Aggressive Puppy

[mustangrooster]

Structured exercise, like walking on a leash and paying attention to the human at the other end of the leash can work wonders. It's energy draining exercise, it's works them mentally, and it reinforces that you are in charge. Freedom is great and all, but dogs, like children, need rules and discipline to reach their full potential.
A very common misconception is that dogs 'grow out' of puppy behavior. It's a falsehood. They are 'trained' out of puppy behavior. It takes a lot of work to take a rambunctious puppy, and turn it into a well-behaved companion. All the behaviors you mention are excitement related. To address it, you must first be in control of your behavior when she is acting like that. Did you get her too riled up while playing? Do you greet her with excitement? You must first reign in your reactions, before you can do anything about hers. She loves you, but doesn't respect you. If she's jumping or barking, turn and ignore her. She want's your attention, don't reward her misbehavior with what she wants. She starts biting too hard while playing, get up and walk away. Above be calm and consistent. And stop chasing her! I've spent the last 6 months working with a dog that learned that her name meant run away, thanks to her previous owners. At 5 months old, your puppy is likely teething, so be sure to have plenty of safe chew items around for her to gnaw on.

Thanks for some more good advice, She does pay attention to me, but i keep all sessions short because as a puppy, she has a very short attention span. Right...the freedom thing just clicked.

I totally agree with you about "A very common misconception is that dogs 'grow out' of puppy behavior. It's a falsehood." People have said "Oh she will grow out of it" But i know this kind of behavior she wont grow out of, so thats why i need to correct it.

I'll admit it, sometimes i do get her too riled up while playing, when she was much younger! But now, more than often, shes the one who makes her self all worked up when playing. She has lots of energy, so i throw a ball for her for as far as the eye can see, and shes back in 2 seconds, she'll chase anything up a tree, im talking actually climbing on the tree.

Its a bit hard.. because at times she actually does respect me, others, its all down the drain.

I have tried walking away when she starts biting hard, it honestly does not work. May i rephase the chasing part...i dont literally chase her around. She comes to me all the time when called, expect when she knows she's in trouble, or when she needs to go to the crate when i need head space from her. Wow, you sure have patients, 6 months working with a dog whos name thought meant run away is a pretty long time..

 

[mustangrooster]

It sounds like your poor pup had a rough start. And it makes sense (as Ol Grey Mare said) that she has missed out on some important socialisation from her doggie family.

Are you feeding her biscuits or raw food? If you can access raw food it is good to get them onto it especially as chewing on a raw, meaty bone does help them through teething, but I know it's difficult if you haven't got access to a reputable source of raw food and the right advice. Even if she's on biscuits another good activity is making her sit outside (tie her leash to something if you need to as back-up) while you sprinkle her food about, then she gets released to find it. It encourages them to use their nose and is a good mental activity. It keeps them occupied for awhile too.

Our dog (chocolate lab x pointer) has been a very easy first dog, but puppies are hard work!!! Never having owned a dog, or had much to do with puppies, it was a bit of a shock the trouble they get into. They are worse than toddlers (I know because I had one of those as well when I fell in love with the puppy at the petshop)! It was actually a trainer that I bought a front control harness from that said our Honey would be about 4 before we saw any maturity in her and she was so right!

My parents recently puppy sat my sisters French Bulldog. I did a bit of training with him and he was just so different personality wise. I could feel the stubborness sometimes which is common with the breed. Just so different to our girl who will do anything for food (isn't that the labrador motto?!), and often starts running through her repertoire of tricks if she even thinks there's the chance of food in it for her. Honey loved having a playmate though, especially one that was so much slower than her (she's fast and she loves to win).

I recently found this lady's website and it has some really good articles on it: http://suzanneclothier.com/written-articles/articles

Hopefully something there will help. It has articles about problem behaviour tips, aggression, jumping up, leadership basics, as well as discussing questionable techniques that are often used by professional dog trainers.

She sure did, she was skinny and hungry when she first came home, and on top of that when she was born she was born with a bladder stone, so had to have surgery at 12 weeks old, she peed blood,, had tests done, the whole lot..

She gets both, its whatever we have at the time, either raw or biscuits..shes a sucker for raw meaty bones, but she hasn't had them since last year because there are none available. That activity with food sounds like a good idea, i think im going to try it...

Thankyou! Puppies are hard work! The trouble they get into is unbelievable....just had to laugh at "They are worse than toddlers (I know because I had one of those as well when I fell in love with the puppy at the petshop)!"

4 years old is a a while for a dog to mature! Im surprised!

Anything for food, just like my pup! French Bull dog, stubborn little things..

That Website is amazing! Thankyou very much. I appreciate it

I however have another question, ishe has a collar with a bell on it now, and a harness, should i start keeping her on a leash attached to me to correct this behavior?

 

[JaeG]

I'd put a leash on her and have her attached to you in any situation where you think she might do something she shouldn't. It just means you are in control and can jump on something before it escalates. And she doesn't get to do whatever she wants, she has to do as she's told, which will also drain some of that mental energy too.

Honey used to grab her leash too - I can't remember what I did to solve that but I'm sure there are lots of training videos that deal with that. Just try everything until you find something that works.

I don't think your girl is being aggressive - she's just trying it on, seeing how much she can get away with and what gets her some of your attention.

It's been 4 years for our Honey to mature into a calmer dog, though she's still more exciteable than most - I still call her puppy brained. I'm tough on her because if you give her an inch she will take a mile. But I'm lucky that she likes to just hang out on her bed inside and doesn't need too much attention, but she'll keep going all day if we go for a picnic at the beach (she loves to swim). Whenever she gets in the car she gets very excited and whinges for the first few minutes, then she calms down. In her world everything is just SO EXCITING!!!

We are also lucky our Honey is quite a submissive dog and will react to a sharp "Ah!" or "Oy" if she's going to do something she shouldn't. I've taught her the chickens and wild ducks (I'd love some ducks one day) aren't for chasing, but recently we've had stray chickens keep turning up at our house. We are residential but there's a small band of forest that runs along the back of the sections where we are. I don't know if someone is letting their chickens wander or they've been dumped. I tried chasing them off unsuccessfully (I don't want them in our vege patch and our girls are contained in a big run) then thought Honey could help me. She was useless! But I know that's a good thing really.

I've remembered another dog training site that's useful, and a bit different: https://naturaldogtraining.com/blog/

I've changed the way I do a few things after reading this, like letting Honey win at tug-of-war because then it's me providing the satisfying rush she feels. I must read some more things on there after glancing at that page - I haven't visited there in quite awhile. Hope it helps.

 

[junebuggena]

Thanks for some more good advice, She does pay attention to me, but i keep all sessions short because as a puppy, she has a very short attention span. Right...the freedom thing just clicked.

I totally agree with you about "A very common misconception is that dogs 'grow out' of puppy behavior. It's a falsehood." People have said "Oh she will grow out of it" But i know this kind of behavior she wont grow out of, so thats why i need to correct it.

I'll admit it, sometimes i do get her too riled up while playing, when she was much younger! But now, more than often, shes the one who makes her self all worked up when playing. She has lots of energy, so i throw a ball for her for as far as the eye can see, and shes back in 2 seconds, she'll chase anything up a tree, im talking actually climbing on the tree.

Its a bit hard.. because at times she actually does respect me, others, its all down the drain.

I have tried walking away when she starts biting hard, it honestly does not work. May i rephase the chasing part...i dont literally chase her around. She comes to me all the time when called, expect when she knows she's in trouble, or when she needs to go to the crate when i need head space from her. Wow, you sure have patients, 6 months working with a dog whos name thought meant run away is a pretty long time..

She'd been conditioned since a young puppy that when people said the word 'come', it was for something bad. Come meant, 'I'm going to be chased because they are angry with me.' It's not the words, but the energy that was put into the words by the person saying them. Frustration, anger, impatience all being fed into a single command, day after day. Of course she responded with fear. And that fear became an automatic response to the word over time. And that fear also became attached to her name. She was 8 months old when I got her. 8 months of that kind of negative reinforcement. It takes a long time to undo that kind of thing. She now comes when called in the backyard and in the house. But off leash, with no fences, she's gone. She's come a very long way from the puppy we brought home, but there is still a long way to go.
A dog should never, ever be called to come if it's because of something unpleasant. And if you can get a dog to associate an unpleasant thing with something they like, it no longer is an ordeal. Crate training is pretty simple. For the crate, it should be a calm, safe place for her. A place of peacefulness, where she can go to relax. It should never be seen or used as a jail cell. Make the crate the center of all things good and comforting. It's where her toys and chews are. It's near her food dish. It's where she gets treats. It's where she sleeps. Start with praising her for just being near the crate. Toss in her favorite treat or toy for her to follow in. Reward. Always reward, but calmly. It is her resting place, after all. You don't want her amped up around the crate. Pretty soon, you'll say 'Go crate', and she does so happily. When you get to that point, you can start shutting her in. Keep it short to start with. Just a few minutes at a time. The rule here is that she can't just burst out the second the door is unlatched. She has to be calm and relaxed. When you open that door, she has to wait, she has to be calm. This will seriously test your patience. You can't get annoyed, it will feed anxiety. You can't get frustrated, it will feed excitement. If you want her to be calm and relaxed, you must be calm and relaxed. Dogs read emotions. There is no better mirror for a human's state of mind, than a dog. They are what you put into them.
And it does sound like she is a high energy dog. You can work discipline into a basic fetch game. The rules are pretty simple, she has to do something in order for you to throw the ball (like sit or down), and she has to make eye contact with you before you throw it. This also build impulse control. Any form of exercise becomes more effective at draining energy, when the brain has to work too. And no, she doesn't respect you. She listens when it suits her. A dog that respects you and trusts you will do absolutely anything you ask. That is the beauty of dogs.

 

[drumstick diva]

When I (teenager)was learning how to handle show dogs the instructor taught me a simple trick to keep the dog focused. You walk the dog on lead and every time he veers off, quickly change direction. The wilder he is the more changes - after he gets bumped or tripped over - he starts paying attention. Of course this isn't something you can teach with a huge overgrown puppy. The bigger they will be, the earlier you have to start this. It teaches the dog to keep an eye on you.

I also added something to the mix, if the dog got too far ahead, I would say "Back here," and mean it, changing direction again. If the dog walked too closely to me, I used to stamp my foot and say "Over." and the dog did so.

Maybe I was just lucky. But the wilder or more aggressive dog needs to focus on it's owner

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I haven't read thoroughly through all the responses yet but it sounds like you've gotten some good advice. It doesn't sound like aggression to me either, but no one can say for sure online. That's an assessment that needs to be made in person.

I would add that finding an obedience class or trainer to take her to would be very beneficial. Just be wary of trainers that use dominance theory or shock collars. With a puppy like yours, those methods could make her much worse very quickly and fixing that damage is very very difficult.

Nothing in life is free is a great thing. Clicker training is also great if she is food or toy motivated. It sounds like part of her issue is that she needs some structured exercise to burn off the extra energy. Things like fetch, long walks or runs, or even just training sessions are all great exercise. Training is great because it works their mind too.

I'm a big fan of replacing a bad behavior with a different, better behavior. It could be as simple as "sit" or "look". A very basic description of how this works is you would teach her to sit in all types of situations. Get the sit command to the point where she does it immediately. Then, when she goes to jump on you, or bite you, you tell her to sit, then you can give her a treat. Eventually she'll think of sitting instead of jumping. This may mean you have to carry treats around for a while wherever you go (I would invest in a treat pouch) but eventually you can wean her off the treats.

I really like the trainer zak George. He uses mostly positive reinforcement, but also teaches how to say "no". He has many videos on YouTube.

Often the extra energy can be channeled into something awesome. It just takes some extra elbow grease!

 

[dainerra]

the first and most important thing is going to be to stop thinking of her as aggressive. what you describe is an untrained puppy who was taken from her littermates too early. Bite inhibition is only one of the things that a puppy learns until they are actually ready to leave their family at a minimum of 8 weeks. Weaned or not actually has little to do with whether or not they are ready to leave.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...soon-develop-behavior-problems-as-adults.aspx

Two behaviors were the most frequently reported among all dogs (those removed early from litters and those removed at 60 days) according to their owners:

• 68 percent of the dogs were attention seekers – they nuzzled, pawed or jumped up on family members looking for attention and physical contact
• 60 percent showed signs of fear when exposed to loud noises

 

[mustangrooster]

the first and most important thing is going to be to stop thinking of her as aggressive. what you describe is an untrained puppy who was taken from her littermates too early. Bite inhibition is only one of the things that a puppy learns until they are actually ready to leave their family at a minimum of 8 weeks. Weaned or not actually has little to do with whether or not they are ready to leave.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...soon-develop-behavior-problems-as-adults.aspx

Two behaviors were the most frequently reported among all dogs (those removed early from litters and those removed at 60 days) according to their owners:

• 68 percent of the dogs were attention seekers – they nuzzled, pawed or jumped up on family members looking for attention and physical contact
• 60 percent showed signs of fear when exposed to loud noises

Yes, and i realize she was taken from her litter mates far to early. But we could not take her back, they owner took terrible care of the puppies. She wasn't wormed or vaccinated although the owner said she was vaccinated.

I know very well shes not aggressive, but i did not know how else to word it. I did say that its a very hard situation for me to explain online

 

[mustangrooster]

I haven't read thoroughly through all the responses yet but it sounds like you've gotten some good advice. It doesn't sound like aggression to me either, but no one can say for sure online. That's an assessment that needs to be made in person.

I would add that finding an obedience class or trainer to take her to would be very beneficial. Just be wary of trainers that use dominance theory or shock collars. With a puppy like yours, those methods could make her much worse very quickly and fixing that damage is very very difficult.

Nothing in life is free is a great thing. Clicker training is also great if she is food or toy motivated. It sounds like part of her issue is that she needs some structured exercise to burn off the extra energy. Things like fetch, long walks or runs, or even just training sessions are all great exercise. Training is great because it works their mind too.

I'm a big fan of replacing a bad behavior with a different, better behavior. It could be as simple as "sit" or "look". A very basic description of how this works is you would teach her to sit in all types of situations. Get the sit command to the point where she does it immediately. Then, when she goes to jump on you, or bite you, you tell her to sit, then you can give her a treat. Eventually she'll think of sitting instead of jumping. This may mean you have to carry treats around for a while wherever you go (I would invest in a treat pouch) but eventually you can wean her off the treats.

I really like the trainer zak George. He uses mostly positive reinforcement, but also teaches how to say "no". He has many videos on YouTube.

Often the extra energy can be channeled into something awesome. It just takes some extra elbow grease!

Yeah, its not aggression.

We cant take her to an obedience class or trainer...we are not based in town. She adores long runs..

I take her everywhere i am around the station/farm (Its a mix of both) even if its just to fill up the horse trough. She is more food motivated than anything

She loves the chasing part in fetch, but has not learnt that she must give the ball/stick back..

I train her whenever i can...

Some things that She knows how to do:

Sit
Stay
Down (Lie down)
Spin
Nod (Yes)
Shake head (No)
Speak
Quiet
Paw
Handshake
Knee (Pawing onto my knee)
Other knee (Putting other paw onto my other Knee)
Take it
Leave it
Get it
Whisper
Look
Bubbles (Blowing bubbles in water..working on it)
Roll over

And she is learning play dead also.


Thankyou for the awesome information. I really appreicate it

 

[JaeG]

Those are some awesome tricks!

If you have a hallway use that for teaching fetch. Then she has no where to go but to you and you can wave a treat under her nose and tell her "Give" and she will naturally drop the ball/toy to eat the treat. Start out small and she'll pick it up really quickly that if she brings you the ball, she gets a treat. Our dog lives to play fetch. She loves going up to the off leash area so that she can really stretch out and run to chase that ball. She'll run until she can barely stand and ignores all other dogs who might like to play with her.

If you put the effort into her training (which you obviously are) then she will come out the other end a well behaved dog. You just have to get through puppyhood and adolescence, and she'll get better and better as you go through those as well.