# Please help



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Will you tell us a bit more about Maddi? Are you crate training her? Do you have other dogs? What is her daily routine? 6.5 weeks is definitely too young to leave littermates! Who was your breeder?


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I guess my question is if she's being "aggressive" in a mean attack sort of way, like she's trying to rip you to pieces? Or is she being "aggressive" in a play kind of way. 

Did the trainer use the word "agression?" Or is that the word you're using? 

I just think this puppy is far too young to be attaching that word to anything she's doing. It's a very emotionally laden word, I hate to see it used lightly.


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## Romeo1 (Apr 19, 2008)

No, I don't think that is normal. At least I haven't seen aggression from my dog even once. I could take a Filet Mignon away from him and he would show no aggression.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

But, but, but .... this is a 6.5 week old puppy. What do babies know about aggression in any form?


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

How old is this puppy now?


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## Bogey's Mom (Dec 23, 2008)

*Hi*

Maddi is now 9 weeks... she is crate trained at night we have her in a big kennel..we have to put her on a coffee table beside our bed..is she sees that we are sleeping she goes to sleep to but if she cant see us she gets upset..she comes to work with either me or my husband and gets lots of attention..the trainer used the term aggressive behaviours...i see Maddi play and get a little rough but when she starts snarling she does not appear to be playing..we got her from a breeder by lloydminster, we called her to ask for help but she was of no help..told us to hit Maddi on the nose hard and she would stop..we will never hit our dog..she is doing okay in the house training and we work hard with her to train her and keep her mind busy..we have never had a puppy before and are just unsure as to what to expect...


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Wow, what kind of breeder advocates hitting a dog on the nose hard??!! I wonder how she treats her dogs.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Good lord! Don't hit the dog! You're so right; if she's aggressive, hitting her will make it worse, and if she's not, hitting her might just make her aggressive! The breeder is clearly no expert in terms of her behavior knowledge, so there may have been severe mistakes (separating the pup from the mother so early, for example) made in the puppy's first weeks of life. The poor pup is probably very confused and anxious, and I bet the behavior is coming at least in part from her early separation from her family.

Is there some kind of play that triggers the behavior? Could she be feeling pain in a joint or muscle that's causing her to defend herself?

Does she snap at you once or twice or nip and then stop? Or does she grab onto a hand or piece of clothing and chomp repeatedly? There's a huge difference in terms of what the behavior means. Does she make a lot of noise when she snarls or are you referring to her facial expression?

Be as specific as you can in describing exactly the situations that bring out the behavior and exactly what the behavior looks and feels like. There are many experienced trainers on the forum who will help, but it's hard to gauge exactly what's going on with her without the details.

A video of her engaging in the negative behavior would also be helpful if you have the technology available to make that work.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Jackson'sMom said:


> Wow, what kind of breeder advocates hitting a dog on the nose hard??!! I wonder how she treats her dogs.


Exactly! What if she smacked the puppies at 5 weeks when they mouthed her hands? Not hard to imagine that some of them would become aggressive if they were hit and then separated early from their mom...


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

This is not uncommon behavior in puppies removed from their littermates too young (one of the reasons they should be with them longer is that they actually are learning bite inhibition). Rarely do "breeders" who send puppies home too early properly socialize them, either, and as evidenced by Maddi's breeder advising you to hit her, I'd say this is a litter that has been poorly raised from the start.
Working with a trainer, socializing her, and ultimately getting her into a Puppy Class with a play session (where she can have a proper outlet to play with other puppies her age) will benefit her greatly.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I'm sorry you are having issues with Maddie. Please don't give up on her. It sounds like she learned No bite inhibition from Mom or her litter mates most likely because she was removed from the litter so young. You'll just need to work with her and find a trainer or good training book...I had a very good book I used for reference at home. She's not hopeless. She's learning every day what her boundaries are. Ike was a bit mouthy when we brought him home at 8 weeks. A loud 'OUCH' and then a firm 'No Bite' and removal from me when he bit me worked to teach him that if he wanted my attention and affection, he could not bite. I gave him time outs in the bathroom when he did it a second time. I didn't want to make his crate a punishment zone. The time outs were short, only a minute or two(after silence), but they worked. He came out, sat at my feet, and got a nice ear massage from Mom. Good luck with Maddie.

I no longer have the book, but I believe it was called 'No Bad Dogs' written by an English woman, Barbara W_______. Sorry I can't remember her name. It was helpful when I was a first time Pup Mom.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

paula bedard said:


> I no longer have the book, but I believe it was called 'No Bad Dogs' written by an English woman, Barbara W_______. Sorry I can't remember her name. It was helpful when I was a first time Pup Mom.


Author is Barbara Woodhouse, I believe.


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## tobelevski (May 10, 2005)

Do you have puppy farms in the states? They are usually the ones who take puppies away from mum too early.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I've heard at least 2,000 "puppy farms" in the state of Pennsylvania alone


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## perdie (Oct 30, 2008)

Hi, my golden is now 6 months old&I was also new to pups when i first got him. I took him to the vet at about 12weeks, he was highly stressed as there was a boistrous lab in the waiting room&3 boxers, he growled when the vet examined him - she told me he had a behaviour problem, I was devastated! I consulted a trainer, he was great he told me jamie had 'dominance issues', I can see now that he did. we showered him with so much love&attention he thought he was the king of the house! The trainer gave us a 'lesson'&puppy plan to deal with him effectively, it worked great! I don't think your pup is aggressive it probably just thinks it rules the roost! Swatting a pup on the nose is unacceptable as you say, when my pup misbehaved I lay him on the floor&held his head down gently for a few seconds with a big gruff NO, my vet nurse recommended this as it emmulates what his mum would do with her paw when she's had enough, it really did work. Another method which i also use is 'naughty corner' if Jamie misbehaves he has to sit in the hall on his own for a few minutes, he barked like hell the first time! Now he just goes in, barks a little, settles down&once he's been quiet for 1 whole minute he can come out, if he repeats the bad behaviour he goes back in but nowadays thats VERY rare. I know some might think it lame but, a book by Caesar Millian wouldnt do any harm, it can help you understand your pup from the pups point of view. Good luck


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## go4thegold (Dec 25, 2008)

Not all trainers are educated to deal with behavior issues. You can find a qualified behavior person in your area on the consultant directory at www.iaabc.org. It would probably be a good idea to have someone qualified in behavior check this out before you go too much farther...

barbara


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