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Help! My Puppy is Too Aggressive

 

Q: The puppy has started playing really rough and I can't seem to control her. She refuses to play with her toys and just seems to want to bite at me. As punishment I place her in the kennel. This appears to work because when she is let out she is calm and usually falls asleep. After reading the biting puppies handout, I understand the nature of puppies, but I am still worried about her growling and am concerned it will lead to misbehavior.

Parker Jeter gives his expert advice

A: It is not appropriate for biting to occur, but it is not abnormal. Left untreated, puppies will not develop appropriate bite inhibition and inappropriate mouth behavior can continue. Punishment escalates the problem, so try to keep away from that.When dealing with play aggression you need to look at it from two perspectives:

Prevention against biting
 

Obedience training is important.
 

  • The training should consist of several short periods of time a day. This is so that she realizes that when she is calm, good things happen.
     

  • Try giving her a toy before she starts to act up as a preventative maneuver. Make sure to play with her outdoors as well, so that she does not associate inside with rough play. Try not to play rough with her; stay off of the floor. Once she uses her mouth just walk away.
     

  • This behavior will not go away overnight, but will improve over a couple weeks if kept consistent.


Dealing with the biting as it is happening

Realize the puppy is looking for attention, so the best approach is to immediately remove yourself from the interaction. There are two ways to do this:
 

  • Fold your arms and turn away


No matter what she does, you have to wait her out. She will, most likely, begin to get frustrated and become more aggressive. You must not give in by looking at, yelling, or pushing her away.

If she becomes too aggressive and begins to cause physical pain:
 

  • Exit the room completely

 

  • Close a door, or put up a gate, or something that will not allow her to get into the same room as you. Wait to renter the room until she is completely calm.

 

  • Once she is completely calm, go through several minutes of obedience exercises using treat rewards. By doing this you are showing her that calm and relaxed behavior gets rewarded.

 

  • As a last resort, if she is still worked up then there is no problem with a little bit of punishment in the form of a timeout. You may put her in her cage, or exile her to a different room. You may even want to consider using a leash.

    Above all else make sure you stay patient with your dog. As your dog grows he or she will mature and work through whatever they are going throw. It will all work out over time.

    For more information from Parker Jeter click to read past Question and Answer sessions:
    Old Dogs
    Puppies
    Diet
    Regular

     

 

 

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