# Problems with Schnoodle Puppy



## airam

Hi
I have a 6.5 month old male Schnoodle named Bruce. I love him but he is very difficult to deal with. I lost by beloved male Poodle Rocky two years at the age of 15 . My Poodle was a very submissive, calm and loving dog. I miss him dearly.
We thought we were ready to adopt another dog. I knew I wanted a Poodle or Poodle mix due to our beautiful experience with our dog. His love and devotion was incredible.
We adopted our Schnoodle when he was 8 weeks old. I researched the breed carefully and my husband and I travelled a distance to find him. Bruce and his littermates were active little pups. He was calm when we picked him up and attentive to us. He also listened to the breeder. Out of the litter he seemed the most reserved so we decided to pick him. Our old dog was the runt of the litter & thought little about picking him so I thought I would pay more attention this time around - did all the 'puppy tests' and decided on this cutie. 
He transitioned home easily and had little separation anxiety. Within a few days he was comfortable around us and thats when the puppy behaviours came out - alot of nipping - much more than I expected and much more active than our old dog. He is pretty much house trained and very good with not chewing our furniture yet he loves socks and mittens . 
He loves and loves to play..all day and night.

We did alot of work with him. Took him to classes, socialized him, my two children (young teens) played with him and took him for alot of walks and exercise. He has tons of toys, chew things, good quality food. He has double the amount of treats, toys, exercise, activities & attention than our old beloved dog yet we are experiencing more problems. I have read books, consulted with our vet, changed food, increased exercise (physical and mental) yet he bites us constantly, wont snuggle with us, runs out the door onto our busy streets, constantly jumps on us and anyone that comes into the house, barks at everyone and everything outside, and he is extremely hyper and overexcited in general esp around other dogs. He is not cuddly at all and we wont sit still for a second. When we rub his belly he snorts and paws and bites us. He likes sleeping alone (which we dont mind) but then wants on & off our bed all night. He takes to the crate when we are not home but when we around we like having him loose in the house. 

We have tried different strategies to manage those this but nothing seems to work. We have read books, training classes, bought the 'command collar', you name it. So much on the internet as well so it is confusing the right approach. We had him neutered a few weeks ago and he recovered in no time. He is still humping alot and the biting is worse than ever since the neutering. I thought some behaviours would have changed for the better but I was wrong.

I brought him outside yesterday for fresh air & to explore and he managed to jump in my flower garden and eat my rubber mulch. I didn't dare remove it from his mouth. I asked him to drop it but he didnt. I have removed things from his mouth before with no issues and usually when he has something he shouldn't he drops it (or sometimes runs around with it) but we are usually fine with him giving it up. Anyways, he ate the whole piece of rubber mulch. In order to get him out of my raised garden I picked him up (he is only 15 pounds)..well when I picked him up he snarled quickly and bit me really good on my thumb. He broke skin and I bleeding anywhere. My neighbour saw this and panicked. I pulled the dog in (he was tethered) and put him in his crate. I was (an still am) really upset. I am worried he will do this again - to my kids, neighbours kids. I am unsure what triggered this - he is a mouthy dog but to bite that hard...unprovoked? 
I guess I am not used to dealing with this. I could pick up my old dog anytime..remove anything from him and he never growled, bit. lunged at me ever in 15years.
Also, I am the closest to the dog in the family,..i walk him, feed him, give him attention.
I am still upset. Not sure what to do next.....deep down inside I regret getting him. I do love him and wont give up but I fear him now..
Not sure if it is due to the neutering a few weeks ago? He seems more mouthy and disobedient more than ever.......


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## Francl27

6/7 months is a tough age for most puppies, but biting and drawing blood is way past the normal 'teenager' behavior. I would go see a dog trainer/behaviorist ASAP (and ask the kids to keep their distance for now).

Out of curiosity, did you see the parents and asked about their temperament? Schnoodles are not really a breed, but a 'designer breed', and don't really breed true, so you never know exactly what you're going to get, but it comes down to genetics a lot. I mean, I have friends who have a poodle mix and he's extremely hyper but he's never nipped or bitten anyone.


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## parus

airam said:


> I have read books, consulted with our vet, changed food, increased exercise (physical and mental) yet he bites us constantly, wont snuggle with us, runs out the door onto our busy streets, constantly jumps on us and anyone that comes into the house, barks at everyone and everything outside, and he is extremely hyper and overexcited in general esp around other dogs. He is not cuddly at all and we wont sit still for a second. When we rub his belly he snorts and paws and bites us. He likes sleeping alone (which we dont mind) but then wants on & off our bed all night.


The smaller Schnauzers were bred to kill rats and other vermin. Their background isn't as lapdogs or housepets - generally speaking, they're independent, energetic and tenacious, with a high prey drive. All of this sounds pretty normal for and adolescent dog the breed, if your dog takes more after his Schnauzer half than his Poodle half. And small Poodles are some of the most milled dogs in America, so who knows what you've got from that half in terms of temperamental genetic heritage.



> We have tried different strategies to manage those this but nothing seems to work. We have read books, training classes, bought the 'command collar', you name it. So much on the internet as well so it is confusing the right approach.


Is a 'command collar' a shock collar? Don't use a shock collar on a fifteen pound puppy. Would you put a shock collar on a toddler and expect it to make him friendly and agreeable? What strikes me about this bit is that it takes months/years to train a dog, but your dog isn't even a year old and you've been all over the place with regard to training. If you're jumping from thing to thing rather than picking a reliable, humane approach and sticking with it consistently, no, the dog is not going to learn. 



> In order to get him out of my raised garden I picked him up (he is only 15 pounds)..well when I picked him up he snarled quickly and bit me really good on my thumb. He broke skin and I bleeding anywhere. My neighbour saw this and panicked. I pulled the dog in (he was tethered) and put him in his crate. I was (an still am) really upset. I am worried he will do this again - to my kids, neighbours kids. I am unsure what triggered this - he is a mouthy dog but to bite that hard...unprovoked?


I wouldn't say "unprovoked." You picked him up. Now, I do think a person should be able to pick up their dogs. But many dogs loathe being picked up. Again, Mini Schnauzers are pretty prickly dogs to start with, so it doesn't surprise me at all that your dog isn't keen on it. You have to incrementally teach them to accept it, and that being picked up results in good things (e.g. treats, happy attention) as opposed to only unpleasant things (e.g. end of playtime, nail clipping). 

I think step one is to accept that the dog you have is not your previous dog. You can shape his behavior, but his temperament is what it is. He might get somewhat sweeter as he grows up and calms down, but if you're going to get along with him, you need to find ways to enjoy him (e.g. play, trick training, etc.) that embrace his nature in a positive way. Step two is to hang in there and wait out this developmental phase. Puppies are monsters. Until he's out of adolescence your job as an owner is largely to just MANAGE him and keep him from hurting himself or others. Even sweet puppies are bitey destructive monsters that need a controlled, safe environment. Step three is to learn about "positive" training (basically, rewards-based), and start shaping the behaviors you do want, consistently and calmly. This is clearly not a dog that is going to do what you want just because it adores you - he needs motivation. If he's already a standoffish little cuss, you really can't punish that out of him, you'll just make him more standoffish and snappy. Give him a reason to want to work with you. Rather than fighting behaviors you don't want (e.g. jumping up) reward good "opposite" behaviors (e.g. sitting) that cancel out the undesired behavior. Like, I hate when dogs beg at the table. Rather than teaching my dogs DON'T BEG (how would you even communicate that to a dog?) I taught them that if they lay on their dog beds during human mealtimes, they get a treat there. Now they run to their beds as soon as they see someone putting a meal on.

Personally, I wouldn't be particularly freaked out about a bite from a puppy, especially a puppy that size. I would, however, not let other people's kids around the dog right now, and teach my own children not to put their faces where he can bite them, as a precaution. I can't tell you how many times I got bit by various animals, growing up on a farm, so maybe I'm just desensitized to it, but you do have to remind yourself that they have limited ways of communicating, so you have to look out for warning signs like growling and body language, because they can't just say "don't touch" or "I'm scared" or "that hurts." Except in the rare cases of real psycho critters I usually count it my own fault if I get nipped, for being unobservant or impatient. 

Anyway, good luck. It sounds like you have the motivation and dedication to see this through and get a good result. It's just not going to happen overnight, you know?


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