# Help with out of control 12 wk goldendoodle



## ASHDFLASH (Jan 23, 2015)

I have a 12 wk old goldendoodle. He is doing great with crate training at night and going to the door when he needs to pee/poop. He has been loving and can already sit on command. I am working on the stay command. He hasn't peed or pooped in his crate once during the night. And only a few pee accidents in the house but that was from over excitement or when my kids didn't see that he wanted to go outside. So overall... A very smart wonderful puppy. However in the last few days his behavior has changed. I work from home so Our current schedule is that I give him 30 min of play time each morning after I take the kids to school and then I need to settle down to work. I get up to let him out to pee when he goes to the door. I also don't mind stopping to give him some brief attention... To pet and love on him for a min... Play with a toy...etc. For the first few weeks this routine was great bc he would either sleep at my feet or nearby.. In the last few days he has become more aggressive.... Demanding my constant attention, nipping and mouthing me and my clothing, jumping on me... Jumping on my laptop (thought he broke the screen one day). He's testing me with getting in to things .... Grabbing a pillow off the couch and running with it, grabbing a newspaper or magazine and running with it.. Then barking at me and nipping at me. He breaks down and then runs from me like he is playing chase and he won't come when I call him. Trust me.... He is getting loads of love and attention and exercise! In addition to our morning playtime/exercise time... He gets lots of attention & exercise in the evenings by me, my husband and my kids. And he has plenty of chew toys.

He reminds me of a defiant toddler who wants his way and has a temper tantrum. Should I be crating him during the day while I try to work? I was hoping with me working from home that he could enjoy being in the same room with me to sleep and play while I work.... Do I need to stand my ground and let him know I am in charge and I can't pet and entertain him 24/7? Or is his behavior because I'm not playing with him enough? I have to work and he is interfering with what I can get accomplished in a day. 

The nipping and biting is getting out of control too. I've used BITTER apple and also used the technique where you hold their mouths and say no to keep him from mouthing me but he keeps doing it.. It's to the point that the only time he is sweet and loving when I try to pet him is when he's sleepy or just woke up.. Any other time I go to pet him and he nips at me and grabs my clothing. He has drawn blood several times. My hands are all nicked up with little teeth marks.

Also... Please don't tell me this is just normal puppy behavior that he will outgrow bc I have read in so many places that this is the time where we have to establish the pack leader and who is in charge and that this nipping and biting needs to be curbed now so that it doesn't go into his adulthood. 

I appreciate any advice. I almost feel like he is running the show and I need to step up and show I am in charge. So should I be putting him in puppy time out in his crate when he goes into his puppy frenzy? Or is he too young to do that... I don't want to instill fear in him bc like I said he is starting to not even let me love him and pet him without the biting and nipping.

Please help....


----------



## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Yeah the answer is what you don't want to hear I'm afraid. He's a puppy acting like a puppy. Others will chime in with more info but basically puppies are mouthy and you just have to be consistent and work on it for MONTHS before they finally get it.


----------



## ASHDFLASH (Jan 23, 2015)

Thanks for responding but what about my job? Should I put him in a crate while I'm working? Just like someone would do if they had to go in to the office everyday? Like I said... I was hoping since I work from home that we would have the benefit of allowing him to sleep/play in the same room with me while I worked.

But he won't leave me alone and is getting more aggressive...barking at me, jumping on me and my laptop....demanding my time and attention I just can't give and still do my job


----------



## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Yes, if you need time to focus on your job I would crate him. He's just a baby and doesn't understand that you can't play with him 24/7.

Keeping in mind to let him out often for pee breaks of course.


----------



## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Please disregard the pack theory stuff. It's been debunked for a long time and it will harm your dog and your relationship to your dog. I recommend Ian Dunar at http://dogstardaily.com. He has lots of great info for free. Zak George on youtube and facebook is great, as is kikopup on youtube.

12 weeks old is a baby. You wouldn't expect a 6 month old human to be reasonable, would you? Then don't expect that of a 12 week old puppy. Plus, goldens, like all retrievers, are mouthy puppies. Seriously mouthy puppies. For a very long time.


----------



## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

> Also... Please don't tell me this is just normal puppy behavior that he will outgrow bc I have read in so many places that this is the time where we have to establish the pack leader and who is in charge and that this nipping and biting needs to be curbed now so that it doesn't go into his adulthood.


Totally normal puppy behaviour, and please forget all the alpha garbage stuff. Dominance between dogs and humans doesn't exist, and all that stuff you've been reading is based on outdated and incorrect research. I'd look up authors like Patricia McConnell and Jean Donaldson if you want to read up on how dogs really think and interact. Also check out kikopup on youtube.


----------



## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

dagwall said:


> Yeah the answer is what you don't want to hear I'm afraid. He's a puppy acting like a puppy. Others will chime in with more info but basically puppies are mouthy and you just have to be consistent and work on it for MONTHS before they finally get it.


Agreed ^^^

First, the good news: You don't need to establish yourself as pack leader. The idea that dogs are out to take over the world is bunk. Your dog does need boundaries and consistency. You may want to try something like Sophia Yin's Learn to Earn or Ahimsa Dog Training's Say Please. Also, Should You Always Eat Before Your Dog?. I've found that deciding what behaviors and routines are important to me and using something like Say Please as a framework, general manners training is much easier.

For the biting, please stop holding his mouth closed. That won't help and may make things worse. Here's info from another thread:


> Puppies explore the world with their mouths! Stopping the nipping takes time and consistency - you need to stick with one method for several weeks (even months) for the nipping to stop completely. One of the most effective techniques is to remove your attention every time he bites. Here's some excellent advice from HankSimon (whom I seem to be quoting frequently)
> 
> 
> hanksimon said:
> ...





ASHDFLASH said:


> Thanks for responding but what about my job? Should I put him in a crate while I'm working? Just like someone would do if they had to go in to the office everyday? Like I said... I was hoping since I work from home that we would have the benefit of allowing him to sleep/play in the same room with me while I worked.
> 
> But he won't leave me alone and is getting more aggressive...barking at me, jumping on me and my laptop....demanding my time and attention I just can't give and still do my job


Yes, crate him when you cannot supervise. There is too much he can get into while he's loose and you're working. You may want to put him in his crate with a kong or other toy so he can occupy himself. Eventually as your crate training progresses, he'll likely just settle. Once he's older, house trained, has gotten through the chewy stage, and is more trustworthy, he can be loose while you work. 

You might check Kikopup's videos for puppy training.

Finally, a good positive reinforcement-based puppy class and/or well-supervised puppy play group would be good for you. You'll learn how to teach him and he'll get additional socialization as well as learn some bite inhibition from the other puppies.


----------



## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Forget the pack leader stuff.

I would suggest a morning play session (and once he's vaccinated fully, make that a morning leash walk) and then crate him with a suitable chew toy like a KONG and set a timer to take him out once an hour or so for a potty break and a 5 minute play session. In the future as he gets more trained and more mentally mature, he can learn to hang out while you work but even for an adult dog, there are times when you'll need to fully focus on your work and can't have him distracting you so its good for him to learn to settle in a crate on his own. 

Quit holding his muzzle shut, it won't fix the urge to chew or teach him not to bite down and it risks creating a hand-shy dog.
Search for "The Bite Stops Here" and for "bite inhibition"; having lots of suitable chew toys available to shove at the dog instead of your hands helps. Available as in, stash them around the house so there is one at the ready when he starts to get sharky.


----------



## ASHDFLASH (Jan 23, 2015)

Thanks.... Two more questions. Is it better to crate him in the same room with me where I'm working or in a different room? Just wondering if being able to see me and that I'm nearby will make him feel less lonely... Or is that torture to a puppy who can see me but can't get to me?

Also.... Is he sleeping enough. He is sleeping at night in his crate waking up about 6am to go outside. But during the day he takes what I call "catnaps" sleeping just for a few min then he is up wanting to play or go outside. I read that 12 wk old puppies should be sleeping 18 hours a day... He is definitely not doing that. So is his behavior bc he isn't getting enough sleep? Again like cranky toddler who needs a nap?


----------



## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I'd probably try crating him in the room with you and see how he does. Advantages are that you can see if he's destroying his toy or blanket, if he's had an accident, if he looks like he needs to go out and you can intermittently toss a him a few pieces of kibble as a reward when he is quiet. Disadvantage might be if he whines or barks to try and get your attention.


----------



## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

If you have the space, you might also consider the use of an indoor exercise pen something like this, instead of (or even in conjunction with) a crate.
http://www.midwesthomes4pets.com/products/exercise-pens-step-thru-1

This will give the dog an extra margin of liberty while at the same time keep him safe and out from under foot while you work. You could set it up near your work area if desired.


----------



## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

You might consider giving him a frozen Kong and putting him in the crate in another room. Try to wait him out for about 3 days, if he whines. Hopefully, he'll chew on the Kong, then get bored and go to sleep.

In addition, in about a month, he will start losing his baby teeth and growing his adult teeth. The teething process lasts about a month around 4 - 5 mos, and sore gums can leave as cranky as a Two-Year old toddler  So, work on Bite Inhibition and the additional crate training now.....


----------

