I am really worried about our pup. She is 13 weeks old, her mum was a black lab and her dad a whippet greyhound. She is great, we have bugun training with whistle and rewards, she comes to us all, sits, has begun to 'stay' sleeps happily in her crate with the ddor open till aroiund 6.30/7am......and doing well in every respect bar one, and its really worrying us: She growls, on occasion, usually if we try to move her when she is a sleep on the sofa. Once however, she got really agitated and growly when I put her in the back of the car- she was growling and barking at me really quite aggressively. My reaction was to tell her off (which didn't help), and after this I read up on things and realised she was probably scared (first time alone in the back of the car). So since then I have reassured her and all has been fine. I have researched how to speak with the growling on the sofa, and have been 'taking heed' when she growls and leaving her be, although it is still a concern. However, last night my daughter moved her- from next to her to on her lap, the dog growled, I told my daughter to leave her alone, but a minute later she tried again, and this time the dog growled and snapped at my daughters face. She didn't hurt her but we are really worried. At this point I pick the dog up and shut her in the kitchen, and she promptly went to her crate. My kids are 9 and 6, they are very good with the dog but sometimes ignore what I ask them to do if they want to cuddle the dog, and my youngest is basically another pup in the dogs eyes. I am concerned that we have a dog who will snap and bite when she is older, and possibly so some harm. I am well aware that it is primarily down to our upbringing of her, and want to sort it out asap. I am so confused- I keep reading that the 'pack 'theory has been debunked but that's all the advice I can find online Should we stop her sitting on the sofa unless we ask her to? Should we wake her before moving her?? Please help, we are scared she will harm someone. Beca
13 weeks is very young so I would put it down to normal puppy crocodile behaviour. Don't tell her off, it will make her even more excited. I would use your crate for her snoozes so that she can sleep in peace, I bet she's over tired with two young children in the house. You are right - the children are pups to the dog and pups are often terrible with siblings. Twiglet is so bad with her brother, Rossi, we can't let them play together at all (he lives near me), she is fine with all other dogs. It really is very normal. My Twiglet is growing out of it now at 18 weeks but we still get a snappy half hour every evening.
Hi Beca, there are many posts on this forum, re puppy biting. I'm not experienced to give you advice but I'm sure others will be along soon to offer help. My lab puppy is 15 weeks old and can be like a crocodile at times. He's not allowed on the sofa so I have different issues and he's our first puppy. Thought I'd just say hi and welcome. Donna
Hi Beca and welcome to the forum. Mags is right; this is perfectly normal behaviour. Your job right now is to teach her bite inhibition (http://www.thelabradorsite.com/teaching-bite-inhibition-to-your-labrador-puppy/) and to keep your children safe in the meantime, which means constant supervision and insisting they treat her correctly. This website - http://stopthe77.com/ - has information and videos which will help you and your children understand what your puppy is trying to say to you and how she should be handled. If the children can't treat her properly, they should lose the right to pet her. The children will quickly learn the consequences of their actions, without it ending in tears. When they can treat her nicely, and not as a plaything, they get to pet her again. They must be separated at all times when you can't supervise them. I know it's hard and you might have hoped that they would be able to play nicely from the start, but the crocopup phase is very real, as most of us who have had bloodied hands, arms and feet can attest to! I hope you watch the "stop the 77" videos; they're a real eye-opener from an adult's perspective and the ones for kids teach them in a fun way. Your eldest may even be mature enough to watch the first one with you so (s)he can understand a bit better.
Hi and welcome, as others have said you have a perfectly normal puppy and it will get better. There's some great advice from both Boogie and Snowbunny, have you read The Happy Puppy Handbook? It's a really good book and has some great information and advice on living with your puppy. I've never let Juno onto the sofa, she has a bed in the living room beside the sofa and is her place to relax when we are relaxing, and when young had a crate in the kitchen. Good luck
I would address this by removing the opportunity for the behaviour I don't want. In other words I would not allow puppy up on the sofa. This I would treat in a manner similar to what is suggested above for the children. If the children, or You, are not allowed to touch or move the puppy then the puppy should not be allowed to get into a place or position from which she needs to be moved in the first place. I do not agree this is a perfectly normal puppy. That seems an extreme reaction from a normal, healthy puppy. I understand some, if not most, do not like to be startled awake, or manhandled or moved but the level of growling and snapping you describe sounds a bit over the top to me. Is this puppy healthy? Maybe she hurts somewhere or she is being picked up improperly? She's awfully young but in an older dog I might wonder about a thyroid problem. I would mention this to my Vet. What's going to happen when your Vet has to handle her? ETA: Can this puppy see and hear as well as most dogs? That kind of reaction I have definitely known to happen in older dogs that have pronounced hearing loss. It's a startle reflex for them as they are sometimes badly frightened when BOOM all of a sudden someone is touching them or lifting them.
Hello, Thank you all for your replies I have stopped her going on the sofa, and she seems to have accepted this-she still tries but no fuss when I lift her back down. I did wonder if she was hurting in any way, but she is incredibly tolerant when awake-she has been lifted and carried by us all since we got her at 8 weeks, she is quite happy to have the vet examine her (just 4 days ago), it is literally only when she is alseep! I have had another chat with the kids about not bothering her whn she is resting, and to call her if they want to cuddle her, to let her come to them. I will have a look at the 'stop the 7'7 videos now too-thank you I must say that the advice I have read on this site and in the 'total recall' book is brilliant-our puppy reactsalmost perfectly to me and my commands, I just wish my kids would follow it! Pippin is our first puppy/dog as adults so it is very daunting as we know its down to us to bring up a happy, gentle dog thanks again, Beca
I agree with Snowbunny - the children should learn to leave your puppy alone when she is sleeping. If the puppy needs to be moved when asleep, then you (the adult) should do it - but try waking her up with a treat under the nose or by gently stroking her with a toy (this will also keep your hands away a bit). When she's older and able to jump off the sofa you can teach her a 'jump off the sofa cue' where she gets a treat for getting off on cue. Most puppies probably don't have such a strong reaction to being moved but it's possible that your puppy has just worked out that growling is a good way to make sure she is left alone when she doesn't want the kids bugging her. It works, so she keeps doing it. The best solution is probably to 'police' and 'train' the children yourself, so your puppy doesn't have to do it. Not saying it is easy to train children!
