New Teenage Doodle Behaviors???

[nonnie browne]

So my doodle buddy has been a pretty normal guy. He is neutered and we passed our akc CGC test at six months, so he is responsive to training and really "plugged in" to me. All that said, he has been acting so oddly lately. After months of peeing and pooping in predictable places in the yard (which I faithfully scoop) he has decided he wants to pee and poop in my shrubs, on my ground cover, and over my daylilies. He seems to love fragrant flowers and flits around the yard like a gardener, whiffing at everything, trying to eat worms after the rain, and picking up petals which have dropped on the ground. He asks to go out all the time, then wants to wander about and screw around when he gets there - disappearing behind large planted areas back and forth between the front and back yards. Thankfully with good training, his recall is still rock solid. Indoors, he has for the first time, started barking when looking out the window - never did that before, and at night, wanders around the house - kind of like a bored teenager - looking for somethiing to do. I am forever calling him back to me and have even tethered him to me at times again to keep track of him. He gets tons of exercise, is a happy guy, has gobs of toys and chews, but yeesh, is just acting goofy! Does any of this sound like your teenage doodles?

[Melissa & Porter]

Porter is seven months--not sure if that means he is a teen. He has started woofing and chuffing a lot though, mostly at strangers he does not expect to see or when someone comes in the house without ringing the doorbell or announcing themselves i.e. my husband. The kids are always saying something so they don't surprise Porter.

He also wanders a bit at night too, but I thought it was the heat...

Your dog's behavior sounds pretty funny/adorable :-)

[Andrea Balanzategui]

Charlie, my 7 month old sounds EXACTLY like this (though he's in a crate at night so can't wander) except that he was never the model citizen like yours... :) Our trainer did say that puppies have a teenage stage where the exert a little more independence, test boundaries, etc. perhaps this is it!