Any advice for this dog before I genuinely hit rock bottom?

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I’ve got a nearly 2 year old cavapoo. She was quite a nervous pup which made training quite difficult as she was scared of the actual treat and wasn’t motivated by anything (from interactions I had with her breeder he was a horrible man hence why I took her from him in the end because I couldn’t leave her there).

The main problem with her now is she is so over excited over every small thing that it means she doesn’t listen to a thing I say and it’s really getting me down now. For example if we have a guest come over she will clamber and jump all over them. I’ve tried shutting her away behind a gate or in a different room until calm but she’ll just whine and whine and won’t stop until she’s let out. We did get to a good point where she was sitting and greeting calmly but my family ruined that by completely undoing the behaviour every single time they came over (we live near each other so see each other most days) because they don’t think she needs the training.

Every time I take her for a walk she’s just pulling the entire time and literally flinging herself in the air every time a dog walks by - it’s exhausting and I genuinely hate walking her because of it.

I just don’t know what to do without having to spend hundreds of pounds on a trainer but I’m thinking that’s the only resort left - and her ignoring me all the time and just doing what she wants is honestly getting me to the point where I dislike her and often think about rehoming her because it’s just disrupting the whole household - for example my DD is autistic and really struggles with the dog jumping all over the place and not being calm.

I’ve often tried to shut the dog away whenever family comes over because they clearly don’t respect any of the rules but then I just get met with judgemental comments of how unfair and horrible I’m being to the dog.

I’m seriously at the end of my tether with it all.

A few things, some may have been said above.

1. Join Dog Training Advice and Support on Facebook and read the guides. They are the best advice. Make sure you join the right group - I've attached a screenshot .Work through the suggestions for the behaviours you mention.

1. Rach a calm settle and about 'place'. Look at Kikopup on YouTube.

1. You MUST get your family on board and help her with these interactions. Put her on a house line/lead before people come over Noone is to approach her until she is calm, and then she can great calmly. It's not possible to do this if the visitors don't listen to you, I know it's hard but you have to try and enforce it. Locking her away will just get her anxiety/FOMO. You can additionally train her to be on her own, again there are guides on the forum. You could also look at crate training which would give her a safe space. But this can't be used as punishment or in a negative way, e.g. shutting her away. If you train it properly and she enjoys the space you can use this to

1. Use likkimats and Kongs to give her some stimulation throughout the day. These can help tire her out and can be a distraction and a way to get her to stay in a spot like a crate. I actually use IKEA ice cube trays and get some cheap pate, mix it with dog food (you can get loaf or meat or soak her kibble) and then freeze it. This will last longer, be less messy, and be on hand.

1. Work with her on leash walking. She's becoming becoming over stimulated around dogs, so you need to do this away from other dogs. Again look up Kikopup about loose leash walking and giving in to pressure. You can then proceed to a long line. Use a front clip harness like Ruffwear, a Y shape with a clip. This will help with the pulling.

1. Work at distraction from other dogs by walking her close to dogs OUTSIDE of the reaction zone, i.e. where she can see the dog but doesn't start lunging. You can then work at making this distance smaller.

1. Work with her breed specific traits in a walk. You can scatter food in leaves and have her sniff it out. Hide a toy and get her to find it. It's a bit of a myth that dogs need hours of walking, what they need is stimulation and brain games are the best. I have a working breed (collie) and he gets 2*20 mins of walks a day, but we fill those 20 mins with commands and training. Walk her away from other dgs so you can focus on this with her. If all she is doing is pulling and trying to get to other dogs, her walks are having the opposite effect and are juye overstimulating her.

1. Try and get into a routine with her. Dogs love routine. You can pair this with when your kid needs quiet time, so after training place or crate training, she knows she's got down time between say 2 and 4.

Plenty more to go on with the DTAS Facebook group, don't be overwhelmed as it's all possible but it does need consistency, your visitors being on board and a bit of work. Use the walks to your advantage!

Loads of great advice here.

Most of it will work! Read everything you can about dog training and put it into practice. Humans need training first. Guests who don't abide by house rules on the dog don't come in the house. A trained dog is a happy dog - a calm confident dog who knows their place in the house. Consistency with rules also makes dogs happy. They're like 5 year old children - they need loads of love and firm, clear boundaries. Family not following the rules is bad for the dog. Be firm!

I personally think a dog behaviourist would be the way to go. They will give you the tools, advice and confidence to train your dog. I saw one and it only cost £150, which for what we got was an absolute steal.

This doesn't sound like a hopeless case at all. Good luck!