What can I do my dog had pups not long ago and we decided to keep 3 now the biggest of the 3 has stared to attack the otrher 2 but its not playing it leaving gashes and open wounds in them, I've even smacked him that hard it hurt my hand to try and pry him off them but he is to stubborn , so what can I do?? Open to all suggestions thanks

I don't think 'vicious' is actually in a nine week old puppy. Actually is playing and with very sharp puppy teeth he could be tearing skin of others. I don't think using your hand to chastize is a wise idea, it does not gain trust of the alpha person, and he has to learn this lesson. I would tend to suggest crating, for time out and visiting a behavioral specialist for hands on ideas. You have yet to to get through the housebreaking of all three yet; a daunting task even with one smart puppy.

When they rough house and he is becoming too exuberant, I would pull him off, set him down and give him a firm NO. Patience is a virtue.

Tick

First stop abusing your dog by hitting them so hard it hurts you

Hitting a 9 week old puppy so hard it hurts your hand?

I would suggest rehoming the puppy somewhere that has the time and experience to deal with an overzealous pup... but of course we all know that isn't going to happen.

First off, how does the puppy react when you hit it? Do you find it keeps going? Tries to bite you instead of its litter mates?
I would suggest simply removing the puppy when it is acting up and placing it alone, whether it be in a room, or by use of a baby gate, take it away from the other pups and pay it no attention yourself until it calms down.
One of the worst punishments you can give to a dog is taking it away from it's pack and depriving it of attention.

Once the puppy has calmed down you can once again give it attention and praise. The minute it acts up again... back in solitary confinement.
At 9 weeks they can start to learn some very basic obedience, learning to sit still and learning to come, it sounds like you are going to need to start training these pups some manners immediately.

Thanks for the 2 appropriate answers, I didn't think it was abuse as he had the other pup around the troat and the other pup couldn't breathe, so I used my first reaction to help and save the other pup, and when buster was smacked he didn't stop at all he just dragged tange under the house and kept going, I had to crawl under the house and get him off tange, and I did separate them and brought tange and girly inside and left buster outside with mum, I spend a lot of time with them as do my children , we are outside with them as soon as we have finished breakfast so maybe some more constructive play is in order? I understand that puppies play and they play rough but if you were here and witnessed this you would have your concerns too, I am going to try solitary and hope that it works which I'm sure it will eventually with some persistence, fr_chuck you have really hurt and annoyed me by saying I'm abusing my dogs I'm concered for the others and if I wasn't they why would I have posted this??

I don't like the sound of the one puppy dragging the other under the house; that is unusual and you have to wonder what his intention was, so I see what you mean.

You are going to have your hands full. I would try crating. Heaven only knows what he will do if shut in another room for time out. I would rather have him my sight.

Let us know please, how you progress. Is he normal in all other ways; was he the first pup out and is he bigger? What breed are they? If cross breeds, he could have received a recessive gene that the others don't have?

Tick

The problem with crating as a punishment is that you can no longer use a crate to confine the dog for other reasons.

Crating is a very useful tool for dogs that are destructive, noisy when left in a yard, restless at night or even carting them to the vet. You want them to like crates, not see them as a punishment IMO.

More constructive play is definitely a good idea, encourage them to work as a team rather than compete with each other.
Have you noticed any specific times this happens?
Does the pup get aggressive when it has a toy or food or does it seem to happen at random?

Have you started lead training at all? It won't be long before they will be able to be walked on the street (once vaccinations are complete) and that will give them a chance to be working as a team (walking side-by-side) but having a task to keep them occupied (walking itself is exciting for any dog).

There are a few team work exercises that you can do as they get older such as carting but unfortunately that is not going to help right now.

Wow, looks like you have some serious stuff happening here. I too would like to know what breed, not because I think one breed is any more prone to aggression than another, but it can help in what type of training you need.

As soon as pups are vaccinated, I would highly suggest putting them in obedience classes. Like Shazzy mentioned here, the best thing is to get them working as a team, not competing with one another.

It is unfortunate, but some dogs are just born aggressive and there is nothing you can do about it. Not to say you shouldn't try training him or snapping him out of it.

Your pup is in the most crucial point in his life, it's between 3 weeks and 14 weeks that dogs will develop their connections with both humans and other dogs. Any unhealthy training or experiences will greatly affect your pup. This means no more hitting as punishing. I also would not crate for punishment, because you are going to want to use the crate for house breaking issues. Get a baby gate and confine him to one area of the house (hallway, kitchen, laundry room etc... ).

Also since your other pup was attacked, you are going to want to spend some extra time socializing him/her as well. Make sure they know they do not have to be fearful of other dogs or humans. Socializing with other dogs is a great way to do this. Remember any negative experience in your pups life from now on, id going to affect how they mature and develop.

For the time being, don't allow any rough housing, give lots of praise when your dog plays with appropriate toys, such a bones or kongs, don't allow him to nip or bite you or the other dogs. The best way to ensure you break the aggression early on is to recognize it now, and start doing something about it now. When you use the time out method, make sure all your friends and family are on board. I have a friend who loves to come over and disrupt my training with my dogs, it's gotten so bad, that she is no longer allowed to come over. She lets the dogs jump on her, rough house, and encourages them to get up on furniture and play tug of war with totally inappropriate things.

If you feel the aggression of your puppy seems to be out of control, find a behavior consultant or get help from the vet clinic (the cause of the aggressive behavior may be some health related problems). There are puppy socialization classes provided by vet clinics, which use professional pet-friendly techniques that are very helpful in aggression puppy training. Also neutering or spaying can help in some aggression related issues.

You've already mentioned it, but more constructive play time can be a great way to tire your dog, leaving him little to no time to want to be aggressive. Lots of walks, (once they are parvo vaccinated) swimming, etc… Make sure you are putting yourself in the alpha role, so this little pup doesn't think he needs to be in charge. This means not allowing him on the furniture with you, sleeping in his own bed. Also doing some basic protocols for relaxation and deference can greatly reduce aggressive behavior. This means making the pup sit and wait for a short time of 5-7 secconds before you give him anything. This means feeding, pets, brushings, going in and out of the door, putting the leash/collar on or off, anything the dog is 'asking' for, he waits first. Give him lots to do so he doesn't start looking for a job. Start with your basic commands such as sit, stay and down.

Please, please keep us posted on the progress of your pup. If you need anything more, please don't hesitate to ask.


For more info on the protocols, have a look at this website.

Protocol for relaxation (http://dogscouts.org/Protocol_for_relaxation.html)

the pups are staffy x cattle... the mother is staffy x cattle and the father was purebred staffy, he was the biggest of the litter and it just happens at random and only at tange(the other boy) he doesn't mind girly at all, I really feel bad for him when I did hit him but honestly it was so bad even tilly(the mum) was in there trying to protect tange it was so full on and hectic, but another thing I have noticed with them is when my chihuahua goes outside they get a pack mentality and try to mob her she is old 11yrs so she doesn't even go out the back much anymore since they have gotten bigger, I don't know if it's a male thing as buster and tange are the only boys but he also attacked our cat which is so placid all he did was meow really loud and didn't even hiss but he got a big gash near his ear from buster too, I'm trying the separate and no attention thing as my husband told me to do that too but I guess ill need to give it time

Reub, I don't know what you meany staffy x cattle. Sorry more questions, only because I am trying to help. Which part is staffy and which party is cattle?
And what kind of temperament did the parent have who is staffy?

I don't like the sound of the 'pack mentality' and going after smaller dogs. I guess that worries you too. Never knowing what to expect.

He is so young to be acting like this, this is not good. Aiurora Bell is more conversant with staffies (I think) then I am. Of course my Brookie (from the looks of her is part staffy) and have never seen a mean face on her, nor a raised lip in all the time I have had her.

Ti ck

Oh, sorry, reub, I just went back and read and answered my own question I guess. You already said the father was pure staffy, but was he a completely socialized dog?

Yes, I do think this goes beyond normal aggression, but I would hate to see the OP give up if there can be something done. I would suggest rehoming the pup to someone with experience with the breed.

The mother is a staffy , cattle mix and the father is staffy, the mother is a lovely dog she is just happy to chase the ball , but if you let her our the gate she will bite people on a bike etc anything with wheels but apart from that she is on of the best dogs I've ever owned, I've had a talk with the kids and we decided that if we can find the right home one of the pups can go, but I will certainly keep you posted on how they are getting along thanks