PLEASE HELP... with my aggressive puppy!

renegade

This is an interesting post, as I watched a TV programme the other day about the same problem in a puppy- Victoria Stillwell , the noted dog behaviour therapist took control.
She said ' this is very normal in young pups, as they are full of energy and have no way of getting rid of the excess as they can't go for a walk or run. What he is doing is just playing it is not aggressive behaviour'
Continue to train your pup, and when he does something you don't approve of , don't shout at him this will frighten him, calmly just TSK with one finger pointed at him. He is eager to please and will soon obey the command.
Don't worry about him, once he can go outside and run in the park or long walks, he will quieten down as he will be exhausted and just sleep.
You are doing everything right, and don't ever hold your puppy down by the scruff of his neck, as has been suggested by another 'dog lover', this is cruel and will not teach your dog anything.

Try not to leave your puppy alone for long periods as he will have to be trained in this aspect of behaviour so as not to suffer from anxiety separation, being a rescue dog , he will think you are leaving him for good,.

Read Victoria's book if you can get a copy from the library or watch her programmes, they are really helpful with all dog problems.

With regards to his collar and lead, she used a ' slip lead' ( not to be in place of a proper lead) it was made of strong but soft material, just slip the lead over his head ( from behind him) walk hm around your garden, then again, from behind, clip his proper lead to his collar and slip the loose lead over his head.

There were loads of other things she did but I cannot list them all, sorry.
I have had dogs all my life, and treat with firm commands and loads of praise for good behaviour any dog will respond favourably, they live to please their master.

Best of luck and keep posting on his progress please.

sarabe

I've not read all of the replies so forgive me if this has already been said but PLEASE DO NOT PIN YOUR PUPPY DOWN. Sorry to shout but it is really important that you don't do this to a dog that is prepared to use his teeth. Well any dog really but especially not a puppy and especially not one with teeth.

The eating before him won't make any difference either way, same for other myths related to 'dominance'. Some are harmful though. See link.

http://networkedblogs.com/p23068659

Get yourself a tug toy or two, tie some rope or string to it and make it really exciting so that he is attracted to the toy and not your body parts or clothes.

Playing tug will not make him aggressive, on the contrary, not playing tug with a dog that needs to bite and tug will lead to frustration which can lead to him being aggressive.

When you tug with him, LET HIM WIN. This will keep the game fun for him and he won't get over the top which he could by the sounds of him if he has to tug for too long. This is why you need two toys by the way. Make yours more exciting than his after he has got the toy.

The taking stuff away that he pinches might cause future problems so be extra careful not to let him pinch stuff. Having a puppy means a clutter free house!!

For now just create a diversion if he has something he shouldn't, like run past him with his tug toy trailing, drop some food 'accidentally' but make sure he doesn't catch on that you are trying to trick him. Best bet is to just not want what he has and he'll get bored with it.

Puppies need to bite, especially terriers and collies - what breed is he again?

Just teach him what he can bite and have fun into the bargain.

Oh and it is worth looking at the food you are feeding him to make sure that it isn't full of additives and sugars that cause him to be on a bit of a 'high'

Mupette

tug toys are great.

I was advised that you are the master/pack leader and you must not let the pup win.

Perry was a nippy pup got over excited, he has calmed down now, its the puppy in them, it's play time and they want some fun.

Don't dismiss the tug toy,
I also used to take a toy from perry and make him sit whilst i circled it and touched it to show him that they were mine and he might be allowed to play with my toys if i allowed him.

Perry has happily settled into the pack, no longer feels he should pee on my sons stuff in his room for dominance (son was warned to be firm but said it was cruel)

Once pup goes out for daily walks he will be using all the energy and will be calmer.

Enjoy the pup he sounds lovely.

sarabe

Mupette wrote: »

tug toys are great.

I was advised that you are the master/pack leader and you must not let the pup win.


Perry has happily settled into the pack, no longer feels he should pee on my sons stuff in his room for dominance (son was warned to be firm but said it was cruel)

Scientific research in the last couple of decades has disproved the commonly held beliefs about pack theory.

It normally takes about twenty years for new thinking to break through, I think they had the same problem when they proved that the earth wasn't flat.

I thought we were almost there but TV trainers have set it back a bit.

Some more info in addition to the link above.

Definately worth reading for an up to date picture of where we are at with the study of dog behaviour.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112711.htm


http://askdryin.com/blog/2009/05/17/experts-say-dominance-based-dog-training-techniques-made-popular-by-television-can-contribute-to-dog-bites/


http://jeandonaldson.com/jeans-blog-mainmenu-51/64-are-dogs-pack-animals

mustangsal

If you make a yelping sound when he nips you too hard he should realise it hurts and calm down. also, the more protein content in his food the more hyper he will be, sometimes lowering the intake can help a lot! Both these things with our staff X lab. she was insane when we got her! Never stopped nipping and carrying on, the yelping helped, and if she kept it up i would pinch her ear, not too hard! Just enough to let her know it hurt, they just don't have bite inhibition that young. they don't know they're hurting. Hope that helps.

Fire_Fox

Cheese is a stimulant food in humans, hence the urban legend of nightmares. Can't say whether it's the same in dogs, but I'd be more inclined to use natural treats designed for puppies. Cheese is high in protein, high in salt and some brands contain additives (colours and sugars as Sarabe mentions). There is definitely research linking food additives and behaviour in humans, and excess protein and behaviour issues in dogs. There was a thread not long ago with a pup who calmed down overnight with a change of food - perhaps run a search.

Lemony

Thank you all for your replies.

It is interesting that so many people seem to think that the pack leader theory is old fashioned and should be dismissed. I was lucky with my old rescue dog as although he suffered from separation anxiety his behaviour was otherwise exemplary. I didn't really have to put any of the pack leader stuff into practice with him as he wanted to please me and looked to me for guidance. My new puppy is very mischievious and plays way too rough but he does also seem to want to please me. I'm not sure if I need to be 'top dog' but he definitely needs guidance and he needs to know what is and isn't acceptable. I don't think there is anything wrong with being 'leader'. They say that children need discipline and guidance to feel secure and surely the same sort of thing applies to dogs?

Raksha

I prefer to 'parent' my dogs - they aren't mature hunting wolves after all......

sarabe

Yes they need guidance - of course.

I'm with Raksha. I consider myself more of a parent figure to my dogs and that doesn't mean that I anthropomorphise them just that I am the one who buys the food and dishes it out, who decides when and where we go for a walk, what we play and when.

Research into learning shows that any animal, us included, learn much better by being rewarded for our successes than we ever do for being punished for failing or indeed just failing.

It is why it is so important to make it really, really easy for your dog to get it right and impossible for him to go wrong. We should also understand what makes a dog tick, what are natural behaviours and instead of trying to supress them, as many of these dominance based techniques do, we should be providing our dogs with a useful outlet for their instincts and use them to our advantage, whilst having fun into the bargain.

cyberbob

Lemony wrote: »

Thank you all for your replies.

It is interesting that so many people seem to think that the pack leader theory is old fashioned and should be dismissed.

It goes in waves. Give us a while and everyone will change their minds again. As I said in another thread they are all theories. Do what works well with your dog