# HELP! Our cockapoo just isn't learning :(



## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

Hi all, we have had a cockapoo since he was a puppy and he is 1 and a few months. He learns tricks really easily but everything else with him is just a nightmare.

*Walking Him/Letting him off the lead*
When walking him he is constantly pulling and does not give in, if we see any other dogs he will dive all over them (no matter of the size) and does not stop even if they growl/bark/go for him. If we let him off the lead on a field it must be one with a fence or something around as he will instantly run off and not come back, if we try to catch him he will just try and bite us. If he is let off with another dog around he will run straight to it and try to mount it (boy or girl :/) He is walked every day at least once, most of the time more than that.

*Living with the cat*
The cat has being a member of the family for about 5 years now and is not new to the dog however, every single time she walks past him, knocks at the door or he catches a glimpse of her he goes crazy. He will chase her and either try to bite her or mount her (which he has done numerous times)

*Around the house*
He is an absolute pain. The odd time he will be calm and sleep with us but the majority of the time he is an absolute pain in the backside. If anything (and i mean anything) is left on the floor or within reach on the side he will take it, attempt to rip it to shreds and then growl, bark and bite us if we take it off him. He has also managed to figure out how to open the bin door and takes the cat food wrappers out :/. He also has random spurts of going absolutely crazy, he will begin to growl, bark and run around the house like this for about 10 minutes and often go to bite us if we go anywhere near him.

*In the car*
It is practically impossible to take him anywhere. As soon as he realises were heading for the car he will sit down and refuse to move, when we get in the car he starts to dribble absolutely everywhere non-stop until we get out of the car. If it is a journey longer than 5 minutes he will throw up. He has being in the car alot and still have not seen any change in his behaviour. We have tried calming sprays, tablets and more but nothing seems to work.

*Please Help!*
We are on the verge of getting rid of him, we love him to pieces but we just cannot cope. Does anyone have any ideas? And yes, we have tried training him. He will learn something (such as coming back to us when let of his lead) but then randomly just stop doing it  Please help


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Sounds like you need professional help; where do you live perhaps we can recommend someone?


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

smokeybear said:


> Sounds like you need professional help; where do you live perhaps we can recommend someone?


Hi, i live in manchester in the UK


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

It sounds as if he's reached adolesence, which can be one of the most challenging times for dog owners.

Are these recent behaviours or has he always been practising them?

If you can say what area you live in other members may be able to advise on a good local behaviourist.

@smokeybear could you recommend anyone?

In the meantime if his recall is poor keep him on lead, manage the behaviours in the home & the cat by keeping anything remotely destroyable out of reach, using baby gates/ preventing access & providing a safe space for you cat inaccessible to the dog.


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

Just curious - how are you thinking of getting rid of him?


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

simplysardonic said:


> It sounds as if he's reached adolesence, which can be one of the most challenging times for dog owners.
> 
> Are these recent behaviours or has he always been practising them?
> 
> ...


Hi, yes he has always being like this, he had about a month where he calmed down a little but it started again soon after  We have a baby gate covering the kitchen and the cat often sleeps in her bed which is on top of a wardrobe


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

bogdog said:


> Just curious - how are you thinking of getting rid of him?


The place we got him from allows for there return and they rehome them.


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

I would highly suggest keeping him on lead at all times while you're leash training. His behaviors can cause trouble for others and himself, and it can make for a dangerous situation as most dogs don't like being ran up to and humped, and some may bite when met with that kind of behavior. What methods have you already tried for leash training? 

Keep the dog and cat separated. Do not allow him to torment your kitty. Your cat is probably incredibly stressed out from being mounted and bit by a dog, it seems he is very prey driven and if he's putting his mouth on the cat especially please keep them separated. Not to mention a cat can easily blind a dog with one swipe and eye trauma is very sensitive and can be expensive to fix (if you can even fix it)

How often does he get exercise a day and how long? He sounds a bit neurotic to me  If he is displaying aggressive behaviors like biting you I would suggest getting professional help, as Im not certain anyone here will be able to give you a good solid training plan for aggression. That's one best left to professionals and in person. Make sure the trainer you choose is not dominance based!

He is either extremely nervous (my pup drools everywhere when he's nervous) or he has pretty bad motion sickness. Depending on which it is there are different ways to go about helping him have more comfortable car rides. The fact that he sits and refuses to move and drools has me thinking he's scared but the vomiting could be sickness. It could also be both.


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

How much exercise does he get / what else (eg training / games / stimulation etc) do you do with him?

What is his daily routine - eg walked in the morning, left during the day - or is there someone there during the day / is he taken out several times etc?


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

kamikaze said:


> I would highly suggest keeping him on lead at all times while you're leash training. His behaviors can cause trouble for others and himself, and it can make for a dangerous situation as most dogs don't like being ran up to and humped, and some may bite when met with that kind of behavior. What methods have you already tried for leash training?
> 
> Keep the dog and cat separated. Do not allow him to torment your kitty. Your cat is probably incredibly stressed out from being mounted and bit by a dog, it seems he is very prey driven and if he's putting his mouth on the cat especially please keep them separated. Not to mention a cat can easily blind a dog with one swipe and eye trauma is very sensitive and can be expensive to fix (if you can even fix it)
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply. It looks like professional help is going to be the only way forward. Do you know on average how much it costs?


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

When these behaviours first started to stress or annoy you - what did you do about them? They seem to have been present for months so what kind of help did you seek and receive?


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

Lukepalmer said:


> Thanks for the reply. It looks like professional help is going to be the only way forward. Do you know on average how much it costs?


It really depends on your area! I live in the US but I'm sure someone in the Manchester area can help you get a better average  I hope you don't give up on him!

How much exercise does he receive / what things have you tried so far though?


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

Lilylass said:


> How much exercise does he get / what else (eg training / games / stimulation etc) do you do with him?
> 
> What is his daily routine - eg walked in the morning, left during the day - or is there someone there during the day / is he taken out several times etc?


He is walked every morning before work for around half an hour and then is left for around 5 however he is visited 2-3 times a day as we get time to visit work. When we get home he is walked and then walked again at night. We play with him a lot, play fetch in the house, has a ball which he loves that drops treats and is allowed in the garden when he wants. We are with him all weekend and try to take him out to places like Blackpool however the journey is a nightmare


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

I had a dog that was a nightmare in a car when she was on the back seat. When we got a hatchback and moved her to the back, she was fine. Where in the car is your dog?


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

It seems as if he's getting enough physical stimulation for a smaller dog, perhaps mental stimulation is where you should try to focus? You said he learns tricks really easily so I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to learn obedience, and dogs who "learn tricks easily" are usually the ones who WANT to learn and enjoy using their noggins.

What methods do you use to train? Is there a difference between how you train tricks and how you train obedience? If you use tons of treat to train "roll over" but don't use praise at all when leash training this may be why you're having obedience issues as he may see no reason to listen or find obedience boring and chasing the cat much more exciting.


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

bogdog said:


> I had a dog that was a nightmare in a car when she was on the back seat. When we got a hatchback and moved her to the back, she was fine. Where in the car is your dog?


I think the car issue was more fear / stress / sickness related so it might not really matter where he is :0


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

bogdog said:


> When these behaviours first started to stress or annoy you - what did you do about them? They seem to have been present for months so what kind of help did you seek and receive?


We try


kamikaze said:


> I think the car issue was more fear / stress / sickness related so it might not really matter where he is :0


Yeah we've tried him everywhere in the car and he is still the same unfortunately


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

kamikaze said:


> It seems as if he's getting enough physical stimulation for a smaller dog, perhaps mental stimulation is where you should try to focus? You said he learns tricks really easily so I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to learn obedience, and dogs who "learn tricks easily" are usually the ones who WANT to learn and enjoy using their noggins.
> 
> What methods do you use to train? Is there a difference between how you train tricks and how you train obedience? If you use tons of treat to train "roll over" but don't use praise at all when leash training this may be why you're having obedience issues as he may see no reason to listen or find obedience boring and chasing the cat much more exciting.


He learnt tricks such as roll over just using treats, I purchased a clicker but he doesn't seem to like it, I've followed multiple tutorials and he just doesn't understand it. When practicing recall we used lots and lots of treats but then he would just get fed up, ignore us and run off. Even in the garden he would just lie down


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

Lukepalmer said:


> We try
> 
> Yeah we've tried him everywhere in the car and he is still the same unfortunately


Do you know whether he seems more sick or scared? It's hard for me to tell over a dog forum haha. The vomiting could be from stress but he might also just get really bad motion sickness. You said you tried tablets, what kind of tablets?


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

kamikaze said:


> Do you know whether he seems more sick or scared? It's hard for me to tell over a dog forum haha. The vomiting could be from stress but he might also just get really bad motion sickness. You said you tried tablets, what kind of tablets?


The vet gave us a calming spray and recommended we used kalms but that didn't work either. I think it's a bit of both to be fair. If I put him on the floor he will try and jump up so I hug him, he shakes too.


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

Have you been to training classes? A good trainer should be able to show how to motivate your dog.


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

Lukepalmer said:


> He learnt tricks such as roll over just using treats, I purchased a clicker but he doesn't seem to like it, I've followed multiple tutorials and he just doesn't understand it. When practicing recall we used lots and lots of treats but then he would just get fed up, ignore us and run off. Even in the garden he would just lie down


Well he shouldn't have the opportunity to run off when leash training. I would suggest an extra long leash, they come pretty cheap at the store. That way he doesn't have the option to run off even if he wants to. What methods have you used? I keep asking but I'm still not really positive how you're attempting training. How exactly do you try to train recall? How do you handle leash pulling / lunging? What do you do when he's ran off in the past? Have you punished him when you finally got back to you? (Punish anything from spanking to yelling at to yanking his collar)


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

Have you tried him in a crate covered with blanket?


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

Lukepalmer said:


> The vet gave us a calming spray and recommended we used kalms but that didn't work either. I think it's a bit of both to be fair. If I put him on the floor he will try and jump up so I hug him, he shakes too.


That could very well be both, the shaking has me suspecting fear. I've heard good things about denamarin for the motion sickness aspect, but as far as the fear just making sure the rides are positive with lots of praise and treats is the best you can do, he'll come around. Try to practice mostly when the car isn't moving and with doors open.


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

kamikaze said:


> Well he shouldn't have the opportunity to run off when leash training. I would suggest an extra long leash, they come pretty cheap at the store. That way he doesn't have the option to run off even if he wants to. What methods have you used? I keep asking but I'm still not really positive how you're attempting training. How exactly do you try to train recall? How do you handle leash pulling / lunging? What do you do when he's ran off in the past? Have you punished him when you finally got back to you? (Punish anything from spanking to yelling at to yanking his collar)


Hi sorry, we started recall in the house and it went fine, I made him sit then shouted come and when he came made him sit and give him a treat, when we moved to the garden I did the same however he seemed to be very distracted and just decided he didn't want to after a while so I would wait until the next day and try again, eventually when he got the hang of it I tried it on a field and that was a shambles, he would run towards me as if he was coming back then go to bite me and run, if there was a dog he would run to that. As far as punishment goes we were told to never punish them when they run off so we just put him back in his lead and gave him a treat.


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## Lukepalmer (Feb 5, 2017)

bogdog said:


> Have you tried him in a crate covered with blanket?


Yes that's what we tried at first, he hated it. All the other symptoms but accompanied by Barking and crying


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

Lukepalmer said:


> Hi sorry, we started recall in the house and it went fine, I made him sit then shouted come and when he came made him sit and give him a treat, when we moved to the garden I did the same however he seemed to be very distracted and just decided he didn't want to after a while so I would wait until the next day and try again, eventually when he got the hang of it I tried it on a field and that was a shambles, he would run towards me as if he was coming back then go to bite me and run, if there was a dog he would run to that. As far as punishment goes we were told to never punish them when they run off so we just put him back in his lead and gave him a treat.


I'm so glad to hear you're aware not to punish! Inside vs outside are completely different stories for many dogs so you aren't alone on that one. There are so many sights sounds and smells thay dogs who aren't proofed on recall don't give a rats behind what you want. Like I said a long lead would work really well in your situation, so that way he can get pretty far from you but when you call him back and he doesn't come you can pull him in and treat. I didn't let cosmo off leash for the first several months (up until maybe 6 or 7 months old) just to ensure there was at least an 80-90 percent chance he would return.

I would also highly suggest exercising before training, as training a dog with pent up energy and frustrations can be near impossible in a distracting environment!


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

Lukepalmer said:


> Hi sorry, we started recall in the house and it went fine, I made him sit then shouted come and when he came made him sit and give him a treat, when we moved to the garden I did the same however he seemed to be very distracted and just decided he didn't want to after a while so I would wait until the next day and try again, eventually when he got the hang of it I tried it on a field and that was a shambles, he would run towards me as if he was coming back then go to bite me and run, if there was a dog he would run to that. As far as punishment goes we were told to never punish them when they run off so we just put him back in his lead and gave him a treat.


Sounds like he was off lead and at liberty to decide to do what he wanted rather than what you wanted. Pippa Mattinson has a great book on recall called Total Recall. Maybe you could get it and start on his recall whilst looking for behaviourist to help with the other issues.


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

Putting him on a lead when he comes to you is probably seen as a form of punishment by your dog..


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

bogdog said:


> Putting him on a lead when he comes to you is probably seen as a form of punishment by your dog..


Huh? I'm confused. Keeping him on a long leash would prevent him from getting into danger, and reeling them in to be met with a tasty snack is what I've seen as a pretty common way to train dogs new to recall.

Out of curiosity what methods have you used :0


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

Here's an example video I found of what I mean


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

There's a difference between keeping a dog on a lead/long line and putting him on a lead. When he's on a lead/long line he is not free to run off.


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

bogdog said:


> There's a difference between keeping a dog on a lead/long line and putting him on a lead. When he's on a lead/long line he is not free to run off.


Ah, sorry! I'm from the US so I suppose I'm confused with terminology!


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

Lead/leash/long line = all the same thing - limiting the dog's freedom.


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Lukepalmer said:


> Hi all, we have had a cockapoo since he was a puppy and he is 1 and a few months. He learns tricks really easily but everything else with him is just a nightmare.
> 
> *Walking Him/Letting him off the lead*
> When walking him he is constantly pulling and does not give in, if we see any other dogs he will dive all over them (no matter of the size) and does not stop even if they growl/bark/go for him. If we let him off the lead on a field it must be one with a fence or something around as he will instantly run off and not come back, if we try to catch him he will just try and bite us. If he is let off with another dog around he will run straight to it and try to mount it (boy or girl :/) He is walked every day at least once, most of the time more than that.
> ...


You would definitely benefit from some in person help. Until then....

1) He's constantly pulling because he hasn't been taught to walk on a loose lead. Personally I aim for a happy medium; I don't care if my dogs aren't walking on a completely loose lead, and they are free to walk ahead of me, provided they aren't pulling my arms off. What are you currently walking your dog on - collar, harness etc?

With the lack of recall, just keep him on a lead unless you can completely control the environment? the more they bog off the better they get at it, and let's face it having jolly good time with another dog is far more exciting than you (at the moment). He's a young dog, it's not abnormal behaviour at all. But for his sake you don't want him running up to the wrong dog, he'll end up getting hurt.

2) Re: the cat. What is the end goal? honestly, with cat/dog dynamics, depending on the nature of the relationship of them sometimes it's easier to manage it rather than attempt to get them to tolerate each other. Establish what you want first.

3) Around the house, you need professional help re: the resource guarding. Unfortunately Cocker Spaniels are notorious for resource guarding, it's often genetic. You can of course prevent most stealing by management; not leaving things out etc. The 'crazy' moments are normal, most dogs outgrow this.

4) Re the car: if/when you get help a good trainer or behaviourist should be able to help you with this. Again, it's not abnormal (all my dogs started off being sicky and disliking the car), but it's not an overnight fix either. You need to reprogram the way the dog views the car by desensitisation, then gradually work on the dog being in the car with the engine running, then moving off the drive, then going to the end of the road, all slowly slowly. Avoid big trips from the time being unless completely necessary until you get help with this.

And by the way, you don't "try" training. It's an ongoing thing. For the life of the dog. Your dog is a normal young dog, nothing is remotely abnormal (well, apart from the resource guarding which isn't great). He just needs a lot more time, training and understanding.


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## kamikaze (Feb 4, 2017)

"You don't "try" training. It's an ongoing thing"

TRUE that! Cosmo is a service dog and I still have to proof his manners daily, and the ones I slack on he starts to slack on.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Lukepalmer said:


> Hi all, we have had a cockapoo since he was a puppy and he is 1 and a few months. He learns tricks really easily but everything else with him is just a nightmare.
> 
> *Walking Him/Letting him off the lead*
> When walking him he is constantly pulling and does not give in, if we see any other dogs he will dive all over them (no matter of the size) and does not stop even if they growl/bark/go for him. If we let him off the lead on a field it must be one with a fence or something around as he will instantly run off and not come back, if we try to catch him he will just try and bite us. If he is let off with another dog around he will run straight to it and try to mount it (boy or girl :/) He is walked every day at least once, most of the time more than that.
> ...


I really think that you will benefit from getting a behaviourist in to assess him properly in the situations, because they will be able to identify in most cases whats likely causing it and once you know then they can give you a taior made training and management programme. Because he has so many issues you will probably have to work on one or two at a time. On we can do on her is give possible thoughts as to why its happening and things that may help or act as a stop gap. From your posts it doesn't sound like its one thing causing the issues but more like a variety of things.

The car sounds quite possibly that it could be a mixture of fear/anxiety of getting/ being in the car and the fact the travel makes him sick. The fact that he anchors on and refuses to move when he even has to approach the car and get in could be that he has a fear or it, They will normally dribble like mad with anxiety/ and or nausea. It could even be because the car originally make him feel nauseous and makes him vomit and he feels so bad because of it that's caused the anxiety and fear of the car. You say he has been in the car a lot, but that doesn't mean anything if he has anxiety being there and/or it makes him feel ill, all it will do is compound the problem. You will likely need to go back to basics and break down the introduction to the car again and do it in increments he can cope with a bit at a time. Maybe even finding something that will also stop the nausea too, a behaviourist can assess him and help with that.

Around the house problems, could well be a mixture of things, like he isn't getting enough physical and mental stimulation to start with, so he is finding and doing things for his own amusement.
Some dogs also are also incapable of self amusing and winding down and relaxing which could be the case as he is part cocker spaniel. Do you give him things like Classic Kongs, Kong wobblers or even long lasting chews if you don't they can help. The growling and biting when you try to take things off him especially stuff he shouldn't have could quite likely be resource guarding it,
if you just dive in and try to take stuff off them when they are doing this, then you can create an even bigger issue, as they will end up doing more and more things to try to protect it and prevent it being taken. There are ways of dealing with this and retraining them to give things up and again a behaviourist will go through this with you.

The problem with the cat probably hasn't been helped because he could have quite likely got into the run chase cycle from the start, if dogs and cats are not introduced correctly and this cycle starts immediately, and allowed to be practised, then it can be a bigger problem to break. Cats always are more interesting when they move or run plus it will stimulate the dog to chase.
Again the behaviourist will likely be able to show you ways to manage and retrain that should help.

the lack of recall and running off is often due to the fact they do it because they know they can, and continue to practise the behaviour.His age wont be helping because even ones that are reliable as younger pups tend to reach adolescence and young adult hood and start to try it on and mess about.. You often have to keep them on a long line again at this stage and re visit recall training again completely. Mounting can sometimes be due to over excitement and stimulation, or it can be sexual sometimes. It does sound though that he likely hasn't learned any manners with other dogs and lacks canine skills if he doesn't know when told.

Put it this way there isn't anything on your list that look like totally unusual or problems that are impossible to solve or at least retrained, managed and improved on with work and the proper instruction by a behaviourist/trainer. Its probably a lot worse because you have multiple ones and his been practising the them for some time.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

So people I can personally recommend in the Manchester area are: Cath Phillips in Rochdale https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/sites/on-track-dog-training-school a bit further afield Jane Ardern of Waggawuffins http://www.waggawuffins.com/


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Was going to suggest the exact same people as Smokeybear has.


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

Sounds like a good training class might be really beneficial here.

http://www.apdt.co.uk/dog-owners/local-dog-trainers/manchester has a list of local trainers/behaviourists to your area.


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

Lukepalmer said:


> Yes that's what we tried at first, he hated it. All the other symptoms but accompanied by Barking and crying


You cant put him in there and expect him to be fine. You need to train him to settle in there. feeding treats in there and fedding him in there to atart with with the door open and slowly closing it for short amount of times. Youtube has alot of videos on crate games too.

It sounds like you are expecting too much too soon from him. Training takes a long time for the dog to understand what is wanted and from there on continued reinforcement with treats help to keep the behaviours solid.

I would also say he would benafit from some training. Poodles are quite intelligent anf boredom can lead to destructive behaviours. So some brain toys and more trick training during the day may help him to settle down. Other than that keeping things away from him he shouldnt have will help with problems in the house where he is biting.


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Lukepalmer said:


> Hi sorry, *we started recall in the house and it went fine, I made him sit then shouted come and when he came made him sit and give him a treat,* when we moved to the garden I did the same however he seemed to be very distracted and just decided he didn't want to after a while so I would wait until the next day and try again, eventually when he got the hang of it I tried it on a field and that was a shambles, he would run towards me as if he was coming back then go to bite me and run, if there was a dog he would run to that. As far as punishment goes we were told to never punish them when they run off so we just put him back in his lead and gave him a treat.


Just give the treat as soon as he comes back, if you then ask for another behaviour before treating, he will think he is being rewarded for the sit, not the recall. Timing is everything.


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