Sudden Aggression in Puppy

[Jobin]

Hi everyone....our 9 week old puppy (Jobin) changed overnight this week. He had been an amazing little guy...taking to potty training, not whining as much in his crate, and even responding to commands like "come" and "speak". One night this week, though, he seemed to just go crazy. Whenever he is out of his crate he goes nuts trying to attack me and/or my wife. He growls and bites our feet and hands hard.

We have tried the yelping when he bites hard...letting him mouth around a bit and yelping to show that certain pressure bites hurt...but it's having no effect. Now when he is in his crate he cries and barks like crazy and when we let him out he is on attack mode and will NOT calm down.

We are being calm...not yelling and not correcting in an overly physical manner but can't understand why he's had this sudden change. Any help or advice would be great!!

 

[CountyBoxer]

That is pretty typical puppy behavior, he's probably starting to feel more comfortable in your home now and letting loose. He probably needs more mental stimulation and/or something else to chew on besides you. Are there any toys he really likes...offer those when he starts biting. It's not too early to start some training, redirect his energy with small treats and start teaching him commands like sit, down and stay....a tired puppy is a good puppy! You can also try using a penny can or squirt bottle if that works with him, you want to get his attention, but not scare him. If you keep him in his crate for too long, that can also contribute to a puppy becoming too hyper. Be patient, you will get through the biting stage before you know it......i'm going through it too ugh

 

[Jan]

Fairly typical puppy behavior. If yelling ouch doesn't work, get up an leave he room for a couple of minutes. Eventually he will figure out that if he bites too hard, you go away and that is the last thing that he wants. It may take a little while, but he will figure it out.

Good luck!

 

[Cami]

Your pup isn't being aggressive. Just perfectly normal knuckle head Boxer puppy behavior!
Redirect with appropriate items he can chew on, keep yelping when he nips too hard and leave the room when he doesn't get the message.

 

[Jobin]

Thanks!

Thanks for the tips everyone...we have stayed patient and done the yelping and leaving the room. He's really calming down and being gentler. It just freaked us out a bit that it seemed like a sudden change in behavior but puppies will be puppies I'm sure we'll be back with more questions and maybe one day we can help out some others!