# new bull terrier puppy has become very aggressive



## bilty117 (Apr 25, 2013)

ive had my staffy / english bull terrier puppy for 2 weeks, he is 11 weeks now. when i first brought him home he was cuddly, quiet and obedient. now he is more comfortable in the house hes started to get quite naughty, around 20 minutes a day he becomes very over excited, actually manic, he will bark bite and run and roll around. i am trying to tire him out as much as possible but he isnt allowed on walks yet and he has no interest at all in playing fetch so i cant get him running around. the biggest problem is that when he bites he bites very hard, and once latched on he will not let go. hes drawn blood on my hands arms and feet numerous times now. i tried to yelp as i have read they respond to this but if anything it made him more excited. i will say no very firmly and put him in a 'time out' by leaving the room for 20 seconds and shutting him in but i can only do this after he has let go of my skin and by then he has caused considerable damage. after 2 or 3 time outs he will usually calm down. i feel that he also gets the most excited when people are standing and he is the smallest, he seems to find this threatening and when picked up will always attempt to get to the highest point possible on the person. i met his parents, his dad was boisterous but lived with two small children and had never hurt them, and when i saw my pup playing with his siblings he was the most timid and gentle of all of them. i need to stamp out this aggressive behaviour completely before he gets bigger or he could cause serious injuries. ive introduced him to people to try get him socialized before his shots are done and he can go on walks, and he seems fine with other people, only aggressive with me when we are alone, as i said for a short period of 20 mins a day, the rest of the time he is the sweetest cuddliest most lovely thing imaginable. i just want to know what i might be doing that sets him off


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

Welcome to owning a puppy! What you are experiencing is NORMAL puppy behavior. See if you can find a local play group with VACCINATED dogs. It's OK to interact with other dogs that are VACCINATED.

Here's a good link to deal with the biting http://www.dogforums.com/first-time-dog-owner/8377-bite-stops-here.html I got Peanut as a puppy at 14-16 weeks (she was a stray). She would just grab a hold of my pant leg or my ankle and bite HARD. It took me a year of constant redirection, corrections, and praise for her to finally learn how to play correctly because that's all it is is play. Puppies don't realize that Humans aren't as strong skinned as other puppies and have to learn that they can't play as rough with us. 

So no worries it really all is play. Just start looking into training classes for once he gets his shots (Staffies and Bull terriers are both pretty hard headed breeds, so training classes really will help you out a ton!.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Darkmoon said:


> Welcome to owning a puppy! What you are experiencing is NORMAL puppy behavior.


I just want to reiterate this. A lot of people tend to think behavior means their puppy is broken or going to grow up aggressive and the behavior MUST STOP - and do a lot more harm than good. Get up, walk away and follow the Bite Stops Here. My 6 month old still has periods where he mouths. People. Fortunately over the past few months he's stopped drawing blood, but it's definitely a work in progress.

Training classes will help. Patience and consistency are huge. So is time for the consistency, training and patience to work. Just hunker down and prepare to do all that and remind yourself that if you do, by 2 you'll have a great dog.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I agree. So many people come here and think their puppy is aggressive or bad or mean or there is something wrong, but, really, it's a puppy being a puppy.

There is a "sticky" at the top of this page called "The Bite Stops Here." Read it. Basically it does involve making a noise like a yelp, and removing yourself from the situation, but it does go into detail. And, as you said, sometimes a "yelp" sound does excite a puppy even more, so it doesn't really help. If this is the case, the first thing I'd do is pick a new noise. Instead of yelp, try "OUCH!" loudly, but not angrily. The noise is basically to get him to stop, even if for just a split second.

Anyway, try the new noise, and read the sticky, but, as the others have said, this is completely natural. Puppies are like babies, they use their mouth to learn and explore, and your puppy is still very young, and will need to learn how to politely use his mouth.

The maniac behavior, sometimes is called the "zoomies" and basically, just like with a human baby or toddler, sometimes they get overtired, and start being a bit crazy. Sometimes, it's not even because they're overtired, it's just because they have lots of energy and no other way to expend it, since they're not on a walking schedule yet.

When the "zoomies" or crazies hit, sometimes, you can take him outside (if you have a yard) and run it out, just let him play and run. OR, you can give him something really, really yummy, like a bully stick, or a frozen, peanut butter stuffed kong. When our dogs were puppies, chewing on a bully stick used to really settle them down, and, pretty soon they were asleep.


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## bilty117 (Apr 25, 2013)

thanks guys this is very reassuring, i think because he picked up other bits of training so quickly, potty training and 'sit' within 2 days i found the fact it was taking longer for this command concerning but i see that its a much slower process that i will have to continue being patient with


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

bilty117 said:


> thanks guys this is very reassuring, i think because he picked up other bits of training so quickly, potty training and 'sit' within 2 days i found the fact it was taking longer for this command concerning but i see that its a much slower process that i will have to continue being patient with


The difference there is that things like 'sit' are just putting a name to a behavior they already do. Bite inhibition is teaching them to NOT do something that comes naturally to them, it's harder to change a behavior than to simply put one on cue.


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Bite inhibition takes time. How much time depends on so many factors that it's hard to tell how long. In the meantime, yes...puppy love hurts!

We found a toy that our pup likes to chew on and, we pretty much each carry one with us or toss it to each other. If the puppy starts to get mouthy, we distract him with the toy. If a toy is in his mouth, he can't bite! I also work with him using some of the techniques from the kikopup videos on youtube, holding a treat in my hand and letting him maul it (as much as I can handle) to try to get the treat out. When he stops attacking my hand, I click and give him the treat. I also do the same standing up, clicking and treating whenever he's not jumping or mouthing my legs or feet. It really does help, but he'll still be a little shark for quite a bit longer, so that's where the toys and other safe things to chew like bully sticks come in.

All dogs do this...no matter what the breed and it doesn't mean they'll be dangerous or aggressive.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

I haven't read all the responses but wanted to chime in that your puppy sounds like a totally normal puppy.
When I got my puppy (now 6 months old) he was 11 weeks and very cuddley, gentle but nibbly, and easily excited. To get him to bite less often - because he is a baby and still does like to chew - we would say no very firmly and deeply, and then redirect him to a chew toy and change our tone completely to a higher pitch and repeat "good boy, good boy!". My dog, like yours, is very easy to train and picks up on simple commands quickly. He learned sit, lay down and roll over in 1 week (then I was out of tricks and wasn't sure what else to teach LOL).

What I was doing differently though, was I took the pup for a walk. I knew he couldn't go for anything long and by the end of the walk he'd usually sleep for 2 hours but I was always told that a tired pup is a happy pup, plus it kept him out of trouble. So I started with a 5 minute walk every few hours, especially if he was getting rowdy. We live in an apartment and his walk was litterally out the back door, around to the front doors and then down the hall to our apartment and that was enough to have him feel calmer. 

Good luck! Puppies are like having newborns and are crazy little buggers, but it's so worth the bond and relationship you build with the dog.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

He might have the zoomies, getting over excited or over-tired, like a cranky toddler.... If that's the case, stay out of the way and enjoy it. Sometimes you can anticipate it and exercise the dog for 15 minutes before ...

For nipping:

The Bite Stops Here takes about 3 days to kick in, even then you only get a reduction of bloodletting, slowly resulting in bloodfree nipping, leading to mouthing, etc. Depending on the reaction of the pup, you don't have to use a Yelp!, you can say Ouch!!!, or Oops, where you want a marking word, to indicate when you are withdrawing attention.

Re-read the Sticky:the Bite Stops Here. perhaps you need to try a little longer. Read this tweak and note the 3 days and the apology....maybe, he ignored the Yelp!, because you ignored the apology. Instead of the Yelp, you can say Ouch! or Oops! Also, it seems to be more effective if you can leave him alone in a timeout ("abandoning him"), rather than putting him into a timeout in the crate. It seems to make the act of withdrawing attention more blatant.

Some Tweaks to Bite Inhibition (to get him to stop biting when he wants to play or otherwise):
1. When the pup bites, then yelp. It should sound about like what the pup does when you step on its paw... don't step on his paw for a sample . When you yelp, the pup should startle briefly and stop nipping. (Look for the startle) Praise and pet. He'll bite.
2. When he bites the second time, Yelp. When he stops, praise and pet. He'll nip again, although it may be a little gentler. ...
3. When he bites a third time, Yelp (see a pattern?). But this time, turn your back for 15 - 30 secs. If he comes around and play bows or barks, then that is an apology. This is important. Accept it, praise and pet... and cringe in expectation of the next nip...
4. When he bites the 4th time, Yelp, then leave the area, placing him in a 2 min. time-out. It is better if you can leave, rather than moving him. Then, return and interact. (He's still hungry...)
5. When he nips the fifth time, yelp, and leave the area, stopping interaction for now.

You can modify the number of steps, but not what you do... for example, you can leave in a huff , after the second nip or even the first, but you always have to provide a vocal marker, to give him something to react to. I still use a light yelp with my 11 yo when he lets teeth touch skin as I give him a treat. No pressure or harm, but I want him to appear very safe to everyone.

Pups need to sleep over night in order to learn their lessons. So, keep doing this for 3 days. By the third day, you should notice signficant Bite Inhibition. He may still nip, but it will be softer and he won't draw blood. And, he should be less aggressive, especially, if you notice the apology. Keep up the training and make sure that everyone yelps.... Very powerful method.

If you learn the technique, then you can apply the "yelp" to other circumstances, also. I believe that "yelp" is "Please don't do that, I don't like it." in dog communication. I currently use the yelp when my dog plays tug, then runs with the toy, when he fetches and keeps it out of reach or when he takes a treat too quickly....


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I had forgotten (blocked out?) Hamilton's bedtime puppy zoomies. He'd have a serious energy burst right before he crashed out for the night where he would be a complete maniac... then he'd be unconscious. We ended up getting some chew treats for him and when he started his nutso time, we'd hand him a chew treat, and he'd gnaw on it and pass out. It was like a miracle. It was the only thing we could redirect him to that worked.


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## bilty117 (Apr 25, 2013)

hes beginning to pick it up, the bites are definitely less frequent but im still having a lot of trouble with the 'startle' noise, no sound i make whether a no, a yelp, an ouch at any pitch will even momentarily catch his attention, he will look me right in the eye and cling on to my flesh. a few times ive had to prise his mouth open putting my fingers around thebottom jaw and under his tongue and then putting him in timeout but i feel like this isnt a healthy way to do it, is this bad for him? i know it hurts because his lips get pressed on his teeth so it seems like responding to pain with pain but otherwise he really wont let go. we're learning 'drop it' but hes posessive so its taking a while and he will only do it if he knows you have a treat to trade so far. should i get something that will startle him more like a dog whistle ?


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## bilty117 (Apr 25, 2013)

i am also worried as i need to go and stay with my sister in a couple weeks with the puppy to help her through some problems, and the dog is too young to leave with someone else while i need to be consistent with his training. my sister has a wrist phobia, she cannot let anything touch her wrists and the thought of anything sharp coming near them upsets her hugely. boyseys favourite thing to bite is the wrist and if he gets her it will be catastrophic, i dont think she will ever forgive him. ive already told her that if he seems hyper and nippy not to play with him but to leave him to me but is there anything else i can do to keep him from even soft mouthing my sister?


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

> hes started to get quite naughty, around 20 minutes a day he becomes very over excited, actually manic, he will bark bite and run and roll around.


Geeze Pierce does that and he's 3 yrs old, Hmmmmmm.

Might not hurt to make a flirt pole, broom handle, drill a hole through end and nylon cord tied to end and a tough rubber toy to other end of cord. This is something pup can chase etc and will relieve some energy. I'm sure others can help with the build or purchase of a flirt pole. I never used one till Pierce, it did indeed help.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

>>> keep him from even soft mouthing my sister

Use the method for The Bite Stops Here and the tweak I posted in #9. It'll take about 3 days to get through to him, and about two weeks for you to understand how to stop him from mouthing. But, he may not be safe for your sister, when he gets excited (zoomies?), as he does a drive-by nip... That may take a while.

In the meantime, what wvasko said about a flirtpole will help.


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