Crazy Bob - Is there an end in sight? When did your's calm down?

[Abby Christos]

Hey everyone,

I'm sure there are a million posts about this, but here's another. Bob is a crazy man 95% of the time. He. will. just. not. sit. down. ever. The only time he lays down for more than 30 seconds is when I'm cooking in the kitchen and he's waiting for food to fall or if he has a rawhide/bully stick. And it's not just the activity. He occasionally darts down the driveway and out to the street. He will not stop for anything. I worry he's going to get hit by a car when he does this! Also, when he gets zoomy, he gets a little aggressive and snarly if I try to put him in his pen to calm down. 

So, I guess I'm looking for a little encouragement here. I'm much more patient with him, but my husband brought up re-homing today. Now, I'll never let him give my baby-dog away but I wish it wouldn't get to that point. I keep telling him to be patient and it's just a rebellious phase. BTW, Bob is a little over 9 months. 

How old was your doodle when he/she finally settled down?

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My doodles calmed down and were not puppy crazy about at the year + mark.   Sounds like you need to get your puppy in some training classes and get some exercise in because a tired dog is a good dog !!  I can't stress that enough and PLEASE, PLEASE do not open your door unless there is a leash on your puppy.  I just may be over protective but my doodles are NEVER loose unless they are in a secure, fenced in area.   Once you establish and your puppy knows YOU are boss you may have better control over him.  I think your best bet is to get some good solid training.  Good luck with your baby !

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Look at you typing away Barb!  :)  But I agree with Barb, NEVER let your pup out without a leash until he is trained.  And I probably still wouldn't do it even then.  I am crazy about that - Libby's mom sometimes lets her walk to the mailbox with her w/o her leash, and although Libby would never run away, I always worry that there will be a bunny or another dog across the street and she will turn on her selective deafness and ignore mom's commands.  Your pup is young and trainable and this is far from a hopeless situation!  It just takes patience and work!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Amen!

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

LOL.... is this great or what :)

[Abby Christos]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I am going today to get Bob a dog license with our city and then we will try out a dog park this weekend. There are a few dogs in my neighborhood, but they all seem very unfriendly. Like the owners actually turn around or switch sides of the road.

And, of course, they charge for dog parks! We're in a suburb of Chicago - they'd charge for air if they could! I would love to try a tennis court or baseball diamond, but unfortunately even leased dogs are not allowed at parks. (How ridiculous is that?!)

I will have to look into a doodle meetup. Can anyone point me in the direction of where I might find that on this site?

Thanks! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you're talking about the Lake County Forest Preserve dog parks, you can buy a season pass, and it's much less expensive than paying per visit. 

Regular daily exercise session is a must. My guy is 9 years old and about as calm and laid back as they come, but he still needs exercise to be happy & healthy. We walk twice a day and play fetch at least once.

And don't underestimate the power of a regular daily training session to tire a dog out, either. This can be done indoors or out; now that the weather is decent, you can practice leash skills, sitting at stops, etc. on your walks. Indoors, practice sit stays and down stays, come when called, etc. Training is work to a dog, and tires them out. A couple of 10-15 minute sessions a day will work wonders. The classes just teach you how to train your dog. The actual training takes place day in and day out, when you implement what you have learned in your daily life. Training is forever. 

It is very important that Bob not be given the opportunity to run out the door. That's a tragedy waiting to happen, and it's easily preventable.  

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Abby: re the Doodle meet-ups, do a search for a Illinois or Chicago Group. When you join, you will be notified of the time and place of upcoming Romps.

[Marie and Hoka]

Where in Chicago?  We are in Mt Prospect.  My foster pup Peeta is an awesome puppy-exerciser!  My Hoka is much improved, LOL

We used to belong to Beck Lake dog friendly area in Glenview.

[April S.]

My goldendoodle settled after her spay surgery at around 6 months.  She was pretty laid back as a puppy though, sometimes needy but she is just mellow most of the time.  After her spay surgery we started sending her to doggie daycare 3 days a week and we're now down to 1 day a week.  It tires her out and she gets her running done in a safe place.  We have a large yard but no fence yet.  We are getting a fence once the ground thaws! (i can't wait).   Are there any daycamps near you that he could attend even as a trial to see if it helps? My goldendoodle loves it - we cannot even say the word daycare out loud unless she is actually going because she will go grab her leash and plant herself in front of the door.  

[jenn D]

I think you've gotten some great advice here. Typically dogs are more enthusiastic in energy level as pups and young adults (year and a half or younger). He may or may not out grow it, some dogs are just pre-wired to be high energy. But it doesn't have to be a bad thing. If they are high energy they can be more excited and motivated to want a fun job like fly all or agility. For example, Jake, our black doodle is just over a year and he has enough energy to power a small country. Its hard to get him tired enough but I've found varying his type of exercise helps. Long walks and jobs with a doggie backpack, tennis ball fetch, hide and seek treat find all are great activities. I've recently started working with him on learning to catch a frisbee, which I think will be a great "job" for his mind and body.
I still think though some dogs just naturally have more energy. Just to give you an example of energy levels, here is a short video of my three. This was taken after already 45 minutes of zoomies. As you can see, Jake (black doodle who is 1) is still going strong, Pickles (5 month old red doodle is keeping up but I don't think he is as energetic), and then brisby (white doodle Who is 1 year and 4 months, just 3 months older than Jake) is like forget it, im hanging by the human.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJvEytQsGNw
But regardless, obedience training is a must. One of Brisby's littermates was killed when he ran out of his families house and into traffic.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Jenn - your pack is fabulous!  Loved the video!

[Abby Christos]

Haha, thanks for sharing this video! They are a great looking pack!