When Did your Doodle Calm Down? (plus a little venting on adolescent woes)

[Jaime + Oliver]

So Oliver is just a few days away from turning 1.  We're nearly done with a level 3 puppy class but I think we're hitting a wall pretty hard with the "teenage years."  He's become more stubborn, more spazzy and  sneaky (stealing things that seem exciting!  Like the newspaper off the counter, it was just sooooo much fun to shred!).  He gets significant amounts of exercise with daycare, very long walks and lots of running/fetch/playtime.  Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy but sometimes he seems like the devil incarnate!  I know it's an evolution and eventually consistency in training will breakthrough - maybe I just needed to vent a little bit :)

Anyway, lots of doodle owners I meet on walks & at the park say around 2yrs old was when they saw their fur babies start to chill a little more.  There's obviously no concrete age, but when did you start to notice a difference?  Just need a little light at the end of the tunnel here :)

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I think some of this might be your puppy's temperament. Others will chime in I'm sure. But I know some doodles just seem more hyper than others. Keep up the training and remain calm ;-)

[Jaime + Oliver]

I'm not sure if it's the higher poodle concentration (F1B), but he definitely seems to have more of the poodle temperament.  And yes, based on other angelic 7 month doodles I've seen we definitely have a hyper one.  Sigh... :)

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

Mel (Australian Labradoodle) started calming down a bit around age 5.... but even at 11, he is still a very excitable dog and is more hyper than our puppy. He has been very "high arousal" since a pup.

Tenley (also an Australian Labradoodle) is 8 months old and has been chill since we got him at 11 weeks. He has never been excitable, I've never seen him "hyper", and I would even say he is better behaved than the 11 year old. He's never really done anything wrong.

I know there has been a lot of focus in the last 10 years breeding the Australian Labradoodles to have a calm, even temperament, and based on my experience with Tenley I really do believe that now.

So, from that I can draw that it is very individualized and though you may find an "average" age, it's not guaranteed :)

[Rae]

Rozee, standard Goldendoodle, was a total wild child to the point our trainer was concerned but then suddenly at 14 months a magic switch was flipped and we had Ms Calm Doodle! Our trainer was shocked at the huge sudden difference. She is now 8 years old and the calmest, sweetest dog. Of course, since we must love drama, we now have an 11 week old wild puppy so the entire thing starts again. Rozee is so good with Cassie and is really helping with the training!

[Jaime + Oliver]

This is a little encouraging to hear!  We'll keep working on him & dreaming!

[Leita Hagemann]

I hope we have the same experience with Denali, or 9 week old standard Goldendoodle. He is off the wall most of the time now and I worry that my dreams of having him be a therapy dog may never come to pass. Hopefully he calms down

[Jaime + Oliver]

Oh 9 weeks is still so young!  Don't give up hope!  Find a good trainer & stick with it.  I still want to work on CGC training even if he won't pass any official tests.  It gives us goals to work for instead of just giving up all hope :)

[Elaine Allen]

I hate to say this but our Oliver is 7 mos. and we feel the same way........................he even went backwards in the potty training................................we have a 12 yr old goldendoodle and I would say 2 yrs is good idea.......that's when she calmed down and everything came together.......................We're spoiled as the older one is fine but being driven nuts by the younger one...........and stealing things is a fav.........................;) he doesn't calm down till about 10 pm..........then flops...................the training is backwards one day and he says no way not interested.....................the next day he remembers everything.......................sigh...............................your not alone......although iam 63 and not as young!!! I feel like iam chasing my grandkids when they were 1 again!!!!!!!!!!! lol....be pt. it will come.......................................Elaine

[Lynda Kamrath]

Hello, Jaime.  I took a look at your page and Oliver rather looks like an ALD to me, and his behavior sounds rather like an ALD also.  My ALD is almost four years old and I would say it was two years before he settled down.  They are very energetic dogs and need lots of stimulation.  My basic advice to you is just to ignore any inappropriate behavior and reward the behaviors you like.  I have lots of toys around and if Harpo grabs something he is not supposed to have, I just take it from him and throw him a toy.  He has torn up so many toys and that is fine with me. Also, you need to keep everything picked up and behind closed doors, that is if you want to keep your slippers, shoes, and underwear. I take him out on a pronged collar and give a little tug if he gets away from me.   He definitely knows "aah, aah, aah".  Good luck and do try to come down to Carmel this summer.

[Jaime + Oliver]

Oliver isn't an ALD, but he's F1B and I definitely think he's got a little more of the poodle temperament.  We're actually very lucky that he's not a chewer at all and isn't destructive.  But there are definitely naughty behaviors that are popping up!  We're very focused on trading something higher value when he's got something he shouldn't and he's actually good at leave it.  There's got to be light at the end of the tunnel!

[Kate C.]

Hi Jamie,
I remember this stage so well! Juno was so bad that we went through a time where we were thinking that she was switched at birth or that one of her parents must have been a demented weasel! She was 1 last November so that makes her 18 months now. Our previous dog was the most wonderful dog for the 18 years we had her and so it was a huge decision to get another dog, but we did… and boy did we have long conversations about what a mistake we had made because after all our research about LDs and their lovely temperament' what we got was this whirling dervish that at times would sit looking at us with eyes that took on the appearance of something demented… almost defying us to take her on! But then, about a month ago, we started to realise we were saying things like 'she's adorable' or 'she's the friendliest dog we ever met' or 'she has the most fabulous personality' and we realised that this is what we had heard about LDs and their behaviour. So I would say, hang in there - there is light at the end of the tunnel and boy does it sparkle when it comes! All the best, Catherine

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think it's really about the temperament of the dog....some are just naturally calmer and less energetic than others.  Murphy is four and still needs lots of training reinforcement and practice and exercise.  Guinness is five and is pretty calm...although he too loves and really needs his walks.