# Aggression: What is it?



## Bogart'sMom (Sep 16, 2005)

I don't think a 7 week old Puppy can be aggressive. They haven't learned bite inhabition yet and golden puppies are very mouthy. They just need to be redereacted not to bite hands or feet. Or what ever is yours and shouldn't be in their little shnouts LOL. Some are more determent and others take directions faster. But a puppy being aggressive, I can't see it.
All the best,


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

There must be alot of publicity/TV dog whisperers talking about aggression for so many golden puppy owners bringing up aggression. It's crazy!

Gunner didn't start showing his fear aggression till he was close to one year old. I don't know about other aggression types.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I think this is a very tricky question to answer b/c aggression can look very different depending on the reasoning for it.

I will say, however, that I *do* think a puppy as young as 7 weeks can be aggressive. I've definitely seen it. I think usually in that case, the problem is largely gentic and in that case, is very difficult to "fix," though with diligent training, things can often be improved upon.


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## Nicole74 (May 30, 2009)

I had a 7 week old golden and she was for sure aggressive and it is believed she has a genetic disorder. Even the breeder saw her aggressiveness when I brought her back and the vet agreed with me as well and said she needed to be put down. I was not or will not keep an aggressive dog no matter what age. I won't try and work on trying to rehabilitate an aggressive puppy/dog either with smaller children in the house. It was much more then just mouthing, she would down right viciously attack several times a day. 

I bought a new golden pup soon after I brought that first one back from a different breeder. The puppy I have now is awesome!


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

I have been a mom to an aggressive dog (not golden) and I can tell you that from day one, there was no question as to wether it was aggression or "testing the waters".

I worked with him for 7 years, and loved him dearly in spite of his faults. Although he did improve, I was never able to "rehabilitate" him. 

It was a different style of dog ownership than what I'm experiencing with Chloe. She is gentle and wonderful and kind. Probably the reason I ended up getting a golden the second time around.

Hope this helps
L.


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

I think the term aggression has been over-used and over-simplified - applied with a wide brush thanks to popular science and bad dog behavior theory. For example a normal behavior from a German Shepherd might be aggressive behavior from a golden - expected vs un-expected. 

There are puppies that are born with weird switches in their heads - a good friend of mine was badly bitten by an aussie puppy that was boarding with her, he was happily training, played some ball she put him back in his crate with a cookie (she tossed, he went in willingly) when he turned around he LOST it: eyes rolled back in his head and he locked down on her arm. Fifteen seconds later he was bouncy aussie puppy again. When his owner went in to put him down (and she ultimately did) her vet went back into his notes and discovered that when that puppy's litter was born via c-section there was one puppy (this one) that they'd worked on for 45 minutes to get breathing before it finally started breathing...something wrong in the brain? I think so.

Erica


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## Tonka17 (Aug 22, 2009)

Hello!
I've come across this site while searching for some info on golden's agression because me and my family are concerned about our puppy's behaviour.
We had two daschunds for almost thirteen years and we never ever had a biting/growling problem with them so this has come as an unpleasant surprise to us. We got our Meri a month ago, she was 9 weeks old at the time and she was too cute and so energetic and we were all very happy with her. She's unbelievably intelligent (the very first night she spent here she practically asked to go out to pee, she wouldn't do it inside. We thought she was a genius ) and most of the time she's an angel. I taught her a few commands and tricks, like sit/down/high five/shake a paw (she even does the 'stay' sometimes)... but she won't do the 'come' command unless she knows I have a treat in my hand and it takes practically a year for her to look up when I call her name. But it's not so much of a problem (I hope  I'll keep on trying to teach her untill she gets it) as her growling when we pet her sometimes while she rests or when she takes her toy (or our shoes ) to chew on and we simply approach her. She used to mouth and bite our hands a lot (she'd come and lie on my lap and cuddle and then she'd start biting me out of nowhere) so I would tell her NO and ignore her. It seems like she stopped mouthing us so much but now she growls even at the slighest disturbance. The other day while I was playing fetch with her she went for my leg instead of the stick and while she didn't really bite hard, she clawed me like crazy. We also have a kitten and they play all the time, but I think Meri is a bit too violent, she keeps biting her and the idiotic cat won't escape even when she has her head in the puppy's mouth. So we tried separating the two of them in order to save the kitten and Meri growled and snapped at us, instead. She also growls when, for example, she starts digging in the yard and I approach her to stop her, she goes all stiff on me and even barks. ...or when I stroke her while eating (she used to growl simply when someone would pass by her bowl so I thought stroking her during her eating might help, but it seems like she's still too protective of her food) and I'm confused, I'm not sure if she's only still learning and adapting or if this could mean a bigger problem. It could be she's only playful and perhaps still thinks she's the leader in our family, but I don't know if this can be reconditioned or if it might become a real problem.
I know she's teething and all but she's got a whole load of toys to chew on instead of us and the cat... and growling is really unnecessary as well :no:... also, could it be we're destroying such a great puppy by bothering her so much? Sometimes I get a feeling she wouldn't like anything more than leaving this house and living on the street rather than in our home ...
Obedience classes or professional trainers aren't really an option because they aren't available in our area and we'd like to do it ourselves. No matter how much time it takes, as long as I can be certain this isn't a sign of an "agressive" doggie, I'd do anything.
Please help  (I apologize for the huge post)


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

Welcome to the forum, Tonka17!! :wave:
Here are a few articles that you may be interested in reading.

http://www.clickertraining.com/aggression

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1690

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/64

I'm not a trainer but some of your puppys' behaviors seem to be more than just puppy biting/mouthing. 

I hope you can find some help because my grandchildren have a 2 yr old Bearded Collie with those same behaviors, when someone tries to take something away from him, and he has bitten a few people (myself included ).


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Tonka's post is a great example of the difficulty in identifying aggression. Lots of trainers would call that "aggression," and that type of behavior around food is often called "food aggression."

Nonetheless, based on the description, I think Tonka has a bratty puppy, not a truly "aggressive" one. She's insecure and defensive, and that could turn into a dangerous situation as the dog grows up. At this point, though, it's a confused and defensive response from a puppy who's insecure and nervous. I don't think it reflects ideal Golden temperament, but these problems are fairly common with pet dogs and can definitely be worked on.


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## Tonka17 (Aug 22, 2009)

Thanks for quick responses and links 
Ah, she had another two episodes today. The first time around she started mouthing the carpet, which she knows she's not allowed and the moment I crouched in front of her, she started growling but wagging her tail as well, so it seemed like she was just challenging me. The second time it was in the yard, when she suddently started running like crazy and pushing her nose in the grass as if something had bitten her (perhaps it was the cat, I didn't see, or that bee she kept following). Worried, I went over to her and tried to open her mouth to see if she'd perhaps tried to swallow something, but she didn't like me doing it (though there was a time a couple of weeks ago when she had a bone stuck in her mouth and I pulled it out without a problem), so she started biting me and as I pulled my hand away and said No, she barked at me  Five minutes later, after she walked around a bit alone, she went inside the house on her own and went to sleep like a good girl. She's driving me crazy, but she really seems bratty rather than agressive because she doesn't snap at me for no good reason, it's probably when she feels threatened 
Anyway, thanks once again


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## Minnesota Rosie (Jul 28, 2009)

My puppy is only 12 weeks old, and I'm not concerned that she is aggressive. However, since I have small children, I want to prevent her from ever becoming aggressive. What are some good things that we can do to lay a good foundation for behavior? I have followed some advice already...for example, the kids particpate in feeding and training her, we ignore unwanted behavior and praise good behavior, we are trying to teach her the "drop it" command (that one's been pretty difficult so far). What are some other things we can do?

Also, what should you do when your puppy growls? She has growled during play a couple times, and even though it didn't appear to be threatening, I didn't like her doing it, and I want to teach her that it's not okay.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Minnesota Rosie said:


> Also, what should you do when your puppy growls? She has growled during play a couple times, and even though it didn't appear to be threatening, I didn't like her doing it, and I want to teach her that it's not okay.


Growling in play is just what dogs and puppies do. I don't think that it is anything to worry about. I am not sure that you can teach a puppy not to growl when playing without discouraging the puppy from playing.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Minnesota Rosie said:


> Also, what should you do when your puppy growls? She has growled during play a couple times, and even though it didn't appear to be threatening, I didn't like her doing it, and I want to teach her that it's not okay.


Normal growling during play usually isn't anything to worrisome. It can be a sign that the pup is starting to get overly stimulated, which can lead to mouthiness, etc. I'd try interrupting the game if she gets too vocal with the growling. Trade toy for a treat and throw in a couple sits to re-engage her brain and then resume play.


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