# Goldendoodle puppy tries to attack my daughter



## HazelB (May 16, 2021)

Hi everyone, We have a 4 months old goldendoodle puppy, Chase. He’s been with us for 2 months now. We hired a trainer from day 4 and he knows all the basic commands like sit, down, leave it,....He is very friendly and sweet with my husband and I but aggressive towards my kids, 8 years old and 4. Specially our 4 years old daughter. He want to attack, jump and bite my daughter even when she is calm and not being around him. He barks at her as well. We taught the kids to be calm and quiet around him. He is on the house line all the time, so we can separate him from the kids. We have a gate in the kitchen and a play pen to put him when we cannot supervise him. We also tell him NO, LEAVE IT to redirect him or offer a toy but he doesn’t care. It seems like all the commands he knows are useless in the action. The trainer doesn’t know how to work with kids and the puppy, in my opinion. We tried few sessions but they were not helpful and honestly I don’t want to pay more for training unless needed. 
We are first time dog owners and did our research before bringing him home. We’ve heard goldendoodles are great for first time dog owners and kids. I am so stressed that I cannot leave the kids and puppy in the same room. We are not enjoying Chase as much as we should. Any tips? Recommendations?


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

Kids are pretty irresistible to a puppy. Even when they're being calm they move kind of funny to a puppy, so they must want to play! They're smaller than an adult, and often on face level with them! Remember, your puppy is very much a baby at 4 months old. Impulse control is pretty non-existent. It will take lots of time for him to learn how to interact appropriately with the children. I'm afraid they don't generally learn this in a few training sessions. It takes weeks, or even months, and consistency.

The answer is continuing to remove him when he begins to interact inappropriately with the children. Every time, immediately. The puppy learns that if he jumps on or nips the children, the fun ends. Give him a 'time out' in his playpen for 10-15 minutes, and then you may try again.

The four year old is probably too young, but you can teach the 8 year old to play with toys with the puppy. Try a long tug rope (you can braid a long rope of fleece) that keeps body parts away from puppy's teeth. Again, if the puppy refuses to use the toy and wants to bite the children, remove him. Have the children participate in training, simple things like asking for a sit or down. Dogs don't generalize well, so it is important that Chase sees the children as rewarding to listen to, too.


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## 3GSD4IPO (Jun 8, 2016)

Everyone thinks a puppy is all soft and cuddles, but it is sort of like cuddling a shark. Dogs play with their teeth! 

Everything Lillith has suggested and know this: A dog is not mentally mature until about age 3. Until then they have a puppy brain. This is a dog, not a child and they do not communicate verbally. Body language and tone have a lot more impact than words! 

At 4 months old your dog is not fully trained any more than a 6 year old child is fully trained! More training and better understanding of dog behavior will help you. I suggest the book "How to Raise a Puppy You can Live With" by Clarice Rutherford. https://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Pu...t=&hvlocphy=9004665&hvtargid=pla-699533895812


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## HazelB (May 16, 2021)

Thank you so much. Your recommendations are very appreciated. I guess patience is the key☺


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