July 01, 2024
Our goldendoodle bites and jumps on me and my daughter when he gets overstimulated and a trainer suggested we use bitter apple spray or a toy. Can you suggest any methods to correct this behavior?
Full Question:
Hi Cindy, My 9 months old 60lbs goldendoodle when he gets overstimulated (e.g. by dogs or pedestrians during walk) or frustrated, he redirects (jumping and biting) me and my daughter which each time caused multiple bruises on our hands and legs. We don’t reinforce excitement. We work on exercise to establish leadership role everyday. We tried redirect with toys, used bitter apple spray as suggested by a trainer, all worked only for few days. May I ask what other methods that can help correct this behaviour?
Thank you in advance for your time!
Cindy's Answer:
What kind of exercises are you doing to establish leadership? What equipment do you use for training? Does he have any basic obedience training? Sit, down, stay, loose leash walking?
In the meantime, stop putting him in environments where you know he'll become overstimulated while you work out a plan to teach him the right way to behave.
I am traveling right now so I may not get back to you right away, I should be back in the office by Tuesday afternoon. In the meantime, any information you can give me will help me make suggestions.
In the meantime, stop putting him in environments where you know he'll become overstimulated while you work out a plan to teach him the right way to behave.
I am traveling right now so I may not get back to you right away, I should be back in the office by Tuesday afternoon. In the meantime, any information you can give me will help me make suggestions.
User Response:
Hello Cindy,Thank you very much for your prompt reply!
My dog has basic obedience training.
For building leadership, we:
- walk through any doorway first and make him wait for his release command to enter or exit to us.
- ignore his demands (e.g when he initiates play)
- walk him three times a day (loose leash)
- practice basic obedience everyday (sit, stay, down, recall, etc)
- make him sit and wait until we say a release command before eating
Equipment for training:
- treats
- toys
- leash
- Water spray (suggested by trainer, used only for two days)
- Bitter apple spray (suggested by trainer, my dog doesn’t like it, however if he gets too overstimulated, the spray no longer has effect on him)
Example of incident:
- When he sees another dog during his walks, he will listen to my command to ignore and keep walking. But when we reach close to home, he will jump and bite.
- When he takes objects he’s not supposed to have (tv remotes, slippers, etc) and I manage to take it back, he will jump and bite.
- When we take him to the backyard to play, he’ll suddenly get really excited and jump and bite.
My dog will not redirect to my husband, only to my daughter and I. The trainer also suggested to get the dog neutered earlier, so I scheduled that around end of April, when he is about 10 months old. If you need anymore information please let me know. Thank you so much for your time!
Cindy's Answer:
what kind of collar are you using when he's on leash?
User Response:
We are using a harness.
Cindy's Answer:
The first thing I would suggest is to use a training collar. Harnesses don't allow for the kind of communication you need for many dogs. Is there a reason you haven't used a collar?
Neutering is fine but keep in mind that neutering doesn't solve training issues. Your dog sounds like he needs some very clear rules for how you expect him to behave. If he lived here, he would be on a leash and collar at all times unless he was in a crate or kennel. This way he can't rehearse taking items he shouldn't have and if he did grab something you would have physical control of him.
If he was outside with me in the yard, he would be on a leash or long line and collar. The more you allow him to practice the wrong thing, the more ingrained these behaviors become. Once he's mature the redirection may be more serious so I would definitely get a handle on this now.
Spraying water and bitter apple is not a viable option for any of the behaviors you have described and as you noted, typically only overstimulates many dogs. Using a leash/collar and teaching the dog to yield to the leash so you have a way to guide and correct his behavior fairly is what I would suggest.
Neutering is fine but keep in mind that neutering doesn't solve training issues. Your dog sounds like he needs some very clear rules for how you expect him to behave. If he lived here, he would be on a leash and collar at all times unless he was in a crate or kennel. This way he can't rehearse taking items he shouldn't have and if he did grab something you would have physical control of him.
If he was outside with me in the yard, he would be on a leash or long line and collar. The more you allow him to practice the wrong thing, the more ingrained these behaviors become. Once he's mature the redirection may be more serious so I would definitely get a handle on this now.
Spraying water and bitter apple is not a viable option for any of the behaviors you have described and as you noted, typically only overstimulates many dogs. Using a leash/collar and teaching the dog to yield to the leash so you have a way to guide and correct his behavior fairly is what I would suggest.
User Response:
Thank you very much for your time and prompt response. My family and I appreciate this incredibly!!
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