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. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

OMD, Skadi is gorgeous.  I am so glad she is as sweet as she looks!

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Thank-you.  She has become the best furbaby. Her presence has become our honor and pleasure.  She brings us the most joy since our human babies and has us calling each other mom & daddy again!

[Rosella T]

You are getting some great advice on this thread so I'd just like to add that 5-8 months was literally the worst time for me and my first puppy. It was 16 years ago but I do remember sometimes thinking I had made a big mistake getting a puppy! Of course he grew out of it and was the love of my life but he was never a super cuddly dog. He would lay with his head on my lap for 30 minutes at a time maximum and then would go and do his own thing. Some dogs are not super cuddly and that's okay. Trust me when I tell you once your puppy gets through this bratty phase you will learn to love her personality.

As for the biting, that is unacceptable and a dog needs to learn that immediately. I used the technique described by a few people here already. I yelped like a litter mate and then folded my arms and turned my back on the puppy. She will come to learn that as soon as she bites all interaction ends.

Also I concur with those who have told you not to hit her snout or spray water in her face. That will definitely make her afraid of you and for sure she won't want to cuddle or even trust you. It just puts her on the defensive. 90% of the time aggression comes from fear. Treat training is the best way, in my opinion. 

Another important thing is not to lose hope! I know it seems hard but you do have a baby, an animal baby, but a baby nonetheless so treat her like you would treat a baby when you're trying to teach her something. You wouldn't hit a toddler in the face if they threw their sippy cup at you, right? Same with a baby dog. Patience is key and I know yours is being tested to the limit! We've all been there. You're only human so don't beat yourself up either!

Best of luck!!! :)