Struggling a bit..

[Carrie king]

Let me start by saying I feel bad even typing this.  Our Chester (3 month old mini goldendoodle) is just a baby and I know it can take a great deal of time to see the dog that he will be emerge.  I just need some encouragement at this point as I am having a hard time connecting with him because of what i see as aggressive tendencies.

Chester has his sweet side.  He can be very sweet, and loving.  But just as often he can launch at your face, scratch, bite and destroy everything in his path.  We recently had a get together over here and no less than 4 people went home with injuries :( I had been convinced that this was an energy thing.  As a result, Chester gets 3 walks a day, 2 30 min play sessions and sometimes more.  I am home all day with him.  I have noticed that none of this makes the situation better, in fact, many times it makes it worse. ie. I take him for a walk and when we get back he becomes the tazmanian devil :)   A situation that often happens is when I let him out to do his business.  He will go and then immediately afterward proceed to tear up our yard.  Digging is his number 1 obsession!  Im not so much worried about our yard, but worried about the behavior.  I do not want him tearing up other peoples yards when we take him out to my parents or friends houses. I am not sure what to do in this instance because if I attempt to remove him from the area he is digging he immediately goes into rabid mode (thats what i call it :).  He bites and scratches and does anything he can to get away.  He does remind me of a wild animal that has been caught, just completely crazed. If i put him on the leash he goes even more crazy and im afraid he will get hurt since he pulls and rolls and freaks out so much. He also loves to pick on my more submissive little toy poodle, though I have seen a little improvement there.  When he is in "rabid mode" I usually give him a time out.  2 minutes or just long enough to settle.  This works really well, sort of like a reset button for his mind, but getting him to time out is usually a very dramatic battle.  I am not sure what do when he is like this. I try to be very calm, but I cant help but get upset by it.  Everyday I know it will happen, and I dread it. Ive never seen this in any of my other dogs..  And this is where I feel bad, because I know he is so young...but it just make me worry that he is going to be aggressive and out of control.. It also makes me feel like I am a terrible doodle parent. 

I have signed up for puppy class with starts next week.  I am hopeful this will help with the socialization part at least...Anyone else been through this with their doodle?  Any suggestions about how to approach him in "rabid mode"?

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Oh, I was covered by bruises and scratches when Monty was that age. He even tried to hump my leg a couple of times and I seriously thought I picked the wrong puppy. Just like you, I would take him for at least 3 walks a day thinking they would tire him out, but as soon as we got back, he got the zoomies as if he'd been locked up in a crate the whole day. Now, he did not destroy the house or anything. He liked to dig in the backyard and I made him a dedicated digging ground. Or we would go for a walk and suddenly he would jump from behind on my leg and rip my jeans. The only thing that gave him enough exercise was a dog park once he had all of his vaccinations. Even before his vaccinations were done, I would take him to a puppy socialization class where he would play with other puppies their age. Believe or not, I learned that he really is NOT a hyper puppy compared to other puppies that were there. We also started training early on.

He is 3 and half now and a therapy dog. Really sweet boy.

His young brother Auggie who is 14 months old now never bruised or scratched me. But that's because he focused all his puppy energy on Monty. But he is also the backyard destroyer. He shreds the bushes and the lawn (although he is getting much better now that he is older).

So I guess what I'm trying to say is: puppies can be very crazy, but they do grow out of the stage. Just make sure you set the rules and enforce them. The training will drain him as well.

Just don't give up. It can be very frustrating, but you will have a completely different dog in a few months as he matures.

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

PS - was just looking at the pics.  What a handsome little doodle.  Don't worry - I promise, it will all be fine.

[Dynamite & Doodle]

3 months is a tough time, hang in there. Our puppy used to go "piranha" and he caused his share of injuries and holes in clothing. He's 4.5 months now and I don't actually recall the last time he nipped at me.

I can offer a few tips though:

1. Get him really good stuff to chew on. Our guy loves Bully sticks, we buy huge ones that are 13" long and over an inch thick. These last him a couple of weeks each. He also enjoys Himalayan dog chews, it's like cheese with the consistency of concrete.

2. When he would go piranha I would calmy pick him up and hold him out at arms' length to avoid his wriggly and sharp teeth. I put him in his crate and he would calm down instantly and go to sleep. A lot of his "bad" behavior was due to being overtired and unable to recognize that he needed sleep on his own. I didn't use the crate as a punishment, but rather as "dude, you're exhausted, here have a nap" and that worked really well for us. He would wake up later on, a happy camper.

3. Can you get a sandbox for him to dig in? Having a place where it's OK to dig might be a good investment.

4. Playing with other puppies is really good at leveling these guys out. I noticed when our puppy would play with our friend's puppy early on he was WAY less nippy/crazy after. They learn to control their mouths and teeth from puppy play. He doesn't nip at us at all anymore and he was very nippy when he was tiny.

[Becka]

I agree with all of these, especially with #4. As soon as Sadie started socializing regularly with other dogs (at 17 weeks, when she'd had all of her shots), her land shark behavior vanished--seemingly overnight.

[Carrie king]

I think giving him time to play with other puppies is a great idea. Our older dogs wont play his games, he needs that puppy energy. He does have an area on the far end of our yard that I wouldnt mind if he dug to his hearts delight. But he doesnt want to dig there much. Not as fun as our planting bed :) also, im wondering thats a bad habit to foster? How will he know how to behave himself in other peoples yards?

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

Absolutely give him a dedicated place to dig.  100% excellent idea.  Dogs don't generalize the way people do so no worry about fostering a bad habit.

[Dynamite & Doodle]

He should enjoy digging where you want him to dig if you start digging in that area. Get a shovel and dig a couple of spot up and then use your hands and show him that it's OK there. When my kids are digging, Darwin gets in there like a dirty shirt and helps.

[Vivian & Mojo]

My Labradoodle Mojo was a wild biting shark between 3 months and 9 months, he bit me and tore my clothing and chewed up my home. I just wanted to cuddle and hold him but everything was a nip and chew game with him. I often cried and at times thought he hated me. I slowly found things to do that got him focused on the positive and with private training, (just a few hours, puppy class just didn't do it) He started to calm down. I always gave him enough exercise and walks but he needed mind stimulation as well as massage.  I bought several food puzzles and he really loved them and along with training with delicious treats like fresh chicken or Zukes mini's  the wild shark didn't come out as often. For walking I tried the head harness but that made him even crazier and he rolled on the ground trying to get it off and cried. After several tries my private trainer suggested the easy walker harness and that worked amazingly well and I still use it now (a larger size) he is 17 months old. For the massage I would start behind his ears and than down his spine and around the hips and would sing a soft song staying calm, when I got upset or yelled he would get wild so I learned to relax. We got into a routine and he started to become the sweet puppy I brought home at 2 months. Its very hard but don't give up and remember when they are over active or over tired the create is a create place to relax but not as a punishment more as an oasis. Not all things work for every dog so find what works for yours.  I wish you the best of luck, it does get easier as they mature. 

[Helen & Kirby]

hang in there....

puppy class will be amazing-Chester will learn so much from playing with other pups, and they also teach you how to 'stop' playing.

[Tammy and Violet]

Oh Carrie I feel your pain ...Violet does some of the same things you said ! Hang in there V will be one on Sunday and it does get better...we just train .. try stuff and what works works and what does not work we try something else ...if you want to chat fdurther let me know .....

[Miss Ellie]

So perfectly normal...this will so pass and it truly does help to know that what you are going through is shared by many before you.  Hang in there Carrie...this too shall pass as Chester will not be a puppy forever!

[Carrie king]

Just want to update this. Sorry, ive been super busy! I am seeing little improvements in Chester. There are times that he actually listens when I say "no bite". I am still doing 2 min timeouts when he gets rough with Cosmo. Its the only thing that seems to snap him out of "rabid mode". He still seems to want to pick on Cosmo a ton & I am hoping this something he will outgrow. Our little Cosmo is such a sweetheart :) he has become much better at home, but when hes around others hes still out of control. He loves to launch himself into peoples faces & he nips relentlessly. Its kind of demoralizing after seeing progress at home..

This has been a huge learning curve for my husband and I. Im not sure we were prepared for how much more challenging he would be. Its be tough to really connect with him which is very different for me. Its slow going but I am hopeful! Thanks for all the reassurance!