Puppy Demon

[Binny P]

Oh man. I don't know how much I need advice and how much I need solidarity. Maybe some combination of the two.

The good: our pup is super smart, funny, and just a gem. He has already learned sit, down, stay, spin, and touch. We've had a few potty accidents, but those have been owner error -- mostly he is doing really well going outside. 

The bad: he occasionally turns into a demon. Like those cute little furballs that turn into gremlins if you get them wet. 

When he goes demon, he suddenly is biting and growling and just all over the place. It is some combination I think of tired and over stimulated. But for some reason, it only seems to be with me, not my partner. Don't get me wrong -- he landshark bites my partner and gets too excited, but the full force of the demon seems to target me. It is possible I am imagining it, but I could swear it is real. 

When he goes demon, I do some combination of either stepping out of the room for a few seconds if possible or popping him in his pen to calm down and chew his bone a bit.

Long story: I am terrified the dog secretly hates me and is going to kill me in my sleep/not love me as he gets older and that is why he turns on me/is possessed by an evil spirit that emerges 2-3 times a day and otherwise masquerades as an adorable muppet. 

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Ahhh, don't you love this part of the puppy stage? I can sympathize with you!

Henry was 20 weeks yesterday and is a 40# bundle of fur and increasing testosterone (our groomer says he has ants in his pants). We have been through the land shark phase (thankfully slowing down now that the adult teeth are coming in) the clothes ripping phase (gone now) the jumping phase (better now that he has started training) the barking phase (on going battle of wills) the grab something he is not supposed to so he can get you to chase him phase (new in week 18 and still going strong) the fear phase (hates loud noises, large trucks, motorcycles and will try and shy away or want to jump in my lap for reassurance, new in week 17 and on going) I could go on and on LOL. These dogs are so cerebral, and emotional, and part human so you get so much more of everything than you might with another breed of dog.

I know with Henry the crazies really emerge around meal time; you can actually set your clock to the one that starts almost exactly at 5pm. Boredom spurs another several times a day when you can actually see him looking for trouble and instigating for the attention he wants. I am learning more each day, Henry is my first puppy in almost 20 years and the first that I am home with 24/7 and also my first doodle. I don't know how old your puppy is but take heart, they move through these phases fairly rapidly and on to another as they mature. Puppies look at you like your are their littermate and treat you accordingly, nipping, jumping, barking just as they would a brother/sister. Time and training along with their maturity makes all the difference, promise! Right now he thinks the world revolves around him and wants you to make sure you know it, training will make a huge difference in teaching him his role and that you are the leader.

That said, I can't wait to do it again! I will add another doodle as soon as Henry is trained; I couldn't love him and this breed more!

God, they are so like human children aren't they? 

[Binny P]

Thank you all! It is so helpful to hear other folks' experience!!  While I was kidding about thinking he may be a demon/hate me, I was only 1/2 kidding... He is now peacefully sleeping on my office floor and it seems impossible that at night he turns into The Beast! <3 <3 <3 

[Lisa &amp; Sunny]

This all sounds very familiar!  Let's just say that at one point my favorite nickname for Sunny was "Devil Dog".  She was jumping up, grabbing clothes, biting, getting into things, all that (not so fun) stuff.  I've seen other posters here talk about puppies having a "witching hour", and it was definitely that way with her, usually in the evening.  It seems like my kids caught the brunt of it, and she was more likely to go after me than my husband, even though he spends more time with her.  Now that she is 5 months old, most of that behavior has stopped.  She still gets worked up when playing with the kids sometimes, and for some reason she seems obsessed with my son's shoelaces, but things are so much better now.  If I am at home, I am the one she usually follows around, and it is usually my lap she voluntarily jumps into, though she never stays for too long.  She also is often very affectionate with the kids.  I'm still waiting for her to get past the "getting into everything" stage, but we have seen some slight improvement with that as well.

This will get better; you just have to survive this stage.  Hang in there!

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Lisa, what is it with the shoelaces?!? Henry LOVES going for walks and to the park, as soon as I start lacing up my running shoes he is untying them...I keep telling him you are defeating the purpose here Henry P, you are making this take longer and he just looks at me with those green eyes and goes for the next shoe!

Even though he loves to pull down dish towels, takes shoes out of the closet and a million other mischievous things he drops them almost immediately. It's as if he is saying just making sure you're paying attention here mom LOL. The only thing he actually chews on is his toys so I know that I am a blessed doodle momma that he has no interest in destroying anything not even his stuffies.

[Lisa &amp; Sunny]

I am glad to hear Sunny isn't the only pup with the shoelace obsession!  It sounds like she and Henry have a lot in common....except she does not confine herself to only chewing on toys....lol!

[Dolly Dykhouse]

I am so thankful that Henry is not a destructive chewer, he will grab a piece of bark from the yard or a stick and chew on that but spit the pieces out and then leave it after a minute. He'll chew on a hoof the longest but that is about it. He is more into playing with empty tennis ball containers and an empty Gatorade bottle as he loves how they skitter across the tile floor so he can romp after them and play "chase". 

Instead of a chewer he is a barker...ad nauseam when trying to get our puggle to play with him (zero interest) so there's that...sigh.

[DJ]

Maybe the pup needs to realize your an alpha pack leader as well as your partner. To me it sounds like the pup treats your partner as the alpha and you as a litter mate. Our pup is still small only 11 weeks but even when we first got her at 9 she was starting to nip a lot and was trying to nip at the kids when they walked etc. She knows not to nip at me now after setting ground rules etc. We will still have our fun play time together while I rub her belly, she will softly tug on my hand. But if I say no bite she immediately stops. I have become that alpha role with her. If I see her lunge or nip at one of the kids I immediately say no bite. She stops, sits and looks at me. She also goes in time out at times in her playpen.So far things are working well with her. And we love her to pieces. I am also with her everyday all day so maybe she has taken to me. I don't know but our previous dog (Maltese) we had for 13 years was soooo hard to train, potty train, anxiety, etc. I am just so amazed how smart this breed is!!

[Vicki Plaskiewicz SweetPea's mom]

You just described our beloved puppy. SweetPea is the most well behaved , fast learner and true companion dog anyone could hope for. But as you described so well - All of a sudden , there is a change and angel turns into a demon. My wrists are always showing bite marks or bruises from the three min. Ninja rages she exhibits. My new self preservation tactic, is to throw a blanket over her and then go sit down. The pup comes out of the blanket semi calmed down, I tell her to get her ball and we play. Things go back to normal fairly quickly, and our sweet little doodle we love so much is back to the norm.
I'm headed to a dog training center to join a group class to better socialize her with other dogs and hopefully learn how to become a better labradoodle parent.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Oh I so understand your pain LOL! I have one last tiny scab on the back of my right hand from our land shark but the scars? Numerous. I used to be so proud of the fact that I didn't have any age spots at 55 and my hands at least still looked youthful...so much for vanity, Henry has left his mark literally!