Lola (our 8 week old puppy) is sweet and loving most of the time. Then all of a sudden she gets angry and will start growling and biting almost to attack. When she is around Razor, our 10 month old boxer, who is so sweet and wouldn't harm a fly, she gets angry when he wants to play and will attack him the same way. I know puppies play but she seems very angry. Right now her bites don't really hurt but I am worried that later she may hurt our children. We are going to see a puppy trainer on Saturday but was wondering if this is just her being a puppy or real aggression? Will the two ever be able to co-exist?
growling and biting
- Thread starter gphipps
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Gingers Mom
Boxer Pal
What are you doing to discourage this behavior? Are you letting her bite you? Biting is never exceptable. What was going on right before she turn aggresive?
She's pretty young and maybe Razor is too rough with her and hurting her.
Are you sure she's being aggresive and not playful? Ginger is very vocal in play. She growls and makes lot's of noises with out being aggresive. You can tell when she's playing with my sons Dob/husky mix puppy and she's had enough or he's getting to rough. She has a whole different sound when she has to teach him manors. She may have to motherly snap at him to let him know he's crossing the line and he'll behave after that.
She's pretty young and maybe Razor is too rough with her and hurting her.
Are you sure she's being aggresive and not playful? Ginger is very vocal in play. She growls and makes lot's of noises with out being aggresive. You can tell when she's playing with my sons Dob/husky mix puppy and she's had enough or he's getting to rough. She has a whole different sound when she has to teach him manors. She may have to motherly snap at him to let him know he's crossing the line and he'll behave after that.
GunnerBaby
Boxer Pal
I have a 9 week old boxer so I know what you are going through. Sometimes Gunner will start to get a little too agressive when we are playing. I immediaetly stop playing, tell him "no", and hold his muzzle shut for a minute while I repeate "no" to him. We he has calmed down (he will usually start to lick his lips with my hand still holding his muzzle shut), I release him and then praise him and tell him "good boy" for calming down and acting the way I want him to. The vet actually reccomended this technique to us after he snapped at the vet when he was trying to give him some medicane.
So far, this techinique has been working wonderfully! We have been very consistent with him over the past week and he is snapping much less and being much less agressive in his play! Maybe this will work for your little one as well.
So far, this techinique has been working wonderfully! We have been very consistent with him over the past week and he is snapping much less and being much less agressive in his play! Maybe this will work for your little one as well.
kpowell
Boxer Insane
Sounds like normal puppy behavior to me, especially at 8 weeks. If you got her young, like at 6 weeks, she's going to have a much more pronounced "bitey" stage than if she were older. I got my Stella from the Humane Society when she was 6 weeks old, and my hands were bloody for three more months! Patience, NILIF, and consistency are the key.
ehayes21
Boxer Insane
Biting is very normal for an 8 week old puppy and it should be encouraged so you can teach them how to properly use their mouths.
To the OP: I hardly think at 8 weeks your pup is turning aggressive, it sounds like perfectly normal boxer puppy play. It's good that your pup is using her mouth, this is a good time for you to show them how. Like the others have said you need to be consistent so don't just throw in the towel after a few tries but this article should help you on teachin bite inhibition.
The Bite Stops Here
Gingers Mom
Boxer Pal
Having raised dogs my whole life (over40), that's the first time I ever heard that letting a dog mouth you is OK, young or not. I would never let a dog/puppy mouth me. When ever we had a puppy that wanted to bite, I would grab the lower jaw, put mild pressure on it by squeezing it and telling them no. Never took them long to not bite on people. Toys yes, people no.
ehayes21
Boxer Insane
There are more modern ways to show your dog how to use their mouth rather than causing them pain.
You might want to do a search through the forums here on puppy mouthing, You'll find how common this issue is and how, it is in fact, a GOOD thing.
It doesn't appear that you've read very widely then. That sort of view was popular in the 1940's and 50's but has LONG since been thoroughly discredited by canine behaviour experts. Aside from being thoroughly unpleasant it's also dangerous - by suppressing the pup's learning like that, you deny them the most important lesson of their lives. Important for any family dog that's going to be around people and most especially children, that is.
You might also widen your reading horizon to the rules for participating on this site. Especially this part:
gphipps: Speed2782 has posted some much more sensible advice above for you. A full version of Dr Dunbar's article on teaching bite inhibition (how, and why it's so incredibly important NOT to take the cheap way out and deter the pup from biting) can be found here: http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm
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