Did you ever question your decision to get a puppy?

[Smita, Ollie and Juno]

   Many of you will probably hate me for saying this.Today was a day where I
questioned my decision to bring a puppy into our lives. Mind you, this
was not an impulsive decision. I thought it out for almost 2 years,
waited for my kids to be old enough and read and researched as much as I
could before deciding on the breed and the breeder. After that I waited
about 5 months on a wait list. After all this, today I have been
questioning the sanity of my decision.
   Ollie was a complete tyrant today.Biting, nipping, growling and pretty much acting like a complete
maniac. I give him plenty of stimulation through training and play, as
well as plenty of quiet time, but he was getting so wound up today that
it was out of control. He pretty much terrorized my loving and gentle
daughters. I was almost in tears with frustration. He was lunging and
growling for seemingly no reason. He also latches on to my shoes or
clothes and will not let go no matter how firmly I say "NO". When I try
to remove him physically, he goes completely berserk. I gave him short time outs but as soon as he was out he would repeat the whole process. 
   The growling and lunging to bite is a big concern to me. I got the number of a trainer
who does in-home sessions and I will be calling him tomorrow. Just so
frustrated today!!
I wonder if there is any chance that he will turn into the lovable, sweet doodle like the one I was dreaming of.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Absolutely!! Luca was impossible for a while. Much of it was because I'd never had a puppy. I found he was worse when he was overtired and I would tether him, with a metal leash, to the doorknob because I had no crate upstairs. He'd settle down after a couple of minutes and take a nap. Then he'd wake up and be lovable again. Calla was older when I got her and I knew more. she settled in much more readily.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I didnt ever question our decision, but I know my husband did. That first week was so tough - little sleep, constantly watching the puppy and the cats, constantly going outside, removing items she wanted to chew on,.....

I decided that my pup was perhaps OVER stimulated and over tired and had to remove her several times a day for naps. She couldnt lay down herself and sleep - we had to put her in her crate (with a toy and treat) and she would fall asleep almost immediately. As she got older we could use her pen for nap time, and now she will lay down and nap by herself

Maybe try spraying a bittering agent (Bitter Apple and Bitter Yuk are 2 brand names) on things you dont want ollie to chew/mouth

I think contacting a trainer is a good idea (we never had to deal with these issues so i cant help you there) to nip the behaviour in the bud straight away. He will learn quick :)

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

I am so sorry that Ollie is behaving so badly today. There certainly are days when puppies can try your patience and make you question your decision to bring them home. I had many days where I wondered if I would ever get Webber to behave and he has became a very good boy. Perhaps Ollie needs to spend some time in the crate until your daughters are down for the night, to give all of you a break tonight. Try not to loose hope, Ollie is still a baby. See what the trainer has to offer, take a deep breath, and I would be surprised if anyone hates you. . You are just having a hard day. It will get better.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

OH yeah... The only thing that helps is exercise. Wear that puppy out. We walked for many miles. On a leash, that puppy is far away from your fingers so they can't bite them...... Walk Walk Walk.

This too shall pass. Next you will be on to counter surfing and sock eating. We are all out here with you on this one.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I should send you a copy of my Christmas card last year where I wrote about getting our new puppy. I was so exhausted. What you are describing is pure puppy. I am a homemaker, so was able to make sure Fudge got on a schedule and that helped a lot. I also took her to daycare and it wore her out which made us all happy. She would get so wound up and seem like she was very high energy, but in reality, she was tired. Her behavior would get so much worse when she was tired. Fudge is done with the puppy stage...will be two in December and has mellowed so much. However, she still needs her sleep and when she starts to get into trouble, I know she is tired.

Believe it or not, I got another puppy in March.

It will get better with training, consistency, and time. Hang in there.

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

I think we've all had moments like this when we brought puppies home. Fenway, our first, had razors for teeth and actually cut open my husbands eyebrow once! We had a trainer come work with us from the second day we had her home and he gave us instructions about how to introduce her to her crate and begin that and potty training before we even brought her home. We did some tethering to us and to doorknobs and this really helped. We also taught her very early on about her "place" and would tether her in that "place" for short periods of time. This was within sight of us and she did much better there than in the crate. Your trainer should help a lot. And just to make you feel even better we had new and different issues with our second puppy even though we followed the same guidelines we had with Fenway. Different dog different rules! He would howl and cry literally all night when in his crate for a week solid. Thought we'd never get through it! Just know it will get better. Both mine are sweet and oh so perfect (most of the time) ;)!

[shelly]

Just TODAY?! Don't beat yourself up! We have ALL been there... and believe me there were MANY days I questioned myself and even quickly thought of possibly not keeping her! I DID cry - ALOT! I promise it DOES get better. Heck... it's like childbirth... you swear you'll never do it again... and lo and behold... you're searching for #2!
Hold on... the love bug will show his face!

[Adina P]

There is a HUGE chance he'll turn into a lovable, sweet doodle. My Rosco was a MONSTER nipper (of me only) and he bit hard for MONTHS. Training saved us and he's been a therapy dog (for 2+ years).

Just remember he's a baby and babies and toddlers are often naughty...except puppies are naughty in a different way =) He probably was lunging and nipping 'for no reason' the same way sometimes babies and toddlers act funny 'for no reason' other than they can or they don't know what else to do with their energy/frustration/emotions.

[Kyoko]

I am so sorry to hear that Ollie had a rough day. ( I guess you did, too!!) It is going to be OK. And Ollie will calm down in time. I know it does not seems like right now, but it is going to really happen. I am not sure how old your daughters are, but young children are unpredictable, and they can over excite the young puppy, too. So, Ollie may be overly stimulated... I remember Charlie getting wild and cranky when she was over stimulated, and I used to let her go to her crate to sleep. After the good nap, she was as good as gold....

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

First off...Ollie is adorable:) You didn't say how long you've had him or how old he is. You are not alone and every thought you are having is quite normal:) Puppies can be very trying. They test, test, test all the time. Kind of like our kids when they were little!! It sounds like you are doing everything right so far. Consistency and patience is extremely important. Get some chew toys to keep him busy. The Food Group has lots of ideas for treats

I suggest you join the Puppy Madness group. There are LOTS of stories there regarding all this. It will help to know you are not alone:) It helps keep sanity.

A trainer is a great idea. We had some one on one for Lucca for his resource guarding when he was around 5 months. It was more for me than him but helped me cope and learn how to react.

Believe me, it DOES get better. The first 6 months or so are trying but you'll get through it. We all have and some of us are on pup #'s 2 and 3:)

We're in San Mateo so hopefully we can meet sometime. Good luck

[Smita, Ollie and Juno]

Thanks Carla. Ollie is 10 weeks old today and we've had him for about 8 days. I would love to meet sometime and maybe even join a doodle romp once Ollie's vaccinations are done.

[Smita, Ollie and Juno]

Thank you all so very much. I read your replies and almost burst into tears of relief. Every time I post in frustration, I feel like I'm the only one with this mad,crazy (but lovable) puppy. Then all of you reply and it feels like there is a light at the end of a tunnel. You're all correct. Now he is sleeping like an angel and I feel guilty for wishing I had not got him. He is capable of real sweet moments and has shown a lot of intelligence and spunk.Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I won't be whining to you all anymore about my crazy little Ollie. I'll keep you all posted with what the trainer says.