Puppies
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Puppy Aggression When Stubborn
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Puppy Aggression When Stubborn
I have a 4mo mixed breed – Pitbull/Husky/Austrialian Shepherd puppy. He is generally scared of things at first, but fine once he gets comfortable. He also generally has no problems with touching – ears, tail, feet, collar, etc. However, if he is laying comfortably in his bed and I try to move him, or if I want to put him in his cage after he gets too excited, he growls, shows his teeth and tries to snap at me. He has done this with me, my husband and my kids. I am worried he may actually bite one of us. It seems he is less likely to get aggressive if you pick him up versus try to get him to follow you on a leash, but I also don’t trust him when I go to pick him up, as he starts to turn his head and makes a disapproving noise. What should we do to end this behavior and not let him think he is ‘winning’? To note, in each instance I have not backed down, and proceeded to move him or put him in his crate and let him calm down before he could come back out. Any advice would be much appreciated.
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5 Replies
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Seems to be a relationship matter. He is likely not clear on his or your position. The recommendation tends to be structure. You ritualize all activity, control everything the dog gets and the dog does not get anything for free. Crating will likely play a big role on it too. I’m not quite sure there is a video lesson on that. Maybe someone can point it out if one does exist.
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So what I am reading into your post is that it is a rescue dog or you got him from a private owner and haven’t had him for very long. He may have trust issues as opposed to being out right aggressive. We don’t know his past and we can’t sit down at the kitchen table and discuss it. You want to build structure but for now you can just lure and shape. I wouldn’t ask the dog for anything at this point. You don’t want to be correcting him all the time. I would leave the lead on him around the house while you are there. Also you can get what they call a traffic leash that are about 16″ inches. Use the lead to have the dog follow you and engage with you to build trust. I would try a casual approach. Every time I want to move him, it is a casual “let’s go” and start walking, not using a direct command. When he is excited and doesn’t want to go in the crate move him, maybe ten steps into another room then right back and repeat, repeat, until he calms down. You are not demanding that he goes in. You want him to go in on his own. Once he calms down he should want to go in. Watch the crate training vids.
Also, if he is unsure of himself you want to watch him around the kids. Sometimes the kids are at eye level or just over and he sees them as subordinates. They can stare at him inadvertently and he may take that as a challenge. So you and your husband do the moving and the kids can give him treats and affection.
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What I mean by engage is that when he follows he gets a treat if he looks at you he gets a treat/praise, mostly treats for know.
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It’s natural for an animal to not want to move when they are laying comfortably somewhere. Have you done all you could to make the crate a positive experience? Robert has good videos on that and you could start at anytime. Anytime my dog goes in the crate, he gets a reward – anything from a kong stuffed w/ frozen raw turkey to a few pieces of kibble – always something though. He’s not stoked on the crate but he’s also ok with it – he knows at least something good will always happen when he goes in there.
Don’t think about how to “win” when he starts acting like – think about how to set things up so he never acts like that in the first place. If you need him to move him, can you use a treat to lure him? What about working on a recall?
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