Four month old puppy playing aggressively

Discussion in 'Labrador Puppies' started by DanielFam, Aug 28, 2018.

  1. DanielFam

    DanielFam Registered Users

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    Hey everyone :) My female chocolate lab has been going to the dog park for the past month and always plays with a Puppy German Shepard(They play quite rough together). My lab seems to be way more aggressive and likes to bite and hold on. The other day she was picking on a little pug and was biting and the pug did not like it and was crying but my lab did not stop. Again today a few friends came over with their maltese and my lab played the same way and the maltese could not stop crying and running away but my lab would not stop I had to lift her up and take her away. We tried calming her down a few times but she keeps going back to rough play.
    Not sure what to do, any help would be great! How do I get my puppy to be gentle?
    PS: she is very obedient in terms of training, very disciplined. It seems she plays that rough only when it comes to dogs.
     
  2. DanielFam

    DanielFam Registered Users

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    Ohh forgot to mention she is 4 and half months
     
  3. Stacia

    Stacia Registered Users

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    I don't let my dogs play with other dogs! I like them to think I am the important and fun thing in their lives. If you aren't careful, your dog will see a dog in the distant and be gone! Some people will get upset if your dog is too rough with theirs and then you will feel upset :( So either don't let her play or teach her an acceptable way, don't let her bully other dogs, not her fault as she is just being a dog but doesn't know her own strength.
     
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  4. Chewies_mum

    Chewies_mum Registered Users

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    I generally don't let Chewie play with small dogs unless they are clearly comfortable with bouncy, rough play.

    If the little dog really wants to approach him I will let it happen with caution (sometimes distracting him with a treat while they have a good sniff), and be ready to remove him if need be.

    Unfortunately a lot of small dog parents seem to think I'm being mean by not letting him play, even when their dogs are clearly not happy with his style of jumpy, bitey play. :rolleyes:
     
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  5. Jo Laurens

    Jo Laurens Registered Users

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    I would highly recommend reading both these articles:

    http://totallydogtraining.com/over-friendly-dog/

    http://www.wylanbriar.com/behavioural-information/avoiding-growing-an-oversocial-dog/

    It is very important that BOTH dogs in any encounter as consenting and want the play. All dogs are not suitable playmates for all other dogs. If you know you have a dog which likes to play rough, don't let them bully other dogs which don't appreciate this sort of play.

    Dog parks are not good places to socialise a puppy or to raise a young dog.

    Allowing an adolescent dog to run wild with other dogs until they are both slathering throat-grabbing messes, is really a bad idea because your dog is learning how to behave with other dogs as a young dog and adolescent. This is the prototype on which they will approach other dogs, in future. It is also only teaching them that other dogs are amazing and that you are boring and irrelevant - because no human can compete with dog-dog play....
     
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  6. tom@labforumHQ

    tom@labforumHQ Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi Daniel, welcome to the forum. Hope you find the help you need on here!
     
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  7. Diane Hess

    Diane Hess Registered Users

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    I do not visit dog parks...to many strangers (dogs as well as the humans) and to much could go wrong.
    My dog is 2.5 years and I have learned the best place I can let my dog play is in a controlled area.
    So we go to structured classes......or I create playdates that take place at my home with other people (that I know and trust) ...that also has a dog in need of some playtime.
     
  8. DanielFam

    DanielFam Registered Users

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    Thanks for sharing that :) With the dog park we find its a great release for her, all that energy gets drained and she settles down a lot. At home she does not like to fetch or play tug but she has so much energy and we are not sure how to drain it. Walking does not help either, and we have long walks to lol. So we find that the dog park was the only place for her to settle down. I'm open to suggestions!
     
  9. pippa@labforumHQ

    pippa@labforumHQ Administrator

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    Hi Daniel, welcome to the forum. It sounds as though you have a lively pup :). It's worth mentioning that at four and a half months, puppies don't need huge amounts of exercise in the form of long walks. It's also a bit of a myth that dogs need to be exhausted in order to be calm or well behaved, so you don't need to worry about wearing your puppy out. Puppy excitement is probably more a function of the way a puppy is handled together with its temperament, than how much exercise it gets.

    Do you have a yard or garden at home?
     
  10. Jo Laurens

    Jo Laurens Registered Users

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    Yes, further to what Pippa says, there is actually research now showing that too much exercise is counter-productive for dogs.

    Here is a relevant link: https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/too-much-of-a-good-thing/

    Some of the best things you can do, to tire a dog, are:

    1. Training - even if it involves little physical exercise, training is mentally stimulating and tiring. Attending a training class with other dogs and people will also be a hugely stimulating event.
    2. Sniffing - sniffing is tiring, it is a brain workout that humans can't relate to, as we have a poor sense of smell. Get a SnuffleMat, hide treats in it and let the pup sniff them out. You can also take her food and sprinkle it on grass in your yard and then let her sniff out her meals.
    3. Socialisation - taking the puppy out to a new location every day with you, will tire them out - new experiences, are tiring. Go to a DIY store, a pet store, anywhere dogs are allowed indoors. Go to a skateboard park and watch the skateboards. At 16 weeks she is just about out of the socialisation period now, but puppies do remain receptive to new things to a lesser degree and keeping up exposure to new things is helpful.
    4. If you have friends who have well-adjusted older dogs who will pretty much ignore her, that sort of adult dog can be great for a young puppy to learn that other dogs do NOT necessarily want to be played with and leapt on (which is what they will learn at the dog park).
    Whatever you do, don't just teach her to run riot with other dogs - she needs to learn to manage the energy in productive ways and to contain it. Not just to express it everywhere(!) which is what tends to happen when physical exercise is given in these situations.

    Think about what a dog park is teaching your puppy about other dogs and dog-dog interactions in the long-term, not just about dealing with the puppy right now in the short-term.

    Here's a link about dog parks: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/blog/Dog-Parks-Are-Dangerous-21816-1.html
     
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  11. Diane Hess

    Diane Hess Registered Users

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    Hoss is a real high energy dog.....mental games wear him out ....quicker than any physical activity ......try hide and seek in the house........start playing with a toy......for a few minutes....then place pup in a down stay and let him see you hide the toy......them release him and tell him "find it'.......of course he saw where you put the toy....after a few successful rounds .....you can progress the pup .....hide in another spot just a little bit difficult....they love nose games.... if they are not into finding the toy.....have a person hide from them ...then release to go find the person........when pup begins to tire ....you end the game. Try to end the game on your terms.....
     
  12. DanielFam

    DanielFam Registered Users

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    Ohh really! I thought they had to be worn or she goes crazy haha And yes we do, we have a good sized yard :)
     
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  13. Aisling Labs

    Aisling Labs Registered Users

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    While there is truth to the saying that a "tired lab is a good lab" it isn't all about wearing them out with physical exercise. In fact, doing so can cause a lot of repetitive damage to joints and tissue. Engaging their MIND is equally as important. If you look at training as something that is going on the entire time a puppy is out of their crate, then the puppy is mentally engaged and "exercised". This doesn't mean that you don't set aside some time to focus on "real" training each day, it simply means that the puppy is actively engaged in learning unless it is asleep.
     
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  14. Jo Laurens

    Jo Laurens Registered Users

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    The other thing to say, is that just like people, the more exercise you provide, the fitter your dog will become and the more exercise they will require on a daily basis to maintain 'normality'. I have come across people who feel duty bound to exercise their dogs for 4 hours a day and are beside themselves, and all because they've made this problem for themselves by trying to 'tire' their dogs out. You won't do it, you will only make a rod for your own back... Learn how to train a dog and teach them how to use their nose...
     
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  15. Beanwood

    Beanwood Registered Users

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    Oh yes, I remember very clearly a trainer, looking at my dog, looking at me...and saying with a wry smile...ahh... I see you have a very "fit" young hooligan...for sure she wasn't referring to me! :D
     
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