Goldendoodle Aggression

[Dawn]

I am new to the community and am starting another discussion on Goldendoodle aggression.  I saw a string from 2008 (posted by another Dawn :)), but wanted to start anew and with a different premise (the prior string asked whether to get a Goldendoodle -- we have one and need to fix a behavior). 

Our Goldendoodle, Guinness, is almost 7 months old.  He is usually very sweet, but whenever he has to do something he doesn't want to do or give up something he wants to hold onto, he growls.  If it goes to the next level, and he is forced to do something or give up something (for example, I might pick him up to take him to his crate or pull him away from the mud puddle he wants to jump in or take away the pine cone that he is about to swallow), he mouths or bites.  I have been bitten 3 times where he has punctured my skin.  The biting behavior has definitely been directed at me rather than my husband, but the growling has been directed at both of us.  In public, Guinness is a bouncy, floppy, people-loving dog, so I am not worried about him biting anyone when we are out and about.  The behavior definitely rears its ugly head when we are in the house or out alone.

We are looking into having an in-home behavioral specialist come to our house, but any thoughts from this community would be welcomed.  We do not have kids yet, but hope to in the future, so I want to stop this behavior before it becomes a real problem.

Thanks,

Dawn

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The not so quick fix would be teaching the "drop-it" command and trading something of value to him for whatever he drops.  And then also the "leave-it" command.  Have you been to many training classes?  I know when I went to training I learned so many things.  The training was more for me than the girls as it really taught me the things I needed to know on how to teach them to be good citizens.  Another article that I read once talked about when  you are taking something away from a dog.  It was talking about you cannot be hesitant at all when you do it.  That you have to move in and go for the item like you are the boss, you are in charge.  If you are tentative and sort of beg for him to give it to you then he knows he has the upper hand.  "leave it" is really good for all sorts of things, particularly on walks.  Rocks, leaves, water puddles, trash, dead animals.  When he leaves it you treat.  I'm sure some others will chime in with better advice but these are just the two things that come to mind for me right now.  Good luck.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Dawn, you are most definetly doing the right thing by having a trainer who specializes with behavioral problems come to your house. We went through a similar situation, and the good thing is, with patience,diligence and consistency with training, you will see a huge difference. We still go to training, b/c now it has become a hobby for us. Guinness is trying to test you..and its working! Good luck with training, it gets better!!

[Bonnie and Kona]

I'm so glad you are willing to work on this issue with a trainer. I would not let it go on for long without being addressed by a qualified professional. It is good to read success stories like Jill posted below! Good luck and keep us posted. All of us benefit when someone gets good training advice and shares it. There is a group on DK called Training Experiences, Challenges and Mindsets. You might join that group for more ideas.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Everybody has had great advice, so I have nothing to add other than I agree that you should get a handle on this the sooner the better.  Good luck with training.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

You are definitely doing the right thing in working with a behavioral specialist.  I have been down this path with Murphy...you will find an account of this in the Training Group.  We have worked through it, and now we see none of these behaviors.  It has been a long journey.  Would you consider opening a discussion in the Training Group so we can follow your progress and you can share what you are learning.  Good Luck!

[Donna, Emma, Bender & Busby]

I have also always had guarding issues with Emma.  She was re-homed to us four years ago at 18 mos old and we didn't know beforehand that these issues existed.  We worked diligently with a trainer and always offered a treat in exchange for the "contraband" together with the "drop it" command.  While it's certainly gotten better, and by that I mean we are no longer bitten, Emma will still steal socks, hankies, hand towels, etc. and she now runs to the fridge to await her piece of cheese.  Frustrating, but again, certainly better than growling and biting.  Maybe one day she will feel that she won't have steal anymore.  I would be VERY interested in following what your behaviorist advises and how it works for you.  Good Luck!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Boris started a little of this growling when he was about four months old, it was when he had something high value in his mouth. I did not trade with him and went up to him and very firmly and in a fearless manner told him to 'drop it'.  He did what I said, I took it from him and then gave it back.  The next time he did the same thing I simply went up to him and petted him but didn't take the toy/bone away. Other times I traded with him. I didn't do the same thing each time so he never knew what was coming.  He did learn to completely trust that I wasn't a threat but that also I am definitely the boss around here.  Now he is seven months old and he never growls at all and I can take anything from him, or he drops it when I ask. He does growl a bit at Riley though when he's busy chewing something he doesn't want to share but never with me or any other person. Riley uses another method.  He goes and gets something of his own then Boris thinks he is missing out on something and goes over to investigate, dropping what he had and then Riley sneaks in and takes it. lol  I think what I am saying is that had I not dealt immediately with the issue and if I had shown any fear it may have become a bigger problem. I think bringing in a trainer is the best advice and as soon as possible while Guinness is still in the puppy phase. I too would be very interested to hear what advice you are given.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Nicky, clearly your strategy was perfect.  Here's my favorite part...."I didn't do the same thing each time so he never knew what was coming.  He did learn to completely trust that I wasn't a threat but that also I am definitely the boss around here".  He had to think about it...what were you going to do?  This occupied his mind and he couldn't fixate on guarding.  Talk about getting into the mind of your dog...so awesome!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I take that as a huge compliment coming from you Jane. I probably learned a lot from reading your posts and watching your training video clips. :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You can cure this.  It depends on the dog's seriousness in guarding behaviors as to how long it might take.  A trainer's observations and guidance will be invaluable.

[Dawn]

Thank you everyone for the responses -- I am so glad I found this forum!  While I don't wish this type of puppy behavior on anyone, I have to admit that I feel better and reassured that others have seen it in their doodles and have successfully cured it.  The thing about Guinness is that he is so sweet 95% of the time that his behavior the other 5% of the time continues to come as a shock.  Especially given that his guarding comes and goes, and he does not care at all when I sit by him when he is eating and/or reach my hand into his bowl to add food (we feed him bits at a time since he eats so fast!).  Once we get the trainer scheduled and receive some input, I will update this post and add thoughts to the training page.  We do take Guinness to group training classes now, but the "drop it"/"leave it" command has not been specifically addressed.  We do use "can I have it" (a suggestion from the Puppy Kindergarten trainer that sounds essentially the same in concept) when we are playing fetch and trade for treats.  I have tried to use this concept with Guinness when he has something of higher value (a bone or a pine cone), but have found that he digs his heels in when he really loves the item.  We will work harder on this and mix it up as it sounds like this has been effective in other cases. 

[Dawn]

Just a quick update.  The behavior specialist we were scheduled to work with had to cancel our first appointment due to a family emergency, and we are waiting to reschedule.  In the meantime, we have been working a lot on "can I have it" and on finding alternative ways to get Guinness to move from the couch etc.  These alternatives have been working quite well!  Thanks again for the tips, and I will provide more once we are able to meet with the specialist.

 

Dawn