New Doodle Owner with a Mouthy Pup

[Stephanie Bowman]

Hi everyone!

I recently welcomed a mini Goldendoodle named Teddy to our tiny family (it’s just my husband and I). We are already so in love and have taught him how to sit by the door when he has to go potty, sit, stay, leave it, roll over, kiss and high five at just 14 weeks. However, we are having a lot of trouble with Teddy biting our hands! We have tried giving him chew toys, leaving the room when he bites us, redirecting him to a sit, and though it’s lessened the intensity, he still does it a couple of times throughout the day. 

It’s my first dog so when he starts getting really relentless and growly, it sort of scares me. My husband tries to calm me by assuring me it’s typical puppy, playfully behavior, but I just want to make sure he doesn’t become aggressive. He lets us go in his food bowl, feed him by hand, take toys away from him, look at his teeth, etc. Can anyone guide me on average how long the mouthy behavior lasts?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

This too shall pass. Keep repeating those words to yourself. It is a puppy stage and almost all puppies go through it. I thought our Fudge was part shark. Sounds like you are doing all the right things. I know it is hard, but try and stay calm. I used to give my pups bully sticks to help with that strong need to chew. They have to be supervised with them. Now, they upset my dog's stomachs, but when they were puppies, they helped me. Also, when it got really bad and I was at my wit's end, I would put the puppy in the crate for time out until we all re-grouped and calmed down. Lots of times, when they are the worst, they are really tired and the crate can help. There is a puppy group on DK and there have been tons of discussions on this topic. I was sure our first dog, a Lab named Hershey, was going to be the most aggressive dog known to man because she nipped everyone as a puppy. It worried me so much, and she turned out to be the most laid back, wonderful dog ever and there was not an aggressive bone in her body to either man or other animals. It is a phase...a completely horrible and annoying one, but it will pass. Hang in there.

[Stephanie Bowman]

Thanks for the reassurance. I try to focus on the light at the end of this long, exhausting tunnel. It’s nice to hear from others who have experienced this and have overcome it!

[Nicole and Teddy]

I second what Laurie said! Great advice! There were times I wanted to give my Teddy back (not really, but you catch my drift) he was so naughty. He's my first dog so I was convinced he had aggression issues with all the biting/play attacking me (especially when I was getting ready to shower- he had a knack for finding me at my most vulnerable - ha!). But I just kept at it with replacing body parts with toys, using bully sticks/himalayan bones, and time outs and eventually he grew out of it. I'm not sure when, maybe 10 months or so? He's 4 now and, except for his hyperactivity when he greets people, he's the perfect/mellow dog. You'll get through it - try not to worry!

[Stephanie Bowman]

Thanks for the feedback! Your dood is super cute and sounds perfect! Can’t wait for my Teddy to mellow out some!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Please join the Puppy Madness Group, there are whole discussions and tips there dedicated to this exact thing. Here's a link:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/puppymadness/forum/topics/compreh...

[Stephanie Bowman]

Thanks, Karen! Will do!

[Jeremy Little]

We struggled with our pup Whiskey mightily for the first month. Then things began to get better with regard to the constant gnawing of our hands. Now at4 months he has lost some teeth and is getting new ones. Gnawing has returned but in a much more gentle manner. We trained him by telling him no and putting him in timeout for about 2 minutes. We didn’t go crazy or anything. It seems to have the desired effect. They will eventually get it. 

We too too seriously thought about getting rid of him, but my 12 yo stoodfast with his new pup. Luckily for all of us he had no quit in him. Whiskey is becoming a really good dog.