So, this whole journey started when my buddy Max – that’s my full-grown F1 mini Goldendoodle – decided our living room was his personal obstacle course. Dude kept knocking over lamps during his midnight zoomies and thought shoes were gourmet snacks. Real talk? I was clueless about training adult doodles.
First Attempt: Treat Overload Disaster
Tried the classic cookie method straight outta some random YouTube tutorial. Every time Max sat, I shoved a treat in his face. Dumb mistake – he figured out doing half-assed sits got him snacks faster. Started plopping his butt down every 30 seconds while giving me that smug doodle grin. Worst part? He gained two pounds in a week. Vet yelled at me.
The Leash Life Experiment
Grabbed Max’s leash and clipped it to my belt loop 24/7 like some weird dog conjoined twin. Felt ridiculous walking to the bathroom with him glued to my hip. But magic happened:
- First two days: Constant tripping over leash knots
- Day three: He finally stopped chewing curtains when I’d cough
- Day five: Made actual eye contact when I said “no” to shoe murder
Progress came with bonus leg bruises.
Timeout Tango Troubles
Read about timeouts for bad behavior. Set up a boring bathroom “naughty corner”. First time Max stole pizza? Carried his wriggling butt into timeout. Big failure: He started deliberately stealing napkins just to get locked in there alone. Little rebel discovered how to unroll toilet paper rolls while “punished”. Had to abandon ship when TP expenses went nuts.
The Turnaround Victory
Switched to combo tactics:
- Used boring kibble instead of high-cal treats
- Leashed only during high-risk times (meals/delivery hours)
- Made timeouts SUPER dull – just stood silently holding his harness
Two weeks later, miracles happened:
- No more counter surfing for chicken
- Stopped losing shoes (RIP favorite sandals)
- Actually chilled during Zoom calls without barking at Slack notifications
Final takeaway? Consistency beats fancy tricks. Still find crusty kibble in my pockets though.
