Having a bad day and need advice!

[Holly Doodle]

Hi everyone! I posted this on one of my old discussions too but wasn't sure if it would get read. It's been a bad day and I am needing more support to deal with Holly's crazy behavior!! She's now almost 5 1/2 months old. Consistently, every time we let her out of her crate to play, after 5 or 10 minutes she gets very frantic for one reason or another and starts trying to bite us while growling, barking, and charging us. We have a large open kitchen/dining room that she loves to play fetch or tug in. Sometimes I'll be doing dishes or cleaning up and she'll play on her own. Either way, she somehow becomes crazy and I have to put her in her crate after only a few minutes of being out. It can be triggered by me telling her no if she's attempting to bite the table legs or jump on the counter, or while we're playing fetch or tug, but most of the time it's for no apparent reason.

She has graduated from beginner obedience with flying colors, but once she's to this point it doesn't work to tell her to sit or lie down. I work from 9 to 2 each day, and my husband comes home every day around 11 or 12 and lets her out to go potty and play. We take her for a 45 min walk each afternoon or evening. I would love to have her out of her crate from 2 until bedtime but it's impossible with her freakouts. I feel like she's in her crate way more than out because of this, and that's not fair to us or her. Everyday I take her out to play and put her back in over and over. I've tried to deal with her behavior in other ways besides putting her in her crate but she gets really aggressive and bites, and once she's doing this she will not settle down until I put her in her crate.

Any suggestions would be great. I keep hoping this will pass like most of her other little behavior issues did, but it's been going on for so long now and it only seems to be getting worse. If not suggestions, I just need to hear that it will get better!

[Holly Doodle]

That's a good idea, does chewie chew the leash at all? I could see Holly chewing right through it :)

[Laura & Chewie]

No, but he's used to having it on...we have done this for quite some time and there have been many times we have said, thank goodness for the leash!

We also try to get Chewie to doggy day care once or twice/weekly. He loves playing with other dogs and they tell us he plays "rough", but very appropriately.

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

Our older doodle used to chew on leashes so our trainer reccommended that we use a chain leash. She stopped chewing on it after that and now doesn't chew her leash ever even though we don't use the chain leash anymore.

[Holly Doodle]

I like the idea of the chain leash....thanks!

[Debbie and Thomas]

I agree with everyone that doggy daycare would be wonderful for your little Holly. My sister-in lws two labs (super high energy) go to daycare at a farm near her house and run all day with the other dogs. It has been just great for them.

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

I've read through the responses and think you've gotten some great advice. Neither of my doodles had this behavior you're describing but my older doodle is sooooo high energy it is insane and she went through a chewing phase where she chewed everything from the carpet to the molding on our walls. No matter how much we walked or ran with her it was never enough. It never made a dent in her energy nor did it engage her mind. The only thing that seemed to work was training, fetching, and playing with other dogs. My favorite is taking her to a private dog park near our house where we get all three! The more you train and more you tire her out the better it will be. You sound like you're doing a great job! Good luck!

[Holly Doodle]

That's totally how Holly is! Walks don't even phase her! My husband runs a lot and is looking forward to running with her once she's stopped growing. I'm worried about her pouncing other dogs at the dog park and getting attacked, she tends to do that to our neighbor dog. I suppose I need to get over that fear....any tips for the dog park? Thanks Kelli!

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

Is your neighbor's dog older? I know some older dogs don't take very kindly to "puppy play." That may be the only reason Holly is getting attacked by him. They may also not play compatably. Mine play best with younger dogs but especially other poodle mixes, labs, and other higher energy playful dogs.
That being said I have to say that I'm super lucky and have a private dog park right down the road from my house. I had heard so many horror stories about dog parks that it was a long time before I took Fenway and Dustin. I knew they played well with every dog they'd ever come in contact with (play dates) but so many even on here talk about dogs getting attacked at the dog park, other types of aggressive behavior, humping, etc. Until I found out about our dog park I would take them to fenced in ball fields and invite another dog friend along to play. This must have helped with socialization because other than being herded by an Austrailian Shepherd, Dustin and Fenway have not had any problems at the dog park. That being said I go to the best dog park ever! You have to pay $50 a year to go there but it's worth every penny. There are very strict rules and they are enforced with penalty of being ejected from the dog park permanently if you don't follow them. No cell phones, no people or dog food, pick up after your dog, etc. The lady who runs the dog park is there every day from 5-6:30, which is the busiest and best time to go for most energy exertion. Any behavior that looks even a little out of control is immediately nipped in the bud by her and/or other owners. We luckily have some very responsible owners. It's great and wears my dogs out! If you could join a dog park like this it would be ideal, but if not find one you like near you and then figure out a time to go when there are other responsible dog owners there. My experience with dog parks is limited to this so I don't know what else is out there. Maybe some others will have some better advice on dog parks.

[Holly Doodle]

Thanks for the info Kelli. My neighbors dog hasn't actually attacked her but she attacks him :). We haven't really given him the chance, but that's my only experience with her and other dogs. Well, I guess we did take her to a friends house to play in the yard with their two dogs and it was pretty scary, she jumped on them and they were very defensive. It's so hard to tell what's play! She's also pounced on dogs at our obedience classes. We have two dog parks in our town, so I think you're right about finding a good time to go. Sometimes I think we need to quit being so fearful, and other times I think it's not worth the risk of her getting attacked! You are supper lucky to have a private dog park, it would be worth the money. Thanks again for the advice :)

[Melissa & Porter]

You seem to be pretty worried that Holly is overly-aggressive, but did the teacher of her dog class feel that she was this way?

I am wondering if she just hasn't been paired with active dogs before. I was taking Porter to a dog park as soon as he had his 16 wk shots. He has never been attacked and was only once "inappropriately humped" (the dog wouldn't quit so we left). Moreover, many people complain about the dog park that we go to--that the owners are lazy, dogs are crazy...etc. I have never had a problem, though I rarely go on weekends. This is my personal bias, but I think most doodles are smart enough to navigate the social scene and avoid the unstable dogs/owners :-)

The other thing is that dogs play rough. I remember meeting Adriane and her dog, Samantha (members here) at a field when Porter was still "little." I thought Porter was going to get a concussion or something, but I held off from shielding him because he was having fun and Adriane told me the play was normal--Porter is my first dog.

Also, my neighbor's dog training teacher said that unless one of the puppies is trying to leave the scene or seek your protection, they are fine. My neighbor's dog and mine used to lie on the ground and bite each other's faces for hours--sometimes there would be a scab later, but they were having a blast.

Anyway, when you go to the Dog Daycare, try to relax. Not to get all Cesar Milan on you, but he has some good things to say. Specifically, you don't want Holly picking up on your fears.

[Ginny Nightingale]

This is all great advice. My Mattie got the zoomies every night at 9 pm--that has totally stopped now that she is over 2 and she only gets worked up once in a while. We have the second dog now, so the energy is expended in play. If i may make another suggestion to add to these, you can get a gentle leader halter that goes around the snout. It is not a muzzle, it just gives you a lot of control of the head and you can quickly subdue her when she goes over the top. . If there is a leash attached, she will have to come over and listen to you.You can also hold it from under the chin and bring her head up to face you and say "no bite". Worth a try!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Ditto on doggy daycare. Walks do not work for our Peri, who is 7 months old next week. We did a 3 mile walk Wednesday, she came home, did the zoomies, terrorized Taquito (chihuahua), went nuts! I will say she only gets zoomies about 1x per week now (and we kinda miss them). Peri is in doggy daycare right now and she will not be able to move tonight :)
Don't worry - it will get better!