# Help! Aggressive puppy



## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Hello and welcome to the forums.

When I got Rusty as a puppy, I thought he was "aggressive" as well. He would growl, lunge and bite my hands. Those puppy teeth are very sharp, and I got a lot of cuts. I found out, that Rusty was being a normal puppy, and it made me feel better.

I had to start training him, and it took some time before he was easier to control. Now, Rusty is a sweet heart and I learned a lot from the puppy stage. You need to get into a good training class, and it will teach you a lot, and train your young pup at the same time.

One thing, try to exercise the puppy so you can use up all that energy the dog has. It can be a challenge, but you will have an amazing dog one day. 

Thinking of aggressive puppies. My current Pomeranian puppy has been a huge challenge. He has shown a lot of aggressive behavior, where he would bite us and attack our hands. After training, and working with Teddy Bear. He has become a much better little pup, and I'm glad we did not get rid of him haha

We thought Teddy Bear was "aggressive", and with the help of a trainer giving us good information really helped us out. Rusty was a challenge at first, but Teddy Bear has been the most challenging puppy to date. He would flat out attack us, and I have never exp that type of behavior before. All it took was time, and training the dog to change these bad habits.

Hang in there, and everything will work out for you. Puppies are not really aggressive by default, because that comes from abuse or other factors to make a dog fearful/aggressive etc. Your pup is being a normal puppy from the sounds of it, but you need to start training asap (if you have not already).


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## kellyguy (Mar 5, 2014)

I'm hoping that people that are more expert than I am will have advice for you, but it sounds like your puppy missed out on learning bite inhibition before you brought her home. Pinning her is probably not the correct way to handle the situation but I defer to the experts. I've never had any of my puppies bite me, although a few did have a passion for shoes, clothes etc.
I always treat mouthing by popping a toy into their mouth.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

Goldens are basically working dogs: they function much better with proper training. If you haven't been to a training class with your pup, I'd strongly recommend it. A good class will teach you how to read your pup's behaviour and train her, and the trainer will also give advice on how to deal with specific problems such as the one you describe.

It's difficult to give good advice over the Internet without seeing what's going on. Aggression or lack of discipline/boredom/energy surge? You really need a local trainer to help you out.

Best of luck, hope you find a solution.


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## GoldeninCT (Aug 10, 2016)

Jarvis gets like that when he is tired. He is 5 months and usually gets the zoomies twice a day. His biting was the worst on a day he would lose a tooth. He would lunge for the leash sometimes as way of getting his tooth out. Most of his teeth are out but he still does it when I make him go out after 10PM.

He has been placed in time out when it happens and so far he has only bitten me no one else. The best help has been his friends. He has a pack of 5 other dogs that run together every other night and they keep his mind active and ignore him if he bites too hard. One an Australian shepherd does pin him down so he cant move but puts no weight/pressure on him. They have good control. 

A trainer would help but also a puppy class with off leash play time too.


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## GoldenPiper1 (Jun 13, 2017)

*Puppy Behavior Help!!*

I think my 4 month old female puppy is becoming aggressive. She will be fine and sweet one second, and then she goes into a crazy aggressive fit. She will start by growling, which sounds different than when she's plays, and she will lunge and bite and jump on me until I bleed. She bites so hard it causes bruising and bleeding. I think she is actually trying to hurt me. When it's happening there is really nothing I can do. I can't run away because she will just follow and bite me out of the room. I try to grab her but just get bitten. I try holding her collar but she still bites me. I try to hold her mouth but she gets angrier. I am getting really frustrated and upset by this behavior. It is becoming more frequent and I don't know what to do. It happens a lot outside or when I don't let her do something. Sometimes it's just out of nowhere. Has anyone else experienced this. Please give me ideas on how to handle it. We are currently in a puppy class at Petsmart and I am thinking of looking for a private trainer. I have posted about this before but have never gotten answers in how to handle it while it is happening. How do I get her to stop in the middle of one of these episodes?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

*GoldenPiper1*-your duplicate thread has been merged into your previous thread so all your replies and info will be in the same thread.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

GoldenPiper1 said:


> I think my 4 month old female puppy is becoming aggressive. She will be fine and sweet one second, and then she goes into a crazy aggressive fit. She will start by growling, which sounds different than when she's plays, and she will lunge and bite and jump on me until I bleed. She bites so hard it causes bruising and bleeding. I think she is actually trying to hurt me. When it's happening there is really nothing I can do. I can't run away because she will just follow and bite me out of the room. I try to grab her but just get bitten. I try holding her collar but she still bites me. I try to hold her mouth but she gets angrier. I am getting really frustrated and upset by this behavior. It is becoming more frequent and I don't know what to do. It happens a lot outside or when I don't let her do something. Sometimes it's just out of nowhere. Has anyone else experienced this. Please give me ideas on how to handle it. We are currently in a puppy class at Petsmart and I am thinking of looking for a private trainer. I have posted about this before but have never gotten answers in how to handle it while it is happening. How do I get her to stop in the middle of one of these episodes?


Who is the leader and who is the follower? That is the issue here. You need to learn how to communicate with the puppy in terms that the puppy understands and respects. That probably isn't going to happen at PetSmart. Find a competent training center or trainer in you area to help you learn basic k9 communication skills. Do this sooner rather than later. 
The longer you allow undesired behavior to continue, the more ingrained and difficult to change it becomes.

Be very careful with your timing of treats and rewards. Do NOT reward in such a way that the pup may think it is getting a treat for performing a behavior you don't desire.


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## Altairss (Sep 7, 2012)

I really hope you will go to a real competent trainer or preferably a dog behaviorist so they can see exactly what she is doing to see if it is true aggression or if it an over stimulated puppy playing way to rough. Some of what your doing " pinning her down" Grabbing the collar or grabbing the mouth can actually trigger more aggressive behavior. One it can be frightening to them and cause a fear reaction that is often biting as that is what they do to protect themselves when feeling threatened. Its hard to say without it being seen by a training person who can evaluate her behavior in reaction to yours. We often miss stress signs from our dogs if we have not been taught to read them.

For now put a cheap drag leash on her not long just about four feet. Don't leave unsupervised but use it so you can step on it to stop her and to use it to take control without grabbing some part of her body. Also don't run away you will encourage her to chase you as it is exciting and looks like your playing. Practice when she is calm the collar grab game look this up on google you want them to think reaching for the collar is a great thing. Not a I am in deep trouble going to get yelled at or what ever I was doing ends when you touch the collar. Keep calm its hard but your stress will actually amp her up and make her act up more. If you need a time out take one.


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## cec711 (Nov 11, 2018)

I know this is an old thread, but I was wondering how things ended up with your puppy? I have a 4 month old female Golden also who has been exhibiting increasingly aggressive behavior. Would love an update .


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

cec711 said:


> I know this is an old thread, but I was wondering how things ended up with your puppy? I have a 4 month old female Golden also who has been exhibiting increasingly aggressive behavior. Would love an update .


At 4 months old your puppy is becoming more independent and pushing the envelope. Daily obedience training and well defined rules with consistent enforcement go a long way toward getting through these tough stages. Read up on developmental stages to help with understanding what's going on. There is plenty of good information available and it will help you feel less frustrated if you understand more.
https://www.thesprucepets.com/stages-of-puppy-development-2804675
Diamonds in the Ruff | Developmental Stages

Have you spoken to your puppy's breeder yet about your concerns and asked for guidance? Have you reached out to your local obedience training club for a referral to a very experienced, recommended trainer? Someone who specializes in large, active sporting breeds like a golden?

Don't sit back and wait for this to get better, take action this week and get help. It's worth the money, consider it an investment in your sanity and your puppy's life.


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