# Puppy is having a sudden mean streak



## bunsoir (Dec 7, 2014)

So since we got Teddy on the 20th of last month, things were going fairly well. He is still playfully nippy and slowly getting used to our sleeping schedule, and potty training leaves a bot to be desired but nothing too bad. But lately, Teddy has taken a negative turn and growls and bites sometimes we carry him (which he was used too) and he now always protests and bites and growls when we try to harness him, not when wearing it but when we.try to put a it on. What should I do? I've never dealt with aggressive issues with a pet before, other than my cat, so I'm at a loss.
(He is still really loving and playful otherwise! ! & he is an 11th week old Pomeranian)


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## bunsoir (Dec 7, 2014)

I forgot to mention that he also does it when you stop him from doing something or scold him, even though he wasn't doing that whatsoever before!


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## Luxorien (Jun 11, 2014)

Thread on desensitizing to objects: http://www.dogforums.com/dog-training-forum/17428-desensitizing-dog-inanimate-objects.html

The Gentle Leader also has some good instructions for getting a dog used to wearing equipment.

Is it strictly necessary to carry him? I haven't had a puppy in a long time and all my dogs are too big to carry, but I thought most dogs disliked it. Growling is good and should be respected (it's the dog's way of saying "I'm uncomfortable with this"). When growling is ignored, dogs resort to biting. If you routinely ignore growling, you can inadvertently train the dog to bite without warning. Can you give some examples of things you stop him from doing and how you stop him? Do you use a leash, pick him up, etc? There might be alternate ways of getting him to stop a behavior than what you are currently using.

Dunno if you've already seen this, but there's a sticky with some info on biting: http://www.dogforums.com/first-time-dog-owner/2783-everything-you-want-know.html

I mention this because some of it carries over into issues other than biting (basically any unwanted behavior).


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## bunsoir (Dec 7, 2014)

Yeah he likes to bite and he is definitely an ankle biusually, usually pick him up to move him away from something, ie: someone needs to go somewhere he can't go but he won't let go of his pjs, we pick him up and him towards his toys, but he obviously doesn't like that. He is basically picked up to move him from something he isn't shouldn't be doing to something he should do. And we usually harness him for leash training but also when we can't watch him after he already spent time on his playpen so he can have some space to roam while still being supervised. (Also to reinforce calm behavior and all)


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

Luxorien said:


> Is it strictly necessary to carry him? I haven't had a puppy in a long time and all my dogs are too big to carry, but I thought most dogs disliked it. Growling is good and should be respected (it's the dog's way of saying "I'm uncomfortable with this"). When growling is ignored, dogs resort to biting.


No, that's not reasonable. The fashion dogs always get picked up and it needs to learn to be ok with that. What happens when a six year old picks it up, it thinks its ok to grown and bite when that happens and some kid gets bit on the face. 

I mauled my dog as a puppy. Pulled on his feet, nails, ears tail, put my head next to his when eating, etc. Other than the very small number of working dogs trained to be working dogs, the last thing any owner should want is a dog that is aggressive in any way to a human. 

To the OP, the dog is 11 weeks old, after the second round of shots, get it in an obedience class with play time and bring it up with the trainers. They'll help. The puppy is 11 weeks old, there's lots of time to fix things.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

seaboxador said:


> No, that's not reasonable. The fashion dogs always get picked up and it needs to learn to be ok with that. What happens when a six year old picks it up, it thinks its ok to grown and bite when that happens and some kid gets bit on the face.
> 
> I mauled my dog as a puppy. Pulled on his feet, nails, ears tail, put my head next to his when eating, etc. Other than the very small number of working dogs trained to be working dogs, the last thing any owner should want is a dog that is aggressive in any way to a human.
> 
> To the OP, the dog is 11 weeks old, after the second round of shots, get it in an obedience class with play time and bring it up with the trainers. They'll help. The puppy is 11 weeks old, there's lots of time to fix things.


Oh, great, you're back.

OP, please ignore this. Children should be taught to respect and care for dogs, not allowed to abuse them. 

Imagine that a giant came by randomly and shouted (scolded) at you and then picked you up without your consent. I bet you'd fight and yell and bite, too, wouldn't you? Stop scolding your puppy. He doesn't know what that means, he doesn't know what you want, so it's not his fault. You need to teach him what you want him to do and prevent him from making mistakes. If he pees inside, that's your fault for not taking him outside. If he chews on something, that's your fault for leaving it in his reach.

Look up "counter conditioning" for how to handle picking him up and putting on his harness, but really, stop picking him up. Teach him a recall (come here) and leave it and then you won't need to pick him up so often. Teach him what to do- chew on his toys, lie on his bed, etc- and he won't do the other stuff.

Oh, and puppies that young are not aggressive. Don't worry about that.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

> To the OP, the dog is 11 weeks old, after the second round of shots, get it in an obedience class with play time and bring it up with the trainers. They'll help. The puppy is 11 weeks old, there's lots of time to fix things.


Myself, I would wait till the vet gives the final shots in the series and since I'm paranoid it would be 10 days after that before I would dump him in a puppy class. But that's just my method.


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## Eenypup (Mar 21, 2014)

He's telling you he doesn't like being picked up! Most little dogs don't but are often made to put up with it. I know our 10 lb poodle mix put up with a ridiculous amount of being held and picked up by my sister and I (two naive little kids), and he resented us for it. I mean he really disliked us, although he wasn't aggressive toward us just completely avoided us. He's 12 now and my sister still lives at home, ever since she stopped picking him up he's decided she's okay and is happy to follow her around!

Moral of the story, picking up a dog that dislikes it is just not worth it. Why upset your dog with being held against his will all the time?!


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## bunsoir (Dec 7, 2014)

In all honesty I'm one of those owners who doesn't like having her pets handled by a child unless I'm supervising the whole thing, and thank you! I can definitely respect that he doesn't like being carried, I'll just pick him up to put him outside of his pen. We do have a recall/attention noise, but it doesn't always work and when he is going potty in the wrong spot he stops when we do it, but I guess we just need to work harder! !


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

Amaryllis said:


> Oh, great, you're back.
> 
> OP, please ignore this. Children should be taught to respect and care for dogs, not allowed to abuse them.
> 
> ...


Yes, I'm back. It's actually a great thing. People like yourself who don't account for the actions of children and dogs are dangerous. The dog should be taught to not react to what children do. At some point, a few kids are likely to pick up the cute little dog. If it reacts because it hasn't been taught otherwise and some kid loses an eye I'm sure you'll be writing that check, right? Brilliant.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

seaboxador said:


> No, that's not reasonable. The fashion dogs always get picked up and it needs to learn to be ok with that. What happens when a six year old picks it up, it thinks its ok to grown and bite when that happens and some kid gets bit on the face.
> 
> I mauled my dog as a puppy. Pulled on his feet, nails, ears tail, put my head next to his when eating, etc. Other than the very small number of working dogs trained to be working dogs, the last thing any owner should want is a dog that is aggressive in any way to a human.
> 
> To the OP, the dog is 11 weeks old, after the second round of shots, get it in an obedience class with play time and bring it up with the trainers. They'll help. The puppy is 11 weeks old, there's lots of time to fix things.


I achieved the same things with all my dogs but instead of "mauling them" I turned the handling into a game of sorts, always giving them a treat after every session and always remaining gentle and patient. 

For the food thing I hold their bowl while they eat out of it, or hand feed them, for nightly meals though, they all go to their own crate or bed and I leave the room when they eat, because I wouldnt like someone sticking their head next to me when I am eating, why the heck would I do it to a dog?


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Well problem with mauling a puppy is that you can actually go through a pup or two before you get a pup that will handle such treatment without becoming a basket case. 

I like wild free-spirited pups, when they get older they can then be molded into a finished product. I'm not worried about an aggressive pup hurting me, I worry more about me hurting a pup which is possible while mauling.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

wvasko said:


> Well problem with mauling a puppy is that you can actually go through a pup or two before you get a pup that will handle such treatment without becoming a basket case.
> 
> I like wild free-spirited pups, when they get older they can then be molded into a finished product. I'm not worried about an aggressive pup hurting me, I worry more about me hurting a pup which is possible while mauling.


I agree, I never push it past their threshold, whatever that may be. Also, with my puppy he is just so ... GOOD ... for a puppy, of course he can be a tad annoying, but he could be a LOT worse and I wonder if I could be able to determine if he is going to be a devil later on or not LOL because right now (he is 4 mos, and Josefina was already a devil at this age) and honestly he is a pretty good puppy.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

wvasko said:


> Well problem with mauling a puppy is that you can actually go through a pup or two before you get a pup that will handle such treatment without becoming a basket case.
> 
> I like wild free-spirited pups, when they get older they can then be molded into a finished product. I'm not worried about an aggressive pup hurting me, I worry more about me hurting a pup which is possible while mauling.


Malarky. You can handle a puppy's ears, paws, tail, etc in such a way that they easily become accustomed to it. Training adult dogs is worlds more difficult than training puppies. That's why socialization is so important in problem breeds. Fixing problems down the road is difficult and you might have had a situation arise by then. 



> I agree, I never push it past their threshold, whatever that may be. Also, with my puppy he is just so ... GOOD ... for a puppy, of course he can be a tad annoying, but he could be a LOT worse and I wonder if I could be able to determine if he is going to be a devil later on or not LOL because right now (he is 4 mos, and Josefina was already a devil at this age) and honestly he is a pretty good puppy.


Largely, the training is almost all about impulse control. Have you done any formal training with the dog? What they learn in being around other puppies is a lot more than just being around you.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

> Malarky. You can handle a puppy's ears, paws, tail, etc in such a way that they easily become accustomed to it.


Well what's malarkey to you may not be too others. Also I did not say anything is wrong with handling a puppy's ears etc, just a possible problem with the mauling of some pup's ears. If you don't think that some pup's would have a problem then that would be your lack of pup experience on your end.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

You know, when I say that I murdered the sandwich I had for lunch, it doesn't mean that the sandwich was alive and talking to people before I ate it. Similarly, when I say maul I puppy, I generally take it that people have the where withall to realize that I'm not talking about yanking a dogs ear off.


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

> You know, when I say that I murdered the sandwich I had for lunch, it doesn't mean that the sandwich was alive and talking to people before I ate it.


But. If you used the word murder while dining with homicide detectives, I think you'd raise a few eyebrows at least. Same goes for using the word maul amongst a group of dog aficionados. 

There are probably more appropriate words to use to get the same point across, and keep eyebrows low and level in the process.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

seaboxador said:


> Malarky. You can handle a puppy's ears, paws, tail, etc in such a way that they easily become accustomed to it. Training adult dogs is worlds more difficult than training puppies. That's why socialization is so important in problem breeds. Fixing problems down the road is difficult and you might have had a situation arise by then.
> 
> 
> 
> Largely, the training is almost all about impulse control. Have you done any formal training with the dog? What they learn in being around other puppies is a lot more than just being around you.


I would take Wvasko's word for it ... I think its safe to say he's fotgotten more about dogs then most of is will ever hope to know.


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## bunsoir (Dec 7, 2014)

I actually do train him, so far he knows sit, leave it/go for it, fetch and we're currently working on settling down. Although I'm not quite sure what to teach him next, the training is not something I plan on ever neglecting. I know well dogs need mental stimulation as much as physical
And an update on Teddy, his playbites have gotten a pot softer (although my hands paid the price to get this far lol)but he is still a hard nipper and we're still planning on enrolling him on an obedience class after he gets his last set of shots this week!


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Year's ago before I had any thoughts of becoming a dog trainer, I witnessed something that stuck with me forever. I was 17 years old and did hunt pheasants/rabbits but at that time did not have my own dog as I could barely support myself let alone a dog. 

Anyway there was a trip to a skeet/trap shooting club where one of my friend's dad had got a 6 month old GSP and there was a popular desensitizing to gunshots program that was started by an idiot somewhere about tying dog to post or car bumper whatever was handy. This was within 25 to 50 yards of where all the shooting was going on.

The 1st 5 to 10 shots pup really did not pay much attention but by the 15th shot pup was under the car trying to hide and a fine young dog was ruined for hunting. The good news is the dad was gonna have pup put to sleep and I ended up with it and it was my very 1st guard dog I trained. But that's another story, as I still had no interest in becoming a pro dog trainer..

See the funny part is there is no doubt that many pups/dogs were introduced to gunshots and had no problems at all because their nervous systems allowed them to handle anything. 

Just as I would bet our home and 8 acres there were many that were totally ruined for no reason other than stupidity. What works on some pups/dogs does not work on all dogs. I don't debate training because I'm not interested in debates just interested in showing different training methods or just management scenarios that may or may not help.


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