I just heard that 2 of my puppies litter mates were put down for aggressive behavior. I rescued Autumn at 3 mths and now she is 5 mths , i posted a thread about her biting. I asked about Autumn litter mates and they would not give any info. My daughter's friend works at the vet office where she was brought for care.She asked a vet about my puppy and her litter mates. He told her. When I asked they said they didn't have info. Anyway I am really working with Autumn. I even contacted the rescue and they said their trainer would provide 2 sessions of training on them. But not has not happened yet. I'm just concerned.especially since that seems young to put puppies Dow. I worry about Autumn because she has been very aggressive with her biting and so.. food dominant with other dogs and my cat Do I need to be concerned?.
That is disgusting! I can't think for a minute that it's appropriate to euthanise such a young puppy for aggression. What country are you in? Were both puppies owned by the same person, or still at the rescue? Puppies bite. Sometimes they growl and shake their heads when they do it. It hurts. It draws blood. It doesn't mean it's aggression. It's very rare for a puppy to be aggressive. I've met one - a GSD who was fearful and became aggressive through it. His owner was telling him off, growling at him and giving him lead jerks. That puppy doesn't have a bright future. If you're worried, then get a behaviourist - not a trainer - in to assess her. Make sure they are force free, don't believe in dominance models and only use rewards-based behaviour modification. It has been shown that using punishment in training makes it significantly more likely to increase aggressive behaviours in dogs - even if it initially suppresses it. As far as food is concerned, feed her separately from the others. She's not being dominant, she's scared she'll lose her food. Let her know that can't happen by giving her space.
All I know is someone turned the puppies into animal control. Then the rescue adopted autumn from got them.yes same litter. I don't know about owner. Yes I always feed separate and I have been very present when Autumn eats. I move her dish I feed her from my hands I put my hands in her dish. She has never growled or snapped at me when I do this. I have given them treats together. I live in USA. I'm disturbed because I wonder what constitutes aggression to the person who chose to.put them Down. She is the owner of the rescue. I did get a puppy years ago and the vet told me I needed to get her a new home. She was very aggressive towards my children. But she got a new home. She had a real issue. It was really bad. I rescued a dog 16 years ago who was a dream. She passes away may 2016. Good idea a behavior its. Positive training is all I do with Autumn. I am not in favor of other methods.
That is really quite upsetting to hear. For you, as you are worrying about Autumn, but also for us who see people post ALL the time about their puppies being aggressive which is really just puppy behaviour (which by the sounds of it, is possibly worse in labs than other breeds). Keep working at it with Autumn, don't be swayed. Have you read much on our Forum about puppy behaviour? You will see so many angst-ridden posts in the early months, but puppies settle down with kind consistent training in the vast majority of cases. Stick with it. Animals are PTS too easily in some areas for want of suitable rescue places or rehoming activities. I really hope you don't give up or lose heart.
This is really sad to hear, please continue with your positive training and reading the forum. Very wise words from @snowbunny please take her advice and get a behaviourist. All the labs I have come across as puppies play very hard and bite a lot in play. I have an enormous bruise and cut on my leg from a very over excited adolescent lab that came to play with me and my girl while we were out walking, the owner who is a stranger to me said she's working on her dogs behaviour and was so apologetic. It can take a very long long time for some labs to calm down. I wish you the best of luck, please don't get disheartened.
I don't really understand if you mean they were killed by animal control or after they got into the rescue group. If the rescue group then they should not be called a rescue group. I know it is the policy of some rescue groups to kill an adoption return if they are returned for aggression. A friend of mine has a dog for that reason - he was returned to the rescue she volunteered at for aggression and they told her as she was the former foster mom she could either keep him herself or he would be killed. She kept the dog and ditched the foster group - she is now with another organisation. Animal control in the part of California I'm from kills up to 80% of the dogs that arrive at the shelter regardless of temperament, health or age. Most are only given 3-5 days. This is why private rescue groups are so important, because they go in and pull dogs from death row. Temperament tests in shelters are very arbitrary as well as controversial in the rescue community. Even if this was the excuse you were given for the two litter mates being killed (that they were marked as aggressive in a temperament test), it doesn't mean you should worry about your dog. One of my first foster dogs was given a temperament test when I used to foster for the local shelter. I insisted on being in the room with her. The tester put us in a room by ourselves, then suddenly opened the door and threw in a metal folding chair onto the concrete floor next to us. The puppy jumped. Yeah, so did I...nearly peed in my pants. Just from that they said she failed. I told them they could go shove it, picked her up and didn't come back. Luckily my volunteer coordinator was a lovely person and let me find and vet my own adopters and waive the "temperament test" for the rest of my fosters. So consider all this and don't let this sad news taint your relationship with your puppy. And @snowbunny gave you some brilliant advice - she's one to listen to!
ThAnk you for all your replys. I never saw the other puppies up for adoption on their Site. The foster mom for my puppy has been very kind and said she did not know if they got adopted. From what I understand the puppies could not socialize and were considered aggressive
They threw a metal chair into the room???????? Good lord, I'd probably pee my pants too. They expect dogs to be like statues that don't react to anything?
It's so upsetting to think a puppy is labelled as aggressive & put to sleep. They never had a chance. Keep up your good work with Autumn, she will be a marvelous dog.
It was a very bizarre experience for me. My one and only experience with temperament testing, so I don't know if it was/is normal or not. But it made an impression on me - still makes me mad and that was 15 years ago!
To describe a puppy as being aggressive, and destroying a puppy, based upon the fact that it bites and is possessive around food is totally abhorrent in a so called civilised society. As a professional I am happy to say puppies bite, and in my experience Labs really are no worse than most other breeds, until they learn a good bite inhibition. Many puppies resource guard around food and toys as that is what they have learnt from an early age competing with little mates and can be cured with kind positive training usually without too many problems. Please try and ignore all comments about the possibility of Autumn being aggressive, our dogs behaviour does relate to some extent from their early upbringing and influence of mum BUT it is also dependant upon our own interactions and behaviour with our pups as they grow. Autumn's resource guarding can be improved with just a little positive training as can her biting.
That is bull!! Aggression at that age? People are kidding themselves. A small child sometimes plays rough and don't realise their strength or force. Puppies are the same. They don't realise they hurt until they get taught not to do it. That is pure laziness. Not wanting to put the effort into training a puppy and killing it, labelling aggression. Come on. You should tell that welfare group to go where the sun don't shine. Outrageous. I'm glad that you are doing the right thing with your little Autumn. Keep working, training, it comes good. My boy, Arnie, took strips off me when he was that age. My arms looked like I was inflicting self harm. But I trained and worked with him and he's the most gentle young man now. Keep fighting the good fight. You owe it to Autumn.
This has made me so SO angry! Little babies never given a chance because people can't be bothered to train them. This is a perfect example of why I prefer my dog to most humans.
I still have some small scars on my hands/arms from when my girl was a puppy. She is the most gentle dog with a very gentle mouth now. I am really angry that the rescue or who ever put your girls siblings down. There was no need as pups are very rarely aggressive
Sorry but they can't call themselves a rescue. Puppies are puppies and they don't know that biting in play hurts us because it doesn't hurt their litter mates or other dogs - its just us fragile humans that it hurts. Aggressive - are you kidding me - it's play. Keep up the good work you are doing with Autumn all will come good for you. Bailey was a complete fur covered crocodile for quite a while, now he is so gentle and has a beautiful soft mouth. Positive training works honestly.
I can't believe that anyone with any common sense would look at a puppy and think that it is aggressive, even if it is biting or growling. Harley did all of the above, in spades, but even as an anxious, over-protective cat mom I never saw aggression in Harley. Super over excitedness sure, lack of bite inhibition as a pup of course. But strangely enough she never bit the cats because she had the instinct to know that they were not going to take her nonsense. And she got a few bops on the head from the one. But what I have seen is the distinct difference between dogs that have had socialization and those that haven't. The ones that haven't really seem to struggle outside of the environment they know but still not as aggressive dogs, rather just as "impolite" with other dogs and nervous of new things. It makes me so heartsore that the life of two puppies could be ended because some persons warped perception.
How do you teach in a positive way when Autumn is so possessive with her food. I have tried handling her food around her treats in bowll feeding with my hands and also putting food up when she attacks cat and then reinforce. I also have hate sit and wait
Keep the cat away from her when she's eating, for a start. Here's a good article: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-stop-your-dog-growling-over-food/
