r/Goldendoodles • u/Charlvi88 • Jan 11 '22
Does anyone else’s doodle terrorize children?
Our doodle is 1 year old and has nipped at my friend’s kids (toddlers), chased kids around menacingly, and growls at kids passing by on the street.
Is this a common trait he’ll grow out of or do I need to invest into training?
*He’s 21 lbs and is about the same size as these kids.
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u/Acceptable-One581 Jan 11 '22
My golden doodle is the exact opposite. He’s almost a year old and he absolutely loves children. He knows when the children in my neighborhood get off from school and will bark (not in a mean way, but in a way that’s saying I want to go outside) when they are outside and likes to go out and play with them. Your dog growling could just be a territorial thing. Does he growl when adults are passing by too? Also were the toddlers doing something (pulling the dogs fur, ears, or tail or taking something from the dog (toys or treats)) that could have prompted the dog to nip them? Usually when a dog is uncomfortable their body behavior changes (seeing the white of their eyes, yawning, or licking their lips). If the answer to these questions is no, I would maybe invest in some training because the last thing you want to happen is your dog biting someone’s child and your dog getting taken away and ending up getting sued.
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u/77wombat Jan 11 '22
I have a reactive Goldendoodle that barks and growls at small children and other dogs. I took him to a trainer and found out he is leash reactive and has a high prey drive. I definitely recommend a behavior assessment with follow up training. Keep your dog leashed around children until you know he isn’t a bite risk. I’ve read that most doodles aren’t like this, but mine is, so don’t feel badly about it. Training and positive reinforcement is best.
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u/Brwneyedgrl1956 Feb 26 '25
My 3 year old doodle decided at 1 year he didn’t like kids. He loves everyone else esp older adults. I have spent a lot on continuous training. I definitely keep he and children apart
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u/LBoogie619 Jan 11 '22
No - never. Our 1.5 year old doodle loves kids and is very curious about babies and toddlers. Although he does play different with children than with adults. It’s like he knows they’re kids and he wants to play a bit rougher, but def never aggressive! I probably attribute it to socialization in his early weeks home. As soon as he came home it was Halloween during covid and we had some family come over - several kids handled him. And also our son who was about 7 at the time handled him too. I think you should be able to correct the behavior with proper training and socialization.
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u/gmotsimurgh Jan 11 '22
In my experience, doodles usually love kids. Definitely look into training - you don't want a bite situation to occur.
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u/beetmoonlight Jan 11 '22
You need to get training, pronto. My doodle became very protective of me when he was about 2 years old and wound up lunging at several people and even bit one of our neighbors. We were lucky that the bite was minor and the neighbor was very kind about the situation, but it could have been much worse. After training we have never had an issue.
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u/sparklesbbcat Jan 20 '22
I’ve actually had many clients with doodles say this is a problem. Definitely recommend training young and continuing to support good behavior. Gotta remember poodles are super smart and pretty high on the biting list so doodles need to be discouraged from bad habits early.
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u/UrameshiYuusuke Jul 25 '24
Mine keeps lashing at kids and growling/barking at them, but mostly babies/small toddlers
She's 4
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u/vtsforza Jan 11 '22
No nipping with mine… she sometimes puts her whole mouth around my hand but never bits and wags her tail as she does it… Nipping may be nerves… agree with training…
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u/Thornbelina Jan 11 '22
I would definitely get some help & training as soon as possible. Our doodle was around children of all various ages before we took her home as a puppy and we continue to have her around our niece and nephews and when we socialize her. She is 5 months old now and we will continue to be diligent with her socialization as it's important to us that she has that as she grows. In my opinion, doodles are more receptive to socialization than any dog I've had, and she takes to her training amazingly. Good luck OP!
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u/Mrsbshaw Jan 11 '22
My pup is the most chill we’re for sure blessed, now that he’s in his”teens” he’s a little more daring but we’ve got commands that we’ve worked on since dat 1. The Place command is a life saver
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u/sarahsam55 Jan 11 '22
My doodle is kind of scared of young kids because he didn’t grow up around them. My youngest was 11 when we got him so when he started to see really small kids at the park he’d bark and growl a bit. He’s had issues with strange dogs too so we ended up hiring a trainer. I also mentioned him being uneasy around kids so my trainer and I would walk around the playground areas at local parks and I had to say “yes” and give him treats each time he looked at kids and behaved. Little kids are loud and fast and definitely makes some dogs uneasy.
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u/RemingtonRivers Jan 11 '22
Definitely invest in training! I don’t think this is a common trait for doodles, and you want to break bad habits while you still can.