RAISING AND TRAINING POODLES – Page 3

I’ve always seen Poodles as being a high-maintenance dog. However, I don’t ever recall seeing them around other dogs. Poodles get along well with other dogs when properly trained. Loud noises, rough play, or even inadvertent touch can result in a dog becoming nervous when contacting other canines. Positive reinforcement training can help prevent hypersensitivity, whining, and barking when socializing poodles with other dogs. Before getting out to play and be around other dogs, Poodles need to be trained very closely. They need hands-on training because they tend to have more problems. Dog Breeds That Get Along With Poodles As with all dogs, there will be some breeds that your dog won’t get along with. This may not be because of the breed itself but that specific dog. Either way, here is a list of dog breeds that Poodles usually get along with: Other Poodles Airedale Bassett Beagle Boston Terrier Bouvier French Bulldog Schnauzer Pekingese Pug Shih Tzu Husky Yorkie Since Poodles are generally smaller dogs, it would only make sense that they would get along with other small dogs. However, with training, poodles can get along with dogs of any size. A great behavioral training course can really help lighten your training load. I found a fantastic training system called Brain Training for Dogs. With this training, I was able to greatly improve my dog's anxiety while around other dogs. I really liked the private member’s area where I was able to connect with other dog owners to get solutions to issues I had with his training. If you need any behavioral training at all for your dog, I would highly recommend this course! Check it out here Positive Introduction Training For Poodles Poodles can get along with other dogs and play with them, just like friends. Before they do that, they need to be trained very well. Here are some positive training techniques that will help your poodle interact well with other dogs. Source here Positive introduction training includes the following steps: 1. Give Treats at a Distance This method works well when you don't have another dog to help you with your training. Sit or stand with your poodle away but in sight of a dog path or public area. When another dog comes into view, quickly praise and give your poodle a treat when he acts calmly. 2. Get Closer to the Other Dog After your dog gains more experience at a distance, gradually reduce the distance until you are only a few feet away from the other dog. Make sure the dogs don't touch or come in direct contact though. Continue to reward your poodle as he calmly reacts to the nearby dog. 3. Parallel Walking Your Poodle Next, after your poodle is responding positively, walk your dog parallel to a walking path or trail a few feet away from another dog. Try to keep your dog's attention and continue to reward him for calm behavior. Be sure to keep your poodle at a distance so the dogs do not come in contact with each other. 4. Introduce Your Poodle to Another Dog After walking parallel with another dog, and you are happy with the result, It's time to introduce your poodle to another dog. Ask another dog owner, walking a dog with a calm disposition, if you can introduce your dog to theirs. Make sure to keep the meeting short and reward your poodle for positive interactions. 5. Repeat the Process With Many More Dogs Repeat this process with multiple dogs of many sizes and dispositions. General Training for Poodles Standard Poodle Standard Poodles are the easiest to train. They require a small amount of effort to train because they are the larger of the breed. In the case of poodles, the smaller they are, the harder they are to train. The Standard Poodle is easy to train because they pay more attention. If it is running around not paying attention to you when you are training it, its because it’s distracted. This happens to all dogs, so don’t be discouraged. Do your best to eliminate distractions and focus on training your dog. Since they are the tallest of the breed, it would be smart to try and train it with treats or food rather than toys. With treats, you can keep their attention by keeping the treat close to it, while showing it that if it waits, it can get the treat sooner. Miniature Poodles Miniature Poodles will be a little harder to train than the Standard Poodle because it is smaller. A poodle of this size will have the same amount of energy as a regular poodle but in a smaller body. This will usually translate into them being much more stubborn than usual. For dogs such as this, you should try using treats or food to train them. If food or treats don’t usually get their attention, try using toys. The brighter the color of the toy, the more they will pay attention to you. Even though dogs can’t see colors as we do, they can still see the brightness of it in shades of yellow and blue. Since your dog is smaller, you’ll need to do your best to keep up with it. Trying to train it n a wide-open area will only get you to have to chase it around for a while until you both give up and end up napping together. Although that does sound nice, it won’t do much for the training of the dog. Instead, try and find a smaller, more closed-off space so that the dog will have less of a chance to be distracted and pay more attention to you. The younger you train a dog like this, the quicker it will be. Toy Poodles These little things are hard to keep track of and are even harder to train. They are so small that it is very is to get them distracted. They won’t get too far because of how small they are, but they can be very fast when they want to. Poodles don’t usually need much exercise, but they do have a lot of energy. You might catch them exploring just about anything they can climb up too. It’s almost like always having a curious puppy around all the time, even when they get older. When training these Poodles, you can try using treats or food, but using toys would prove to be the most effective for them. Dogs of this size are easily distracted, and when they are young also have a short attention span. The use of bright colors from toys will help you to train them. What Training Your Poodle Will Provide If you can train your Poodle, they will be very loyal to you and compassionate. Poodles are brilliant dogs and can be taught to do many things. Dogs that are trained well even go to dog shows and win awards for: Obedience Agility Beauty They are competitions that will not only show their talents but will also boost their confidence by being seen by so many people. Behavioral Problems Poodles Can Have With Other Dogs There are negative behaviors that poodles can learn if not trained properly. Here are a few of the most common. Hypersensitivity Loud noises, rough play, or inadvertent touch can cause poodles to become nervous and shy away from social situations with other dogs. These poodles may withdraw and hide in a corner or behind furniture. Whining Some Poodles may whine because they have learned that when they do, their owner comes to comfort them or get them what they want. This is the same as a child crying so they can get candy. Barking Barking is how your Poodle communicates with other pooches. However, this can be very problematic. Barking can be caused by many factors from anxiety to aggressiveness. Poodle Intelligence Poodles are regarded as being one of the smartest dog breeds. In France, they are idolized as being the National Dog of France. Originally, they were used as retrievers because of their intelligence. Additionally, they were good for retrieving things from the water. This is because they are one of the breeds of dogs who have webbed feet. Their intelligence is rivaled by few and helps make poodles easy to train. This is also why poodles can be around many kinds of dogs without a problem. Dog Shows usually have a lot of Poodles as well because they are that easy to train. The Cons of Having a Poodle Even though Poodles are one of the best dogs to have as a pet, they still have their drawbacks. Poodles have been known to cry and whine a lot, and we don’t know why. It’s been said they do it for attention, and that may be right. Poodles are very clingy dogs, which makes them easy to hug and cuddle with, but this also means they need you as much as you need them. If you are gone all day at work, leaving them alone for hours at a time could make them sad. It has been mentioned that they can experience separation anxiety, so it would be a good idea to have something to distract them during the day. Poodles are very intelligent and an easy to train dog breed. They also get along with just about any dog they meet. If you are planning to get a poodle, this could be one of the best decisions you might ever make.