Biting/mouthing - adult dog

[Rebecca, Kandy & Murphy]

I see tons and tons of posts on biting and mouthing in puppies.  But we have a 2 1/2 year old labradoodle  and things are getting worse.  We've had Murphy for about six months and he is a semi-rescue.  We do know that he received little training or socialization before we got him.  We thought this would diminish over time and he adjusted to his new home but it hasn't.  In fact, it's getting worse.

Some of this looks like puppy biting -- its just not as cute when its attached to a 70 pound dog!  And some of it seems more aggressive -- he darts in, bites at a hand or butt and then darts away.  Not growling but not seeming playful either.  He never breaks the skin, thank goodness.

We've tried just ignoring him, turning our backs on him (not good when he's biting your butt :-) ), we've sometimes left him outside for a bit when someone just can't take it anymore.  Currently when he starts we are leashing him so he can't go after the kids (they are teens, so no danger of serious injury), having him sit/stay until he is calm again, then letting him go. 

He gets two walks a day, some tug or fetch playtime and has plenty of toys including lots of chewy things. 

Advise?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

What are his body manners when he darts in and darts out?  Is he fearful?   Acts like he has the playing zoomies?

P.S. Our dog always had to have something in his mouth when he got over excited as a puppy--okay well until much later in life.  We would grab the nearest toy and give it to him for his mouth. He is a retriever!   Retrievers are mouthy dogs per se 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Is Murphy neutered? If not, make that the number one priority on your to do list. 

Beyond that, I would look into implementing a good training program, based on a "Nothing In Life Is Free" philosophy.

It also sounds like he could use more exercise in the form of full-out hard running. But exercise in itself won't solve the problem.

For now, make sure that nobody in your house is playing any kind of games with Murphy that involve encouraging him to grab something away from you. No tug-of-war for him, either. No games where anyone wrestles anything out of his mouth; if he wants to play fetch, he either drops the ball or you don't play. During any play session, if his teeth touch any part of a person, even their clothes, the game stops immediately. 

The lack of good training (guidance and leadership) and socialization in his early years is probably to blame for this behavior. It is his way of playing, but he is playing with humans as if they were dogs.  I wouldn't be terribly surprised to learn that he was taken from his litter too early. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Have you done any obedience training with Murphy?  What commands does he know?  Ignoring this behavior is probably not going to change it.  I would consult a local trainer for a few "in home" sessions.  This is not a "singular issue"....correcting it is going to mean correcting how he views you.  A dog who respects you as a leader would not bite or mouth you...so you have to teach him that you are in control.  I know this isn't a puppy, but I do think you would really benefit from the "Doggy Dan: Training Videos that are endorsed by DK.  As Karen suggested, the "Nothing In Life Is Free" approach seems perfect for Murphy.  You can find discussions on both of these in the Training Group here on DK.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

 When each of our dogs was  little we 'shoved' a stuffie in the mouth when they got overly excited.  It developed into a habit that they have as adults.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Nancy, we do/did the same

[Wendy and Myla]

We did the same and now Myla will only come up on the couch or bed (when invited) with a toy in her mouth! I guess she knows that she will be over-excited and grabs the toy before coming up!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When Ned thinks I am awake in the morning, he grabs a toy and 'dances' on my body.

[Rebecca, Kandy & Murphy]

We are working basic obedience and he is good at sit and come, semi OK with stay and down. He will stop and sit when he is play biting and that's what we do really quickly if it's people he is mouthing on. Ironically he behaves perfectly in class. I'd love to do some private in-home stuff but just can't fit it into the budget until the end of the year.

I can definitely up the playtime. We are already pretty much on the nothing free idea and are working really hard on sit to greet and sit for petting. He jumps up when we come in - another not-si-cute thing in a big dog.

Pretty sure he wasn't placed too early (sister in law is his breeder) but spent most of first 2 years confined to crate and was clearly hit - probably to force him back into crate.

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Oh boy, that's hard to hear that someone may have mistreated an animal.  Good luck to you and to your swet baby...much good advice given.  

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

I have no advice but clearly he is in a better place and I so hope your patience and consistency will lead him to better behavior in his oh so much better home! btw- does not sound like such a "semi-rescue" based on what you have said! 

[Rebecca, Kandy & Murphy]

Semi rescue in the sense that the owners camed back to my sister in law (also his breeder) for advise when he started getting aggressive and she had them return the dog - and suggested they get a cat. We took him partly as a favor to her and partly because we thought a second dog would be nice. And he is mostly fun and has tons of personality - he's just more work than we had expected.