Normal puppy behavior or not? HELP!

So it is the one week marker of my getting my Dilly Dog and I am getting a little nervous about how nasty she can be sometimes.I understand it's still new for her and she is adjusting and such, and I originally thought it was just with food that she got a little aggressive. But it's becoming a little more often now. When I pick her up she snarls and nips at me. She plays REALLY rough for a 9 week old puppy. And when she met my neighbors 7 week old puppy, she was really nasty there too. I can't tell if it is play or not either... I'm not sure what to do or how to handle it/get rid of these bad behaviors.

Her first few days she was great, and now she is really starting to get me concerned. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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Comment by Bev Levy on August 23, 2012 at 2:09pm: She is an infant and probably has not been handled as much as she should have been at this age. Try to make your handling a very positive experience preferably when she seems mellow and ready to snooze. If she snaps or puts her teeth on you immediately yelp a high pitched very dramatic yelp, if it continues just put her in a safe place alone for a few minutes and then try again. Just remember you are not trying to dominate her at this very young age, you are trying to teach her that you are fun and loving. Worry about whose boss when she is a few weeks older and more used to you but even then you will get a lot further with very positive training. Puppy classes are great.

Comment by Dora & Rocky on August 23, 2012 at 1:24pm: At this early stage, it's also important to sign her up for some puppy classes so she can meet lots of different types of dogs and become socialized. Also, don't back off if she snarls and nips at you when you pick her up. When I first got Rocky, sometimes, he wouldn't go inside his crate after puppy class (I put him in there since I have to cross a busy street at night and I don't want us to get run over because he's too busy sniffing everything out) and the trainer saw me back off when Rocky snapped at me while I was trying to put him in there. She told me I need to show him who's boss and not back off just because he snapped at me because otherwise, he'll learn that all he has to do is snap at me if he doesn't want to do something I ask.

Comment by Ludi on August 23, 2012 at 12:57pm: Try reading up on resource guarding - there's tons of sites on the net that could point you in the right direction. There's also great books on the topic. My favourite is Mine! by Jean Donaldson.

Comment by Jane on August 23, 2012 at 12:41pm: Any time she gets nippy or snarly I'd give a sharp NO! and totally ignore her for a few minutes. If she's really persistent then I would put her in a puppy safe room or an xpen for 10 minutes until she is calmed down.