Help with aggressive, unaffectionate puppy?

[Joanna & Maya]

Hi everyone :)

I have a 5 month old miniature goldendoodle puppy. She is nothing like what we were expecting. She hates being touched, will back away if we try to pet her, doesn't cuddle...if we try to put her on the sofa with us she jumps to the floor. she's really aggressive...bites us like mad and only bites harder when we yell NO or hit her snout/spray water. we've had her since she was 8 weeks old and have been consistently training her EVERY DAY, but NOTHING. she still jumps on furniture, attacks our socks, steals stuff from the coffee table etc. 

when we bought her we thought she'd be an affectionate, cuddly, friendly girl...but she's the complete opposite. it's making us sad, and we're starting to lose hope. have any of you had this problem? do you think she'll change or is this just her personality? i don't understand why she's like this. 

[Rebecca Chynoweth]

I would also like to add Cooper is just starting to cuddle more and he is 18 months old. I think they are so interested in everything that it is hard for them to relax and focus on your attention. Now he comes up on the bed in the morning for a little massage session!!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

There is already great advice here, I will just add that my dood was not a cuddler until recently, and he is 1 and 1/2 years already.  A puppy is an investment in time, patience and consistency.  Good luck! 

[Joanna & Maya]

Thanks Lori & Quincy :) 

[Gail and Bailey]

I agree that there is great advice here!  

We got our doodle at 6 months of age and it took until she was almost 2 years old for her to begin to seek us out and have it be her idea to sit or lay with us. We were beginning to think she was part cat...as independent as she was!  She is still not the "cuddle bug" I hoped she would be but I love her personality and would not trade it for anything!  It is pretty special when she crawls up on the couch to relax beside me now!  All dogs are different just as all people are.  Give your girl some time to mature and give her the training and unconditional love she needs to grow into a well balanced companion.  

[Joanna & Maya]

I will try my best! Thank you :)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

JoAnna: please, let us know how you are doing. If nothing else, you can use us as a place to vent and sounding board. Take one day at a time and if you can follow all the advice given, things will surely get better.

[Joanna & Maya]

Thank you! I'm not as much upset with her as I am confused. Training my first pup was a breeze...don't remember biting to this extent at all. My brother's weimaraner is a couple months older and stopped nipping at 2 months. I won't give up on her though :)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Great news! You are a trooper for sure. The folks here on DK are very knowledgable and will do their very best to help get you through this. At one point or another, we all shared, to some degree, what you are experiencing . I have an 8 month old now...yup...been there! ;)

[Wendy and Myla]

My last puppy before Myla was also a goldendoodle - Zak.   She was a breeze to train and did not nip at all!  She died at the age of five and we got Myla about 8 months later - I could not believe how much Myla nipped!  I was horrified - those puppy teeth hurt - I have had two other puppies besides Zak and none of them nipped like Myla!!!  I know it's awful and you just want to give up but it does pass as everyone here states!  Myla stopped around five months and I still remember how much it hurt and I thought it would never end!  Hang in there and just do as everyone suggests so that she knows it is unacceptable - we still have the command "no teeth" as she wants to heard the grandkids with her mouth but it is very gentle but we still have to let her know it is unacceptable.  As far as the cuddling, I think you have gotten  very good advice - dogs are like people, some like it, some don't and they might change as they get older. Good luck and know that you can always come to DK and get advice!!!!

[Deborah Brown]

Penny was a difficult puppy.  She didn't seem to crave human contact either.  AND she seemed to have a potty "accident" almost every day no matter how closely I watched her.  The first six months were very difficult.  The good news is that things get better.  Please don't be too disheartened.

I haven't read all the advice below but I'm sure you've gotten some great information.  At this point, I'd suggest you find a good trainer to come to your house and work with you. Please stop spraying your dog with water and yelling at her.  You need to use only positive methods for training.  It's going to take some work to get yourselves turned around but it will be worth it.

[Joanna & Maya]

Yes everyone on here is really helpful! Thanks for your input :)

[Rebecca bratter]

Doodles are all different. Ours is not a cuddler, she needs her space but she must always be with me, wherever I go in the house. In fact I have no privacy from her but it's endearing. She also loves to cuddle up and lay on my foot. We got her at 10 weeks she's now 11 months. What I've seen and learned is that you must give comforting unconditional love along with the discipline. My husband and I argue over disciplining our pup. She is such a good girl and when she does doggy things like chew something up or have an accident I don't believe that any form of punishment works, it only creates fear which blocks the learning. Training school,can teach you the proper way to discipline but when you mention hitting her snout or spraying water, that could be part of the problem. Doodles are so smart, they learn so easily with gentle teaching, the words down or stop and a hand signal are usually enough. They are just such amazing and loving dogs. Maybe a gentler approach could help. Also not that you are doing this but my husband forces our dog to cuddle, and she hates it, her cuddling is always being near, sleeping on my feet and showing me her unquestionable loyalty and love when I come home from work everyday. She twerks her little tailless butt off every time she sees me.