Hello We rescued a lab mix puppy. Mom was lab but dad was???. She was with her liter mates in foster care and we got her at 12 weeks (6 days ago). Fosters had her since end of April. Prior to that, the liter was rescued from a humane society. We are second time dog owners (our Chloe lab mix died in January from bone cancer) but first time puppy owners. I have read many puppy books and forums. We crate train and are potty training. We are very positive. She was not the alpha of her liter. She was calm but interested when we met her. She was doing great until Day 5. I made my first critical owner error. My daughter (10) took her outside to potty. Praised when she did. Pepper then started chewing on mulch. When my daughter tried to pick her up to carry her upstairs (puppy can't figure stairs out), Pepper growled at her and looked like she was trying to bite. Pepper also growled and tried to bite me later that night when I was holding her. She is no longer showing her belly to me or my daughter. We realized our mistake with our daughter and now always supervise all interactions and our daughter is only to play with Pepper and always when we are around. Now that she did growl can we continue to expect this behavior? How do I know if it is just the puppy figuring things out or who she is? How do you know if a dog is aggressive temperaments. Is it common for puppies to growl? Any advice on what the proper owner response should be? She is very mouthy and jumpy. We are using stern "Off" and "No". Any advice on to discipline on the constant nipping? Thank you. Concerned.
Hi and welcome to the forum The growling will be done in play, though I'm sure it doesn't seem like it when it comes with a nip. But that's just how puppies play. It's how they play with eachother (roughly, noisily and with nipping) and they don't know that you're supposed to play with humans differently. If (when) she nips or bites the best thing is to detach her and move away (go to another room and close the door) for 30 seconds. Taking away your attention will show her that biting and nipping ends the game and isn't worth doing. Some puppies get more excited if you raise your voice to them, so just try saying nothing and walk away instead. That will communicate plenty to her. If she's just being mouthy (no hard biting) redirect her to a toy or something that it's ok to chew. Keep remembering that a puppy's mouth is like our hands - it's the way they explore the world. We don't get upset at a human baby grabbing things they shouldn't - we just think it's cute and redirect them. When she rolls over rub her tummy. Make it a nice experience. If she's not doing this as much as she used to don't read anything into it - it doesn't mean she has stopped 'respecting' you or anything like that.
Well done Definitely don't be worried by the growling. It's not a behaviour problem Everyone here sympathises - sharp puppy teeth are hard to deal with!
Please buy "The Happy Puppy Handbook" by Pippa Mattinson, it will answer all your questions and be reassuring, it really a tremendous help.
