Cavapoo mum

[SuzieE]

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Hi there, I'm Suzie, mum to Kenny, our 6 month old Cavapoo.

He's generally great but, given he's our 'lockdown puppy', he does suffer from separation anxiety from me given I've been with him the most in our family, and is a bit naughty, climbing on furniture he shouldn't, chewing our coffee table (he's already destroyed a rug & thankfully both of these were inexpensive, but still...!) and has run off a few times, a couple of times to steal strawberries from a picnic and also to play with a toddler. This last behaviour means I don't want to let him off the lead anymore for fear he's interact with the wrong person who isn't happy with his friendliness. I've since read somewhere else that given Cavapoos are so inquisitive and intelligent, they shouldn't be let off the lead for fear of them running off looking into everything.

If anyone's got any advice on owning a Cavapoo, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks!

 

[JoanneF]

Not specifically a cavapoo, but I can offer some advice for dog ownership. When he chews, he isn't being naughty - it is likely a combination of not knowing he shouldn't, along with a compulsive need to chew because he is teething.

For climbing on furniture, there are two things you could try. Lure him off with a reward, while saying the word ”off”. Once he is hopping off quite reliably you can fade out the reward; sometimes using it, sometimes a 'good boy' and sometimes an ear rub.

The other thing is to teach him to lie in his bed or on a mat.

There really is no reason why he would find recall a problem - both poodles and CKCSs recall easily enough and you see plenty of them off lead. If you want advice on how to train that, please shout out.

 

[Finsky]

Lot of your dog's behaviour is also down to his young age...he is still leaning the world around him and life at that age is just big exploration. If you want to teach him his boundaries, he will be capable to figuring it out. Some things might take bit longer than others for the penny to drop. But they won't learn without all of your guidance...you all have to work at it by keeping to the same constant rules.
The chewing might be easiest to tackle...by giving him something else to chew instead of the furniture by keeping a stash of long lasting natural chews..dried duck neck or lambs tails etc. different types of 'body parts'. As soon as he shows sign starting unwanted chewing...give him alternative thing to go for. Young dogs don't chew only for a need to relieve their teehing, it does stimulate their brain too...relief tension/boredom.
So on top of it by just chucking a chew on from of them...they need stimulation from playing (with some a lot of it) and their walks that not only work for their bodies but is essential for their brains. ..bored dogs often chew a lot.
And that brings you to handily to next thing...only give the chew he likes on the floor...direct him to chew there. If he is keen of chewing, use the chew as a treat to teach him to come off and stay off from furniture with the commands that Joanne mentioned.

 

[Buddy1]

Regarding the recall, at 6 months he is going to be getting more inquisitive. Even dogs that have shown good recall can have a temporary lapse as they approach adolescent and all the exciting distractions become a little more interesting than you. As you say, you don’t want him to become accustomed to ‘running off’ when he is off lead as this will only make training more difficult and he could quite easily get himself into trouble, especially with some dogs that are only too happy to put a young male in its place.
I recommend Pippa Mattinson’s book ‘Total Recall’. It guides you through recall training with lots of practical advice.

 

[SuzieE]

Not specifically a cavapoo, but I can offer some advice for dog ownership. When he chews, he isn't being naughty - it is likely a combination of not knowing he shouldn't, along with a compulsive need to chew because he is teething.

For climbing on furniture, there are two things you could try. Lure him off with a reward, while saying the word ”off”. Once he is hopping off quite reliably you can fade out the reward; sometimes using it, sometimes a 'good boy' and sometimes an ear rub.

The other thing is to teach him to lie in his bed or on a mat.

There really is no reason why he would find recall a problem - both poodles and CKCSs recall easily enough and you see plenty of them off lead. If you want advice on how to train that, please shout out.

Thank you so much - I will take a look at that video!

 

[SuzieE]

Lot of your dog's behaviour is also down to his young age...he is still leaning the world around him and life at that age is just big exploration. If you want to teach him his boundaries, he will be capable to figuring it out. Some things might take bit longer than others for the penny to drop. But they won't learn without all of your guidance...you all have to work at it by keeping to the same constant rules.
The chewing might be easiest to tackle...by giving him something else to chew instead of the furniture by keeping a stash of long lasting natural chews..dried duck neck or lambs tails etc. different types of 'body parts'. As soon as he shows sign starting unwanted chewing...give him alternative thing to go for. Young dogs don't chew only for a need to relieve their teehing, it does stimulate their brain too...relief tension/boredom.
So on top of it by just chucking a chew on from of them...they need stimulation from playing (with some a lot of it) and their walks that not only work for their bodies but is essential for their brains. ..bored dogs often chew a lot.
And that brings you to handily to next thing...only give the chew he likes on the floor...direct him to chew there. If he is keen of chewing, use the chew as a treat to teach him to come off and stay off from furniture with the commands that Joanne mentioned.

Thanks for the advice, I have since ordered lots of 'body parts' for him to enjoy! We're realising from speaking with others that a lot is down to his age and desire to explore too. A learning curve for us new pup parents!

 

[SuzieE]

Regarding the recall, at 6 months he is going to be getting more inquisitive. Even dogs that have shown good recall can have a temporary lapse as they approach adolescent and all the exciting distractions become a little more interesting than you. As you say, you don’t want him to become accustomed to ‘running off’ when he is off lead as this will only make training more difficult and he could quite easily get himself into trouble, especially with some dogs that are only too happy to put a young male in its place.
I recommend Pippa Mattinson’s book ‘Total Recall’. It guides you through recall training with lots of practical advice.

Awesome, I've ordered that book, thanks so much for the steer!

 

[Cla_ire]

Is he chewing stuff when unattended? We prevented this by putting ours in a puppy pen when we were out, until he was 12 months old.