At My Doodle Whits End..... Need Help

[Roni Wise]

Max is 6 months old and I'm at my Doodle whits end. We picked the calmest puppy in the litter and I took a breeder with me to be sure that I picked a puppy with the calmest temperment possible - I know it is in there somewhere I saw him with my own eyes.... but what I have now is Terror Puppy!!  I've had dogs before and even aggressive dogs but having a Doodle is way different - it's like nothing sinks in their head!!

He steals EVERYTHING, jumps on counters, kitchen table, people - despite knowing basic obedience commands, sit, stay, down, leave it, drop it (we've already been through puppy class).  If we are playing he can do any of these commands.  As a little pup he loved to snuggle and now he hates it and it is all my daughter wants to do with him.  He beats the snot out of my 6 year old daughter - jumps on her and when he jumps he is as tall as her, bites her hands, legs, long hair etc. So I have just started to keep him on a leash in the house to be able to correct him which has created new behaviors - he HATES the leash now and grabs and pulls and fights the leash and get very nasty with the leash and will bite my hands if I grab the leash from him when he is pulling on the leash.  He also seems to be VERY attached to me and my daughter and flips out when we leave the room - cries paces around the room and then when we come back into the room he jumps on us (more her than me he rarely jumps on me because I turn my back on him).  He seems to always be so VERY excited.

 

Are they always this excited?  I owned an agressive dominat lab before my Doodle and I trained him to be a great loving pet so I am certain I can do the same with this Doodle if I could just find what works - I just can't seem to find what works - nothings seems to sink into his head especially when he is excited he just goes wild and listens to nothing.

 

Can anyone help this new Doodle owner with some tricks that might work to get him focused?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I realize that he's been to puppy class, but it sounds like your puppy needs obedience work.  I would look for a trainer who uses methods you are comfortable and begin some very structured training.  It sounds like your guy is just starting to hit adolescence which brings lots of its own challenges.  Has he been neutered yet?  I think keeping him on the leash so he can't further "practice" these bad behaviors makes sense for now.  Also, you may want to join the DK Training Group.

[Adina P]

Agree on completing his obedience and a Nothing in Life is Free approach in the meantime (Google that part).  It sounds like Max has too much freedom in the house, though keeping a leash on him alleviates some of that.  If it were me I would make all his free time very structured...or as much as is possible.  Sit before he can come out of his crate, sit for a brief period once he's out of his crate, exercise, then some training time and structured play, more crate time...rinse repeat through the day.  No all doodles are not this exciteable.  
Remember 'knowing' what commands mean and being 'trained' are two sepearate things.  Find a trainer and class that you are confident can help you turn Max into a very obedient companion and that will help a ton.

[BG and Gavin]

How much exercise is he getting?  I would suggest at least 2 walks per day 30-45 minutes each.  I truly believe that has been the key to success with our guy.  Obedience and NILIF approach are key too.  Have your daughter put a toy or a chew in your puppies mouth when she wants to pet him.  If his mouth is busy on an appropriate thing, he is less likely to bite her.  We also used "time outs" as sometimes out guy got so over-excited that he could no longer regulate himself and needs quiet time to settle.  Be consistent, things will improve!

[GBK]

I agree with both Jane and Adina. Here is a link to Nothing in Life is Free, we use it every day still. 

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/nothingfree.htm

 

Another suggestion that worked for me was timing them out.  Since it sounds like he is so attached to you and your family, seperated time should get his attention and hopefully sink in.  I used the crate, but that was before I had heard of other means ;)  You can time him out in another room, or tie him on lead to a hook just out of your reach but in full view of all that is going on.  It does not have to be a long period of time, just a couple of minutes.  If he does something unacceptable again, right back to the time out.  Even if it is immediately after you have let him out of time out.  I cured the nippiness in Buddy this way, and it worked like a charm. 

 

He is also old enough for some nice long walks.  A tired doodle is a better doodle :)

 

 

[Lynda Kamrath]

It sounds like he might also have a problem with "Alpha".  He has had too much freedom and thinks he should call the shots.  I don't think it is a case of "nothing sinks into" his head, sounds like he is vying for status within his pack.  He probably thinks "nothing sinks into" your head, and why are you and your daughter constantly conflicting his wishes.  You might like reading Cesar Millan.  And remember your puppy is only six months old and can definitely be trained to act appropriately.  When he gets wild, calmly walk him to his quiet place and tell him to stay.  Then walk away.  He will get the drift, but you have to be consistent.  Also, it might work to put him in his quiet place before you leave so he cannot pace and bark (whine) while you are away.  Good luck.  He CAN still be saved.  Don't give up on him.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

My Peri was a terror at 6 months - the "teenage" years as we call them.  Start another level of obedience and practice it at home on a daily basis.  Take a formal class to help you.  Also, walk him as much as possible.  We also started doing daycare 1-2 days per week at that age to wear her butt out. 

 

But the next level of obedience is the best thing you can do. He will get better, but needs better guidance from you.  We did timeouts a lot.  She didn't always like her crate time, but she got the hint it meant "quiet" time.  5-10 minutes makes a huge difference in their attitudes.

 

Hone in on obedience.  Peri started getting better when we trained consistently.  She was 90% by around a year.  At almost 2 years, she is pretty perfect.  Not 100% trained by any means, but MUCH calmer.  We are still starting another round of obedience next month to get her to be even better. 

 

These dogs are almost TOO smart at times. Smart dogs get bored more easily and ACT OUT when they need exercise, training, et.c....

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

BTW your doodle is SUPER CUTE!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Sorry keep forgetting things:  join Puppy Madness group.  Lots of folks are in your same boat and are going through this as I write.

 

We also used a baby gate to keep her in a certain room with us (instead of free roam of the house) until she was 8 months old.  Helped immensely.

[Candy & Hudson]

I wanted to add that Hudson was very attached to me too and would cry and howl if I would go down the hallway that was gated off. My trainer suggested 'practicing' not letting him follow me everywhere by leaving him in his kennel for a little while, even if I was home, also leashing him onto the kitchen table for periods of time so he can't follow. At first he whined and cried and bit his leash but now he will happily chew his toys or have a nap when he is tied on. This is also great if the kids go running by, he can't chase or jump on them. I have noticed his separation anxiety getting much better!! Hope Max calms down soon.

ps Hudson and Max are the same age and look as though they could be brothers!!! :) He is adorable!!!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

All of this is great advice, here is a couple more things.  Is your puppy getting enough sleep?  At this age they are very much like toddlers and when over tired they get cranky.  Rooney gets a nap mid-morning - I put him in his kennel and he just falls asleep for 30minutes to an hour.  This happens again mid afternoon.  Tons and tons and tons of exercise and sleep.  Also about the alpha thing, Rooney's breeder taught us two things.  When you fix your puppies food - have him watch you and then pretend that you are eating some.  Lots of lip smacking and sounds.  Never let your pup walk through a door way ahead of you or any other family members - highest ranking eats first and walks in first, lowest ranking in the pack is last.  This will tell your puppy that you and the rest of the family is above it.  Let us know how you are doing. 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

That's a really good point.  This is why we used "timeout" in the crate.  Sometimes she would just conk out for a while.  We left her for 20 minutes sometimes if she was asleep. 

 

Hitting on another of Jane's recommendations.  We do not serve the dogs food until they sit and wait.  I tell her to "leave it".  Once she looks at me and keeps her eyes off the food, I say "good girl, take it" and she knows that is her time to eat.  This is another training thing, but I really think it is all about them respecting and obeying us.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Six months was the worst for Luca. Nipping me like crazy all the time. I finally caught on to the necessity to have a leash on him certain times even when we were out in the fenced yard. I also learned to keep his collar on even in the house so I had something to grab. When he got overly rambunctious it was time to tether him to a metal leash ( that he couldn't chew right through) until he calmed down, had a little nap and returned to his usual loving self. This lasted maybe a couple of months. I never really had this stage with Calla.