Puppy Agression?

[Kristen]

How can you tell the difference between puppy play and puppy aggression? Our 10 week old doodle is very mouthy which is normal...he's even getting much better, but it seems like he's trying to be aggressive with my kids at times? We keep him on a leash pretty much at all times because we can't let him get near the babies as he chews them. I take him on walks and give him free time on his own in our fenced in yard.nobody can go in there and play with him though because all he does is bite.

My concern though is sometimes he will focus on one kid and lunge at them snapping and barking. The kids haven't done anything to him and I am always supervising any interactions. I'm having them give him treats and telling him to sit or lay down, but when he gets like this I can't even get him settled. I just have to remove him completely or crate him.

Should I be worried that he may be aggressive?

[VScott & Lloyd]

I was in the same situation with our puppy (he's almost 2 now). I think your pup may be feeling his way around the pecking order while also getting some energy out. Between the ages of 10 weeks and 5 months, my pup was a terror...chewed anything he could get his mouth on, nipped and bit, and had his crazy running/biting/attacking spells during walks. My arms were full of bloody scratches and bite marks and I couldn't leave my kids alone with him without supervision (and they were 7 and 9 at the time). You can probably find my old posts on this website begging for advice (Haha! Funny now, not then). Things started settling down once his baby teeth fell out and at the same time I started using the Pet Corrector (canned air that makes hissing sound) to snap him out of his spells. Anyway, I think what you're doing is good - supervising him and the kids and giving him a time out when he misbehaves, and tell him "No Bite". I also kept mine on a long leash inside the home until this and the potty training was done. Kind of annoying but I think it prevented a lot of damage and aggravation. It may also help to have the kids feed him his food (and make him wait until they release him to eat).

I'm definitely not a professional, but our dog is great now. No more biting or attacking us like he used to, just a funny guy that wants to play ball. Good luck, you can do this!

[Jeremy]

Our family is currently going through the same thing. We have had our medium goldendoodle, Blu, for almost 2 weeks. He is 9 1/2 weeks old and very mouthy/nippy especially to our 7 and 9 year old girls. He does mouth me but because I am with him the most he seems to mouth me the least. With the girls, he goes after their legs, na did they are on the floor with him trying to play with him he goes after their hands arms and hair. We have tried re-directing him with chew toys and timeouts. The re-directing keeps him away temporarily but he still comes back and if they don't have a toy he goes after a body part. Timeouts calm him down but he still comes back to the mouthing and biting. Not sure what to do - have. Eem going through the old posts to try and come up with something.

[Diane D]

I would suggest finding an attention grabber. Something that will stop him cold. Get his attention so he "freezes and looks at you". Some people use air cans, some buzz or shock collars, some throw a soda can filled with stones, and you can find many more on the internet. We use a newspaper in the plastic bag (the ones they throw on your driveway) and slap it against the wall, counter, or our other hand. Roxy immediately stops what she's doing and looks at us. We tell her no. It she goes back to what she was doing we repeat it again. it's always worked for us as she gets the idea. Hope this helps you. 

[LORRY SWETLAND]

Turbo just turned one on Jan 6th. From my experience with dog sitting Doodles I have found that they need more exercise than most people have time to give them. I got  Turbo when he was 3 months old. He was the last of the 10 in the litter to be adopted. He adjusted very quickly to my home with potty training and staying by my side without a leash but I had the time and patience and let me tell you. You need a lot of calm patience and determination to get it across to them on who is the pack leader.At the time I got Turbo my 92 yr old Aunt was staying with me and because Turbo was so big and strong and doing all the puppy nipping and biting I had to keep him away from her. Fearing that she would get knocked over. Turbo grabbed my index finger when he was still with his baby fangs and nearly tore it off. That is when I got a collar that buzzed him or gave a small shock to immediately stop what he was doing. I know there are owners out there that don't approve of the collar, but I will tell you that it stopped that biting behavior immediately. Using the collar for extreme  behavior and wisely and not abusing the collar or the dog they work. I have used them on my other dogs and after a few months they respect the collar. Turbo wears the collar when someone comes to the house and he doesn't jump or nip at them and I don't use the remote. He doesn't chew things up not even his toys. But he was always at my side and still is. He goes everywhere with me and is as good as gold. With 6 children I know it is hard to spend much time with him. I would definitely take him to training classes and take the older children with you so they learn how to make the puppy listen to them as well. Then the older children can help teach the younger ones what not to do. GOOD LUCK and Happy Puppy days will be over before you know it.  

Turbo has always had to stay behind my chair when I was eating. It took several times several times a day of putting him back behind my chair. He also has to sit and stay until I put his food bowl down and wait for me to give him the hand signal to go to his bowl. If he moved while I was starting to put it down. I started all over again after 2 feedings he got the message. I always make him focus on me and not what I'm doing. He now watches for hand signals rather than words. TIME_TIME_and MORE TIME and he will be the perfect pup. Also before you try to train him to do anything make sure he has been exercised til he is tired then proceed with the training.

calm assertive energy so he knows who's the pack leader. I would use  the older children in a line and the pup with them to teach the pup  to sit. Say sit and the children sit then push the pups butt to the floor. The children will enjoy being part of the plan to teach.

I'm not a trainer but  I am retired and have had many dogs in my life time since I got my first pup at 13 and had the full responsibility of her care everyday of her life. These are just some of the things I have learned by experience.

Turbo as I said is a year old and stands 28inches to the shoulder and is 77.6 pounds. This is only my opinion. Again GOOD LUCK!!!!!!! This too shall pass.

[Diane D]

So many good ideas. Thanks for sharing! 

[Diane D]

Goldendoodles are not for the faint of heart. Everyone sees them and falls in love with them but they require much more attention than any other breed I've had.  Roxy is our doodle. She is a standard size female year and half and weighs 65 lbs. We love her because she's such an innocent soul. She lives for play. She starts everyday with a smile and exuberance for life. She fears nothing and no one. She worships the Almighty Ball. Could it be because we are retired that we envy her youthful energy? 

Anyhow, I agree what has been said by others:

1. HIGH Energy-Playing fetch for 15 minutes three times a day, In wet weather we do it in the house, Long walks (45 mins-1 hr) twice a day, 5 hour day of doggy daycare once a week (in bad weather (snow or rain) we do it twice a week) is what Roxy gets..Her time is planned into our day.  A couple of walks around the block is not enough for Roxy. Tug of war games excite her more so we do not do that with her. 

2. Mental Stimulation-Doodles are smart and need an outlet. Hide and seek games using treats or a toy. Would not recommend kids hiding that could be too exciting.We take Roxy out to PetSmart and Tractor Supply where they welcome pets. She loves riding in the car because she knows she is going someplace fun and different where she'll meet new people. We use a head collar (Halti) and she behaves perfectly. It takes time getting use to it. It was recommended by our vet. Tons of ideas for games and dog puzzles on You Tube and internet.

3. Attention Grabber-Something that will stop her in her tracks! We found quite by accident that if we slap a newspaper in the plastic bag ) on our other hand or the counter top it stops her cold. Whatever she is doing, she "freezes", stares at us and we say "NO". If she goes back to jumping, biting, whatever we repeat and she does get the idea quickly. Use only for the worse offenses. Some people use air cans, buzz/shock collars, throw soda cans with stones in them, etc. Use whatever works for your dog. Cesar Milan makes a hissing sound and pokes them. That did nothing for Roxy. Try to find an attention grabber that will "stop him immediately and have him look at you". 

4. Training-A must! for their own safety and the safety of others, They must know all the basic commands Go to classes, practice at home, and review all commands regularly. Ask your vet for a recommendation for a dog behavioral specialist if you are concerned. 

You've been give such good ideas here. I hope a couple of them will work with your pup. He's still so young and excitable. He needs to learn boundaries. Find an attention grabber and let him know that it's not acceptable action. Be consistent. Just like raising a child, it takes repetition, patience and love. Good luck.

[Kristen]

Thank you so much for the information! When Roxy was super young (10 weeks) did you give her the same amount of exercise? I'm currently taking him on two 45 min - 1 hour walks a day. We try to play tug and fetch with him but he gets so wound up all he wants to do is chew on us and we can't get him to stop...yet. We are having regular training sessions with him but have not yet been to puppy classes (because he's young still). I am also taking him for rides in the car on a regular basis. He doesn't stay long in his crate during the day as I'm home with him most of the day. He has one day of the week that he's in there for a 4 hour stretch.

I love the idea of an attention grabber as that is what makes it so difficult when he gets so excited. There is nothing that gets his attention.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

NEVER PLAY TUG WITH PUPPIES.  Not only does it over-excite them, it teaches them to pull things away from you. If you need to get something away from them, they will play tug instead of letting you get it.

[LORRY SWETLAND]

I am home all day with Turbo and about every 2 hrs I let him run in the backyard. He will run around the house for about 15/20 min non stop. Then I put him through his paces of sit stay paw speak down and anything else I can think of hehe. I have been doing this since I got him at 3 months old. I have just started to leave him at home alone. I have 2 4 foot gates at the doorway to the laundry room and the kitchen to the rest of the house. He is in the kitchen while I am out. I put his pillow and toys in the kitchen  for him to play with while I am out. He has been doing very well with being home alone. I on the other hand miss not having him with me. big time guilt on my part...lol