My puppy aggressive?

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Steph91
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My puppy aggressive?

Post by Steph91 »

Hi all,
So myself and my boyfriend decided to add to our family and got a puppy. Her name is maiden and she is a golden cocker spaniel. She is 10 weeks old and we have her 4 days now. She is great at doing her business outside and she took to walking on the lead straight away. The only issue i am having is wen i go to pick her up or move her she growls very aggressively and even tries to snap a little. I have trained my dads dog from a pup and she is an amazing dog so i do know how to but im not sure how to address this. Iv never had to deal with an aggresive pup. Any insight?
JudyN
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by JudyN »

The simple answer is - don't pick her up. Many/most dogs really don't like this, and it's rarely ncessary. If you had a St Bernard pup you wouldn't be lifting it up, so there's no need to lift your cocker. When you need to move her, do it by other means, such as by calling her to you, or gently leading her (I found it useful for my dog to wear a light 'house lead' with no loop when he was a puppy).

Some puppies have more of a tendency to express their feelings in this way than others - it's good, as you don't want her to have to tolerate something you don't realise she hates. Just be aware that she may do the same in other situations too, so always be ready to rethink how you do things with her if she growls in other situations too.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Steph91
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by Steph91 »

I dont pick her up if i dont need to tbh. I only do it if i dont want her to fall off the bed as its quite high or if shes beside or on top of me on the couch and i need to get up. She also does it if she lying beside me and i need to move her so that i can be comfortable and dont fall off the couch. I feel like its a dominance thing. I get that dogs growl a little if their unhappy but the snappping and aggression i dont want.
mansbestfriend
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by mansbestfriend »

Hi . Could the pup have an injury or illness? The breeder should be able to help with follow-up.

Growling is good. It's a communication that your pup isn't feeling comfortable about something. Snapping is an extension of that. Try help your brand new pup to feel as safe and secure and happy as possible, to settle into it's new home, starting with not doing (for now at least) anything that makes the pup feel like growling or snapping. Try not create a situation that requires the pup to feel unsafe (EG: on the bed, couch, etc.).

The pup is very young and new, probably frightened, trying to make sense of it's whole new world, new people, new routines, what and who is safe to be around and return to when things get scary, etc. etc. etc.

I trust the pup comes from a reputable breeder. Any breeder should welcome updates and questions about their pups. Cheers. :)
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Nettle
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by Nettle »

For now, sit on the floor with her rather than having her on the bed or couch. It's just too risky for a little pup. When she is older and at less risk of damaging her joints jumping on and off, then you can introduce that behaviour F you want her on the bed and furniture. She growls to tell you she isn't happy and snaps because you do not listen to the growl. There is no other way she knows to tell you.
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JudyN
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by JudyN »

Steph91 wrote:I feel like its a dominance thing. I get that dogs growl a little if their unhappy but the snappping and aggression i dont want.
Dominance is now understood to be a myth, at least in the way it's often used to explain dog behaviour. Have a read of this article from the main Positively site: https://positively.com/dog-training/myt ... dominance/

Believing that you must be 'more boss', a firmer leader, if your dog should show aggression can be dangerous. You become, in your dog's eyes, more scary, not to be trusted, because when she asks you not to do something she doesn't like, you do it anyway. Even if she does suppress her feelings, this can't be relied on and there's a good chance the aggression will escalate.

With positive handling, not putting her in any situation she's not comfortable with, you will build a trusting relationship and as she grows up feeling secure, she may be more willing to let you do things that worry her now, because she knows she'll be safe. Not necessarily being carried though.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Steph91
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by Steph91 »

Well when she does it i put her off the couch or stop playing with her to let her know she has taking it to far. Shud i just keep doing wat im doing? I have been careful not to put her in a situation where she would but today she snapped at my boyfriend wen he was putting her harness on. She needs to be walked so that cant be avoided.
JudyN
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by JudyN »

Putting her off the sofa may well make her feel more insecure when she's on it, so she'll be more likely to react. My dog wasn't good at sharing sofas so we stopped allowing him on it when we were there. it took a couple of days of forlorn looks, but he soon accepted the rule (he got lots of rewards for settling down on his own bed).

You may have to rethink the harness - there's something about it that she's not keen on. Work on each bit individually - e.g. goes over head - treat - repeat -treat - repeat -treat. Then 'clip one side - treat - repeat...' Again, my dog didn't like 'over-the-head' harnesses at first, so I got a step-in one which he was happier with. Now he's more secure, he's OK with an over-the-head one again.

This may sound all rather wishy-washy and as if you're giving in to the dog all the time, but it is the most effective, and safest, method. When there's any aggression, you need not to think 'My dog did something wrong' but 'What did I do wrong, and what can I do next time?' My dog has always been a bit of a challenge and I've no doubt if I tried to physically shift him off my bed or the sofa now, he would be aggressive. But if I ask him nicely to get off, he gets off straight away without any fuss.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Drewtheman96nw
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by Drewtheman96nw »

Hello! :D

You said you only had her for four days, give her some time to get to know you better. She just need to get more comfortable to her surroundings, or maybe thats just the way she is.
I'm what I eat and my paw family holds a special place in my stomach! :D :) :lol:
Steph91
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by Steph91 »

Hi guys thanks all for the advise. Yes my maiden has come from a reputable breeder and he says he has never had anyone say one of his pups was aggressive. Generally i know dogs become aggressive due to lack of training, bad routine and boredom. But i didnt just take on a pup to have a cute cuddly toy. My boyfriend of 7 years and i have wanted one for over a year now and we got a pup so it can grow up with my house cat and thats all going very well. No aggression towards her. Tbh i think the harnes incident was my boyfriend just being very slow at putting it on her as i dont have that problem with her. She wants to get up on the couch and bed and if she looks to get off i set her down until shes bug enough to do it without hurting. I do love her but the aggression is a concern for me and dont want it to escalate. Im trying my best. I have ben concsious not to do things that upset her like moving her wen shes on the couch but i cant have a dog that is aggressive wen she doesnt want to do something. Eg walks, meeting ne people thanks for all the replies
jacksdad
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Re: My puppy aggressive?

Post by jacksdad »

what you are so far describing is not what I would label as aggression in the classical sense. I would label this as communication. There is nothing wrong with listening to your dog's request that you stop what causes the growl. In fact I would encourage listening and not doing what is causing the growling as your starting place. when we don't listen, that is what leads to the escalation to "real" aggression.

Aggression is not caused by lack of training, lack of routine etc. Aggression generally comes from fear, or due to experiencing pain.

You got some good advice already, so i won't add anything more at this time. But I will say this. you have a baby, a very young baby. Not a human baby of course, but a baby none the less. priority is this baby feeling safe. NOT solving all the training issues "today". there is plenty of time for training later. But focusing on your puppy feeling safe today will actually help tomorrow's training be successful.
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