New Puppy, HELP!

[Connie Lu]

So, about two to three weeks ago, I got a 16 week old goldendoodle puppy from a breeder.
The first few days, he is very quiet and calm, but after a few days, I have a mini tornado living in my house. He has quite a few bad habits:
-chewing ALOT
-play biting almost everyone
-barking whenever he is bored or someone is not near him
- picking up shoes
Okay, so first of all, what do we do about his chewing? I know dogs chew, but he chews literally everything: the floor, his crate, his toys, even me! Is this a puppy thing where he chews a lot just around this time or a life thing where I have to teach him only to chew specific things?
Second, he has a major separation anxiety issue. If you leave him alone for a tiny bit, he barks and scratches and whines, and it is almost impossible to get a full nights sleep. How do you teach goldendoodles to stop barking in the middle of the night?
Also, will his bad habits get better after a year or is it just the fact that I am not training him well enough? Are all the habits just puppy instincts?
One problem that has been worrying me is whenever he eats grass. I know dogs eat grass, but he eats a lot, and I think he throws up for this reason. He threw up some white foam the other day after eating a bunch of grass from my lawn. Is this normal or should I take him to the vet?
Finally, how are you supposed to punish him? I don't want to hurt him, but he doesn't listen to anything I say when he does something bad, and I need to stop him somehow.
This is my first time having a dog, let alone a puppy, so I don't have much exprience. I would like to teach him as much as I can so he is an amazing dog when he grows up! It would really help if I had some advice from everybody here! Thanks for the help!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Connnie ~ this is all normal puppy behavior.  Enroll in a puppy obedience class it will make life easier for you and your puppy.  When you get a chance check out the groups section on the main page and join the Puppy Madness Group and also the Training group.  If you go into the Preferred Vendors there is a link to DoggieDan Online Training.  It would be terrific to use his online training with a new puppy.  Hang in there it will get better - puppyhood is difficult!  

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Hi Connie,

Like Linda said, this is all normal puppy behavior. Join the Puppy Madness Group pronto and spend an evening reading through old posts and using the Search feature. There is a pinned topic regarding the play biting, and TONS of posts regarding every single question you have. BTW, he doesn't have separation anxiety- that is a specific behavior that is developed over time. He just hasn't learned what to do with himself when you are gone. It's your job to teach him.

Raising a doodle puppy isn't easy- they are smart, high energy dogs. But, armed with some knowledge about what to do, you are going to start to feel better about the whole situation. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is wonderful advice. 

[Connie Lu]

Thank you, I joined puppy madness and it's been quite helpful so far!

[SK & Hudson]

I would add that the madness forum really helped me to cope when I first got Hudson and was terrified by how many things she chewed and destroyed. At the end of the day, know that most doodles display the same chewing habits while they are teething. Think about how painful it may be and how you can provide soothing toys that are given as a reward for good behavior and not as a distraction in times when your doodle is not doing what you want.

[Doodle & Hound]

My pup is 16 weeks too. He does exactly the same things. It's typical puppy. My hands have war wounds from his sharp, needle teeth. BUT, every day he gets better. He goes to training and will sit, shake hands, however come and stay we are working on! He hates his crate..... join us on puppy madness..it's a lifesaver. My vet said 4 mos is the worst....all gets better from there.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Just want to add something so that you have a "tool" while waiting for a training class (which you must sign up for immediately!) You can not punish him, but you CAN reward him--carry treats with you all the time and start giving him one for the smallest improvements--if he follows you into a room quietly for example and sits or stands and LOOKS at you--hold the treat to your eyes to focus him and then give it to him and say "good watch"--baby steps will be the way to go--do not expect too much right away....once he knows you are a constant source of treats, he will focus more on your commands.

If you need to stop him from doing something dangerous though, it is handy to have a small spray bottle of water around----but do it gently from an angle and do not hold it directly at him as they can feel threatened too much by that--the water should just distract him from the thing he is doing and you can then direct him to something else and give him the treat.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

You really need to get into a training class ASAP ... do your research and find a good trainer in your area.  You are going to learn even more than your puppy and this is going to help you understand why he does some of the things that he does and how you can help.  I never realized how dog stupid I was until I went to training.  In the meantime, exercise exercise exercise ... a tired puppy is a good puppy.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Sounds like a typical puppy to me.  Yes, they chew, and sometimes everything.  I have lots of toys around and whenever they are chewing something you do not want them to chew, take it away, and throw him a toy you want him to chew.  Our house is totally littered with toys and chews of all kinds.  Then, put everything up that you do not want them to chew.  When you have a puppy in the house it is "All doors closed, everything up and out of reach".

About nibbling - Remember that their only play toys are their mouths and their feet.  They will think of many ways to use them.  I raise my arms and say "Ahh, ahh" to let them know that they should not nip me.  Then I say "Off" and raise my leg when they are looking like they want to jump on me.  I have a problem with that with visitors so I put them outside and have my mom (100 years old) come in and sit down before I let them into the house.  I does get better.

Grass - Yes, if it is around they will probably be eating it.  Make sure there is no chemicals or spray on the grass that he is eating.  They eat the grass to throw up and that is normally what happens.  If their stomach is bothering them, they want to throw up.  There probably is a nervous component also.

Separation anxiety - Do you have children?  It is similar to training a child to sleep through the night.  Check on him, take him out, quickly and quietly, put him back to bed, and ignore the crying.  It is hard to do, but necessary.  It does get better and pretty quickly.  My puppy is six months old now and never cries during the night.  She does come up and lick my face when she want to go out, but that is it.

Enroll in some puppy classes.  It is something of interest to both of you.

Don't punish in any way. Distract, but do not raise your voice or hit him.  He only learns to distrust you when this occurs. Praise the things you like, and just say "no" or "leave it" if they do doing something or taking something you do not want them to have.  I have been working on recall with my puppy and keep my pockets full of treats.  Today, I took her out to the mailbox off leash and she stayed right with me.  Praised her and gave her a treat and then treats for all the dogs when we got back to the house.  They love positive interaction.

[Judi Christopher]

Pocket full of treats is a great idea.  Crate training at night is good too. Just like with a crying baby it's hard to ignore, but it does stop.  Golden doodles do nip. I stopped both of mine by gently holding the mouth shut for 1 second and saying no bite.  All typical puppy behavior!!

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Connie.....normal for a puppy that is new or one that is 2-5 months old.  My Teddy did all the same things.  And he is my 1st puppy, too.  

Definitely do puppy school.  Positive reinforcement, not negative when he does something bad.  Mingle with other small dogs at Puppy Play Times (Petco has them) or at local dog parks.