Hi! I have an 11 1/2 week old puppy. He's a normal puppy with his biting, playing etc. What concerns me is his growling. When trying to remove him from a situation ( he's on my lap and getting too excited and bitey) he will growl fiercely and then try and lunge and bite. I've read the articles and to me it doesn't seem like play... it seems like he gets mad and then growls and bites. He seems to do this any time you're trying to get him to stop doing something he wants to do. (Reminds me of a toddler throwing a tantrum). Any suggestions? I've had other dogs but never a lab.
I wouldn't remove your pup physically from your lap or anywhere else. I would use treats to lure him to the right place and then treats to do a little calming training (sit, down, upsit, stand etc) The growl is communication - 'I don't like this'. So another idea is not to play on your lap, play with him on the ground. He won't fit on your lap for much longer. Dogs don't have tantrums, they are not like toddlers - toddlers want to please themselves, dogs want to please you. And welcome to you from Mags, Tatze and Mollie from Manchester UK Tatze is my pet dog, a black Lab and she's four years old. Tatze means 'paw' in German. Mollie is my fourth Guide Dog puppy, a black Lab who is seven months old. .
