Puppy Demon

[Binny P]

Oh man. I don't know how much I need advice and how much I need solidarity. Maybe some combination of the two.

The good: our pup is super smart, funny, and just a gem. He has already learned sit, down, stay, spin, and touch. We've had a few potty accidents, but those have been owner error -- mostly he is doing really well going outside. 

The bad: he occasionally turns into a demon. Like those cute little furballs that turn into gremlins if you get them wet. 

When he goes demon, he suddenly is biting and growling and just all over the place. It is some combination I think of tired and over stimulated. But for some reason, it only seems to be with me, not my partner. Don't get me wrong -- he landshark bites my partner and gets too excited, but the full force of the demon seems to target me. It is possible I am imagining it, but I could swear it is real. 

When he goes demon, I do some combination of either stepping out of the room for a few seconds if possible or popping him in his pen to calm down and chew his bone a bit.

Long story: I am terrified the dog secretly hates me and is going to kill me in my sleep/not love me as he gets older and that is why he turns on me/is possessed by an evil spirit that emerges 2-3 times a day and otherwise masquerades as an adorable muppet. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

At first I thought you were being funny--but no, I guess you are really worried! I am sorry to laugh but this is actually kind of funny! Of course, your dog does not hate you--he loves you and that is why you are the object of his crazies! All pups do it--and some more than others--I raise pups and sometimes I "feel the love" of 8 or 9 at a time...sounds like you are handling it appropriately and it is usually because they are tired and can't control their emotions and excitement--it will pass as your pup gets older--in the meantime, try to re-direct him to a treat or a toy--and put him thru his training skills to distract him from the crazies--do sit, spin, down, and repeat over and over to get his mind on something else if you can.

[Amy and Annabelle]

Awww, whats better than one puppy...six puppies.

[Binny P]

Love this photo! And thank you! It really does worry me sometimes! I mean, rationally I know that he doesn't hate me, but when he is doing that puppy growl and lunging at my face...well, it makes me doubt! :) 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Annabelle was like that to. There really was a lot of good about her puppyhood, but I tend to focus on the not so good. Since I am her main caretaker and my husband is pretty much for the fun stuff, I feel that is why she targeted me the most. I took her to the vet to get her first shots and she had a bad reaction to one of them. Must have been in a lot of pain. I feel that since I am the one that let the vet do that to her that is why she didn't want me anywhere near her for a couple of days. Only my husband was allowed to take care of her. She growled and snapped at me. And that was the way it was for a couple of months or so. We called her Cujo. She could be nice and sweet one minute and the next a little demon. She did bite us both, but because I took care of her the most, I had the most bites. I showed both of my arms to the vet, and he said some puppies are just like that, she will probably grow out of it. I had a trainer come to the house before she had all her shots, then once she was fully vaxed I started to put her in classes. After about 6 months she really started to settle down and by year, she was like a whole different dog. She is 3 years old now and is the most loving, cuddly dog. She is my lap dog, good thing she is a mini. She is my little shadow and follows me everywhere. She doesn't do that with my husband unless he is headed to the backyard. Then to her that means playtime. There were times my husband was ready to return her to the breeder. I didn't want to give up on her, so we kept her. Glad we did, she is the perfect dog for us now. It seemed Annabelles demon spirit was around more than her angelic spirit, which made it worse. I did work with her every day on her behavior. She had to learn, she's not the boss of the outfit. Good Luck

[Binny P]

Thank you! That is how our guy is too -- follows me everywhere! 

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

You are describing my experience with a Desi perfectly. I even called him Desi the Devil and posted on Facebook a picture of him sporting both angel wings and devil horns. He could be a perfect, playful little puppy for most of the day, then turn into a monster in the early evening, darting at me full force, biting at my arms, trying to chew on my clothes, etc. I was almost always his victim; only occasionally would he attack my husband. I tried ignoring him ( standing up and turning my back on him), removing myself from the room, putting him in time-out, having my husband sit between Desi and me - NOTHING HELPED! Then, we got puppy #2, which was already planned. Desi the Devil turned his attentions to Cori and I was no longer the victim. Of course, he probably would have outgrown the behavior, but having Cori around sped up the process.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Deanna, how old was Desi when you got Cori? I want to add another doodle in the not too distant future but I am thinking I should wait until Henry has got his training down pretty well. Our 9 year old puggle is not interested in playing with Henry and it drives all of us batty with his antics (especially the barking) trying to engage the puggle to play with him. Henry loves going to the park and playing with other dogs and like most doodles is very social. I don't want to jump the gun too soon but don't want to wait until he is an adult either.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Desi was 9 months old when we brought 8-week old Cori home.  We'd planned to get two puppies, a year apart, but it just didn't work out that way.  We had a deposit on Cori - her future litter - as this time around we wanted a parti and that pairing seemed to be the best chance of that.  The breeder knew we were planning a second after that and that we'd just lost our 6 year old doodle, Sedona.  By happenstance, Desi became available from an existing litter and the breeder asked if we wanted him.  So we got our "second" puppy first. Seven months difference was a little scary as we were in puppy mode for a long time, but it actually has been great.  Desi had been through two rounds of obedience and even an agility class by the time Cori arrived.  She's now had those same three classes. They love to run and play and "fight".

[Dolly Dykhouse]

I've been a bit worried that I might be biting off more than I can chew with doodles less than a year apart LOL. Some things were definitely more difficult with Henry as he had Giardia and Coccidia right off the bat and the wear and tear emotionally/physically the first 6-8 weeks was tough. However some things were easier, potty training, crate training and sleeping through the night after a couple of rough weeks were easier than I thought they would be. Henry is a strong personality and thinks the world is his oyster but is sweet and playful too. I want him to have a companion to play with and am hopeful my breeder will match us with a sweet dispositioned female when the time comes. Keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks Deanna!

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Good luck. The night before we picked up Cori, I thought "What the heck are we getting ourselves into" - but I'm so glad we took the leap!!!

[Binny P]

YES!! We talked about doing a second puppy, but decided to wait until this guy got a little older so that the older one could teach the younger one the ropes/I don't lose my mind! ;)

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Keep doing what you are doing.  Be careful not to treat or in some way reinforce this behavior. He sounds smart so he will get it quickly with what you are doing.  I always call this the children's hour. Tired, cranky, but won't stop and rest.