I love my dog, but he is a problem !

It's very frustrating owning a dog who is not trained properly. But Labradoodle's are very intelligent and more than willing to please their guardians.

So, chances are that the training method you are using is not working because it uses reprimands & punishment -- and that never works to encourage good behavior.

Stop reprimanding him and either hire a dog trainer or order some dog training books that use the POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT DOG TRAINING METHOD.

Here's a snippet from an article about the success of positive reinforcement dog training:

A study titled “The importance of consistency in the training of dogs”¹was conducted at the University of Southampton in the UK and the University of Life Sciences in Norway. It was published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research in May 2007.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether punishment was a risk factor for problem behaviors, and the combined effect on obedience and specific problem behaviors of reward, punishment, attitudes and rule structure. Rule structure is defined as permissiveness vs. strictness, and consistency in applying rules.

The study showed that punishment correlates negatively with obedience and positively with training problems. Rule structure, including consistency of the owners, was associated with higher levels of obedience and less training problems.

In another study conducted at the University of Bristol in the UK and published in the September-October 2008 Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research², results suggest dogs trained only with positive reinforcement exhibited fewer problem behaviors. And dogs whose owners used punishment in training were much more likely to show a fear response to other dogs.

Here's the link if you would like to read the rest of the article:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/08/03/positive-reinforcement-dog-trai...

If you go on Amazon.com and put in the search, "Positive Reinforcement Training for Dogs" there are several good books that explain this technique. Also, there are usually summer classes available for this type of training. See if you can find a positive reinforcement dog training class for your dog.

Designer dogs are typically not bred for temperament so you really get what you get. Any reputable breeder will take back a puppy that is not working out in its home.

Poodles and Labs are both high energy and mature very slowly and they are both extremely easy to train. There are some that take 2 years before they start to settle down. 45 minutes exercise may be way to little for this dog. I have a 8 month old puppy who will run and play for a couple hours, take a nap and start all over again. I agree that positive reinforcement is the only way to train. Would suggest you sign up for classes with a good trainer. The timing of the reinforcement is extremely important. If the timing is off you could be training the wrong behavior. It is also important to train with distractions. Classes will help with timing and distractions.

Typically, pets as well as children will do what they are allowed to get away with.

It appears that what you are doing is not working. That being said, I would find a good trainer and spend the time and $$$ to teach this dog to have manners.

Additionally, you said that he is "good most of the time." Which tells me he is very capable of learning. It disturbs me that you said, "I would give him back to our breeder in a minute." If that is the case, perhaps giving him back would be the best if you did give him back. Perhaps he is responding to your vibe. Just a thought.

Good luck.

I was in your place just a few weeks ago. Our daughter moved back home along with her goldendoodle puppy. He was totally uncontrollable. I called him Kujo. Many bites on my hands and ankles amongst other things in the house. She did take him to puppy school and what a difference. It was only once a week with re-enforcement at home. He has calmed down so much, and obeys commands with hand signals. Also he is almost 5 months now and I think that has helped. 3 and 4 months were the worst, but he was house broken by 4 months. I would look into puppy school, she took him to Petco $100 for 6 weeks. Don't give up on him yet.

You did not mention the dog's age - up until about 18 months to 2 years all pups are high energy.

Have you considered one on one training with a professional? We had weimaraners (high energy dogs) and both dogs were professionally trained - amazing results. Not just for behavior either - they also were taught to pee on command when we were going to be going out and leaving them at home - no accidents. They knew that when their food was put down they were to eat it or it was taken away in an hour. They walked right beside us without a leash and when we sat they were told to sit - and sat until told to heel again. I could leave them outside a store and go in to shop - tell them to stay - when I came out there was my dog sitting patiently waiting for me - usually being petted by a kid.

Another suggestion I have for you - is there a dog park or industrial park near you where this dog could be allowed to run free every day. When a dog is able to run daily they are much easier to train for behavior.

Our dog is 18 months, when we met his Daddy he was 2 yrs old. We also met his mother who was calm. We have considered putting in an under ground fence or using a collar so that he could run more. We have about 2 1/2 acres of grass, and live in the country.

We do not use negative enforcement and reward him with good behavior. My Daughter in Laws mother yells a lot and trains her dogs easily. We are very nice people and don't use negative enforcement. We love our dog, but we have family coming from California (2 adults and 2 teenagers) They also have a young dog, but I don't want them to have to put up with our barking dog. Our breeder said he would be a good match for us. We are very active seniors, and I walk him at a nice pace.

I am going to talk to the trainer at Petco as soon as possible, very frustrated !!!

I'm glad you're going to talk to Petsmart about obedience classes. Please don't use a shock collar or underground fence collar on an untrained or sensitive dog. Many times I have seen rambunctious dogs that will just break right through a fence like that even if it hurts to do so.

Also remember that underground fences shouldn't be used as a babysitter. You have to watch them outside at all times even while using one. Because it may keep your dog in, but they will not keep other dogs or animals out. So if another dog or animal that's a danger to your dog comes into your yard, your dog would not be able to run out of your yard to get away from it.

Here's some video's about how to train your dog not to jump on guests:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49A12LPsE8M

I actually held the leash and stepped on the leash to prevent my dog from jumping up on people like this girl does in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMPTjesy9wc

Here's a video about how to train your dog not to bark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFZ003dY8cU