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Emily94 · Oct 23, 2010, 02:15 PM

I have a 9 week old pup who has started to attack people. It's not cute puppy biting it is full on attacking, he has bit me twice that I have had to go to the hospital and almost needed stitches. I don't know what to do! It's only started in the last few days, but he won't attack the dogs, just people, if you pet him he growl and then lunges, if you pick him up he bites your face,

Please help!!

I can't even disipline him because he'll bite harder, I've tried saying no, I've tried "whining". NOTHING is helping!

shazamataz · Oct 23, 2010, 04:37 PM

Hi Emily. To understand the 'why' we probably have to look at where the pup came from.
Did you rescue the pup, get it from a breeder or elsewhere?
(Sorry if you have mentioned it somewhere else, I haven't been on much lately)
That is awfully young for a pupy to start showing signs of aggression so we need to look at either breeding or environment.

What exactly happens when he bites... does he have toys or food? Is he sleeping or in a certain place like his bed?

Does he do this more with males or females or just anyone who pets him?

Sorry to answer with more questions but to get to the bottom of it we need to figure out what his trigger is.

Lucky098 · Oct 23, 2010, 06:20 PM

I would say some major submission training needs to go down... You need to contact a legit dog trainer and have them evaulate your pup and why he does what he does.

Emily94 · Oct 23, 2010, 06:49 PM

I rescued him from a farmer who was goig to shoot him, he does it ALL the time. not just when he is eating or playing. He does it to everyone, male female.. Young old. You guys have disagreed with me before about the "pinning" the dog down until it is submissive... But after doing some research it was mentioned a few times, so I gave it a try, I had to do it twice and now he seems to have become better (he struggled the first time but after he quited down and just laid there)... But who knows, I can actually pick him up now though...

Aurora_Bell · Oct 24, 2010, 08:44 PM

I will re post this thread, because you got a lot of good advice here!

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/d...on-468250.html

Alty · Oct 24, 2010, 11:03 PM

Emily, you seem to have a lot of issues with aggressive dogs. This is the third dog in your care that's shown major signs of aggression.

I have to ask, is it something at home? Something you and your family are doing unknowingly that's causing these problems?

At 9 weeks it's usually unheard of to have an aggressive dog. They're playful, mouthy, but not aggressive. Aggression can be a trait they're born with, but at 9 weeks it's not something that's usually noticeable.

Are you sure this is aggression and not just puppy playfullness? If it is aggression than it's time to consider that this is environmental, not the dogs themselves, but the way they're being trained.

Emily94 · Oct 25, 2010, 05:02 AM

I'm pretty sure it aggression, just by the way he stands and such, he stands perfectly still and then growls, and if you keep petting he bites, it just seems really aggressive.

I'm not going to say it isn't me, but what could I be doing to cause this?

I don't hit him, I don't yell, I don't play rough.

If you could give some suggestions what I might be doing wrong please tell me.

Cat1864 · Oct 25, 2010, 07:09 AM

Emily, others may disagree, but I think you have a very fearful pup.

Think of it this way, if the farmer was willing to shoot the pup just for existing, how do you think he treated the poor animal. Human hands may not mean good things to him. The surprise at no longer being where he was may be giving way to being afraid of being mistreated. It may also be that something triggered a memory and you may never know what it was.

When you go to pet or pick him up, are you standing over him? Try sitting down on the floor with him and some treats. Make coming to you a good thing. Rewarding him for being touched (when he isn't growling) will reinforce to him that humans can be good. Don't just try petting him like you would Duke. Stay calm and patient. Don't rush. Leave the rough housing to playing with Duke.

Pinning may seem okay to him because it is closer to a dog behavior than petting and picking up are. But be very careful you don't grab at him and make him even more fearful.

aliseaodo · Oct 25, 2010, 01:48 PM

I read another of your posts where you are talking about a some ferrets you have - do you play with the ferrets, then play with the dog? Is it possible that the smell of the ferrets on you kind of get the dog riled up?

Emily94 · Oct 25, 2010, 06:57 PM

The ferrets are usually awake late at night, so they get played with right before bedtime, so the dogs don't get much interaction after that, I'll try the rewarding good behavior more and ignoring the bad and see if that makes a difference.

Emily94 · Nov 1, 2010, 06:09 AM

Just thought I'd update you, hunter went to the vet yesterday, and he attacked her, she thought it was strange so she investigated, turns out he had a fractured rib (she said it was fairly old) and that he was only attacking because it hurt.. So he is now on pain killers and bed rest for a little while... It's great to know he's not just mean.

Cat1864 · Nov 1, 2010, 09:52 AM

I am very glad you found out what the problem was. I didn't think he was 'mean'. I doubt Duke would have gotten along with him if he was.

Now the fun of keeping him quiet while he is healing.

Here's to a speedy recovery for the little one. :)

Emily94 · Nov 1, 2010, 07:57 PM

He's a pretty calm pup (compared to most), and he's happy to lay around and chew on a bone. So the bed rest is easier than I thought. The vet thinks he is beagle lab (he weighs 11 pounds, and hasn't grown much) she thinks he will be fairly small... She is thinking lab because the webbed toes, and his snout..