Dog has me at my wits end.

[Badhuman]

Our dog has been to vets, behavioural trainer and we have followed lots of other advice. She gets 2 big walks a day. Morning 2 miles and early evening 1.5 miles. She is a Cavapoo and 8 years old.

I’m at my wits end. She is a quite a nice dog but the destruction and attention seeking is killing me and I absolutely resent her now. I can’t have anyone in the house during the day without her barking forever. I can’t leave her without her barking forever. She has to be with me the whole time. We’ve tried anxiety medicine - no difference in behaviour. Behaviour has always been not great.

My kids adore her. What the hell do I do. WIBU to rehome her.

Those aren't long walks for a spaniel breed. Also what kind of walks? It sounds like you take the same measured route which meets none of the dogs needs except putting one paw in front of the other. The dog sounds bored to death!

They're a mix to two intelligent dogs they need enrichment, challenges and stimulation. It doesn't sound like it's getting anything like that.

Cavapoos are a million times better than cockapoos which are just a nightmare.

good idea - someone to walk her over interesting terrain in the day when op is working?

I bloody hate dogs, and even I flinched at that comment!

Does that mean you have to be cruel to them? Stupid.

I don't understand all the comments about 1.5 miles being half an hour max. Surely that depends on the dog and its preferences? My dog likes to walk very slowly as he likes to stop frequently to sniff grass and scent mark. He'll do this whether he's on or off the lead. I once took him on a 0.75 mile walk around the block and let him sniff as he pleased- it took us 45 minutes. It would be entirely pointless for me to take him on a walk where I am walking briskly at 4 miles an hour. He wouldn't be able to stop and sniff and would be completely miserable- it'd end up being more for my benefit than his.

Anxiety type issues are not uncommon in small companion and cross breeds including both poodles and cavaliers. With an anxious dog, I would be looking at a baseline of exercise, yes (measured in time rather than mileage and certainly no mad ball throwing) but I would be looking at incorporating a lot of calming mental exercise during the day. Kongs, lickimats, scent work, chews that sort of thing. This kind of dog is always going to be attention seeking though, they were bred to be lap dogs! It's a bit like buying a retriever and complaining that it keeps retrieving things.

We thought this about ours who acts exactly the same as OP's dog...now she is even worse 😆

I agree. I’ve met what must be approaching hundreds of Cockapoos and there are the odd decent ones (usually the black ones are slightly less nuts) but mostly they’re hyperactive, neurotic, picky about food, yappy balls of pointless fluff.

I’m exaggerating slightly. I’ve never met one with a bad temperament and they’re undeniably cute. But in the main when you get two working, active, clever breeds and you put them together with more regard for what they’ll look like than function, this is what you get.

Cavapoos tend to be easier. The Cav part tends to make for a less driven pet.

I have a high intelligence, high energy cross bred and I've never walked him twice a day. He has one good quality walk a day, off lead and a variety of places (wood, beach, social walks, swim walk, ball walk). Now he's older i skip days for bad weather, he is still recovering from the beach on Tuesday. Then he gets a playtime in the house in the evening if he needs it (starts theiving for attention). He chills out in between because he's physically and mentally tired.

Puzzles and scent training. You have to keep their minds busy.

We got a Cavapoo as our first dog, because they don't shed and my daughter loved them and they are a good size for where we live. I thought training would be 1. Don't pee/pooh in house 2. Come when I call. 3. Sleep in a basket by my desk with the occasional ear rub and ball throwing at lunch time. Kindly don't bark at the doorbell.

Haa haaa haaa haaa

To keep our monster happy we a)feed with Kongs b)snuffle matt every day c)puzzles or active training games every day d)scent work in the house and on walks.

Spent a small fortune on trainers, basically got told 'get to work, you bought a high strung dog that's highly intelligent and needs to work, if you don't give her jobs, she'll create her own. If you wanted an easier life...you should have got a Lab.'

This was NOT what I planned, but its what we've got and our job now is to give her the best life possible and if that means she's a lot of work to keep happy...well...that's the way it goes.

We even have yoga blocks for physio with her dodgy hip....

Has probably taken the dog for a “long walk” by the cliffs.

Has anyone mentioned looking at the diet? So many foods are packed full of carbs and the dogs have massive excess energy.
Don't be fooled by big brands that vets recommend either.... vets are trained by a nutrition guidebook quite literally written and endorsed by RC and Hills.

A lot of the ‘poo/ oodle’ crosses are nuts. Poodles are intelligent working breeds and people cross them often with other working breeds to look like teddy bears and they don’t get the training or the mental stimulation or physical exercise they need.
2 miles is not ‘a big walk’. Roughly 30 minutes?
I’d suggest a dog walker takes it with other dogs and really tires it out.
I’d also suggest a behaviourist teaches you how to teach her to be alone happily and accept visitors, although if this is an 8 year old issue you have a real job on your hands as this should have been established early on at a young age.

We have an F1 9 year old cockapoo who we treated like a dog from day one

As a result she can be left in the house for a few hours
She is still very excited for 5 mins when people visit and is off putting for non dog people but calms down and goes back to being a dog

I don't think people realise the best way to break the cycle is by treating them like dogs from early on

I saw something online about Planned Destruction the other day.

Basically when the dog was hyperactive, they gave it a cardboard box to rip apart, and tire out the dog. It's probably more complex than that, but would work off some energy.

The incessant barking would drive me mad too. Good luck.

I’d never be cruel to an animal. That’s my point.
Dogs get on my nerves with their annoying neediness and how their owners talk about them. Nor do I trust them, either.

To me, dogs are a ridiculous commitment. But, we’re all different: i much prefer a cat.

Would that be a good idea, though?

Surely it would just confuse the dog, and let them think it was ok to rip things apart, in general?

I’d say it’s pretty cruel to “let them run away”.