hi all,
since our poodle shan, got whacked in the head with a cricket bat {accidently} we have been totally unable to train her in any sense of the word.
she is still not house trained despite numerous and continious measures to do it.she is totally hyper all of the time, barks incessantly and is quite uncontrollable!.
i know some people wil say that this is typical puppy behaviour especially for a poodle but i can assure you in isnt.
we are at our wits end because we all love her so much but are beginning to lose patience and faith that she will ever become "normal" or a good pet.
please can anyone offer any advice on how to solve this problem or at least make it so we are able to live along side her relativly normally.


thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Hi Ruth,

I have to tell you that Takara's puppy behaviour was really OTT (even for a dalmatian puppy!) and I even considered sending her back to her breeder because I didn't believe I was right for her.

Stick with it - it does get better!

You say it's since the cricket bat, has she actually been checked out by a vet for neurological damage? Scary I know, but worth getting it checked.

What food is she on? What's her usual routine? What training have you tried with her?

:(hi lotti,
she has not had any brain scans or anyhingbecause the vet said that whatever damage is doneis done and to spend thousands on brain scans etc etc will not change thaat:(

he could not tell me if she had neurological damage but said that the fist 6 weeks are crucial after massive brain injury.
she is absolutly fine in herself but loopy.
she is on pets at home puppy food and her usual routine is
get up, let her out on back garden
feed her
give it hlf n hour or so then off for a 20 min walk down to the valley.
she then plays with bugs
[lola our rott} and the cats and settles down, in the afternoon i do three ten min training sessions with her, just basic stuff like sit, etc etc, we finish off with a game of her tys then its tea time and out for another walk
before i go to bed she is let out on back garden
in between this and throughout the day i let her pout onthe garden too

i just dont knw what else to do

A few things you should consider is what type of household you have. You do tend to find the calmer the house the calmer the dog and they do pick up on your moods too. I have a friend who is hyper herself, she never sits still and is always on the go, her dogs are just the same.

Not saying you are hyper, but your house could be. It is just something to consider. Also the amount of protein in her diet, contrary to old beliefs puppies do not need loads of protein for growth, in fact the opposite, low protein means that the dog growns at a steady rate which is better for the bone growth. Rapid growth in bones leads to problems later in life. Check the protein levels in the different puppy feeds next time you are shopping.

Oh Ruth, you do seem to be going through it!

Gemima's given some good advice - just to expand on that. PAH puppy food has 29% protein!! That's quite a lot!

Burns suggest feeding pups over 6 months the adult food (their puppy food is only for babies) and the adult food is around 18.5% protein so it gives you an idea how much higher the PAH brand is!

Other foods you would need to feed Junior as opposed to puppy after 6 months (I don't know how old Shan is?)

When she's going hyper what do you do? Sometimes, when I'm not very well or whatever, all I know about dog behaviour goes out of my head and I get very stressy with my two when they're being loud or playfighting in the lounge etc. and this only makes them worse. It's difficult, but if she's being hyper the best thing you can do is be very quiet and quietly and gently lead her to her bed, or show her a chew toy and tell her to get it or something.

Do you ever use stuffed kongs? These are good for keeping them quiet and if she likes rubber bones you can get some really tough ones. I find rawhide can keep them quiet for ages but you have to be very careful as they can't digest it so if a dog swallows a lump of it, it can get stuck in the gut.

Unfortunately, poodles are working dogs and need a lot of stimulation - it sounds like you do give her a lot to do, but it's also about finding things for her to do when you just want a quiet moment.
Being a retrieving dog, you could teach her to bring you things on cue, so that when you want a quiet moment, you can ask her to go and get you something.

Also really getting them to use their brain in training sessions (teaching new tricks or playing puzzles with them) can tire them out much quicker than exercise does.

You might consider cutting down the training sessions, doing a 5 minute one in the morning, a 5 minute session in the afternoon and a 5 minute session later on. 5 minutes keeps it short and sweet, optimising learning potential and ensuring they don't get bored.

If she has a crate for sleeping in, there's nothing wrong with popping her in it if she becomes hyper. It's not a punishment if you put her in quietly and cheerfully and tell her to 'settle' while the crate is in the same room as you. She still has your presence, it's just saying 'look, you're getting tired, settle down.'

Puppies, like kids can become hyper when they're getting tired so if it's mainly evening when she goes loopy it could be that :)

Has the house training not happened then? How old is she?