Scruffing

[Pureballn4]

Maui is 10 weeks now and still has a slight aggressiveness to her...if there is something she REALLY doesnt want to do she lets u know it...the teacher of puppy class tried to fit her for a gentle leader and she started snarling etc bc it was too tight and she didnt like it and had actually been really good walkn without one...so the teacher scruffs her 3 times which is how many it took to get her to stop snarling at her bc it seems that she is becoming more aggressive since the scruffing started....any ideas would help alot thanks

[RottiMomCT]

Don't let your trainer do anything to your dog that you yourself would not feel comfortable doing. That being said, why a head halter on a 10 week old pup who is walking fine without it?? What was the trainers reasoning for doing it?

She's ten weeks old - how can she be showing aggression? I think she's protesting and throwing a temper tantrum, not being aggressive. How old was she when she came to live with you?

At her age, she should be in puppy kindergarten classes, learning how to be a dog, having fun, getting a bit of very light formal training and making canine friends. Save the really formal training for the Basic Obedience session when she's a bit older. I'm betting she was just plain tired and just didn't want to do anything and her reaction to the head halter was her way of telling YOU that she didn't want to train anymore.

With a young pup of her age, train for less than 15 minutes at a time, and always make it fun!

[Judi W]

Why are you going to a GL? Is it perhaps because the instructor is selling them? There is no reason I can understand why anything more than a buckle collar is needed for so young a pup. I want my pups to enjoy working with me and not consider it a punishment.

Most dogs of any age consider the head halters punative and a spicy girl is going to make her objections clear. My first response is to say "good for her", but on the other hand I have to agree that the simple act of putting one on does not justify her pitching a fit.

I do not want a stranger scruffing my pup or my dog of any age. If physical discipline is to be dished out I am going to be the one to do it. With a pup, I would much prefer calm handling. Even if a determined situation, calmness is preferred because it gives the dog an opportunity to think rather than stimulating a fight.