aggressive puppy

notsoskintnow

hi all,
my friend at work has got a rotweiller puppy who as approx 4 months old whom seems very aggresive, i visited when it was 10 weeks old and when i went to stop it chewing my boots it growled and snapped at me,i spoke to her yesterday and as she walked past its food bowl whilst it was eating it went for her and attacked her feet lucky she had footwear on.i have a cross rotweiller and have never had any problems with her she is a very gentle and loyal dog.my friend keeps asking my advice on what to do with the puppy but i have never had any problems with either of my dogs(other dog is a cross staff who is now 15).she is worried due to the fact she has a young child and one on the way.so i thought you lovely people may hasve some helpful advice as i am not sure what she should do thanks in advance

JD357

Hi there..
not much you can do.. but considder selling the dog.
i would not ever think about it.. a child always is priority. dont you think. i grew up with 14 dobermans..as a kid.. my dad was a breader, and i got bit many a times.. but never bad.. lol. i laugh, as it is funny looking back.. pups chewin my feet..and it all being fab. but this day and age, things are somewhat changed, dont you think?..
and it is simply..baby..or dog?
you have 3 seconds to decide..
because thats all it takes.:eek:

notsoskintnow

hi ,
well if it was my dog i would re home , i have never ever had to worry about my dogs with my children ,i have tried to explain to my friend that yes rotties do mouth but this pup is not mouthing it is growling and snapping a big difference,even though my rottie cross is now 1 she does now and again mouth especially when she is excited.but a firm no command and she will stop only really does it to oh any way.she was going to go to dog training but decided this month she could not afford it .thanks for your advice

Acehole_2

May i suggest a shovel to the head ? hth

katiep_2

Acehole wrote: »

May i suggest a shovel to the head ? hth

Well that's helpful :rolleyes:

First thing's first - thorough vet check. If everything comes back from that OK then a good behaviourist - the vet should be able to recommend someone. If your friend has pet insurance get her to check if it covers behavioural issues. My personal feeling is that rehoming at this stage will be the worst thing for this pup, although I realise that the safety of her child has to come first.

eta. Also, if she got it from a responsible breeder, she should be able to take the pup back there.

kaya

agression in puppies can be quite common, as the owner it is your responsibility to train theese bad habits out, if there is a child involved i would suggest immediate training classes, if that has no effect then get rid of it whilst it is young enough to be taken on by somebody else, i have many, many years experience with dogs and some animals are just plain stubborn, i have the most adorable, loyal and loving 2 year old german shepherd who often rolls around the floor playing with my niece who is the same age, she has never been teased, never been physically abused or beaten but stil has issues with her food bowl when she is eating, but never ever with anything else, we just make sure she eats on her own with no kiddies around, problem solved, but then i dont have children living here and would probably feel different if i did!
please ask your friend to act quickly and persevere with training before getting rid of the dog, a few months hard work could turn the situation around

Dennis99

Read this:

http://petcaretips.net/stages-puppy-development.html

He's going through the Juvenile/Brat transition!

No offence to your friend, but I find it worrying that people take on ´fashionable´ breeds, especially the powerful ones without sufficient knowledge.

davsidipp

im sorry but im a complete dog lover but feel some breeds should not have the chance to attack a human being and remeber that is only a puppy.my daughters friend had a rottie and when she walked down the stairs and lightly touched him with her foot he went for her they had him put to sleep because there was no way they would risk further attacks. this breed is well known for unpredictable attacks and if this is only a pup god help it if it really attacks someone. they should speak with a vet and go from there.

Acehole_2

Still believe a swift shovel at the back of the neck will do the trick.

notsoskintnow

thanks for all your advice. i knew people would give me honest advice here,i have alredy told my friend of my concerns regarding the pups behaviour,as i really do not want it to attack her or the children,or worse there be another story hitting the headlines .she could not take it back to were she got it from,personally i would have not got the puppy were she did as both mother and father were guard dogs (father had to be muzzled whilst they got inside and only after a command off the owner was the muzzle removed).i dont know if this would make any differance of the temprement of the pup but it would have put me off straight away:eek:

Raksha

Good heavens, if you want a pup who will live happily with children, you do NOT purchase one whose parents have to be muzzled........ So much of a dogs temperment is nature over nurture, and only so much can be done by training and socialisation, and the majority of that has to take place before the pup is 16 weeks old.

This dog sounds as if it needs very careful handling already and is IMHO a disaster waiting to happen. How sad