Barking and getting up in my face

[LoveMyDebit]

Help!! I bought a 10 week old Labradoodle puppy a month ago, and he's the new love of my life. He's doing pretty good on potty training and listening for the most part. I just don't know what to do about his barking anymore! Every time I sit on the couch, he runs right up and continues to bark, growl, and nip at me. I think he's just trying to play because my boyfriend plays rough with him like that. I also think it's a dominance thing with me. He listens to my boyfriend who doesn't live with me but not to me as much. I don't know what to do to get him to stop and actually listen to me! I've tried everything. Someone please help me!

[daking]

personally this is my take, I could be wrong, but it has worked for me and Winston (this may be long winded):
I have taught my dog that the couch is for people, the floor is for dogs. The bed is for people, the floor is for dogs. He stays off the beds and couches. If your boyfriend is playing rough, then he has to do that AWAY from the couch. Your dog sounds like it is associating your sit down area as play area. Winston has got to the point where he knows that if I am throwing a ball, or wrestling with him, he knows I am in charge. He knows now that mouthing and nipping will result in a situation he wont like (Think it as his challenge for dominancy and the leader (you) needs to assert that YOU are in charge of him). I have learned that exercise is your best friend with training. I use walking to enforce that I am the dominant one. you start the walk, you finish the walk.
Also to show that He is the low man in the house. It may seem weird, but when he was trying to assert himself, I would have him lay down in front of the couch while I would watch tv. THEN each time I get up, I would walk through him. NOT stepping on him, but walk though him to the point where he has to move. Eventually he "got it". He knows that he moves for me and I dont move for him. He gets attention when I give it and not when he wants, he eats when he gets food and not when he wants. Its at the point that my younger brother is struggling because he is not consistent, however, my 3 year old, who knows nothing about dominancy, has the dog following her every move. As rough as it sounds, you have to make your dog listen to you all the time. If you give a command and he ignores you, and you repeat the command and he still ignores, then he wins and has 1 up on you. Give a command and leave it at that. Whether it is stop, enough, sit, make sure he obeys and make sure you follow through with the command each time, or the dog will soon train you that when you say "stop" and he runs away and you chase him around and around and around for him it becomes play. so he will continue. Get him, bring him back to where you gave the command, give him the command and dont let him go until that command is obeyed.

I might have said some stuff the wrong way, but I know what I meant.... PM me for clarification

[lindamarie]

Excellent advice daking!
First, I'd like to note that you are dealing with a 10 week old puppy!
Boy! Do I ever recall that stage!

Yet, where daking is going is that, even at 10 weeks, this pup needs to be "ALPHAtized".

Bogart is a service/therapy dog for me and others. It was important to me that he be on couches and beds with me yet the trainer said.......NOPE!
In allowing him to do those things, it allows more "human" things to go on and takes away your superiority. ..........can't do that.

All of what you mention is not uncommon.........but your little doodle needs to know who is boss all the time. Daking had some great examples.
AND.......may I suggest........if he has had all his vaccinations......a puppy obedience class?

Last.....don't worry.........you will get through this.

[daking]

Its amazing that what you think isn't working or sinking in with your dog actually is when all of a sudden they "click", makes everything you have done seem worth it!
example: I was always thinking my dog can do better, always pushing him to respond faster, learn more, know his "role", BUT then..... I was with my dog and 2 others this weekend. Well the two dogs had never been consistently "trained", I use to think they that were well behaved and doing normal dog things... LOL boy was I wrong. After having my dog there with the two of them, MY GOSH, my buddy and his mom thought my dog wasn't being a "dog" because he wasn't drinking out of the toilet, wasn't wrestling on the couches, wasn't running to the neighboring cottages and getting in to "things". After an hour I could see Winston was starting to veer off course and starting to wander. He would look at me to see if I was paying attention, then wander more. I called him, and he didnt come back. "GREAT, now what. I called and whistled. Finally he came back, WITH the other two. I ignored him to the point where he knew what he did was wrong. I then went over a quick refresher to make sure he was listening (simple sit, stay, down etc), after this, even the other two dogs were following my lead. All 3 dogs wouldn't leave me alone the rest of the day!! Well my buddy and his mom thought and even said "what is wrong with your dog Matt, he isn't having any fun, let him be a dog", my reply "oh he's having fun, but he is having fun in a good way", on the way home he sure got a big huuuuuge dog cookie!
Stick with being the boss and no matter what limits you personally set for your dog, just be consistent in enforcing them.

[LoveMyDebit]

Thank you for the great tips. Do you have any suggestions on positive ways to discipline him?

[Daisy'sMom]

You've been given excellent advice and tips. The only comment I have is I don't agree with the rough play between your dog and boyfriend I'm sorry to say that but I'm being honest so please please don't take offense. There will come a time when your puppy is old enough and ready but when you play rough with your puppy when they are young you are letting him think it's OK and I'm not sure how he'd learn when it is or isn't OK? We have two young children so when we brought our puppy home our breeder told us no tug-o-war and rough play until the dog is older because then they won't learn how to be gentle. We were also told not to get on the floor with them and play rough because then your puppy thinks you are a litter mate. Once your puppy matures and is more trained, you'll have the rest of his life to be more rough & crazy, etc and he'll understand the difference. But like the others said, you are also dealing with a young puppy and that's just the way it is. I would go to training/obedience so he knows he can't dominate you. He needs to know who's boss. Don't get me wrong, our Daisy absolutely listens to my husband better than me. Daisy does listen to me but there's very subtle/minor ways that my hubby says Daisy dominates me. We need to go to class together (me and Diasy) but we just haven't had the time yet and it's very very minor things we have to work on. But I plan to take her so she will listen to me 100% instead of like 80%

Good luck, it will get better with time and some patience and training Your puppy is still very young but yes, training is key.

[LoveMyDebit]

I totally agree with you. It makes me so upset when he does that because when I try to discipline him, he thinks it's a game. He doesn't understand the difference between rough play and when I'm being serious. That makes total sense. I think my boyfriend's the major problem here. I try to sit on the ground with him to calm him down, but I guess I shouldn't do that until a few months?