Have you purchased an adult Goldendoodle? Did you rescue one as an adult? Many times people will buy an adult Goldendoodle and believe if and when there is a problem going on, it must be the dog. They never stop to think that the problem could be them or the fact they are not providing the proper training for their Goldendoodle or that they are not being a proper dog owner. The old saying "An old dog can never learn new tricks" is just that! OLD! That is a very antiquated belief.
Dogs live for today, and today only. They don't have the memory capacity to remember their past or live in the past and they certainly do not have the capacity to live for the future. But we as humans can and do. Often times a doodle owner will not make corrections to the problems they are experiencing with their Goldendoodle right at the time they are having the issue. They wait and correct later...believing the doodle has the capacity to remember their past mistakes, when in fact, they can not.
It is never too late to make corrections to bad behavior but you most certainly want to make corrections immediately, instead of later. Teaching your doodle GOOD behaviour right away will establish YOU as the doodle's leader and taking charge immediately, will teach your Goldendoodle that YOU are in charge. You as the doodle owner, need to have patience and confidence that you can lead your doodle and not the other way around. Nervous owners have the most problems with their doodles. Because they don't set any rules or bounderies. While Goldendoodles are not in any way an aggressive dog, the fact remains that they are a dog and as submissive as these dogs are, they can still turn out to have behavioural problems if you, the owner, do not take charge right away.
Behavioural problems occur because the owner allows them to occur. Give a dog an inch and they will certainly take a mile. There are tons of training information that can be found in bookstores as well as all over the internet and there certainly are plenty of books with conflicting information. Just like baby books written by supposed experts, dog books will all vary with their information per author. Everyone also has their own personal opinions as to what the best method of training is....just ask the "Dog Whisperer". I love his show, but he does believe he is the GURU of dog training. Everyone has their idea as to what type of training method works the best. The problem? Most people are not professional dog trainers who can offer a doodle owner SOUND training advice. This means, the doodle owner gets alot of inaccurate, bad advice and that includes alot of mis-information that can be found over the internet. So, if you are having behavioural problems with your new adult Goldendoodle, make sure to hire a professional dog trainer who has many years of experience. After all, you wouldn't hire your family member or your mailman to remodel your home or fix your plumbing if they did not have alot of experience in that department, would you?
Training your Goldendoodle or incorporating dog training is not breed specific. Training needs to be specific for your doodles' personal needs such as dealing with temperament, drive or other issues that may be occuring with the individual dog. It doesn't matter how large or how small your Goldendoodle dog is...where it came from....who created or bred it....what gender it is...none of that matters. A solid plan needs to be created for your specific doodle, by a professional dog trainer so that your doodle gets the right start. Having a good beginning is very important. A doodle owner must remember also, that training is not just for the dog. It is for YOU as well. You need to learn how to get your Goldendoodle under control. You need to learn how to live in harmony with your Goldendoodle and your Goldendoodle certainly needs to learn how to live in harmony with his or her new family. Training helps the doodle owner learn about his new dogs' character and what its traits are...both learned and genetic.
Training for you and your Goldendoodle will help build confidence. Not just with your Goldendoodle, but for you as well! It is inaccurate to say that Goldendoodles who come from rescue shelters have behavioural issues because they "were abused" prior to finding their way to a shelter or that they have behavioural issues because they "came from a puppy mill". Nine times out of ten, the reason a Goldendoodle has behavioral problems is because they did not have a healthy start with their original owner. It is more than likely their problem came from NOT having learned any bounderies or proper living structures when they started with their original owner. Temperament issues are not always genetic. While they can occur from faulty genetics occasioally, most often their issue did not come from their genes. Some breeds such as German Shepherds or Rottweilers and Dobermans may have temperament issues because they have faulty genetics. It may be that many dogs of these breed types have high "faulty" drives, especially those with extensive Shutzhund in their lineage. But people who purchase breeds who have high drive personalities or come from aggressive or high working lines, are usually aware of what they are getting into when they purchase this type of dog.
A Goldendoodle is not usually a high drive dog. Most Goldendoodles are very laid back and very family oriented. Most enjoy being with their family. But on occasion, a good Goldendoodle can go bad and again, nine times out of ten, the reason a good Goldendoodle goes bad is because it did not have a healthy start with its original owner. Just as there can be bad dogs, there can be bad owners. Most behavioural problems stem from bad dog ownership. It is not always the fault of the dog. As much as we want to humanize a Goldendoodle, the fact remains they are a dog and dogs "react" without reason. Goldendoodles with behavioural issues need leadership and they need to obtain that leadership from their owner in a positive way. Poor leadership comes from dog owners who treat their dogs like children, instead of treating them like dogs. Just as bad parenting can create bad children, bad "parenting" your Goldendoodle will create a bad doodle.
It is very sad when these bad owners relinquish their Goldendoodles to shelters or worse yet, have them euthanized just because the owner could not incorporate proper pack leadership. Many do not incorporate any sort of training whatsoever and worse yet, many attempt to incorporate training and then fail to follow through and turn around to blame it on the doodle. It's really a shame! Goldendoodles are usually submissive dogs. A proper start in teaching your Goldendoodle that you are his or her leader of its family pack is to give your Goldendoodle some isolated time away from the general public. You want to have a week or two of just YOU and your Goldendoodle. Some doodles may need more time of "isolation" but you'll have to use your own judgement. The important thing is to NOT give up on your Goldendoodle. Remember, patience.
What does social isolation mean? Well, simply put, it means that you do nothing more than feed your doodle; give him or her a clean place to live and to sleep; give your Goldendoodle plenty of water; take him or her for walks for potty breaks and provide for only his or her basic needs. That's it. Nothing more. The owner needs to just go about his or her business. Other than providing your Goldendoodle with his or her basic needs, the owner should just pretend the dog isn't even there. No petting. No cuddling. No coddling and certainly no childish chatter. This structure is NOT meant for young puppies or a Goldendoodle who seems to be falling into step with basic obedience and learning quite well. Rather, this structure is for adult Goldendoodles who were purchased as an adult and who needs to learn sound structure.
The proper way to isolate your Goldendoodle is to obtain a large or extra large crate and then place a lightweight blanket or sheet from the middle of the crate to the back. This helps give your Goldendoodle a sense of security. You will eventually remove this, but for now, this is what you should do. While there are many trainers who suggest a plastic crate, I highly advise against this.
The reason is that I've personally witnessed more commotion coming from a plastic crate than a wire crate. Dogs can sometimes feel claustrophobic in a plastic crate because of the fact they can't see out of it except for the front door area. With a wire crate, your doodle can see all the way around. That is, when the blanket or sheet is not covering up one half of it. I recommend either a large or an extra large crate. Despite the fact some trainers will tell you that the smaller the crate the better or that crates with dividers is the best, I personally have not seen this as being the case! The less room your doodle has to move around, the bigger the mess! Wire crates are great because you can easily slide out the tray and take it outside and hose it or spray it off. If you need to, the wire crate can also go outside and be hosed down. Plastic crates are harder to clean because you will have to get way inside of it and on your hands and knees to clean it.
Some may think that isolation training is cruel. I beg to differ. Back in 1996, a woman had brought over this little rat terrier because they were moving and didn't want to take her to the shelter and so they asked me if I would like to have her and give her a good home. She seemed calm enough and lovable enough when I pet her. The woman handed her to me and I carried her inside of my house. All hell broke loose when I put her down. For some unexplained reason, she bolted from room to room looking for a way to jump out of my windows....with them being closed! I tried to get her to calm down and talking to her and trying to pet her, but she then decided she was going to try and bite me. For my own sanity and her own safety, I fixed a large crate with bedding and newspapers and then I got my broom with soft bristles and had to hold her down with the bristles while I slipped a leash around her neck. She tried to fight me with the leash, so I slowly moved her into the crate with the bristles of my broom by pushing towards it and into it. I slipped off the leash over her head. Then, I took a lightweight blanket and covered half of the crate so that she could have some privacy and "alone" time. I felt the blanket would give her a sense of secuity. I placed a bowl of fresh water and food inside of the crate and I left her alone for 24 hours. I didn't even try to take her out for a potty break. She went on the newspapers and I cleaned them up the following morning. I assured her everything was fine by speaking to her in a soothing voice and I gave her liver treats by just tossing a few inside of her crate near her food bowl. I wanted her to understand that I was NOT going to hurt her and that she had to rely on ME for her living essentials and basic needs. By the second day, she was still staying toward the back, so I did the same thing over again. Fed her. Gave her water. Gave her liver treats. Cleaned her crate and left her alone. I checked in on her frequently and talked to her in a soothing voice. By the fourth day, she was coming towards the front of the crate and licking my hand. Her signal that she was ready to accept me as her leader and that she was showing me respect as her leader. I then placed a leash on her and took her outside for a walk and potty break. When she was done, I brought her right back and left her alone in the crate.
The idea is to give your dog the understanding that they must respect you because you are there to be their leader and because they are going to have to rely on your for their survival needs. You may indeed be there because you want to love them and shower them with lots of affection, but in the beginning, you only want them to understand that you are the leader and they need to respect your pecking order. On the fifth day, my little girl was my shadow. She has been with me since 1996. To this day, she follows me where ever I go and at night, she sleeps under the covers near my feet. The only word I have to say is "OUT???" and she comes right out from under the covers and makes a B-line for the front door. She obeys me and she respects me as her leader. This is how it should be. From that fifth day on, she has never had to go back inside of her crate. You are teaching your dog many things during this brief isolation period. You are teaching him or her to obey you as a leader; that you are providing him or her with a safe and secure home; that you are the one who provides the control and living essentials and that you are not going to harm him or her. Your Goldendoodle should always be on a leash the moment he or she comes out of its crate. This is because you are teaching your Goldendoodle that you have complete control over its every move. There will come a time when the leash is not necessary, but for now.....it's a must.
You are teaching your Goldendoodle to bond. During this isolation period, there should be no distractions. Training is about YOU and the dog. This is essential to training. No neighborly pats on the head. No vacations trips. No trips to the store. No socializing outside of your home. This isolation period is for bonding and teaching pack order. Setting up a sound structure makes the rest of obedience training easier because you have now gained respect from your Goldendoodle and they have now learned that you are the leader in charge. Remember not to use harsh training methods with your Goldendoodle as they are sensitive dogs. No yelling. No hitting. No screaming. No loud commands. This only reinforces negativity. If you want your Goldendoodle to respect you, you will have to act like a respectable leader. You want to be fair and you want to train your Goldendoodle in a fair way. You must be consistant and use repitition. It is quite unfair of you as the leader to be strict one day and then lax another.
Your goal is to teach your new adult Goldendoodle to earn your respect and affections. As hard as it may be to NOT want to pet and coddle, you must not do this during training. Be fair. Be consistant. Be a leader. Your Goldendoodle will more than likely howl and cry and carry on during this time, but its imperative that you NOT allow your Goldendoodle out of the crate just because he or she is howling and crying. If you have checked to ensure that all is well, ignore the crying as hard as it may be. If you give in, you've lost your position as the leader.
Leaders are firm and leaders don't give in. Do you ever see an alpha dog give in to those he or she has accepted into their pack? Never. Those inside of the alpha's pack must learn to respect and obey their leader. Period. During training, you should pet your doodle but don't over do it. If your doodle does something to earn being pet, then of course he or she should be pet. If your Goldendoodle does something to earn being praised, by all means give him or her praise. Your doodle must earn being rewarded and being pet or praised is a reward. You should never pet your Goldendoodle if he or she pushes for affection. When your adult Goldendoodle demands your attention, they are showing dominance. Some Goldendoodles can be "mouthy". Do not encourage your doodle to use your hand as a chew toy or to pull on your hand with their mouth. This can encourage the dog to bite if he or she does not get their way. It is not up to your Goldendoodle to decide when and where he or she receives YOUR attention. Your the leader, remember? If your adult Goldendoodle is pushy about attention, this means your pack order has been compromised and you must regain leadership quickly!
Those who want to train their Goldendoodle will ask, can I play with my dog during training? The answer is no. You do not want to play with your Goldendoodle DURING training. Play time is EARNED time. Providing your Goldendoodle has earned the right to play by obeying you during training, then he or she has EARNED playtime and yes, at that time, you can then play with your Goldendoodle. During training you should not go out and purchase new things for your doodle. Your Goldendoodle should be focusing on you...the leader! This is bonding time, remember? New toys or items will distract your doodle from the goal. During training, you should also not allow your Goldendoodle to have access to all of his or her toys. Toys are earned. When he or she is finished playing with the toys you have allowed him or her to play with, then the toys are put up and placed out of sight. Out of sight...out of mind. You are the leader and must be the one who decides what and when your doodle can play with.
Even when playing with your Goldendoodle, it should only be done while on the leash. Remember, you are in control during training. Once training is complete, your Goldendoodle will have loads of time to be off leash.
So you have purchased your doodle as a family pet? Most people do. But when you first bring home your Goldendoodle, your children need to let the Goldendoodle first become acquainted with his or her new home and the new rules and the new leader of the pack, which is you. Children who are young should never be in charge of training your Goldendoodle or setting the rules. Your children can and should be a part of the training, but always under supervison. Young children are not mature enough to handle the training of any type type of canine of any size or gender. Many parents make the mistake of putting children in charge of training and handling the family dog. Training is very involved and requires maturity and of course, experience. You are setting you and your family, including the dog, up for failure if you put your child/ren in charge of taking care of and training the new family pet. Many accidents happen because a parent assumes that a "friendly" dog of any breed is okay to be left alone with a toddler or infant or even small, young child. Sometimes with tragic consequences. I remember a story about a daschsund of all dogs being left in a room alone with an infant laying inside of a playpen. The mother went to the bathroom and was only gone for approx. 2 or 3 minutes. Tragically, the mother came out in time to see the daschund mauling the baby due to it tearing a hole into the playpen mesh. The baby died. I'm guessing....so did the dog after it was euthanized. This was a family dog who had been around the baby numerous times. It only takes one time for a dog to tragically injure or kill an infant or young toddler. Dogs do not act with reason. They merely react and who knows what goes on inside of a dog's head. Do not humanize your dog. A dog is a dog is a dog! Babies and small, young children are off limits to any type of dog unless supervised by a parent or responsible person such as the child's caregiver.
Can you teach your Goldendoodle to respect your child as a pack leader? I seriously doubt it. So don't do this. Establish the rule that your doodle is not permitted around your young child without being supervised. It is very difficult to keep a child away from their new "family pet"; it is hard to tell your child NOT to pet or praise your new doodle or to allow the neighborhood children over to "play" with the new pet...but this must be a rule that is strictly obeyed the first week or two of training. You are setting up bounderies and teaching your doodle a sound structure....rules set by its leader of the pack and until this is learned, your child must know that this is a training and bonding period. Your Goldendoodle needs time to bond with its new family pack...not the general public and certainly not the neighborhood. Once your Goldendoodle has been trained and completes basic obedience, non family members should be off limits.
Many people who desired to purchase from us wanted to come into contact with our adult dogs or our other puppies and dogs. This is strictly forbidden by me. I intentionally prevent non family members from petting or coming into contact with my adult dogs and I expect my personal dogs to NOT become stranger friendly. I expect my personal dogs to bark at strangers and to be wary of them. Some people say, "Well, I want to meet the parents so I can judge how the puppy's personality will be". That's complete and utter nonsense! The fact that I intentionally keep my personal dogs away from the general public and have taught them to be wary of strangers, means there is no way you can judge one of my puppies accurately by meeting them. None of my personal dogs are aggressive towards strangers but someone may perceive this and I don't want any of my puppies being unfairly judged.
Your Goldendoodle is more than likely a very personable type of dog. In the many years of creating them, we have never had any turn out to be aggressive dogs. They have very sound genetics and because of their genetics, they are easily trained. However, a good Goldendoodle with sound genetics can be ruined by a bad owner who doesn't set up proper bounderies or a sound structure to live by. Start your Goldendoodle in the right direction to begin with and you will always have the best dog you could ever ask for.
Author/breeder: Dee Gerrish. Copyright June 2008.
