Puppy Attacking!!!

[firefly386]

Hello,

Well I just got a 7 week old puppy about a week ago so he is 8 weeks now. He is a normal puppy except for when he is sleeping and I or some one of the family goes over to him and pets him he turns around and tries to attack you. I the YELL NO! and he stops. He also does this some time if you scoop him up under the chest to pick him up. He was laying on me last night and I started to pet under his chin and chest area and he started to growl and snap!. So I told him No! and I did it again A little fast and harder and he did it again as well. So I YELD No loud this time he stop. He didnt do it again Because It tried to make him growl and bite by rubbing his chest but he just let me do it. He will do this some time If he is not sleeping but mostly when hes a sleep.

My big worry is I have a 2 year old and I dont want her to get bit.

Am I doing Right By keep on doing what he does not like and keep telling him no when he does growl and bite?

Any others have this problem?

Thanks
Chad

[Judi W]

Well, I can't type long enough to do a whole puppy thing, but briefly,

Puppies should not be allowed to be nasty and aggressive to people, you are right to correct such behavior and teach him to be handled gently and to accept it.

Puppies should however, be given a place to sleep/take a nap in peace

Puppies should not be allowed to be on top of people

[firefly386]

hello,

Well I have his crates upstairs in our room for now since he is a puppy and needs to go out often at night. He usually goes to sleep behind the couch which is a sectional and has a lot of room in the middle of the back.other then that he usually sleeps right here next to the computer. I bought a full-size crate so I would not have to buy more as he got bigger. It is very big to be bringing up and down stairs.

Thank you for your input I'm sure it will be very helpful.

One day the time,

Chad

[Judi W]

I know my post sounded very brief, and I'm sorry I didn't give more detail.

Dogs are quite literal about who is "on top" and I would always discourage allowing them to sit over, lie on top of or in other ways to elevate themselves higher than their masters. (that means no up-on-the-furniture also)

Until your pup adjusts to 'people" rules and regulations, I would discourage your daughter from interacting with the pup unless you are also in contact with the pup and know that it is reacting decently towards her. That means somewhat organizing those periods so that the pup gets good interaction and not experience the opportunity of threatening her. Until the pup learns that where the adults are concerned, don't expect him to be more respectful of a little child. You want that interaction to always be positive for both. Treating children well and respectfully is part and parcel of learning to treat all people that way, but a child is at a disadvantage in the authority position.

[BarryMcD]

There is another way to view the situation with the pup, especially since you've only had him for a week. The pup has not had time to settle in or get to know you. It is in unfamiliar surroundings. Its apparent dominating or aggressive behavior may well be a sign of its insecurity, not a hostile nature.

I would suggest these things:

1) Avoid triggering these fits as much as you can. If the pup goes crazy when awakened, try not to wake it! Try to maneuver the pup so it ends up falling asleep in its crate at night so you don't have to pick it up and move it. If it objects to being picked up by the belly, don't do that for now! Give it some time to settle in, learn to bond with you and trust you, and have positive experiences in your presence.

Old Vaudeville Joke:

PATIENT: "Doctor, it hurts every time I do that!" (raising arm).
DOCTOR: "Then don't do that!"

So try to prevent these confrontations for a while, just as you would plan ahead and shut the door to the laundry room so the pup won't drink the Clorox.

2) You can continue to go ahead and yell "No!" every time the pup does something objectionable, (although I would suggest ignoring the pup instead of shouting at it. The second it bites or goes for you, get up, leave the room, and make no eye contact with the pup. Your lack of attention is a strong motivator.) If you do want to keep saying "No!," at least do it properly. Don't scream it loudly, but say it in a slow, low-toned and very firm voice--at normal volume. Volume will only upset and aggrevate the pup--whose hearing is probably fifty times more sensitive than yours-- and make it more likely to repeat the behavior or remain upset. You want to teach proper behavior--strictly and firmly--not get into an argument or fight with the pup or scare it to death.

Above I said, "The pup has not had time to settle in or get to know you." When it does settle in and get to know you, do you want it to remember and think of you as the guy who screams at it all the time?

3) Whether you give up the NO for the Ignoring Method, definitely add positive reinforcement. When the pup is acting properly, praise it and give it a treat. This will be especially effective if you can catch it once or twice tolerating the behaviors it is now reacting to. Maybe experiment: Could you very quietly and slowly wake it from a light nap without it reacting? If you can get that to happen once, immediately reward the dog with all kinds of praise and treats.

Although there is a lot of debate about the use of positive reinforcement with or without negative reinforcement (yelling No!), or what others call "positive punishments--where you do something to the dog, vs. negative punishments--where you take something away from the dog, like your presence and attention when you ignore it--I don't believe there is any civilized person in these beginning years of the 21st Century who still advocates using ONLY punishment or negative reinforcement! You must work on making good things happen so you can reward the dog for them.


4) Finally, make sure the pup gets plenty of play time and exercise. If it is crated for long periods, that could be a contributing factor to its grumpiness. Also start right away to socialize it. Bring other people into your house. Let the pup meet other dogs and animals. Go for a drive. The key is to let the pup expend energy. play, and be active, expose it to other people and animals, but make it feel safe and loved all the time when it is home.

Judy W is absolutely right that you should not let the pup get away with harming humans, but I am just suggesting that you use the most humane and peaceful means of preventing this rather than reacting with any sort of violence or punishment. If the pup is scared and insecure, it does not deserve to be punished and it will only make things worse.

I also agree with Judy that you should keep your 2-year-old and the pup apart unless very closely supervised--with pup on a leash.

Finally, I have to disagree with Judy on the elevation thing. A lot of folks who are into pack theory and like to analyze everything as a play for dominance feel strongly about this idea of never letting the dog be higher than you or sit on you, etc. I have raised six dogs, two of them Rottweilers, and I have never followed this advice and have never had a problem with it. The four dogs we own now sleep in bed with us, roll around on the floor with us, and are allowed to sit on selected items of furniture (one ottiman covered with a blanket for each of the dogs). A well known method of getting a reluctant dog to come to you or to stimulate play is for you to lie down on the floor.

Quite frankly, with all respect given to Judy's opinions and experience--I think the height theory is nonsense for most if not all dogs. Putting this opinion together with the other suggestions I have made, I would sum it up this way: What the heck is the sense of having a puppy if you don't let it sleep near you, climb on you, and love you? If you are always going to have to stand over it, sit above it, and also scream at it loudly each time it makes a puppy mistake, what's the use of having it?

A good consistent and humane training program will make an obedient and loving dog, no matter how many inches it is above the floor or where it sits in relationship to you.

BarryMcD

[Judi W]

Originally posted by BarryMcD
Finally, I have to disagree with Judy on the elevation thing. A lot of folks who are into pack theory and like to analyze everything as a play for dominance feel strongly about this idea of never letting the dog be higher than you or sit on you, etc. I have raised six dogs, two of them Rottweilers, and I have never followed this advice and have never had a problem with it. The four dogs we own now sleep in bed with us, roll around on the floor with us, and are allowed to sit on selected items of furniture (one ottiman covered with a blanket for each of the dogs). A well known method of getting a reluctant dog to come to you or to stimulate play is for you to lie down on the floor.
BarryMcD

I don't disagree with you where the owner is confident and there are no issues. With a novice and unsure owner, keeping the elevation rule is non-confrontational and simple, can help and does no harm.