Penny is now about 14 weeks and she's starting to show signs of aggression. I really don't want her to grow up being a aggressive dog. She's fed twice a day, walked twice a day, gets rewarded with treats, picks up commands very easily, and I am never violent with her but she has these moments when she'll go insane and there's absolutely no stopping her. Normally she will "sit", "lie down", and "stay" on command but when she's in her crazy moment I can't seem to have her in control. When I give her the firm "no" she'll growl and when I try to hold her still and "shh" her to calm down she'll try to bite (very scary). She's hates being scolded and being told "no". I'm hoping she'll grow out of it but at the same time so afraid she may become more aggressive. I've read in some blogs regarding other corgi owners having a similar problem. Can anyone help with the right way to scold her without her becoming more aggressive or being frightened? Thanks!
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What are you calling her crazy or aggressive moments? What exactly is she doing? My 5 month old puppy does not really understand scolding but he understands "leave it" or sit followed by "settle" as a command.
She is just learning the boundaries of her power at this point. It may be a reaction to something that frightened her a little so she is using this to feel safer. This is a really good time to remain calm and make sure that she gets regular walks. Exercise is really important and look into some basic puppy classes. I find the best results are when you can ignore the mildly bad behaviors and reward the behaviors you want. She is still very young and has a lot of pent up energy at this age. I used at least 3 walks a day for 15 to 20 minutes when Sparty was a puppy and it really helped. Also, make sure she has opportunities to be out and about so she sees lots of new things.
She's still really young...I don't really see that as true aggression, she just doesn't know any better. Puppies that age use their mouth for everything and corgis are often very nippy. Henry was a shark lol. When she gets crazy like that I'd just say TIME OUT and put her in an xpen or a puppy safe room for 10 minutes to let her calm down. Even if she barks or whines just totally ignore her. I'd also highly recommend a good puppy class.
Wyatt will do this when he is told not to get into something. He'll bark, nip, and run around in circles. We typically use the spray bottle to check him and then once he's still we calmly (it's important not to exhibit anger or frustration), put him in his crate until he simmers down. Once we let him out, he's typically much calmer. I agree with others, at this age they don't know any better and will test their boundaries just like children.
Think of it this way: If someone's two-year-old toddler had a temper-tantrum, and kicked and screamed and cried and flailed arms, would you think "Uh-oh: burgeoning mass murderer there!" Of course not! :-) Your pup is at the toddler stage. She has an almost non-existent frustration threshold and all she knows is to use her mouth. Eliminate trying to hold her still physically at this age. If she already knows sit, lie down, and stay at just 14 weeks then she is well ahead of the curve!
Instead of scolding her, just redirect her calmly and if she loses self-control, give her a two-minute time-out in a safe area. Go back when she's calm. The only "aggression" I'd worry about in a puppy that young is if she gave cold hard stares at you, followed by a deep warning growl and a single targeted bite. Puppy growls and wild biting are just tantrums and this will improve as she matures and learns boundaries.
Like with a child, you should increase your expectations of her very gradually over a long time (months, not days or weeks).
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