Crazy 8 Month Goldendoodle

[Ashley Thurman]

Hi, 

I'm kinda new here and I had some questions about my goldendoodle. I've looked up about what other's have said about the constant mouthing, but in addition to constantly nipping at us he actually bit my 7 year old son while playing outside. He seems to HATE jackets of any kind and they were playing and he got a hold of his arm and it was like once he had it he had to tear the jacket to shreds and took my son to the ground doing it. It didn't seem to be out of anger or anything like that.... more playing getting out of control. 

In addition to all the mouthiness he grabs anything in sight to chew up. It's like his mouth is a magnet... if it's not tied down, he tries to eat it. But my real concern with this is he ALWAYS seems like he's starving. He's definitely not under weight. We currently feed GO! Duck formula because we had SO many issues with his digestive as a younger pup and this is the only food that doesn't give him diarrhea. He gets about 3 cups a day, which is the recommended amount and I've monitored his weight and he seems perfectly healthy on that amount of food. Am I feeding to little? Is it normal for 8 month old puppies to go so crazy over food still? With our last dog I feel like he calmed down quite a bit by now (which was a lab mix). 

We've been through 2 puppy classes and honestly if I have a treat in my hand he will sit, stay, lay, watch me, wait, all those basic commands, but if there's no treat, I'm lucky to get a sit. 

The only thing I can think of is that he's not getting quite as much exercise as he needs. I recently had to have a surgery and my parents had to move in with us for a little while due to medical reasons and life has just been crazy, but they have a dog and they run and chase each other around all the time, and we do still walk him and go to the dog park, just not as much as he would like I'm sure, but he's certainly not crated all day or anything. 

Anyone have thoughts or ideas? 

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

I'd recommend you check out Doggy Dan, since what you're describing sounds as if maybe he thinks he is in control of your son at least. Doggy Dan the online dog trainer has a great rep here for helping put order back with really positive methods. Dogs learn really quickly, "this, then that.." So I'm wondering what your reactions are after he nips, pulls your son down, asks for treats, etc.?
About the food, I'd join the Food Group here as it is a wonderful resource and any questions get expert eyes on them.
I'd also try intermittently reinforcing commands with treats, that way he will learn to perform without knowing if a treat will come as a result or not...
Exercise is huge IMHO. That's great that he is able to run with your parents' dog. I'd continue all that and then when he returns inside if he still has energy, try some mental stim games, puzzles, training, etc. to drain energy, too.
Good luck and enjoy having him - hope this helps! Best,

[Ashley Thurman]

Thanks Cindy! I'll look into Doggy Dan! 

[Kathryn Clark]

This sounds so typical of doodle behavior from the more energetic doodles I know. We have a fifteen month old labradoodle who exhibited all of these behaviors around the same age except for the food issue, we have the opposite problem there. You're spot on with the exercise thought. Ours needs at least a one hour daily romp off leash at the park or we pay the price in the evening. A good game of tug in the evening tires him out quickly. And you have to keep up with the training. I also highly recommend Doggie Dan. We saw a huge difference within a few days after trying three different trainers. You'll find all your problems answered on the site with videos but there is also a forum where you can ask direct questions. Dan is quick to reply and really seems to understand how to solve specific problems. I still subscribe months later and feel it's well worth the money. Our ten year old daughter is no longer afraid of our doodle, he's a total snuggle bunny with her now thanks to the training. But, you gotta love this crazy breed! I was pulling my hair out dealing with our issues and then I met the most sedate poodle recently and thought "How boring! I love my goofball!" Good luck to you.

[Ashley Thurman]

OH good... at least it's typical : ) I'm just ready to stop gating off the house to keep him in the only room where nothing is on the floor... with 3 kids it's so hard to keep it all off the floor, especially my two year old who likes to hand him things ; ) They all sure keep me busy!