Help! cockapoo puppy bad behaviour.

[tomhammond]

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Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone had any good advice.

Our 10 month old cockapoo is really well behaved, friendly and obedient apart from in one situation.

When my wife returns home from work before me and I am not there Pepper (the puppy) will constantly bark at her for attention. Even if she is given attention or picked up (after an hour of ignoring her in sheer desperation) she will continue to incessantly bark once put down, this usually lasts for 30 mins-2 hours. It can happen at any time when my wife returns home but predominantly happens after work. She is completely obsessed with my wife and will follow her round all day and they definitely have a better bond than what I have with Pepper. When I am in the room she never misbehaves and will stop the barking instantly if I say "No" to her. Any tips would be hugely welcome, I would imagine that the equivalent of a naughty step would work or I have read that spraying water on her to stop it is another wives tale but that sounds cruel. I should add that during the week she is taken out for a walk around lunchtime, she stays in her crate in the hours after her walk till we get home. She also sleeps in her crate in our room at night (just adding this in case there are any good tips).

Many thanks in advance it is driving us insane.

 

[lurcherman]

Get her to take dog out and take control and if she dosnt know how then you train your wife, then stay consistent , it's a puppy ! Well just, so the odd bad tantrum will happen.

 

[tomhammond]

She oftn takes her out for a walk and then she continues the barking until I get home?! Thanks for your advice, I am looking for training tips also.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Firstly, cockerpoos do like to bark. It does not mean that they cannot be trained to stay quiet but it is like trying to train a Border Collie not to round up sheep! Hard work. Secondly, we need to look at "why" she does it. It is almost certainly an attention seeking behaviour. Even negative attention is fun for a dog.

I would teach a "bark" and "shush" command. Don't worry about the first bit but every time she pauses for breath you say "shush" and immediately give her a high value treat. This means that your wife will need to carry high value treats with her all the time. The timing is critical! No attention at all should be given to her when she is barking. Turn your back and look at the ceiling. It will take a lot of patience and it will get worse before it gets better. This is called the "extinction burst", which means the dog is about to give up the behaviour, because it is not being "rewarded" with attention, but tries harder first to see if it can achieve the attention it is used to getting. once you think she has cottoned on to the shush and get a treat bit then wait a nano second before giving the treat. Repeat lots of times and then wait a full second before giving the treat. Gradually stretch the time she has to shush to get the treat until she can wait for ten seconds. Once this is achieved you can shush her for ten seconds and then distract her into playing a game or chewing a chew etc.

Generally, do make sure your young dog is getting enough time out and about in a stimulating environment. Look at the food you are feeding to make sure it is not rocket fuel (check out the website "All About Dog Food". Give her mentally challenging things to do and invest in mentally challenging toys. Why not look for and APDT registered trainer in your area? They will often come out to the house and help with any problems and they will run modern method classes where you can share your experiences with others.

 

[excuseme]

How long is your puppy left alone while your wife is at work, what are the lengths of time that Pepper is left in her cage?. Who is most likely to let her out of the cage?

 

[InTheDogHouse2017]

Hi Tom,

I really think our two expert dog behaviourists will be able to help you and your wife. We are making a new TV pilot about dogs and their behaviour, and are looking for dogs like Pepper to take part. If you'd be interested, I would love to talk to you. Please email rebecca.morris1@rdftelevision.com for more information.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Rebecca

 

[JoanneF]

I am always a little concerned about behaviour modification for the purpose of tv. It's a slow process that takes a long time so most of the material is simply not entertaining. I would urge the original poster to carefully check the credentials of the 'experts' and make sure they are using positive training techniques before letting them anywhere near their dog.

 

[gypsysmum2]

I agree with JoanneF.