Help with 8 month old Doodle Puppy!!!

[Diane Denney]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this group and have had my Doodle since he was 4 months old. He'll be 8 months on 10/28/2009. I'm having some issues and wondered if someone could point me in the right direction. Here is a list of issues I am having:

1-He is extremely mouthy, but not as bad as he was when we first got him. He will bite our clothes and run then hope we chase him as he knows biting is not allowed. I have been stern about this type of behavior. When he gets overly excitied it's at it's worse. I have to approach with caution while I'm outside with him as he starts to jump bite, and pull at my clothes, and his bites hurt!!! I tell him no bite and then leave him alone if I can get away unscathed that is. Inside the house he knows he doesn't have much chance as he's either gated or crated in the kitchen. If he starts the biting routine he goes in a time out in his crate consistantly.

2-Counter surfing and stealing. He steals cat food lids. Paper towel if you leave one down it dissappears. I had to put all medications into tupperware even though they were in a drawer on the couter as he ended up with my Allegra one night. He has also chewed our wall which my other dog did as a puppy so that I'm not so surprized about. Trying to get the items back from him is just a game that I don't play. I usually trade the item for a treat. The room is pretty much puppy proof.
3-Having trouble integrating him with my older dog as he is so rambuncious although my older dog seems to be the instigator as well. I guess he's jealous. How do I make these two dogs stop roughhousing in the house. They are both way too big to play inside without causing major damage to me or my stuff!!! They always rough house every time without fail. My older dog who is 6 likes to play, but the Doodle plays really rough. I usually don't let him free roam. He's either tethered or very supervised sometimes with a lead on sometimes without a lead. When it gets out of hand I put him back in the kitchen. I'm being held hostage in my kitchen!!!
4-He is mounting me and my other dog. I know this has to do with dominance. I don't let him do it. I take him and put him back in the kitchen or tell him off if it's me.
5-Growls at things he's frustrated at, and barks at dogs that bark at him first. Doesn't bark too too much only if there are people while he's outside or strange sounds.

This dog was in a pet store, and probably a puppy mil before that until he was almost 4 months so he was not socialized well except for the customers who came in to look at him.

I have brought him to basic puppy training and he's very smart. He sits, downs, stays, comes, stands, and waits very well.
I bring him to puppy day care and I asked them to give me a report and they tell me he plays well with others.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Diane Denney]

Oh that's funny. I figured it was harmless, but I was just checking to be sure. He gets frustrated when his toys get out of reach!!! The weather hasn't been cooperating around here lately so it's been difficult to exercise him enough. He has free roam of the backyard thankfully!!! I'll get him to daycare again tomorrow so that he's not bored.

[Pat & "Tucker"]

Have to agree with the others-
Continue the training and let your trainer know his problems so he/ she can address them individually.
Lots of exercise & patience. Socialize, socialize and socialize- take him everywhere to get use to other people, dogs, different noises, sounds etc.
I remember when I had cuts on my hands everyday from the sharp puppy teeth- embarrased going to work. My guy is 1 1/2- no more mouthing thank goodness. He will still grab anything and chew it- dishtowels, socks, pot holders, hand towels in the bathroom, paper, pillows, anything! Gosh forbid if someone leaves shoes.
I have taught the leave it command with a treat and this works well.
I used a plastic bottle with coins (shake it loudly or drop on floor) in it to try to stop Tucker from annoying my little Yorkie- that worked for a while when he was scared of the sharp noise. He still bothers the little one, just wants to play, but he is really too rough. I still struggle with that especially when I come home from work- they both go bonkers over me coming home and the chasing etc starts. They are both jealous of my attention to either of them.

[Diane Denney]

@Pat Hennesey OMG I so know about the jealousy thing. My dogs would be fine together if my older dog would just ignore Lincoln (Stinky Linky). I am working on getting them both to figure out that being good is worth it. I let Lincoln out of the kitchen, but if he starts too much trouble back he goes. I will continue this until they figure it out. Lincoln plays too roughly for my 6 year old. He doesn't mind playing, but just not as long or as rough!!! I think doggie day care will help this as there are dogs there that are younger that he can play with. Lincoln loves paper of any kind and towels too. I have so much trouble drying his feet without losing my hands because he mouths my hands and the towel at the same time. I just keep telling him no bite, and leave it. He knows the leave it command really well, but chooses to ignore it often!!!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Sounds like he is bored. Doodles are high energy dogs and love activity. You didn't mention dog parks or areas where he can run and get some of the energy out.
I have two large doodles and they HAVE to have outdoor experiences. We are very fortunate to be retired and we take them out frequently. Friday was a good example. We had a date to meet another doodle and his master at Carmel Beach. I picked up my 93-yr-old mother and Hondo was crying in the car (with excitement). I decided to stop at a dog park in Monterey to let them run a little before we went to lunch. They stayed in the car while we had lunch and then went to the beach. They had a great romp on the beach and that kind of tired them out. Saturday we were home all day working on their Howl-O-Ween costumes and Sunday we went to the Howl-O-Ween party. They had a lot of socialization with other dogs but no real running. Monday they were ready to go again so I took them to the beach nearby and we went for a fast walk (on leash). They should be good for a couple of days.
So, my advice is the find some local outdoor areas where your doodle can run. He loves to tease you because it gets a reaction and he really just wants some attention (positive or negative). Don't ever yell at him for misbehavior, just remove the item from him and put it out of sight. He will absolutely love outdoor time and will probably tire you out before you can tire him out. So find areas where you can take him and you both will enjoy it.
My dogs do not destroy anything except their toys (which I encourage). They love to tear the squeekers out of their toys. Hondo nurtures his toys and keeps them away from Groucho Too who prefers to disembowel them. Both dogs have learned since puppies to run behind my mountain bike and I take them out biking (on trails) at least once a week. At other times, I walk them on the same trails while my husband does a more aggressive ride. They are good for about a 7-mile run with the bike.
You will get some exercise with this dog! Decide what is available in your area and start training him to use those areas to expell his boundless energy. You will be happier and so will he.

[Diane Denney]

Thanks Lynda. I bring him to doggie daycare a couple of times a week, and I walk him everyday for 40 minutes. I work full time so unfortunately he's not getting as much attention as he'd probably like, but it's better than where he was!!! My husband is a marathon runner, and will take him with him once he's a year old. The vet told us not to run him until he is at least a year old as their bones are still growing, and they could get injured.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think everyone has provided great comments. I just wanted to reiterate the need for training. Peri is very far from perfect, but training has helped her so much. She is almost 7 months and tends to get very wild around 8pm at night. This is after exercise, play time, sometimes daycare, etc...
We have found that 10 minutes of "training time" (when she gets wild like this) really calms her down. She focuses so well and it gets her mind off of a zoomie or bothering Taquito (other dog). We do this twice in the morning, during lunch, and as needed to get her attention on something else at night. Sometimes exercising their brains helps more than physical exercise.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I left both girls home with DH Saturday (family party, rain, sister has no fenced in yard, house full of people) and yesterday I went to work and left them home for 4 hours (rain- they always go with me but I didn't want to deal with wet doodles for a 4 hour day).
When I got home they both 'attacked' me like I had been away for a week. BOTH jumped all over me. Samantha who rarely jumps on me seemed to feed off Charli who's manners are a work in progress. As I walked in I quietly said 'no jumping' and repeated it until I put down the bags in my hand which they did.

I turned to say hello and they started jumping. I turned my back on them - they jumped all over my back. I ignored them and stood still until they jumped but not ON me. I turned around and it started again - I turned around again and ignored them. It took a few times for them to get the hint but finally they setted down enough for them to hear me so I told them to sit.

Once they did I bent down to give hugs - theirs were very wiggly and kept circling around me but they didn't jump again.
I waited them out - TG I didn't need a potty break and could wait them out. I realized that I don't leave them often enough and will start doing that more often and work very, very hard on their greeting to be excited but with all 4 on the floor.

Grateful Charli;s Pupppy Grad class starts Tuesday. We need work with distractions.

[Diane Denney]

Did you ever see "The Dog Listener"? She is awesome!! She has a DVD you can buy and books too I believe. My vet loans out her DVD's to new dog owners. Google Dog Listener and you will find her web site. She shows exactly that to stop dogs from being excited when you return home!! Dogs do this to the pack leader when they return from a hunt. Ignoring them until they calm down is her suggestion. Easier said than done though!!! lol I have a shepard mix dog who whine's a lot, and I have such a hard time ignoring him as he sounds so pathetic!!! Lincoln always stays standing at the gate going crazy when we come home. Getting everyone in the house to do the same thing is a challenge because it doesn't work if only one person does it.