I have a very smart 4 month old goldendoodle who loves getting into everything. She has no interest in her toys or chews. I’m at my wits end. She won’t respond to any correction or redirection. I puppy proofed tf out of my house but she still finds shit to get into. Idek where she gets some of the stuff she finds.
I can’t give her super flavorful bones because my beagle tries to fight her over them. That’s the only thing that has held her attention recently, but my beagle is a dick when it comes to bones.
I brought home like a dozen new toys yesterday but she doesn’t want them. She also doesn’t really care for treats when training. She’d just rather be called a good girl and get head pats.
My beagle isn’t nearly as smart as her, so it didn’t take much to stimulate him. Now he just wants to nap all the time lol.
PlasmaDistortion is right. Unfortunately your responding to bad behavior with attention is training your pooch to behave badly.
You have to find a humane way to respond a way that the dog dislikes.
For my dog it is simply withdrawing all attention. Pretend she doesn’t exist until the behavior corrects. My dog was confused at first and tried harder so I get went about my day like she didnt exist. Finally she moped and laid on the floor so I pet her and said good girl and gave her some cuddles.
Now when she acts out or gets rough I just have to drop my shoulders and look ahead and she calms down pretty quick.
Such as? Potential future dog owner here
Immediately and firmly say NO, BAD DOG, while holding eye contact and pointing at them. Then move on. The key is that you have to do it every single time. Dogs need total consistency or they get confused, or try to push the boundaries. The more intelligent the dog, the more important discipline is. But don’t turn any discipline into an ongoing punishment. Sensitive dogs get their feelings hurt really easily if you continue shaming them. Say no immediately until you see it had an effect, then redirect them to positive behavior and praise them. They respond a lot better to praise than punishment.
The cool thing is that the more intelligent the dog is, the fewer times you need to praise the right behavior before they learn whatever you’re trying to teach them. Also, sensitive dogs respond really well to praise. Being told they’re good absolutely makes their days. My little Pomchi learned tricks after about 5 repetitions, and retained them for years, even without doing them again. Some dogs are crazy intelligent.