Puppy is obedient to me but not my mother. Help?

[LadyBrightcynder]

Hey people, sorry I've not been around - the reason is, I got a puppy! He's a gorgeous black toy poodle called Toby. He settled in quickly, and he has good days and bad days in terms of behaviour, but he's a quick learner and pretty obedient around me. He's my first dog, but I'm using a lot of resources from around the web to make sure he's getting the correct training. He gets two walks a day but is still full of energy.

The problem is, my mother who I live with, is a stroke sufferer. She's mostly self-reliant, but one thing she has a lot of trouble with is speaking, especially under pressure. This is causing problems with Toby because whenever he acts up, (chewing the rug, play-biting her, etc) she can't use the correct intonation or phrases that I've trained Toby to respond to (low voice, "off", "no" and praising him when he does something nicely). Toby has "mad hours" so several times a day he goes bonkers and causes havoc. I've been trying to teach her which phrases to use, but she's so frustrated by this point that she won't even try my suggestions and I'm coming off as nagging.

I suggested to her to try doing his obedience training but she won't. This is upsetting me, because I don't want Toby to see her as lower in the house pecking order and making her unhappy. She's getting so stressed by this. She's started flinching when Toby jumps towards her. I know if we don't get this sorted out while he's young, it's going to come back and bite us in the ass when he grows up. I'm out of the house a lot of the time at work, so I can't keep an eye on things all the time.

I know this is a bit of an odd situation, but does anybody have any idea how I can make sure Toby behaves around my mum? Preferably something that can be done while I'm out of the house. Toby is 12 weeks old, if this helps. She adores him but when he goes on a puppy spree it's driving her crazy.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Have you done Crate training with a Kennel? most dogs get comfortable after a week or so, and that way if the dog acts up you can send him to that, at first as punishment, but it's also a comfortable spot. That way your mom only has to learn a single command if the dog is acting up and secure it in a Kennel. a good Kennel will cost a decent bit, on the other hand if you go big it can last your dog's entire lifespan, and you'll get plenty of use out of it. It's also handy for travel.

[LadyBrightcynder]

We don't use a crate, but would designating a corner work? Like a sort of time-out spot?

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

We don't use a crate, but would designating a corner work? Like a sort of time-out spot?

Crating is the technique of getting a dog comfortable with a Kennel for periods of time. A Time Out spot only works on a line of sight basis, and when you leave there's no assurance the pup will listen. The idea is that you can lock the dog in a Kennel, and train it to go into the Kennel with a single command, eventually it'll get comfortable with it like I said, and will find it as a secure spot. the idea is a Kennel isn't that it's merely a punishment spot, but rather a securable dog house in a sense. There's two style, both have grated doors, but generally you have a wire frame or a Plastic Frame(which doesn't work for bigger dogs or destructive dogs, Huskies and German Shepards for example the former can chew through, and the latter may be strong enough to break the plastic

here's an example of the former They tend to vary from $30-60 if you're in the states depending on the size and style. Wire generally come with a Fabric sleeve too that covers the sides other than the door. The plastic ones are more expensive, and generally considered travel ones

 

Time-outs only work if you can get training for your mom as well, with a Kennel giving her the authority of the control, it should make the dog obey. It's a handy thing to train with, and like I said, it's nice for travel too, since it's an easy to move comfortable and familiar spot for the dog wherever you take him. It's a versatile thing