Labradoodle; The Awakening...

hmmm....I dont know what to really suggest. You have only had her for a week so thats still kinda early in the game. You said she will scratch at your door ...so why not let her come in? Or keep your door open so she can go in and out. Maybe try buying her a dog pillow and put it somewhere in your room. It kinda seems like she wants to be where ever you are. Do you know how she slept with her previous owner? Maybe they allowed her to sleep in the bed or in their room. I dont crate my doodle at all. At night I leave my bedroom door open, if I close it he will cry at the door. But he will sleep on his pillow which is next to my bed or he will sleep on the end of my bed. At first I had a problem with him in our bed, I was kinda not into it but I got over it. I really dont mind him in it, I just have to wash my sheets more often! Also...my grandma's dog jumps on her furniture so at night or when she leaves for the day she puts newspaper on her couch and chair and he doesnt go on it, thats just a suggestion to try

Good Luck...and I hope it gets easier for you!

Hi,
I understand how frustrating it must be for you...but I do believe that since
Dori is older, she is very lonely...in addition, she is trying to find her puppies and may be wanting you to help. She is probably extremely lonely...it is such a close bonding experience for a mother to have her puppies around.
Have you asked your breeder what conditions she was kept in? I suspect that she was around other dogs, perhaps humans, and is missing the nighttime cuddling.
It sounds like she may not have been well trained by the person who has had her and you may need to start at the beginning. She needs to be in a good training program. She needs to feel secure and loved in your home and she needs to know the rules. She will learn, but you are in for some rough times until she does. I'd ask the breeder exactly what she has been living like...what conditions, when were the pups weaned, where did she sleep, how was she socialized? And I'd check with her vet...her past vet...to see if they can shed some light on it.
You may need to take her to a trainer for one-on-one training.
Most importantly, you will have to do a lot of work with her to train her and teach her that she is loved and yet she has rules. She just needs structure, but she is old enough that it will be a challenge for you.
You might want to get a "Snuggle Puppy" for her...they are stuffed animals with heartbeats and a warming pad inside.
I would definately crate train her. I know that the scratching is hard for you, and for your doors/furniture...but you are going to have to go through that with her...so it is best to find out how to get results.
If she is free to roam the house, she will be on furniture, she will try to be with you. That's what dogs do. They need to be part of a pack...and she is trying her best to fit in...the only way that she knows how.
You have been patient and I hope that you continue to be...she is just lost, and probably very lonely...and she is doing what she has been "trained" to do...either by lack of training or by neglect or by an owner who just didn't know how to teach her.
I'd get her into training right away...I'd get her crate trained immediately...and I'd give her so much love and attention that she would feel secure in knowing that you (her new pack leader) accepts her into the pack.
Here is a good link:
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

Hi Yuirin,

Cinnamon (my doodle) does this when she doesn't get enough of us during the day. One thing we do to help with this (waking up and thinking it's time to do something) is to play with her in the evening. Cin loves her Kong frisbee and a good tennis ball or old raquet ball. That's a workout for her without killing me. We play hard with her right after supper and she'll calm down for us at night. We have to keep our door shut (with her inside the room with us) to keep her from roaming the house at night and barking at shadows, but she will settle down and sleep now. She still has nights that she wakes up but she will settle down again when she sees we aren't getting up with her. She sleeps most nights all night now.

I haven't used a crate since Cin was 8 months old or so (she's 1 1/2 yrs) and I don't have one now. I will admit it was a valuble tool when she was in the chewing everything stage and the potty training, but she stays off the furniture even when other "guest dogs" get on it. We aren't much for dogs on furniture. I imagaine yours will pick up on the "not on the furniture" rule soon enough.

Hope this helps!

Cin and Mom

Thank you so much for the replies and help, everyone! All of you have done your part to help me out with this problem, and for that I thank you... Now, unfortunutly, I need more help...

Dori has stopped waking me up, and started sleeping all day, and when I try to take her for a walk in the evenings, she pulls back, and if I pull to hard, she whines and moans and complains. Now, I understand what to expect, since we just got her spayed 2 days ago; but her vet told me that she DEFINETLY needs to keep getting excercise, since we've found out that she's half lab and half poodle, but has more of the Lab characteristics; Loving water, and a high, HIGH energy level. Dori scared me really bad last night. Here's what happened;


My family and I have a backyard swimming pool. Not very big, but at it's deepest, it's 6 feet deep, and that's pretty deep; MY feet don't even touch the bottom... Anyway, we were having our annual swimming party (happens once a month, usually), and my little sister was cold, so she got out; Dori was asleep and the door of shut tight, so she wouldn't get out. She had to go dry off, and when she went to open the screen door, to go and hang her towel up inside, and the supposed-to-be sleeping Dori ran SUPER fast out the door,past my sister, and towards the pool; the instant the stitches were to touch water, they'd probably start to unravel and un-do... Thank GOD my Dad had gotten up and run out of the pool, and then came to the rescue; he grabbed Dori around the chest and stumach just as she was flying in mid-air... I'm so happy we made that night, but I'm afraid of it happening again... Please help? Also, Greenies? What's wrong with those? I mix them up in Dori's food all the time, and she loves it. ^^

~Sorry, but I suppose I'm in need of more help now...
Yukirin & The Swimming Dog, Doria

Hey, don't feel badly about asking for help...we all do that and this is what the forum is meant to do...help each other!
It is good that your father grabbed her...that little stinker! LOL
You are right to be concerned if she gets her stitches wet...I don't know that they would dissolve sooner, but she may have them pull loose and perhaps get an infection...so I am glad she didn't make it to the pool!
I think that she may be hurting and not want to go for walks, but small walks at an easy pace shoudl be good for her.
We use a prong collar for our dogs...many people think that they look horrifying, but believe me...they have really been great! They seriously don't hurt the dog...not if you fit it properly and learn how to use it...and it makes our dogs walk on leash really well.
Many people swear by the gentle leader too...
You could take Dori on walks just up and down the driveway if she will go...that might get her started.
I am sure that others will have some good advice for you...hang in there! :wink:

Good morning...I am going to send you to a couple of sites that might answer your questions better than I can. But I will say that whatever reason Dori has for guarding her food, you need to teach her that it isn't appropriate.
You can take food from her (always be careful...don't get in a situation where you can get bitten) and immediately trade it with something else, really yummy. Don't take things from her and keep them...she needs to know that it is okay to give up her food to you because she will be rewarded. Teach her to "leave it" and "drop it"...these are important commands for food aggressive dogs.
Do you have Dori in a training program? If not, I suggest that you begin right away. I am a firm believer in training (I learned the hard way...by NOT training sufficiently...) You need to make a commitment to work with Dori every day...and include everyone in the family. You should all use the same commands and expect the same things from her.
Here are the links, I think that they will be useful to you...one is the Leeburgh Kennels and you will learn about prong collars (they also have many other good pages) and the other is advice about almost everything. You can type in a topic and come up with a LOT of really useful info.
http://www.leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/ (I ran a search for food guarding and this is one of the articles that came up
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... C=0&A=1462

I'm no doodle expert, but I've learned quite a bit after having my puppy for six months now.

First off, Dori just wants your attention. She is new to the family and needs all kinds of love. As far as the jumping/pawing, ignore her for that behavior. When she sits and is quiet, love on her. If you continue to need help, I have found that obedience classes work wonders! Dori may be acting up at times because she is bored. They have lots of energy to expend, so she needs an outlet to do it.

As far as the walks/runs go, I suggest getting a gentle leader that fits like a harness around the dog's nose. It allows you to steer her, keep her down, stop her from pulling, etc. If she doesn't take to that, you can always try a pinch collar, although thats not my favorite choice because it operates on a pain principle, but some dogs won't take to the gentle leader so the pinch is a viable alternative. You can find both at any pet store and they will be able to show you how to fit them properly.

As far as Greenies go, please stop feeding them to your dog. There are much healthier treat alternatives that haven't been directly linked to causing dogs to siezure. What kind of food do you have her on? Most dogs, if they are on a good food, won't need treats mixed in with their normal kibble. It is my belief that treats should be saved for rewarding good behavior or training purposes, that way the dog recognizes them as a reward and will continue the positive behavior.

Hope that helps... good luck!