aggression in 8wk old pup?

[Dimitri]

small problem with my new 8 week old. i took him to the vet for his first overall checkup after getting him from the breeder. now during the exam the dog snapped at the vet and tried to bite him? the vet told me that this is not normal behaviour. please note, that before going to the vet, i tried to leach train him but that didn't go too well as he refused to go with the leach and lay down for most of the time.
is this a problem because i have noticed that he is extremely nervous and timid with strangers. i have to tell everyone to approach slowly and offer their hand slowly (palm up) and say hello. i also try to coax the pooch and tell him to go say hello to the stranger and praise him when he does go to greet a new person.
funny thing is that he is not aggressive towards other dogs and i have walked him in a park that is filled with dogs from various buildings in the neighborhood.

./db

[debbiej]

first of all, I don't think your puppy should be around a lot of other dogs yet. he needs his shots first. Secondly, he just sounds frightened of so many new changes in his life. He is just a baby! start gently with him!!

there are many very good posts and stickies here about raising a baby pup. please search and read them, and try to understand how to be positive, kind and gentle with your pup.

[Dimitri]

okay, i'll start taking more smaller baby steps and try to encourage good things in the dog as in the 'come' and 'sit' command

[scooterjohansen]

reality check... its a puppy 8 weeks old...you expecting way too much. enjoy the furball while you can they grow really quick...

[wildfire]

Hi , My ten week old Cochise wasn't like that but he has show some aggression with me at time when we are playing around( me laying watching a little t.v. him playing with my hand) He sometimes gets carried away and wants to bite a little hard on my hand, He knows the NO BITE command. So I tell him OWE!! NO BITE , He sometimes will go to the end of the bed as if to want to still play but he knows he did a bad thing to me but just like a kid he wants to get out of it by trying to play something differant. Well sometimes he barks as if to play but I tell him no ! You hurt me , And try to not pay attention to him ( as he knows) but then he starts barking more and I say No , He comes back loving and does it again , so I tell him the same thing , he then will show his teeth at me as if he is so ticked at me cause I don't want him to bite so hard. I do not yell and scream at him when he does this but I also have to be the boss of this , Right? I am trying to be patient with him but I do not like the way he does this. He does not do it often but enough! When he does this (showing me his teeth as in anger), I then get a DEEP tone and tell him NO BITE Bad boy!! If he continues to do this then I pop his little nose ( not hard ) and tell him NO ! BAD BOY !! Then I wait till he is not showing his teeth at me and then and only then I love on him and tell him he is a good boy and I make it a point to play and love him easy, rubbing and talking , for a time so he knows he is not always boss but I love him dearly !! Can any one tell me if this is the right thing I am doing? I do not want him to be real agressive. He is only ten weeks old but I have had him since he was 5 weeks old. ( his breeder was wanting Christmas money and told every one that they were 7 almost 8 weeks old , I went ahead and got him so he did not end up someone's furious yard dog!!) Since i got him I have told every one not to play rough with him , I do not want him to be mean . I have a 6 year old ( who is tough as they come ) I do not want them hurting each other. ( my 6 yr. old hurting him now and Cochise rembering it and hurting my baby later, as they grow so fast) well please , any good tips would be helpful to my not so timid pup . He is not scared of anything . HE does not run away , he stands guard , but watches , he does not bark unless he see's somthing coming toward him , he then will bark and go forward to it . When he gets scared he stops and growls . But when he figures out it is a person (family ) he runs toward them and running all between their legs and trying to wag his litle tail . He's so cute at these times.

[Sharon Marples]

How old was this puppy when you got him?

Did you meet both parents of the litter?

What does the breeder of the litter say about his behavior?

[Hoochiepoo]

I got my pup at 9 weeks of age. I seen only puppy behavior. I wouldn't think aggression would start this young. Maybe your thinking his playing is aggression. What is your experience with dogs? Is this your first puppy? I've had 3 puppies in my life and never once mistaken puppy behavior for aggression. I've raised 1 golden retriever , 1 red doberman and now Hooch (rott) who is now 9mos old TODAY!!!!

Good luck and keep us informed.

Lisa

[Dimitri]

the breeder said that they both had great temperments and i have met his dad all 130lbs of him. his dad is a bit vocal though he is assertive and is friendly for the most part. I have never met his mom to date and i'm just curious about him and i want to ensure i give him the best and at the same time not have to worry about all the little kids in my condo building. to be honest, i'm more concerned with him being nervous than anything else.

[Sharon Marples]

Originally Posted by Dimtiri

the breeder said that they both had great temperments and i have met his dad all 130lbs of him. his dad is a bit vocal though he is assertive and is friendly for the most part. I have never met his mom to date and i'm just curious about him and i want to ensure i give him the best and at the same time not have to worry about all the little kids in my condo building. to be honest, i'm more concerned with him being nervous than anything else.

This could be a temperament issue, that is why I asked the question. The fact that you say that the sire was a bit vocal could be a red flag. Evidentally the breeder that you got him from just had the sire and not the dam? Did you not visit the puppies when they were with the dam? I am trying to find out just how these puppies were raised and how much socialization and temperament building activities they had while still at the breeders.

You need to work a lot with this puppy with confidence building activities. Search through the archives,you will find lots of information on how to do that and how to raise your youngster. If it is a temperament issue, you will have lots of work ahead of you.

Good luck

[Dimitri]

the pups were raised at the person's home and he had other plenty of sheppards around that he was training for various duties. what i mean by vocal was when he was playing with the sheppards, they were all rough housing around the yard. the owner said his mom was out working (guard dog duties) and she was far away from our present location. i'm sure i could help him with his confidence, there is a human society about 5 blocks away with a good obstacle course that i could have him play in. if it is a temperment issue, i've got lots of research to do.

oh i forgot to add one more thing. when first saw the pup at 4 weeks old, the mother was nowhere in sight. it was him and his sister along with another 8 dogs (7 sheppards and their dad) in the yard

[brunie's mom]

The pups were 4 weeks old and the mother was not around???
It sounds to me like you bought a puppy from a very lousy breeder. Did the sire or dam have any titles? Did they have their hips, elbows, heart and eyes certified??

I agree with the vet...an 8 week old pup should be happy to be meeting people, not be shy or afraid (if of sound temperment and good breeding).
You may be in for alot of trouble in the future with this pup.

Get signed up for Puppy Kindergarden classes and as soon as he has had enough vaccinations start going...and keep taking classes.

As far as the leash..put a very light, nylon leash on him. I buy them at the Dollar Store...and let him drag it around the house while you supervise him. Outside...lure him with a treat and encouraging words to you while on leash. He will soon get used to the leash.

Gina

[Dimitri]

i will do my best and i'm concerned with this puppy. no the dog has had himself certified or have any titles. i should of gone 2 hours south to the US to pick up a good dog now that i think of it. i figure worse case scenario is if I can't handle him to find a good home on a farm or something for him to enjoy

[twomanydogs]

My Boy came from a very good breeder and was very vocal, snotty and dominent as a puppy. (as the breeder warned me) She also checked me out when I wanted a puppy and matched the puppy with me. My guy is now 2 1/2 years, 140 pounds and the sweetest thing on the planet.(still very verbal) You need to be the boss..NOW.. firmly but gently. As stated above. Get some help with him. Now, while he is a baby. Before you have to get rid of him. Lots of Rotties out there homeless from being misunderstood as babys.Lots put to sleep in shelters. everyday.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by Dimtiri

i will do my best and i'm concerned with this puppy. no the dog has had himself certified or have any titles. i should of gone 2 hours south to the US to pick up a good dog now that i think of it. i figure worse case scenario is if I can't handle him to find a good home on a farm or something for him to enjoy

We have alot of good breeders here in Ontario and Canada. Please go to the Rottweiler Club of Canada's website and check out the breeder's. They are all COE (code of ethics breeder's) that are listed. www.rottclub.ca
There is alot of info on the website also.

You just needed to do more research and get info before you bought your pup..which you failed to do.

Gina

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by Sharon Marples

This could be a temperament issue, that is why I asked the question. The fact that you say that the sire was a bit vocal could be a red flag. Evidentally the breeder that you got him from just had the sire and not the dam? Did you not visit the puppies when they were with the dam? I am trying to find out just how these puppies were raised and how much socialization and temperament building activities they had while still at the breeders.

You need to work a lot with this puppy with confidence building activities. Search through the archives,you will find lots of information on how to do that and how to raise your youngster. If it is a temperament issue, you will have lots of work ahead of you.

Good luck

I agree this does sound like a temperament issue. I would suggest that you find a qualified trainer (preferably one who trains in SchH, or is well versed in nerve strength) to evaluate this pup.

Keep in mind, that if this is truly a fearful pup, passing a fearful dog onto someone else is irresponsible. Fear aggression is indeed the most dangerous type of aggression, as the dog truly believes it's life is in danger, so you'll need to get this pup evaluated soon in order to give you the best opportunity to make proper choices. You'll either need to deal with this one way or another, depending upon the severity of the issue. If it does turn out that this pup is wired wrong, PLEASE do not pass your dog onto someone else who may or may not be capable of handling the dog properly - that could be dangerous.
If this is simply a case of a puppy with slow recovery time, quick evaluation will give you enough time to get this pup into a puppy kindergarten class where you can learn how to build his confidence levels before he reaches 12 weeks - it's entirely possible that he's in a fear period and being overly reactive at this time. Time is of the essence.

Is this a GSD pup?

I can't for the life of me understand how the dam would not be on premise with 4 week old pups around (who should not be in general population with other adult dogs EXCEPT for their dam!) unless she died post partum, or the 'breeder' is completely ignorant of proper rearing techniques.

I'm sorry that you're going through this, but please do not delay in finding assistance with a trainer that can put their hands on the pup, test reactions to various stimuli, etc...

Good luck