Hello Everyone, Just got our pup yesterday and I’m not sure but it looks like he may be a bit aggressive. Today, he just stared at me, and when I said hello and tried to engage with him he barked at me. I tried to get up and walk over to him, but he got up and barked louder and looked as if he was going to lunge at me. I called my daughter over, because I wanted to keep my 7 yr old son behind me, and as soon as she walked in the room, he relaxed. It was a bit creepy. An agressive pup that will turn into a giant one is a dealbreaker for me. My children have special needs and I bought a lab specifically because they’re family dogs. I don’t know. I love him, but I fear for my children. What do I do?? Please help.
Hi Em Don’t worry, puppies are not aggressive. Your puppy is definitely not aggressive. Puppies and older dogs bark for all kinds of reasons - surprise, fear, excitement, to sound the alarm, to call out for attention or to locate their people... I’d say your puppy was barking because he was unsure about what you were doing. He doesn’t know you yet. Doing things like gazing at him, approaching him, or leaning towards him will make him a bit uncertain and maybe a bit worried, given his age and newness to your household. Just sit on the ground with some treats. Don’t look at him but let him come to you in his own time. Let him have a sniff of you. Don’t reach for him - resist the temptation to do that. Do discretely drop treats on the ground for him. Let him go at his pace and build his confidence and trust in you. He’s a tiny little baby who has been thrust into a new, slightly scary and confusing situation. Cut him some slack
Hi Em, and welcome to the forum. Great advice from Rachael (Oberon) there, and I just wanted to reiterate that your puppy is guaranteed not aggressive! Try to avoid staring directly at him, let him come to you rather than you trying to pat or cuddle him. He's just a baby who has lost everything he's known in his whole life - mother, siblings, his home - and he must be confused and scared. It will take him time to settle down; give him, and yourself, the time needed. And come on here any time you have questions or need reassurance!
What a relief!!! I love him already and I guess it’ll take him time to love us. How do we handle biting? Do we immediately address it? I have so many little questions. We’ve spoken to our vet, but it’s the little questions that get us a bit nervous. I wonder about potty training too. Are there any good books on Labs that anyone can recommend? Thank you all sooooo much! This is such a great forum!
I would definitely recommend The Happy Puppy Handbook and also The Labrador Handbook, both by Pippa Mattinson. Those books cover everything you need to know. Also, if you do a search for threads on this forum on biting and toilet training you’ll come up with heaps of content. The Labrador Site has got a lot of articles too. Here is one about biting: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-biting/ Here’s one on toilet/potty training: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/house-training-your-labrador-puppy/
Fear not, all is play, as is the lunging and biting It’s very normal Lab puppy behaviour. Anyone who says different has not had a Lab puppy! He will grow out of it, meanwhile be more determined than he is (and that’s very determined!) that he will bite toys and not you. The growling is all play. Have a puppy toy on every shelf and in every pocket to put in his mouth. Wear skinny jeans and tight sleeves. With one of my pups I even wore wellies in the house! Here is another link to excellent advice - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/dogs-and-kids/ . .
Omg!!! Thank you sooo much! I’m so glad I found this forum! I hope you all know how helpful and amazing you all are to people that need it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Hi and welcome from me and 4 year old girl, Harley. What's your pups name? As the others have said above, he is a baby and needs time to learn new things. With his siblings they play with their mouths, he doesn't know yet that he can't do that with us humans. Patience and consistency will help. I always had a toy to put in her mouth if she went to bite. Her default behaviour now when someone comes to the house is to grab a toy before saying hello. My girl came to work with me a lot of the past 3 years as I was working with children with additional needs and behavioural issues. She took to the children naturally and was so gentle with them. She really helped with their anger and also was a comfort as she would snuggle up to them if they were upset. It will take time and patience for this to happen though. Good luck and let us know how you are getting on.
