Help! Newly 8 month old pup is getting aggressive
 If I'm standing he will jump on me, wrap his paws around me and try to hunch, all the while digging his claws into me to hold on for dear life as I am trying to put him down. Mind you I am only 5'2" and weigh 106lbs so he is now almost eyeball to eyeball with me when he stands on his back legs. He generally does very well with the sit, stay, and down commands except during these "episodes" that he now has. I try to divert his attention to a toy or his chew bone, sometimes it works but here lately not as much.
Let me give you a little background on Kody to help get the best response... We are his second family in his young life, my son does installation for Time Warner cable and went to this house to do an install, while he was there he heard a dog bark and asked the lady about what kind of big dog was that...she said it was an OES puppy. Well since we had just had to have our 14 year old female oes put to sleep on Dec 1st they got to talking about how heart broken I was over it, the lady then told my son that they were thinking about finding a new home for Kody because they didn't have enough time to spend with him except weekends. They were keeping him outside in a kennel all by himself except for a few minutes of play in the evening. He was "supposedly" born on July 12th, 2008 according to the ACA papers she was given from a pet shop. I have those along with a 4 generation pedigree... can't help but think he was a puppy mill puppy because I can't track a single dog listed on those papers anywhere on the internet...including the "breeder" whose name is listed for his parents. They had only had Kody a little over a month, they got him on Oct 23rd. Anyway, she called my son back on Dec. 19th and told him that she felt I should have Kody and could he come and get him that evening. I took him to my vet a couple days later, she took blood and a stool sample (everything came back fine). And as I already knew he had been neutered 2 weeks before we got him...my vet said due to the fact that he had been neutered and the progress of his teeth coming in, she thought he might have actually been a couple weeks older than those papers say. I am scheduled to start obedience training with him on the 28th and am hoping it will help both of us. My Molly was the sweetest dog and was so laid back even when she was younger and now I'm dealing with a rambunctious, wild pup. Don't get me wrong he can be very sweet and loves to snuggle right on top of me (thinks he's a little lap dog) I don't think he's a bad dog...I just want to fix this so that it doesn't progress into something worse. Oh...and the 2 cats (declawed) continually smack the crap out of him and he still chases them mercilessly. Thanks in advance for the advice 
Ps. How do I get a picture to actually work for my avatar?? It keeps telling me its too big. |
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| Hi Kody's mom,
Welcome to the forum. As you're new you probably didn't realize that this subject would get more responses in the Behavioral forum. As a member you can also find huge amounts of info if you do a search on nipping. My first thought was he doesn't view you as Alpha and is ruling the household. I'm so glad you are going to doggie obedience as you'll learn to set boundaries and limits. They will probably tell you about nothing is free mode of thought. In a nutshell it means Kody must earn everything he gets in your household. If he's food motivated than training will be a tad easier. Just like people, dogs have all sorts of personalities. I often joke if my second born had been my first..I would have never had more children! Some are just more challenging than others. I have three males in my household - 2 OES and a Pit/Mastiff cross and must always remain "alpha" or head of the household. They must follow my rules and that is done with reinforcement and praise. Sometimes it's not enough to show them what you don't want them to do but also show them what you want them to do. For example, just today I took my Pit Puppy to Pit Ed classes where the classes specialized in working responsibly with these types of dogs. The trainer touched her nose and said to the dog "watch me" pup would glance for a brief second and would be given a treat. The time would be extended so that anytime in the future the "watch me" signal can be given so that the dog is totally focused on the owner. The "leave it" sign is also very important as are the sit, down, stay and come commands. You will benefit greatly from all of those. Each has a purpose of why it's important for your pup to be obedient and thereby a good canine citizen and a joy to live with. I'm so confident that in a few weeks time you will find his behavior and your sanity has changed. You sound like a wonderful forever home for your boy and ironically I'm also 5'2 and aprox 100 pounds and am able to handle aprox 300 pounds of dogs. It just took persistance and practise but we're happier as a result of the hard work that was initially put in. My favorite saying is whatever work you put in now will pay off for the next 10 years. Good luck and I'm sure many other members will also have valuable input. Marianne |
Quote: ...his really hurt and I look like a victim of domestic abuse
Sounds perfectly normal to me. My doctor asked what all the bruises were & I said "I have a puppy" he looked at me like I was crazy. My boy is 19 months and this behaviour only started settling down around 12 months. He still gets like it sometimes, maybe once a month or less. I've found the best way to deal with it with my dog is either let him run it out around the house (while I hide in a safe room) this takes up to a minute. Then/or I just gently but firmly put him on the floor on his side and hold him down or lie over him but barely touching him and keeping my face well away from his, saying a firm 'NO'. When he relaxes I stroke him gently and stay there as long as I can, up to 5 minutes. Release is when I decide, not him, and it's without words. I walk away calmly and by then he's relaxed and forgotten all about what happened. This works with my dog, and I've learned to be firm but calm. Generally it's excess energy that causes it, for a while I was taking him out 2-3 hours a day to burn it off, now he only needs 1-1.5 hours to stay well behaved. At 8 months you don't want to walk him too much, but maybe get to a park where he can socialise or play ball. Don't worry, they calm down in time  |
| welcome. you need to find a good trainer or behaviourist to help you.
8 onths is a typical age for problems to start there are so many reasons, but it doesn't really matter, you have to deal with it no atter whwata the reason. Thye do need more exercise than other dogs, but at that age I would avoid dog parks etc because of other issues. I have to run hubby wants to go get breakfast and he doesn't often ask. I'll check later to see if ou have some specific questions. Again welcome |
Kodys Mom wrote: ...my vet said due to the fact that he had been neutered and the progress of his teeth coming in, she thought he might have actually been a couple weeks older than those papers say
Hi, and welcome! He probably is the age he is. Some vets will neuter at any age, so it's not unlikely that's what happened and I really don't think you can guestimate based on that or his teeth that his b-day is 2 weeks off. Chances are what happened is that he was an obnoxious puppy at the household that had him first and that vet told them to neuter him in hopes that this would improve his behaviour, which, clearly it did not. No surprise there - it's going to take actual training and socialization. Now he's past puppy cute and into adolescence, i.e. you're living with a canine teen-ager, but in his case it's worse because he was never taught any boundaries. He was probably banished to an outside kennel because he was too uncivilized to live with, which did nothing but make the situation worse. Good for you for getting him into an obedience class! And ask them for a recommendation for a behaviorist in case they can't help you get him under control. Don't expect a quick fix. I'm on my fifth month of trying to turn a young foster dog around, and another performance person has been struggling with a young male who is similarly not quite right. Maybe we should start a support group or something  
How much exercise is he getting? Kristine |
| Welcome from another Wisconsinite.
Oh the joys of a teenager. Getting this obnoxious dog into training is probably the best thing you can do. I have two but only one was a "small" pup when I got him. Since we got #2(big pup), I've had scraped knees(getting knocked down from behind) sprained finger, bruised ribs and a host of bruises. It will pass but you need to let that pup know you are alpha and it will stay that way no matter what. |
| Hi and welcome to the forum! I, too, have a challenging adolescent - now 7 1/2 months old. As readers can attest, I've sought a lot of advice and am still learning.
Here's what's helped us: 1) Exercise. OES pups have a lot of energy. Not just physical energy, but mental as well. They are VERY smart. So, our Winnie needs a good dose of physical exercise, but also mental stimulation. 2) Training. For the mental work, nothing is better than a regular training regime. With us, we work several times a day repeating all the commands we've "learned." (Still working on getting her to pay attention in public and when there are distractions, but she is better.) 3) Sleep. I didn't realize how much sleep pups need (or just good rest). Without sleep, Winnie gets like a young child - all punchy, nippy and cranky. A good two hour nap in the a.m. and p.m. works wonders! I recognize most of the behaviors you cite - cause that is what Winnie does when she's really, really tired. 
4) Variety of venues. We take Winnie out to Petsmart on a regular basis, and she's enrolled part time in doggy day care. Both help her with socialization, but also broadens her horizon beyond our home. Good luck and keep us posted. We also love to learn about success!  |
| Hello again everyone...
After reading all of your responses I feel like part of his behavior could very well be that he is over tired...He gets up with me at 7:00am every morning and goes non stop until about noon. He goes into his cage to take a nap about noon, which doesn't really last long because he thinks if he hears a noise he has to get up to investigate. At night he gets shut in the crate because I want to make sure that he doesn't get up in the middle of the night and get into anything. The problem with night time is that my husband has had 4 back surgeries and he is up and down all night and of course he will at least once, if not twice let him out of the crate to go out or to just sit with him for a while. So maybe he really isn't getting enough sleep. I play with him in the morning and I take him for a walk every evening, depending on the weather which dictates the length of time we spend outside. He runs around the back yard off and on all day like a mad man chasing birds, squirrels or anything else he thought moved. He loves to play catch with his doggie size football and we do this even in the house. So he gets tons of run time, not only by himself but with us as well. So maybe he is over stimulated and not getting enough sleep...I'll have to try a longer nap time and maybe start closing the crate for nap time too. I'll check with my vet and the facilitator of the upcoming obedience class to see about a behaviorist
Today when I got home he was a bit wild for a minute but calmed down relatively quick because my husband had just brought him in from playing catch...he is now sound asleep and isn't even hearing the cats circling him plotting the best way to get rid of him...lol. Will keep everyone posted...and as you can tell I got the answer to the Avatar question.  |
I would suggest not letting him out of the crate at night. Ru's crate used to be downstairs so my dad would get him up at 5, then he started barking at 5 so dad would get up.. then 4.30.. then 4.15.. every day..it became a nightmare. SO we put Ru's crate in our room, he could still hear dad get up in the next room and go downstairs so at first he wanted out, but we ignored him and after a while he learned to ignore people moving about and now we have him in our room uncrated overnight and he has learned up time is when we say so. I often need the bathroom, we have en suite, in the night and although he follows me in  he goes back to sleep as soon as I get back into bed. I think your pup could learn that he stays resting in his crate until mommy gets up at 7.
Ru didn't rest in his crate for ages, just like your boy. He is so keen to see what is happening all the time. Definitely close the door even though he will complain at first, he will know he really can't be disturbed. Could you try covering the crate with a blanket? |
| Jenny is 8 months old and she started getting a little nippier than usual but it seemed to only be directed at me and not my husband and son. I have the ripped clothes to prove it and the bruises, etc. We have her in training class right now and the trainer is also an behaviorist who has been worth his weight in gold. With him knowing Jenny he agreed with me that it definitely was not agressive behavior or anything like that because she is so submissive in other ways and I can take anything out of her mouth at any time and she lets me even if she is trying to hide under a table. He felt that she was confused about her place in the pack. She ranked first my husband, then son, then her, and then me. He told me to get a water pistol or water bottle and everytime she tried to nip me squirt her in the face 2 quick times and then ignore her for 30 mins. I felt badly doing it, but I have to say it only took 2 nights for her to get it and she hasn't been nipping me.
Jenny also gets alot of exercise. |
| Hallelujah - Somebody else covered in bruises and looking as though you're a vicitim of assault ! Baxter is nearly 8 months old and he's a fabulously boisterous big boy - who hasn't quite figured out the pecking order in the house yet.... My partner is definitely the alpha in the house, but Baxter is treating me as though I'm the toy.... I too am very short - 4'11" and weigh approx 100lbs and am very strict with him when his behavior turns slightly more aggressive. It stops as soon as my partner disciplines him, but when I discipline him - and we are very careful to ensure consistency in the disciplining - he believes it to be part of the game. But rest assured - his behaviour is starting to settle down - and I think that firmness and consistency in his discipline are key to this. In my experience (I have had an OES before Baxter) sometimes they can be a little challenging and with Baxter, this is what I consider challenging. Just persevere and remember firmness and consistency - He'll come around soon enough ! |
Kody has been making good time with learning that mommy is not his personal chew toy. Since my panic filled letter we have changed many things at home to keep him from his sudden attacks of aggressive behavior. Not to say that he doesn't regress sometimes when he gets excited, but now he will actually listen to me and stops by the second firm "No". I took the suggestions on the extra exercise and the naps very seriously....both of these seemed to do the trick. The only problem I had was Kody still would not sleep in his cage in the afternoon...but he will absolutely pass out for roughly 2 hours at a time if I let him sleep on my side of the bed.. he also must have one of my pillows for his head  So being the softee that I am when he looks at me with those  big brown eyes all sweet and innocent, I now let him take his afternoon nap in the bed! For some reason he will happily sleep in his cage all night, but not during the day. I take him outside about 45 minutes before his normal naptime and run around the yard with him playing catch or just checking out the "new" spring sights and sounds.
In the evening we found a new toy to play with... we learned about this "toy" by accident. I designed Kitchens up until last August and I still have my laser measuring tool...well I am getting prepared to redo our kitchen and had this out making my measurements when Kody comes in and spots the red dot on the wall. Needless to say he took off from his standing position so fast and with such force that he couldn't get traction on the tile floor and pretty much ran in place for about 5 seconds before getting his footing.  As far as he was concerned this thing was invading his domain and he had to get to it immediately. So of course our evil side says "lets mess with him"  and I start shining it all over the kitchen floor. He absolutely loves the laser and if we let him he would run after it until his little baby heart gave out. The funny thing is now that he has gotten so used to it he will continue to run after it even after you have turned it off for a minute. I think he gets all caught up in the intense running and momentarily forgets what he's running for. Anyway, he loves it and it is a good workout for him.
He is now a happier more rested puppy and shows his mommy he loves her instead of biting her. Thank you to everyone who responded with suggestions. I've had many, many dogs in my life but none quite as bullheaded as Kody and I thought I was really out of my element with him. Glad to see that he doesn't have a mean streak. |
| ohhhhhh, what a happy ending! Isn't this site fabulous!!!?! I too had to learn the hard way that our puppy was not getting enough sleep. She was mean as sin until we realized that she needs naps.
Ours too will NOT take a nap in the crate. Nightime-no issue. Our solution has been the outside deck. It's large and shaded and gets a good breeze. We can close her in on the deck. We have a crate out there that she can rest in. I keep water out there. She sleeps MOST of the day out there! I have the most independent four month old OES on the planet. I have no idea why she's so enjoys being away from us I've just decided not to take it personally She loves sleeping/resting right at the sliding glass door and looking at us. I think it's because it's cool out there.
For play time I open up the gate to the back yard and watch as she romps and plays. We play fetch and I garden. The deck is safe for her and she LOVES it. On pretty days she almost HATES to come in the house. But I digress. My point is that she was also seriously biting and nipping and what I thought was aggresive. She's not at all. She's highly intellegent  HHHHHaaaaa (DON"T WE ALL THINK THAT?) and a baby (IE, needs sooooo much sleep).
I'm glad you found solutions that let you enjoy your pup more!!!! |
| You need to establish yourself as pack leader. Read books from Cesar milan. helped me. |
| Hi,
As I said to you before, I too look like a victim of domestic abuse..... Baxter is really starting to hurt now and it's quite draiing when he goes through the naughty times.... Our boys are nearly the same age (I think Bax is a bit younger by about 4 weeks) but it sounds like they have been separated at birth - Exactly the same behaviour. Have you had any luck with the advice given as a result of your post? My partner and myself are correcting him consistently, but I am not quite yet at that Alpha stage with him and quite frankly, I'm over wearing long sleeved shirts to disguise the disturbing bruises... Cheers, Jude |
| Has Baxter been to Obedience training? Our trainer helped us so much with Jenny. She doesn't jump on people, nips are very rare now. She is far from being an angel, but training really helped. My husband, son and I all went to class with her and have continued to work together consistently with Jenny. Jenny will be 10 months next week, but has always been a "street angel" and a "house devil". She knows when to show off for people! Guess I should have put her in the show ring, but it's too late now. |
| He has just completed 10 weeks of initial training and commencesd intermediate training last week. He is really quite good (for an OES puppy) for about 70% of the time, but ti generally occurs when my partner is at work or is out of the house. After we do our jogs and have some playtime he is just angelic (buggered)- then as soon as he wants to play again - usually when I'm right in the middle of doing something, he becomes possessed. That's when I have the issues of correcting him. My partner will only intervene on my behalf when I'm REALLY in the middle of doing something like cooking or doing some work at home, otherwise my partner leaves it to me to do the correcting.It's so frustrating and I know that as a puppy he is going to test the boundaries etc - but he does get, to put it mildly, overly enthusiastic in attempting to drag me outside to play with him... you know body slamming, grabbing my arm like its a rag toy and then trying to pull me outside.... I'm taking some advice from the forums in that I don't think he's sleeping as well as he should be and trying different methods of correction, praising and bribing which are starting (slowly) to work. But thanks so much for reading and answering !!!!! The obedience training certainly does make a huge difference with them though thats for sure ! |
Winnie doesn't get as crazy as that - any more. But when she does become so insistent that I can't work or do anything (she has perfected the body slam - I have perfected side-stepping to avoid it so she lands on something other than me  ) then I put her in her crate for a 10 minute timeout. She comes out harruphing, but she seems to learn from that isolation.
Good look! I do know what you mean. I had a Dr appointment this week and had to assure her that the deep black and blue bruise on my thigh was from the dog, not my hubby.  |
| You have no idea how gratifying it is to know that there are others out there that are looking like they've been at the wrong end of a brawl hehehe I'm sure we'll get over this litle phase of his life - Thye get so big so quickly - as I sit here lovingly gazing at my puppy who is delicately shredding the broom at the moment ! |
| Well Kody is not perfect by any means yet...but he does now listen to me most of the time and when he gets too wild (the kind where he acts like he doesn't hear you and kinda has that crazed look in his eye) I will grab a hold of him by his scruff...not hard, nor digging in fingernails but firm enough with a push downward and quietly talk to him until he calms down enough for him to hear me. As I stated previously he now takes at least 2 naps on my bed in the afternoon and early evening because during the day he will not sleep in the crate. It's funny, at 10:00pm almost on the dot he will come over to me if I'm on the couch jump up and nuzzle the side of my face... I'll pet him, kiss him on the top of his nose and then he will get down and go get in his crate, circle around about 4-5 times, lay down and go to sleep! It's really so sweet!
I do still have fresh bruises on my thighs from his greetings every day when I get home...he refuses to not show me just how much he missed me. So, yes we still have work to do but it is getting much better. Oh, almost forgot...he absolutely HATES the trainer and when we get to class Kody will sit down or lay down and will not budge. The trainer said that he has never seen one quite as stubborn as Kody. But he said that as long as I'm able to control him and he plays well with others not to worry about it. He said Kody is also the first dog to totally ignore him and not make up to him with 4 weeks under his belt....now he has resorted to try and bribe him into liking him by bringing special treats for Kody...Guess what...he won't eat them unless the assistant or myself give it to him...lmao! |
| Hang it there...it will get better. Chauncey was a terrible nipper and also would use his front paws to get your attention if you tried to ignor him.
My family Dr. wasn't a problem, he tells me how great Bob is.
I did get stares though if it was hot and humid and I was in summer clothes. Chauncey was NOT food driven which made training heck ( not my 1st choice of word ). He's 3 now and at about 2 the light came on and he's not the same. He's wonderful. Maturation plays a huge part as well as exerting myself as being more dominate. |
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