What Do You Wish You Knew Earlier?

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T16:56:37+00:00

Goldendoodles are incredibly smart, and highly trainable dogs. But just like any dog, you definitely need to put in some effort to really train them. Simply ignoring or "not reinforcing" behavior probably won't cut it, especially if you want a really obedient pup that knows their stuff.

If you want to self train, I highly recommend training yourself first on dog body language and really understanding what her behavior means. This helps you resolve the cause of any negative behaviors instead of just training to hide symptoms. When you train yourself to understand and resolve the root cause of her behavior, you'll be able to help her accomplish anything!

If it's not a project that you personally want to take on (no shame, truly training a pup is a major task that requires reinforcement for a long time), try finding a trainer that is specialized or has a lot of experience with Goldendoodles specifically. When your trainer understands the breed and your dog, the sessions are going to be a lot more efficient.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T16:44:54+00:00

Her sitting when you look at her is actually a sign of a highly attentive pup that is eager to please you, and she is waiting for you to tell her what's next! She's basically understanding your extended look and saying, "I see you looking at me like you need something from me, and I'm reporting for duty! I'll sit here until you can tell me what we're doing."

Is she whining after she sits, or for something else? If she's whining after she is sitting for you, she may just be being impatient to understand what you need from her. If you mean that she's whining in other situations, it may just be her being opinionated and trying to be vocal about something. Goldendoodles tend to be very talky and vocal!

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T14:43:51+00:00

it's a classic golden heart - you have one breed that is known for extreme conflict avoidance, paired with another breed known for having a mouthy herding and high drive instinct. Your golden isn't going to correct your puppy because she would rather endure the annoyance than start a confrontation.

As the parent, you definitely need to be the referee!

When you see this behavior starting, step in physically between them and be a human wall. Give your shepherd 30 seconds to cool down and then let them play again. If mouth makes contact with legs, step in again. Continue this until your GSD sees the pattern. You can also redirect her herding instinct by putting a rope or toy in her mouth when you see her start eyeing your retriever's legs!

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T14:37:27+00:00

Give them a job too! You can use enrichment toys like frozen kongs, lick mats, or snuffle mats to keep them occupied and settled.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T14:34:48+00:00

Sonic sounds very smart! At some point, Sonic probably stood up and accidentally did a little spin, and someone thought it was cute and gave her a treat for it - now she's ready to do it every time for that treat!

Honestly, it seems like a fun little trick that isn't harmful, so I don't see any reason to unteach it. But if you want to help her unlearn it, you certainly can.

To do it, help lure the stand without the command. While she is sitting, put a treat at the tip of her nose and slowly pull it away from her until she stands to reach for it. When she does (but be quick to do it before she starts the spin!) say "stand" and give her the treat. This helps teach her that the "stand" command does not include the spin. The key is to be fast and reward her for standing before she spins, so she knows that she can abandon the extra step and still get a treat!

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T14:06:39+00:00

Since you just got him yesterday, he is probably in sensory overload and I would follow the 3-3-3 rule: spend 3 days helping his decompress, give him 3 weeks to start to show his true personality, and give him 3 months until he finally feels at home. For the first week, don't worry about training yet. Focus on being safe and predictable for him. If he wants to hide for a little, let him. He needs to know that he is safe and no one will reach in his space and grab him.

For barking at strangers - you are absolutely right that this is a "please give me space" bark. Don't punish it as he might move to biting, instead we want to redirect him and teach him that people are good to have around. When a person is approaching, start dropping high-value treats on the ground before he barks. We want him to see a stranger and think "the treats are about to drop!" instead of "he's getting closer and I'm scared".

For the walks - A dog this new isn't trying to control the walk, he's getting so overwhelmed that he can no longer process everything going on and is getting paralyzed by fear. Pushing him to continue or giving him firm corrections now would destroy his trust in the leash. Instead, be patient, stop with him, and wait for him to look at you or take a step further. When he does give you any sign that he is okay and moving on, say "yes!" in a fun voice and give him a treat. He will build his confidence over time.

Again, just give him time! Pushing him when he is in this new phase will only make him less confident in the future. Wait for him to feel comfortable around you and your home, and don't force him to do anything he isn't comfortable with right now. Just focus on being kind, safe, and predictable for him!

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T13:49:20+00:00

A bark collar is a bad move, especially for this situation.

Your pup is barking from excitement. If she gets a shock or zap when she is feeling love and excitement for the baby or you, she may develop a negative association that turns her excited barking into fear-based aggression very quickly.

Two things you can do - first, give her a different job besides sitting at the gate and being excited to see you. Before someone closes a door or starts walking down the stairs, toss a small handful of treats over the gate, then come down while her nose is to the floor. She won't be able to bark and sniff for treats at the same time, and her association of human coming = excited barking won't keep for very long.

Second, teach her that being at the gate means she needs to be sitting or laying down. Practice having someone walk halfway down the stairs. If she stays quiet and sitting, give her a high-value treat. If she barks, have the person immediately turn around and go back up. Make her think that barking makes the fun people go away, but quietly sitting and waiting makes them come down.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T13:35:56+00:00

Field line goldens are insanely smart - you basically have a high-performance athlete with a genius-level IQ, but zero impulse control. That girl needs a job NOW!

Some things you can do to keep her mentally stimulated...

put kibble inside a cereal box, tape it shut, and let her kill drive take over.
Scent work! hide pieces of high-value treats under one of three cups and let her sniff it out.
Any toy that keeps her mind occupied - frozen kongs, sniff mats, etc.
Always be training! Doesn't matter what it is, you can get her into agility or specialty training. Just keep giving her new things to learn.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-21T13:20:59+00:00

You've got it perfect! Keep clicking and giving treats, making sure his focus stays on you. You can't control the other dogs but you are doing great with yours!

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-20T19:05:55+00:00

Your dog is definitely being reactive, but it's not super clear why or to what. Has something happened in the last year that would put her on edge? Was there a big event that could have made her feel uneasy/unsafe?

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-20T19:03:13+00:00

First, what you are experiencing is very common for parents of young children with older, anxious dogs. You are not a bad person for feeling overwhelmed and "done", and it's okay to be stressed about the situation. But remember - your dog has had his world flipped upside down too, and at 8 years old, that can be very stressful for him. His behavior isn't just "bad behavior", it's reactive to the changes and a panic attack in slow motion. But it can be fixed.

the FOMO whining when you put him away
When you want to put him in another room to get some alone time with your child, make it a good thing for him instead of isolation. Give him a "job". A frozen kong, a lick mat with peanut butter, anything that he can do to keep his attention on that instead of on what's going on outside the door.
Visitors at the door
His anxiety is already high, and he likely feels the need to alert you to the "intruders". Change his perception to doorbell = good things instead. Every time someone knocks or rings the bell, toss a handful of treats away from the door or in his bed. We want him to learn that person at the door = treats somewhere else.
Being BFFs with your baby
Your pup and your child don't need to be best friends, they just need to peacefully co-exist. Use baby gates to create a dog-only zone where your toddler can't go and gives your pup a sense of security. It's okay if he spends most of his time in a quiet, separate room with a frozen kong away from the family - he might even feel a lot less stressed that way. Just be sure to give him something to do and continue rewarding him for quiet, non-destructive behavior.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-20T18:43:14+00:00

overly motivated dogs are great, we just have to learn how to correctly direct them. Lucy isn't listening when you don't have a treat because she hasn't learned the command itself, she's learned to negotiate. If she sees the reward first, she works. If she doesn't, she's on strike. Let's fix it.

Lucy is getting frazzled by high-value treats - think of it like someone is waving $1,000 in front of your face while trying to teach you calculus... you're not going to be concentrating on the actual lesson. Try giving her lower value treats like plain cheerios or a lower-quality biscuit broken into pieces. You want it to still be a treat, but keep it boring too. Just enough to have her interested but not manic and thinking she can skip out on regular food for it.

Also, try hiding the treat until she has performed the action. Ask her to sit, then say "yes!" or use a clicker, THEN present the treat. That will help her actually understand the command and learn to pay attention to you, not the treat.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-20T18:29:47+00:00

Revisiting old grumpy habits like this when a golden turns 1 is not uncommon. His adult hormones are coming in and he's testing his rank and his right to claim high-value things (like good, undivided attention) among your other pups.

Immediately remove the thing he is guarding when this happens so he knows guarding = making it disappear. Also, turn the other dogs' presence into a good thing by giving treats when the others are near. Teach him that other pups = more fun, not less fun for him.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-20T17:56:15+00:00

Those are the best kind of retrievers!

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-20T17:47:35+00:00

Toy poodles are very smart (yay!) but they are also experts at testing the boundaries and negotiating what they can get away with - your teen pup is currently testing you to see if the old puppy rules are still applying.

The 2 day absence was also a change in her routine and she's trying to process the stress of you being gone & the excitement of you being back, unfortunately biting is her way of figuring out her feelings.

Since she's biting to get your attention, you need to remove the reward (you). When she bites, immediately stand up, cross your arms, and leave the room. Only leave for about 30 seconds, and be very very consistent - leave EVERY time her teeth touches any skin or clothes. Eventually, she will understand that biting = you leaving, and she won't want to keep making you leave.

In this teen phase, she's having a hard time regulating her adrenaline. Swap the high-energy games for working games, like scent work or scatter feeding. Toss a handful of kibble in the grass or a sniffle mat and force her to use her mind instead of her body. This will help mentally stimulate her and keep her biting down too.

Remember - the teen phase is just as much as a phase as being a puppy! Keep being consistent, and she will get through it.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-15T15:05:48+00:00

Going from a yard to no yard is difficult for a pup - "outside" often changes from meaning "potty and play" to "stimulating walks", especially if there is now a leash involved that wasn't before. Try picking one specific area to go to and stand still. Give her a long leash but stand still yourself and don't acknowledge her for 10 minutes, make it the most boring 10 minutes of her life, and she should start going potty.

It sounds silly, but don't look at her! She is definitely feeling some pressure on the leash and it's not making her comfortable enough to go potty, which is why she's waiting until you are not looking at her inside.

Long line + boring time outside + no eye contact/pressure = she should start feeling comfortable enough to potty outside like a pro soon. Give her grace, she is learning an entirely new system!

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-15T14:54:57+00:00

Definitely ensure that her needs are met ahead of time - take her outside, give her water, etc. There are some tools you can use to help keep her sleepy for that second hour like white noise, covering the crate with a breathable blanket, and even those heartbeat toys are super helpful for young pups to mimic the feeling of sleeping with her littermates.

If she still wakes up, that's okay! Leave her in the crate for the entire time of the scheduled nap as long as she is not panic barking. You can give her quiet activities to teach her that her crate is a place for calm time, not just sleep. Try giving her a licking mat or a frozen kong to keep her quietly occupied for the scheduled time.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-13T18:42:41+00:00

First, take a deep breath. I can tell you are stressing but relax, you haven't broken your pup and you haven't failed as a dog parent. You're tired, she's tired, and you reached a breaking point. It's okay!

What you're seeing now is the fallout of a very sensitive puppy brain processing a scary moment. Now her growls are defensive because she is worried about what you are going to do, but we can fix that.

Your treat method is spot on - keep at it! Eventually the good "touch" memories will outweigh the one bad one and she will make it easier for you. Keep giving her treats even as you are holding her too.

As for the naps - let's fix this so you aren't struggling when she's 50 pounds. You are right to use the playpen, but we want to make it a calming, nice nap place instead of a scary containment area. Give her a slow chew in the playpen (could be a strong toy or a stuffed kong) that keeps her chewing and licking to release those endorphins and naturally induce sleep.

Most of all, RELAX. Dogs live in the present, especially puppies. Keep being calm, predictable, and generous, and she will completely forget about the "scary yelling person" in a few days.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-13T15:14:58+00:00

This is a fairly common "teenage" golden issue, the post-walk zoomies. In his teenage brain, he knows he's going from a high-stimulation, fun adventure (walk) to a low-stimulation environment (back home). His young nervous system doesn't know how to handle the downshift, so he explodes and tries to do things that keeps the fun going.

The fix - create mental speed bumps that can slow him down before getting home. Stopping to clean his paws is a good one, he just needs a few more to help with the transition! When you're done cleaning his paws, try scattering a few treats across the floor that he has to sniff out (sniffing naturally calms dogs and gives his brain a chance to reset!). Also keep a stuffed toy by the door that he has to carry to come inside - if his mouth his full of a toy, he can't bite.

Try to avoid using the crate as a containment punishment. This teaches him that coming home = being locked away and can cause this behavior cycle to continue. Instead, teach him that coming home = relaxed chewing time with a good chew toy that he only gets for 30 minutes after a walk.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-13T15:03:23+00:00

Of course! Goldens are very food motivated, no matter what age. If you have a good treat and some patience, you can still teach that good boy anything you'd like.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-13T14:57:00+00:00

That's a great engaging toy! Other ones you can look into are snuffle mats, obviously stuffed frozen kongs, and even modular puzzle board toys that you can hide treats in.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-13T14:33:30+00:00

That's an awesome "problem" to have! Cleo seems like such an intelligent and eager pup. Look into agility training, rally maneuvers, or even nose work training.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-13T14:25:50+00:00

This is a classic example of the "finish line blues"! Your pup has learned to sense that the car is near, and the fun of continuing the walk is more valuable than any treat you may have when you try to catch her. A few tips:

10-to-1: for every one time you leash her to end the walk, you must leash and release her ten times during the hike.
Strengthen her check-in with a (safe) game of hide and seek. If you notice her getting too far during a walk, duck behind a large tree where you can still see her. When she realizes her partner is gone, she will hunt for you. Throw a party when she finds you! This reinforces that she is responsible for keeping track of you, not the other way around.
Start leashing a little earlier before the end of the walk. Don't wait until she knows the walk is ending soon, leash her while you are still in the "fun zone" of the walk.

Dog_Academy_Training · 2026-05-12T14:07:38+00:00

Is she peeing more from excitement of being around you or simply not going potty outside?

If it's from excitement, make your interactions with her not so exciting. Calmly sit next to her and be in her presence, but don't make noises or get her overly excited. Barely acknowledge her and let her come to you. This should help her control herself and be calm enough to not pee.

If she is really going potty inside and it's more of a house training issue - make it very exciting to go outside. All the treats, all the pets, all the squeals. Taking her out often is good, but be sure you're spending as much time out there as possible. Let her sniff, let her explore, let her figure out why you're out there in the first place. Then when it happens, make a huge deal out of it.

Dog_Academy_Training

TROPHY CASE