shorter than her, it is scary to think what the dog can do if she’s not held back when my sister and her friends are around. Our dog is VERY gentle, but her bark is terrifying to the kids. (We think she barks because of the distance we have to keep between her and the girls, she’s quite the herder/protector.) We haven’t been able to really introduce the dog to the kids because of the barking, it makes everyone too nervous for it to work. If you have any tips about fixing the barking and over-protective quality, it is so appreciated.
I realize this is getting really long, but I think it might help to mention that my dog is really smart, like most poodles. Ever since she was a little puppy (we got her just after she turned 3 months old), she has used her paws to help her get what she wants (ex., she’d rather stretch herself out and reach with her paws toward a ball that rolled out of her mouth than get up and retrieve it). Since we got her so young, she learned that things she could teeth on came from us…leading to nibbling on the couch and other furniture for attention. She is not allowed into the kitchen, living room, hallway, or bedrooms (which litters the house with baby gates). And, finally, she looks like a show dog because of her genetics–meaning a lot of strangers will say ‘ohh, look at the pretty doggy!’ and the like. I’m not sure if that’s really relivent info, but I really just want my dog to be a good dog 24/7 instead of the monster she can become.
Dove Cresswells Dog Training
