aggression in 8wk old pup?

[myst]

so the op did not check out all the whys and wherefores before he got his puppy. don't you think that the best help might be to be positive to him and not say what he did not do?
i think that with an 8 wk old puppy the best thing would be to play gently give lots of love and attention. teach him his name and to come. all with positive rewards and lots of praise.
and yes find a puppy kindergarten to help you help your puppy be confident.
of course after all his shots are up to date:)

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by myst

so the op did not check out all the whys and wherefores before he got his puppy. don't you think that the best help might be to be positive to him and not say what he did not do?
i think that with an 8 wk old puppy the best thing would be to play gently give lots of love and attention. teach him his name and to come. all with positive rewards and lots of praise.
and yes find a puppy kindergarten to help you help your puppy be confident.
of course after all his shots are up to date:)

Huh? Never saw anyone bash the OP in this thread, are you replying to the correct one? The OP has gotten solid advice, and is making progress because he's found someone to help him one on one.

I would like to point out that waiting until a pup has finished it's series of puppy shots is WAY too late to get a pup out and about and truly socialized. A pup finishes it's TRUE socialization period at 12 weeks. After that, a pup is simply being desensitized, and it's not the same thing.

One or two boosters is fine to be hanging out in a class with other appropriately UTD pups. Common sense is the key.

[KarenK]

Hi. I figured I'd post to this thread since it seems to be frowned upon to start new ones for the same issues. Anyway, my pup is now about 10 weeks old and seems to be developing strong agression tendacies, despite my best intentions and working with her every day. I followed the vet's suggestion and tried to curb her snapping/growing by cupping her muzzle with my hand and giving her a command ("No bite!"). This works for the first few minutes, but then she is frequently back to growing (which leads to snapping if I don't stop touching her). It started a pattern wherein I spent almost half the time I have with her calling her down. She persists in growling/snapping, usually when I pick her up. She also wants to tug/chew ankles persistently, despite discipline. I'm working on training her out of that as well. I've given her the chew toys she needs, good diet, exercising her every day. I'm working on leash-training her. But the growing/snapping persists. I can't seem to break her of it. I'm down to crating her when she misbehaves. I'm slowly coming to the end of my own leash with her behavior problems, and I'm becoming afraid I may simply have a badly bred dog. I'm looking into aggressive classes at this point.

I really could use some good advice. Am I simply overreacting?

[BabyBrownz]

It sounds like she thinks you holding her muzzle is a game and it gets her attention. I would suggest giving her a sharp "OW" and then put her directly in her crate until she calms down. JMO I'm sure others here have more ideas for you.

Good luck and remember she's still a pup, this is pretty normal from what i've experienced it but corrected properly will end soon enough.

Lynn

[KarenK]

Thanks, Lynn. I read elsewhere on the forum that this aggression can persist for about 12-15 weeks and then let off as puppy moves out of that stage (if indeed she does,which I'm hoping for). Is there much truth in that? Will some pups demonstrate aggression for no real reason (other than asserting themselves, I must assume) and then move out of that in time? I don't want to overreact, but neither do I want her to feel she's "top dog".

Thanks again!

Karen

[wildfire]

hey , I pup who is around 13 weeks old and he is kinda snappy when he is wanting me to play and usually the rougher the better. so I have gotton to where I will play with him but not real aggressive ,( just to get "play" out of his system , it's been cold here and we've not gone out much) until I get tierd. Then when it's time to stop play and settle down and he does not want to stop I have been told "on this fourm " to quickly roll him on his back and get on top of him and say out loud in a stern voice , NO BITE!!! It is what the mama dog does when she punishes the pups. It is seeming to wok with us maybe you can try it. keep your face at a distance until you can trust her but you have to dominate!!!

[LavenderRott]

Originally Posted by wildfire

hey , I pup who is around 13 weeks old and he is kinda snappy when he is wanting me to play and usually the rougher the better. so I have gotton to where I will play with him but not real aggressive ,( just to get "play" out of his system , it's been cold here and we've not gone out much) until I get tierd. Then when it's time to stop play and settle down and he does not want to stop I have been told "on this fourm " to quickly roll him on his back and get on top of him and say out loud in a stern voice , NO BITE!!! It is what the mama dog does when she punishes the pups. It is seeming to wok with us maybe you can try it. keep your face at a distance until you can trust her but you have to dominate!!!

Somebody on THIS forum told you to roll your dog on his back and get on top of him? Could you please post a link to that particular thread?

[NImba]

My vet suggested talking to the puppy in "puppy talk". When pups bite each other too hard they yelp nice and loud. I tried this with my pup when she bit me and boy did it get her attention. Perhaps try that, yelp like a puppy?

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by KarenK

Hi. I figured I'd post to this thread since it seems to be frowned upon to start new ones for the same issues. Anyway, my pup is now about 10 weeks old and seems to be developing strong agression tendacies, despite my best intentions and working with her every day. I followed the vet's suggestion and tried to curb her snapping/growing by cupping her muzzle with my hand and giving her a command ("No bite!"). This works for the first few minutes, but then she is frequently back to growing (which leads to snapping if I don't stop touching her). It started a pattern wherein I spent almost half the time I have with her calling her down. She persists in growling/snapping, usually when I pick her up. She also wants to tug/chew ankles persistently, despite discipline. I'm working on training her out of that as well. I've given her the chew toys she needs, good diet, exercising her every day. I'm working on leash-training her. But the growing/snapping persists. I can't seem to break her of it. I'm down to crating her when she misbehaves. I'm slowly coming to the end of my own leash with her behavior problems, and I'm becoming afraid I may simply have a badly bred dog. I'm looking into aggressive classes at this point.

I really could use some good advice. Am I simply overreacting?

Firstly, many pups do not like to be picked up. They have 4 legs, and are very capable of using them.

When correcting a pup for biting a human, cup your hand over the muzzle and give a quick but firm squeeze to the lips against the teeth. If you hear a squeek from the pup, you have corrected successfully. It should take just a few of these corrections, in conjuction with a redirection to a toy, or redirect by asking the pup to sit for a treat.

If the pup is really zooming around biting and acting like a wildass indian, after the correction, use a calming technique by slipping your fingers into the pup's collar, and holding the pup in a sit position calmly, but firmly, and maintain the hold until you feel the pup relax.

I had a pup once that would 'fake me out' - she'd start to relax, and if I eased up on the control, she'd turn into a pirhana again. So, I'd hold her more until she submitted and relaxed. Once her brains were back in her head, I could then start some positive play with a toy. (redirection again)

When using ANY technique - if your objective is to calm the pup down, keep your emotions out of it. Yelling, raised voices and whatnot will simply wind a drivey puppy UP, and create more frustration for you.

Getting into a puppy class is a priority as well. A qualified instructor can show you up close and personal how to calm your zippy pup down.

Rearing a pup can take a lot of imagination - remember - a puppy doesn't speak our language, it's foreign to our human world - it's up to us to teach a pup to live in our world confidently. Patience IS a virtue.

If you need to crate her to give you both a time out, that's fine, but remember to put her in the crate on a good note... toss a treat in, and close the door. Remember, the crate should never be used as 'punishment'.

[KarenK]

Thank you. I tried the technique this morning when she started getting rough. At first she fought me on it. Basically, she gets frustrated with my hand over her mouth and throws herself down on her back on the floor--what I consider her "temper tantrum". I held her head and kept her jaws firmly locked until she calmed down. Thankfully, she doesn't "fake"--at least not yet. She knows when she's done wrong, and I still can't determine if the tantrum is play, aggression or because she wants attention. She kind of "urked" when I pressed against her teeth and stopped the biting and sat very still. Then I redirected her to her rag bone. After a few shakes of the rag she seemed to get it out of her system. She has become *increasingly* zippy over the past couple of weeks. I took her for a walk in the snow, and the only time she growled was when I lifted her front legs to untangle her leash. I get the impression the tantrum may be coming on because she doesn't want to be lifted off the floor/ground. I'm wondering if that is something that should be respected with regards to the pup or discouraged.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help!

[ArdentOne]

Poohbearsmom has great suggestion. Our girl thought she was the queen around here in the beggining (which worried me a bit) but then I realized it was A LOT of just plain puppy. We have put Poohbearsmom suggestions into place and our girl is slowly learning to calm down and what is appropriate human play. That in addition to training, exercise, and Puppy K has helped tremendously. Remember they are just babies.

Good luck

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by KarenK

Thank you. I tried the technique this morning when she started getting rough. At first she fought me on it. Basically, she gets frustrated with my hand over her mouth and throws herself down on her back on the floor--what I consider her "temper tantrum". I held her head and kept her jaws firmly locked until she calmed down. Thankfully, she doesn't "fake"--at least not yet. She knows when she's done wrong, and I still can't determine if the tantrum is play, aggression or because she wants attention. She kind of "urked" when I pressed against her teeth and stopped the biting and sat very still. Then I redirected her to her rag bone. After a few shakes of the rag she seemed to get it out of her system. She has become *increasingly* zippy over the past couple of weeks. I took her for a walk in the snow, and the only time she growled was when I lifted her front legs to untangle her leash. I get the impression the tantrum may be coming on because she doesn't want to be lifted off the floor/ground. I'm wondering if that is something that should be respected with regards to the pup or discouraged.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help!

Don't keep your hand over her muzzle. Keep the correction short and sweet, to get her teeth off of you.

Once you've done that, slip your fingers under her collar and hold her head gently but firmly to maintain a sit position until you feel her relax, *you'll usually hear a 'sigh' * . With your hands in the collar, she cannot worm out or bite you, and she really has no choice but to calm down.

Your redirection sounds like you're right on mark.

Usually play like this is simply puppy play. The higher drive the pup, the more 'spirited' the play is. Lot's of dog play looks like 'real aggression', which is why many people think they've gotten the spawn of satan when they get this cute little bundle of fur home. It's our job to teach little SOS a little control, people manners, and house manners. It's nothing to be alarmed about, it's normal puppy behavior that just needs to be capped.

She knows she's done wrong...

The above statement is a pet peeve of mine, because a young pup certainly does not know when it's done wrong. Learning to live in our world is a guessing game for puppies. They don't come with an instruction book that teaches them to modify their dog behaviors enough to coexist happily in our human world. Only through repetition, repetition, repetition (get where I'm going here?) do we really establish a solid foundation for them to work with.

When I hear "she knows when she's done wrong", I hear a human who has unrealistic expectations of a young animal, and this is very normal for us, but it's expecting WAY too much from a young puppy. Ease up a bit, dear, she's a puppy, not a 6 year old child!

This puppy is clearly telling you she does not like to be picked up. Respect it to a point...like I said before, she has 4 legs, allow her to use them.

There are some simple 'dominance' exercises which will desensitize her to you touching her all over. It's very important that you, as her mistress, be able to touch every part of her and get in her mouth if necessary. If you don't, you're going to have a terrible time nail clipping, ear cleaning and such, and your veterinarian will not be happy when you come-a-callin'. I will post a thread later today on some of these simple exercises in the puppy forum.

Go play with your puppy now.

[KarenK]

Thanks, Pooh! That's what I'm here for, an education.

:)

[wildfire]

it was about 3 weeks ago when I was having some real bad biting (play ) out of my pup. I do not remember who said it I wish I could , as they obviously made me look stupid. But in all regaurds it was seeming to help . They said they read it in a puppy book , that it was what the mother dog does in times of punishment. Any way my pup so far has not been biting as much since. I am going to look through some of the threads to see if I can locate the person who told me that .

[wildfire]

I know this has nothing at all to do with this topic but it had the most replies at the time so I ask , How on earth do you start new threads on here and how do you send pictures of your pup to this forum . I have looked all over and I know there is a way because you all are doing it. Thanks , hope some one will help me.