My 2 and half year old black lab acts aggressively towards most puppies he meets. He lets then come near him but after a few secords grabs them and wont let go. I have to grab him and pull him away. I dont know if its an actual bite or he is just trying to throw then in the air. My gf is scared to walk him at times. He also has a group of dogs including 2 labs, a terrier and a chihuahua cross with a jack russell who he meets regularly and plays with so he can be good.
Homer started growling at puppies younger than him when he was about a year old, especially to jumpy puppies who come up to his face. This is a warning growl and very occasionally a snap towards the pup but never making contact if the pup persists. He will move away from the puppy. He has become more tolerant as he's got older. If we come across a puppy I usually walk on quickly so that H follows and has good reason to move on away from the puppy. I call out to the puppy's owners to say he can be grumpy and will growl at the pup. I also use a leave command. At his dog training class the puppy class is before us so all the puppies walk past while we are waiting. I keep him focussed on me with a look at me command and lots of treats, and rewards for not reacting to the pups. I think if your dog is actually making physical contact with the pup this could be dangerous and puppy owners may get upset by the overly rough play.
Hi there, I've only had one time when I've had a puppy issue and knowing my dog like I do now ,it was my fault.I thought because it was a puppy Dexter would be fine,but he wasn't because he hates being jumped at and meeting head on when he's on lead.There was only noise but Dexter was quite clearly saying 'get away from me now,you jumpy ,bitey,unpredicatable little tike' I was mortified that my dog might have given a puppy a bad experience ,but the other owner was pretty chilled and luckily the little pup didn't seem too abashed.Dexter has since made friends and played ( he needs supervising to not get rough) with puppies many times...for us it's all about managing the introductions carefully and if I can't do that,Dexter doesn't get to say hi to the other dog. Some dogs are brilliant with puppies from the get go,others need time to get used to it,others maybe really won't like them ever.I think as owners it's us understanding our own dogs feelings and managing the encounter appropriately,it's a shame for a little puppy to have a bad experience that could have been avoided.If you think your dog is going to play too rough,and wanting to 'throw them in the air ' is as concerning as a bite to be honest,I would say avoid your dog interacting with puppies.
I usually put him on the lead if I see a puppy approaching and then introduce him, if he growls then he comes away. Its just when he playing in his group, a puppy comes along and joins in then I have to take him away from his pals. He seems fine if a ball or stick is being thrown at its all about the game, he even drops the ball for the puppy to have but others he just reacts too.
This is a difficult one. It's his way of telling the puppy he doesn't want certain behaviours - but he's telling the pup in an inappropriate way. I have this with Tatze. She's totally wonderful with the pups in the house and garden. But, until they are grown and (in her eyes) can look after themselves, she is over protective. If the pup goes too far away (in her eyes) she runs and grabs them, quite hard. I'm afraid I don't have an answer 'tho. I keep Tatze on the lead when we go together for the first 7 months or so. We only go together twice a week and then Tatze gets her long walk separately. Zaba, on the other hand, has an appropriate way of dealing with pups. He growls and stands stiff legged and averts his eyes - this works every time, the pups stop what they were doing and nothing physical is needed. ...
