Sorry I'm no expert, when does he growl at you?
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Our puppy is seven months old and I feel absolutely terrible but I feel we’ve made a massive mistake. He’s a good dog and house trained but are struggling with adapting to having our dog. I know people will call me selfish and I’m in a predicament. I feel guilty if we sell him but I want what’s best for the dog. At the moment we can leave him around 4 hours and he’s fine but we are out a lot and will need to leave him longer once we are at work full time. He just cries and cries. Unless he stops crying I feel we will have to sell him but I feel so guilty.
Please dont sell him on. Find a breed specific rescue and have him rehomed. They will ensure he goes to the right people. I also think its illegal to sell on a dog under 1 year now and they should be returned to breeder (if theyl take them back)
Whilst some dogs will adapt to being left alone for long periods of time, many wont. 4 hours is probably the longest I would leave a dog alone. My dogs are half cocker spaniel and the neediness is unreal. They are velcro dogs and just dont manage without human contact
my oldest one is the worst. My youngest is more independent.If youd like to keep him when you will be working could you use day care and/or a dog walker or something like borrowmydoggy to find someone who would care for him.
Having a dog, if you dont have someone who can look after them, is a huge bind. We unfortunately dont have a family member or anything who will watch ours so unless we can take them with us it does mean outside trips are limited.
Also I say all of this with absolutely no judgement. I think if youve never had a dog, you honestly have no clue of how much they take out of you. I definitely didnt and it was a shock to my system. There is absolutely no shame in rehoming a dog if its not working out. Its worse in my opinion to keep a dog if its not working out for you, them or both. Much kinder for the dog to find the right home.
Be kind to yourself.
My cocker spaniel growls at us occasionally and we worked out it is when he is tired. For example he will sit in the front room with us in the evenings but when we go up to bed we want him in the dining room so he will growl if we try to move him. He’s obviously telling us he’s tired and comfy where he is! He doesn’t bite or anything I think it’s just his way of telling us he doesn’t want to be moved but it’s still not a nice feeling when he does it
Also if he has seperation anxiety and youd like to keep him, could you try and find a good behaviourist to help out? Only use one who uses positive reinforcement though.
Thank you for your kindness. He is our first and we have massively underestimated getting a pup. My husband doesn’t want to re home him but it is draining me tbh. I want to enjoy him but I’m not. He is a cockapoo so the separation anxiety is unreal. Are behaviourists worth it?Please dont sell him on. Find a breed specific rescue and have him rehomed. They will ensure he goes to the right people. I also think its illegal to sell on a dog under 1 year now and they should be returned to breeder (if theyl take them back)
Whilst some dogs will adapt to being left alone for long periods of time, many wont. 4 hours is probably the longest I would leave a dog alone. My dogs are half cocker spaniel and the neediness is unreal. They are velcro dogs and just dont manage without human contact
If youd like to keep him when you will be working could you use day care and/or a dog walker or something like borrowmydoggy to find someone who would care for him.
Having a dog, if you dont have someone who can look after them, is a huge bind. We unfortunately dont have a family member or anything who will watch ours so unless we can take them with us it does mean outside trips are limited.
Also I say all of this with absolutely no judgement. I think if youve never had a dog, you honestly have no clue of how much they take out of you. I definitely didnt and it was a shock to my system. There is absolutely no shame in rehoming a dog if its not working out. Its worse in my opinion to keep a dog if its not working out for you, them or both. Much kinder for the dog to find the right home.
Be kind to yourself.
I am a cockapoo owner and they are needy dogs so I can completely sympathise with you. I definitely dont think a lot of breeders are honest with buyers at all about the type of dog they can be and I say that knowing my 2 are my world and Id die for them. Im a homebody that hates going anywhere so my dogs are a great excuse for me
Good behaviourists are worth every penny imo but change can be gradual, with dogs there doesnt tend to be quick fixes unfortunately and some times its about managing the unwanted behaviour not always possible to completely eradicate it.
It sounds like you are thinking of your little dog and perhaps your OH isnt quite there yet.
The worst thing to do with a dog who has separation anxiety is leave them alone. Its not something that will just fix itself in time.
Have you got a camera? To observe what your dog does when youre out? I find it v helpful, especially having 2 dogs
Youre not a horrible person, you're not selfish, you're only human and sometimes its just not the right dog or the right time.
Yes it’s definitely when he’s tired he does it ..I just want him to grow out of it…He likes to think he’s the boss
And he doesn’t like to be moved when he’s comfy …I know exactly how you feel ..And we have a Cockapoo ..It’s so hard work ..I didn’t realise how hard work it would be ..It gets me down some days ..
What age is he? You want to encourage him to move without lifting him, dogs dont like that and even now I wouldnt lift my 5yo dog off of something. So start teaching the command 'down' not when hes tired or sleepy.Yes it’s definitely when he’s tired he does it ..I just want him to grow out of it…He likes to think he’s the boss
Practise it when hes willing and alert. Initially you will treat for this command, once he has mastered it you should be able to say down and your dog will come off the furniture with no need to touch him.
Cockapoos can resource guard badly, if you think that is what is happening here, advice tends to be that you shouldnt allow them access to the furniture. If he is just a small puppy its unlikely to be this just yet.
Have you got puppy classes sorted? These are great for teaching basic commands which should help.
A growl is generally a warning from a dog that they dont like whatever youre doing. Work around that and find other ways to get them to do what you want without physical action.
If we go near him some days..If you take something of him he shouldn’t have..And if he’s relaxing on the couch and my 8 year old comes down the stairs he starts to growl as soon as he hears the movement..
Okay Ive just read this and it definitely sounds like resource guarding. Again this is something Id see a good behaviourist about. If hes growling at your child and also guarding things. Its really easy to make resource guarding worse without knowing it.
For now if he has things that you dont want him to have, try swapping for a higher value treat.
Okay Ive just read this and it definitely sounds like resource guarding. Again this is something Id see a good behaviourist about. If hes growling at your child and also guarding things. Its really easy to make resource guarding worse without knowing it.
For now if he has things that you dont want him to have, try swapping for a higher value treat.
I can totally appreciate that. Who would want to spend time with anybody or any living thing if theyre behaving in such a way.It puts us all off going near him ..He’s been terrible today
I know it makes me feel sad..We got a puppy and some days we don’t enjoy him at all..Todays 1 of them
..Someone has posted about it being resource guarding and it does sound like that after I’ve just googled it..I might have to get a dog behaviourist ..I was thinking if I had him done but that help?Ultimately no. Resource guarding has nothing to do with testosterone and whilst a dog is displaying signs of resource guarding I wouldnt even be considering neutering.I know it makes me feel sad..We got a puppy and some days we don’t enjoy him at all..Todays 1 of them
A behaviourist is a great place to start, contact your vet and see who they recommend. You may find your insurance will cover some of the cost.
Resource guarding with cockapoos is very common, its the cocker spaniel genetics.
Right now he is just growling but without help it could escalate to biting or attempted biting.
For the time being restrict (as much as possible with an 8yo I can empathise) access to any items you dont want him getting and dont leave things laying around he can take, ie shoes, socks, bits of paper, food.
With treats give only fast eaten ones, nothing that can be guarded or kept.
Toys etc (if he does guard these, not all dogs will) keep them for outside play only and lift them when play is done and dog isnt there.
If he is guarding furniture I would try and really encourage him not to come up. So a firm 'no' 'uh uh' if he tries to get up.
If he does get on and you want him down, use a high value treat to encourage him off the furniture. Also swapping high value treats for items that he has that you dont want him to have.
With your 8yo for now you could have him putting food down etc if your dog is respectful at meal times and waits to be commanded to eat etc. However if your dog is laying somewhere I would try to get your child not to approach them right now and only interact when the dog approaches him.
My oldest dog can be a bit unsettled around my eldest child and Im continually telling them not to encroach the dogs space.
A great resource if you are on Facebook is Cockapoo Owners Club. They have files on so many different things.
Thank you so much for all your advice it’s really helpful..Am just feeling a bit fed up of it..I’ll be looking into getting help with his behaviour….And I do tell my 8 year old to not get in his face ..She can get carried away..I always thought Cockapoos were really friendly dogs ….
I totally understand, but you have to do what's right for you and puppy, I've spilled my guts on here having to re-home a puppy, but that was down to my other dog who wouldn't get on with him, think carefully about your decision, my boy I got now was a pain as a puppy, but now, nearly 4 years later, he's one of the best dogs I've ever owned!
Oh I wasnt having a go at all. More sympathising that kids dont always listen or do it for a wee while then stop
mine definitely do (2 kids and 2 dogs, something wrong with me ) They can be super friendly but they definitely are prone to separation anxiety and resource guarding. My first breeder was really experienced and gave me so much information about resource guarding before we brought our first pup home, it's really the only reason I know so much about it. Thankfully we have been lucky with both our dogs and that they dont have tendancies to do it but again if thats nurture (as in we did games / training from day dot of taking things away, using the stop command when eating, lifting the food and putting back down) or nature. It could well be we just got lucky, which is more than likely.
Definitely see about getting professional help, I bet with a few tweaks your pup will be much more of a joy to be around x
Me and my oh are going to face this awful woman tomorrow who treated us like shite, her attitude was you've given up puppy, you need a clean break, there's been more than what I've posted on here, she really has been awful, hopefully we'll try to make some closure tomorrow, but I don't think so.
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