Am I crazy????

[Toni Clayton]

Hello! Our now 9 week old doodle, George Friday, came home last Monday. I know it takes a couple weeks for their personality to come out..but I think I may have my hands full! I take hime out to play with ball and all, and all he'd rather do is hang on my pant leg with his teeth or lay at my feet outside. ..same inside with toys also...I don't have a lot of experience with dogs, but am I crazy??? Is there something I'm doing wrong, or is this just a puppy thing...sigh..I just get exhausted thinking about it. Thanks for the rant!

[Wendy]

No, you and your puppy are just fine. He's just a baby, and doesn't really know how to play. He explores everything with his mouth, and loves to chew.  It took a few weeks before Clyde would play with a ball, but he loved to carry around things. Just keep playing, and he'll get the hang of it.  But prepare to be exhausted for several more weeks.Best of luck with your new pup.

[Toni Clayton]

Whew..I thought I was doing something not right...thank you...

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Sorry, I have a big grin on my face.  Your puppy is normal.  There are all kinds of helpful tips in puppy madness.  The best tip I found was one of Cesar's, 'A tired dog is a good dog', along with constant supervision and plenty of toys.  You'll be exhausted for several weeks/months. 

Now that my pup is 6 1/2 months old, I suddenly have a wonderful dog. It's like someone flicked a switch.  Can't believe it's the same girl.  We're still working on some things but I don't have her jumping around with her teeth in me and my clothes any more.

BTW, your baby is adorable!

[Judi Kilpatrick]

Amen! lol

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

LOL....completely NORMAL.
Something to remember : a tired puppy is a good puppy! You know the old saying: " let sleeping dogs lay?" You will soon learn the true meaning!!!!!! ;)

[Suzanne Newman]

Hey Toni!  There's a reason why this group is called "puppy madness!"  haha  If it's any consolation, we have ALL been there!  All I can say is that it DOES keep getting better and better!  Get him into Puppy training classes asap, and be consistent, and eventually he will do those undesirable things less and less!  

By the way- we just invested in Don Sullivan's 2 DVD dog training set, and we have been using several of the training tips on there, and it has made a HUGE difference!  The good news for us is that Doodles are REALLY REALLY smart, and they learn really fast!  

Hang in there!!  Pretty soon, your little guy will be five times larger, and you will truly miss these days!

[Ada and Emma]

It's true my Emma when I bought her home, I thought, what did I do? I read here that doodles are very mouthing always chewing on something, especially your hands, fingers....etc. She also didn't want to go on walks, and all I kept thinking was, I got a malfunctioning pup! Thank God my husband is a very patient and loving man; and one that loves animals. He guided me through some of the prices and gently bought us both through the first few months. So had on in ther! And yes training helps-a lot!!!!

[Wendy]

I thought the same thing about my puppy not wanting to go for walks.  He would only do very short ones. And he was afraid of the dark!  Now 8 months old, we did a 2 miler today. 

[Malenie Piscetelli]

This is normal. My puppy does that too.

[Toni Clayton]

Thank you everyone! I know a tired puppy is good...I'm trying to tire him out!! He's only had his first round of shots, so I need to wait till 2nd to put him in puppy classes...I think I may just put him on his leash and walk him around the yard initially...I also have a very patient husband who loves animals..dogs especially..he is the one who really wanted the dog the most..we also have 2 human boys ;-)...6 and almost 9...so it's an adjustment for all of us...