New doodle puppy - mouthing

[Kristen]

We just brought home a sweet new goldendoodle puppy. I know mouthing is perfectly normal and we are training him using a positive approach, but he doesn't seem to respond to "yelps" when he mouths too hard and he is constantly mouthing...so much so it's hard to play with him because he just "bites" the entire time. Any suggestions? Also, I'm trying to feed him out of the King, but he can't figure it out?

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, perfectly normal for a pup.  Remember, they only have their mouths and feet to express themselves.  I have lots of toys and chews available and when they nip, give them something else to put in their mouth.  Works for us.  It will pass.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Please join the Puppy Madness group. There are plenty of discussions about this subject. It is perfectly normal and like Lynda said, it will pass. I would distract Fudge with a bully stick or toy. Also, if the situation escalates and you find yourself getting too frustrated, a time out in a the crate helps to calm everyone down. Staying calm is also key. I also found that sometimes when Fudge was at her worst, she was tired and the crate helped. It will pass. 

I don't know what a King is, but we just fed ours from a dog bowl.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

How old is the puppy?

[Kristen]

He's just 9 weeks so a lot of mouthing I'm sure is to be expected. He is just more mouthy than any pup I've had in the past. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the methods out there. I'm taking the "yelp" approach right now. He had his first visit to the vet today and she held his mouth closed and said we were going to have a time getting him to stop. I definitely need to figure out how to best handle it as we have 6 children. We are managing ok it seems at this point, I think it's just confusing as to the best method. He doesn't stop when we yelp. In fact, sometimes he gets worse and sometimes I'm having to remove him completely because I can't get him to settle down. I'm so thankful for any tips.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Our Springer was very mouthy. I agree that some dogs are much more so than others.

[Kathy Basso]

I too have a brand new goldendoodle pup who has a bewitching time where she will grab on to whatever you are wearing and go nuts. She is 12 weeks and I brought her home 2 weeks ago. Yelling is definitely not the answer, I try not to react (just a sharp 'NO') even though those needle sharp teeth go through my pants to my skin, and I slip away into the next room and close the door. I stay in there for about 30 seconds. If she's not calm I go back in for another 30 seconds. It usually only takes a second time to find her sitting when I come out. The hardest is when we are outside in our yard and this happens, then it's difficult to escape quietly. It seems like when the crazies come out, all the sit, stay commands are forgotten. My husband is worried that this will be a problem. Other times, our girl is a sweetheart and we know she has bite inhibition as she gently mouths.

[Kristen]

This sounds so much like Caspian! He goes NUTS outside. I do see his bite getting softer, but not when he gets riled and he is EASILY riled!

[Stella]

Some pups seem to get more wound up when you yelp, that didn't work for us either! My first doodle was a total land shark, he was so mouthy and would actually hang off my clothes. It is a phase they go through, keep redirecting him to something that is appropriate for him to put his mouth on. I ended up spraying my hands and feet with Bitte Apple for a while to stop him biting me. It is the retriever heritage that makes them mouthy, they do grow out of it. Be patient, be consistent, and don't be afraid to give a 'time out' if it is getting out of hand.

[Dr Karen Hoving]

My sheepadoodle, Bella, is 5 1/2 months old. When we first got her (around 3 months) I was convinced she thought we were Human Nylabones! We tried everything- Yelping like a mother dog would train, saying no, giving her a bone. I went in for chemo for Lupus/RA and when they pulled up my shirt they asked if I was SHOOTING UP bc I had so many chew marks!

In the last month it stopped. She occasionally will gently mouth- but no chewing. I think it got a lot better when my daughter went to the park nearby and found other doodle dogs- most were older. She would jump them and they would let her know when she bit too hard! Then a puppy (younger than Bella) started coming and she was dragging Bella by the ears! Well that's when things changed. IMHO I think the other dogs trained her as if her mother would have- remember if dogs stayed w/mum until around 6 months they would learn to have soft mouths-but bc breeders have them out the door early (not being mean) they don't have a chance to learn it from their mummies. So, If you have some dog friends that have their shots I'd see if that helps (btw they play SO rough! But no one seems to get hurt). Also the yelping (LOUDLY) will help. Also if she grabs your hand and won't let go push IN towards her mouth (gently but firm) they will let go. AND yelp. BUT by 5 months she had stopped- BUT 3 months of being chewed on (and having your pants grabbed, sweater sleeves pulled) feels like forever. I FEEL YOUR PAIN! Hugs from Denver!

[Kristen]

Thank you so much! Caspian is 8 1/2 weeks old right now and is supposed to get a round of vaccines this Saturday. At what point can I have him around other dogs? The whole thing makes me nervous. It seems like you should start early, but not really because of parvo. It's so confusing!

[Dr Karen Hoving]

Well (and this is my opinion and vet's suggestion) she said to wait until the last pet vaccines. BUT what I ended up doing was we had a small group of doggie friends- all had been vaccinated, and we let her walk around /play with them.

But I wouldn't consider a doggie park until the Rabies is on board (or the last Parvo-I had a dog with parvo decades ago not pretty although there is a new drug for it).

I would wait until the 3rd set of shots. The vet said there was no waiting period after the shot (like the human flu vaccine takes 2 weeks before you are able to hang with flu folks).

Good luck!

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

When Teddy (my Toy Goldendoodle) was 7-12 weeks old back in the Fall, he was always biting/mouthing.  It didn't hurt at all and he eventually stopped most of the time.  But for a few weeks he was still biting and as his jaws got stronger and teeth sharper, it began to hurt a bit even for an adult.  I could easily see a child crying from the nipping.

It should fade by the time he is about 4-5 months old; it did for me.  Though Teddy still hates getting his harness on in the morning, so much that a few months ago I got gloves to help me put it on in the morning to save my fingertips/knuckles ! LOL