Aggressive little pup...maybe
Okay...here I go with the first time mommy issues. Well, Aly is doing that snippy, growly, somewhat aggressive thing and I need help getting it under control. What should I do? It's just us, so I am not sure what I may be doing wrong. I want her to be a good girl, but right now I'm afraid she's gonna turn into one f those mean little dogs people want to stay away from. Help me please.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
It's tough to say without seeing her in action. Puppies can play growl and sound very ferocious doing so. Some also can and do growl aggressively to warn people (or other puppies) away from desired food, toys, etc. Without knowing what sort of growling/nipping she's doing, it's tough to advise. Play-nipping and growling would be handled one way (by teaching her more appropriate play methods besides nipping you; play-growling is fine and even adults will do that). If she is growling aggressively, then that is handled in an entirely different manner.
-
Permalink Reply by Alex, Al and Aly on
-
Hi! Thanks so much for replying. I'll give you an example: I just took her out, she did her business and was messing with the grass, so I tugged on her leash to get her away from it. She apparently wanted to play more and came toward me (my feet) growling. We came inside and she was still chasing my feet and growling. I ignored her and got her bed ready, pulled out a different toy and she went to bed. What do you think?
-
-
Of course understand that I can't be positive without seeing it, but from what you describe it sounds to me like she's just playing by chasing your feet. Very common at this age! Remember, their attention span at such a young age is only a few seconds. So, you tug the leash to get her away from the grass, and she instantly refocuses on the next thing she sees, which because of her small size is..... your feet!!! At this age, just offering a different toy is probably the best response. You can give her one short "ah-ah" when she goes for your feet and then distract her with a different toy. Also make sure you are not making the "game" more exciting for her by moving your feet away quickly or shuffling them. Simply bodily move her off your feet and waggle a new toy at her.
I'm pretty old-school and try to keep almost everything very upbeat and happy with a puppy that young. An "ah-ah" should be the absolute most serious correction you give her. Pulling her off what you don't want her to have and making the toys you do want her to have more exciting by waggling them in front of her is usually enough.
Besides her name, and good potty habits, the other two things you can easily teach her at this age are "come" and "sit." Most puppies will automatically run up to you when you crouch down and clap your hands. If she is exploring nearby, crouch down and clap your hands and when she looks up and starts running to you, then start saying "Come come come" in an upbeat, happy voice. The key is to do it AS she is already running to you.
Little puppies also tend to sit when they get in front of you; they are so short, it's the only way they can see your face. So as you see her butt going down towards the ground, say "sit", again in an upbeat happy voice. Then tell her gooood girl as you pop a tiny little treat in her mouth.
She's adorable. Good luck!
-
-
By the way, the reason I'm saying to just redirect her is because she's so young. Once she hits around 10-12 weeks, if she persists in biting you (and she very well might) you can then move on to turning away from her or stepping over a baby gate and giving her a 2 or 3 minute "time out". But at not even 8 weeks, her little attention span is so short that I'm really not sure she would respond much to those efforts and it would just frustrate you.
Bev is also right that when they get frustrated or over-tired, they get the crazies. When Jack was a pup, if he'd get all wild-eyed and start biting more than usual, I'd say "YOU need a nap" and put him in his pen.
He'd carry on for a minute and then the next thing I knew, he'd be sound asleep. Some puppies will nap on their own, but he would absolutely not take a nap unless I put him away; he never once fell asleep in the middle of the floor like other puppies I've seen. So if she is really getting the crazies and won't let up, just calmly put her away without scolding. You want her to associate her crate and/or pen with calm relaxation.
-
-
Oh wow, it's funny you mentioned the nap. I also noticed that this afternoon she had the crazies and I put her away and in no time she was out like a light. She's usually pretty good about taking a nap on her own. I guess I can compare her to a cranky kid who really needs a nap.
Thank you very much for your insight. I really appreciate it.
-
Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
-
Assuming she is just a puppy, she is probably acting pretty normal for a more strong willed corgi. You just have to be consistent and positive with your methods. My Sparty was like that as a pup and we were successful with a high pitched yelp for the biting and a time out in the kitchen if he continued. Right now she is treating you like one of her littermates. Lots of exercise and teaching simple stuff like sit will help. Look into obedience classes too. They really help you stay positive with the right training. Sparty turned into a great dog that was the star in classes so there is plenty of opportunity to do the same.
-
-
Yes she's a puppy...she's almost 8 weeks old. She's usually pretty good. I just don't know; there have been several times when she's just a mess. Now what do you mean by "positive methods"? Other than that, she's been great. She's housetraining very well, from what others tell me. She's already going to the door to let me know she's ready and last night I tested her and didn't take her out from 10pm to around 7:15am and she did not "wet" her bed. So I think she's doing pretty well considering her age. I just don't want her to be out of control.
-
-
She sounds great! She is really young and will require patience. Positive methods reward the behaviors you want. She can learn to sit to get a treat. Using a nice treat like chicken hold it down in front of her nose and move it towards the top of her head. If done right she will lift her head and put her bottom down. While doing this say sit and reward when she does it. I would consider yelping and time outs positive since they do not involve hitting. Think of her as an agile baby. She will not cry when frustrated, she will get wild or snappy. She needs to learn that the fun will stop when she does that. there are lots of puppy training books but a puppy class would be a great resource.
-
-
Thanks! Aly will be enrolled in class as soon as she gets her next booster and her rabies vaccine. We are working on "sit". She sort of did it today...but it's hard keeping her attention. LOL. She's all over the place.
-
-
Just remember with potty training that at this young an age, really it's 99% just making sure they are outside at the times when they are likely to need to go. She really can't control bladder or bowel yet; the time from when she thinks "I need to pee" to the time she is actually peeing is probably, like, 2 seconds. So don't get frustrated when you have an accident!
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
I think Beth and Bev have given you valuable information...I just want to share an experience with a pup getting aggressive. We had our last pup to go...had traveled over 2 hours...the people came shortly after we arrived and about 2-3 hours later...I had a very crabby out of control pup! Why??? I had totally forgot that she was a pup and had never had such a long day...she slept on the way home with them and was absolutely fine and has never done this again I just never thought of this I learned a valuable lesson that day!
-
-
Looking back at our day, I can see why she may have been a bit crabby. I am usually gone during the day, so she doesn't get as much activity until the evening when I get home. Today, she was up early and was hanging out all over the tiled "Aly" area of the house and she was able to go out in the yard and play. I thought she would be happy, but maybe it was a bit much for her and she was so excited that she didn't know to take a nap if she was tired. Interesting.
Thanks!
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
