JodyC

I should have explained better Murphy, has not marked any of the kids. It really has been more that he is 'mouthing' them but I fear he may actually bite a child. I am desperately trying to fix the problem or else he will no longer come to school with me. There has only ever been a problem in the yard and he will now always be on the lead when outside and when ever needed in class. I have never had ANY problems with Murphy whilst he is on the lead but i need to fix the problem, not just avoid any further biting as we have our young granddaughter living with us. Re-reading my reply I have worded it badly, what I am hoping to achieve with the neighbours kids is to have Murphy focus on me and learn to ignore the kids in a controlled environment but obviously without ANY risk to my neighbours kids! I should also add we also go to great lengths to educate our kids on behaviour around dogs, they are never aloud to pat a sleeping dog, no faces near a dogs face, no going near a dog who is eating etc plus we have professionals come to our school (with their own dog) yearly to educate the kids too.

And the kids that need extra help (either to catch up or keep them from getting bored - ie more challenging work) - get a some sort of "individual learning plan" (except I think it's "ELP") that the teacher's aid can use to guide keeping those kids from distracting the rest of the class. Ie the super bright and the super slow can both disrupt a class. Still not sure where the poodle comes in but I wish there'd been a few dogs at my school. Closest we got was lab rats - and life did not end well for them. We certainly didn't get to make friends with those. That is correct! Part of my job is working with a child who has a disability, I also do some intervention with young students who need extra help and have found that Murphy is helping by being in the room, sometimes as a 'reward' for my students working hard and also as a comfort to my students if they are struggling a bit.

Thank you for the replies! Sorry, an ESO is the new term for teachers aid. Fortunately I only have 2 20 minute yard duties a week so he will be on the lead with me then. I was thinking it is a dominance thing but it does make sense that he is being excited by the kids playing! The Collar game sounds like a good idea to me! There are young children living next door to us so I could tempt him whilst they are running around but in a controlled environment to teach him. Also I should point out Murphy has a great time at school, there are 4 other dogs, 2 of which he has plenty of opportunities to play with and do 'zoomies' with. I am trying to teach him that zoomie time is only when the kids are not in the room... Generally he is very well behaved and for the most part just wants to be with me (asleep next to me on the couch right now!) Thanks again!

Hi all, I have a 13 month old male neutered miniature poodle who comes to school each day (I am an ESO) with me. Problem is he is nipping the smaller kids on the back of the calf. I initially thought it was more of a 'mouthing' than actual bite but now I'm not so sure. I feel He is being dominant as he does it or attempts to nip the smaller children when they are running in the playground. Murphy is now on his lead outside to prevent it happening again but I need to correct the behaviour! Also my 14 month old granddaughter lives with us, he is fine with her, although she isn't actually running as yet. Murphy has been handled, paws played with, had his tail pulled, ears played with etc since I got him to try to desensitise him and so far this appears to have worked well as he is very gentle with our granddaughter. He also loves to sleep in the kids laps when they are sitting on the floor in class. He has a pretty good recall (not as good when he is distracted playing with other dogs, but I continue to work on this) he will walk at my heel on or off lead (I only do this in safe surroundings!) sits on command and I have taught Murphy not to take food from the children or my granddaughter (on occasion he has walked through the children sitting eating their lunch and is now not showing any interest! My gd recently was eating a sandwich and dropped it on the floor, Murphy then sat patiently waiting to be told he could have it!) I make Murphy sit and wait at the door and let him in last to try to establish 'pack order' whenever possible. I also started dog training class but unfortunately I am no longer able to attend and also her advise was that Murphy would 'grow out' of this behaviour. I feel his biting is getting worse and also feel the issue needs to be addressed rather than 'hope' that he grows out of it! Does anyone have any advice as to how to fix this? I hope this makes sense, just trying to give as much information as possible! Many thanks in advance!

Thanks for the suggestions! I have made some changes to ensure the laundry is warmer and I have also closed the window (it was only open a a tiny bit for fresh air) also I have pulled the blind completely down so he cannot see any shadows or moonlight, nor can he hear any noises as we have double glazing that blocks out noise ) So far if Murphy has cried it has only been for a minute or 2 and then he settles for the night, until my husband has to wake him in the morning :) He really is such a great dog and I love him to bits, I have hated hearing him cry!

Simply grand we have had him for 6 months, since he was 8 weeks old. He rarely wets or soils in there, so confident that's not the reason. Also I haven't noticed any changes in his behaviour or activities on days he cries but I will take more notice from now on! He is with me most of the time, including coming with me to school most days but this has always been the case. I don't think he is fretting as it happens infrequently?

Thank you for the replies! Sorry, I should have added there is a ducted heating vent in our laundry! But just the same I will get something warmer for him as hubby doesn't want him sleeping in our room.

I have an 8 month old miniature poodle who for the most part has been a dream so far! Since bringing him home he has slept in the laundry every night. Our routine is - he goes out to toilet then comes back inside to go to bed? Most nights I don't even have to call him into the laundry, he races into his bed and sits patiently for his treat (he gets a small piece of liver treat every night when going to bed). Most nights he is fine but occasionally he cries and scratches like mad at the door and when he does it may start 5 or even 10 minutes after I leave. The routine is always the same, although the time may differ a bit. I don't call out to Murphy or respond to his cries in anyway. Also I generally go to bed after putting him in the laundry, so the problem is not that he can hear me moving around the house. He has a warm bed, his favourite toy as well as food and water. How can I stop his scratching before he damages my door?

Thanks Christina, I have 2 small dogs, a 10 y/o Maltese X (who I imagine would be fine as she would have had left over stews etc as you say) I also have a 5 month old miniature poodle who's diet mainly consists of quality kibble and the odd chicken neck plus liver treats for training.

I have some left over chicken and veggie soup that I thought would make a good base to make into dog biscuits but then I remembered that I used an onion and a small leek in about 8 litres of soup. I know that onion can be toxic to dogs but would this small amount ok or should it just be NO onion at all? I would hate to make my beautiful fur babies sick!! Thanks :)

Thanks! I've cooked up a huge batch and frozen it in patties for them. They were quite happy to eat it I just don't want to feed them the tinned stuff as it makes me gag as well as making them smell!!

I am caring for a friends extremely pampered toy poodles for about 4 weeks. So far apart from being highly demanding as they are used to being in charge they are doing ok except that my friend left them tinned dog food for them to eat... I was concerned about changing their diet whilst they are with me so requested she supply their food. I have since discovered that they rarely have tinned food but mostly have whatever she is eating (often on the table ) as a result of the tinned food they SMELL I have cooked up some rice and pumpkin and added some grated carrot, chicken mince and an egg to give them. Is this ok? I figure this has to be better than tinned food but do I need to add anything else?

I work in a small rural primary school where the principal brings her 2 poodles & another teacher brings her smallish X breed to work every day :) One of our students brings his poodle in occasionally too! I am hoping to get a toy poodle later this year & the boss has already requested he or she comes to school too

I agree with this idea but I would also be including that should this incident be repeated you will be writing to the league the club belongs to. Address your letter to the club and they have to address the matter at a committee meeting. Keeping the 'tone' of the letter as 'shit sandwich ) whilst still addressing the facts will get you the best outcome IMO :)

Miah is BEAUTIFUL!! This shot would look awsome blown up on a canvas!