# Cockapoo snarling and biting?



## CrazyCockapoo

Hi everyone my name is Nitin and my family has recently gotten a Cockapoo puppy named Reese's. We got him when he was 11 weeks old and now he is about 13 weeks. Recently, for the past couple of days, he has exhibited signs of agression. It is never spontaneous, it is only when we try to remove him from a carpet he is biting or remove something from his mouth that he shouldn't be chewing. Every time we try to do either of these things, he snarls viciously and tries to bite. If the person persists, he tries to go after him/her while trying to bite. His mood in the morning is significantly better than that in the evening. This is my first dog, though I feel I am not a bad dog owner in any way. Has anyone dealt with the aforementioned aggression or is it a rare thing in such a breed? Also, how would you recommend dealing with this issue? Thanks for your time.


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## kendal

ok first off calm down, he is 11 weeks old far to early to be talking about agression. what you are seeing is frustration at not being alowed to do what he wants. 

leave a lead/leash on him and let him drag it. so if you need to remove him from something or somewhere you dont need to touch him. 

start teaching the leave or drop it command. either with treats or a tug toy. 

for treats hold his lead and put him in a sit, show him the treat and place it on the floor a couple of inches infrount of him. tell him to leave, keep putting him back in the sit with the lead(use the treat if nessasery) and dont give him the treat till he sits with the lead slack just for a moment. then once he gets what your wanting from him exstend the time he leaves it. 

this can also be taught with a tug toy, again a lead so you have controle, get him playing with you tugging it, tell him leave and remove the toy, lots of praze then play again, tell him leave and repeat, he will eventualy learn that be has to let go.

also trading is good ie if he has a ball and wont give it back, the ball you have is more interesting, boince it make look more interesting, but be doesnt get it till he drops the other ball.

just like kids puppies push the boundries to see how far they can get by throwing their weight about. its just a wee temper tantrum, just dont give in and he will soon give up relising it doesnt work.


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## Sezra

Even from a young age dogs can start to become posessive over food or their toys so although he is very young it is something that you do need to nip in the bud! Kendal is right about the trading and the tug toy game, that is a good way of teaching them to let go of things. Ensure initially the item you exchange is high value, like a bone or a kong filled with something yummy. Praise him lots when he lets go. He needs to learn that you control his toys and food. If you are confident with removing the tug toy and giving it back then also do this with the food. I have been doing this with Daisy as I am a childminder and I need her to not be possessive over anything. It sounds a bit mean but she doesn't seem to be bothered. Also make sure his toys are stored away from him and that you decide what he plays with and give it to him. He shouldn't be able to get his toys whenever he feels like it. Good luck, he is only young so I imagine he is just getting a bit more confident and testing the boundaries!


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## DONNA

Thanks Kendal im going to try that with Buddy ,he is the same not so much when i take things off him more with peoples clothes etc and tugging,ive been using the word leave and holding out a treat which works but it has no effect when he grabs hold of the kids clothes.

He is still biting hands quite badly and ive experience growling and barking also so understand your concern,i think its a long process and im hoping once puppyhood ends (around 5-6mths so books say) he will hopefully be biting less or not at all.


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## Anne's Daisy

Thanks from me also I'm having the same problems with Daisy she's 13 weeks old now and i find if i look at her and she gives me eye contact when she is doing something she shouldn't this starts her off and she barks, bites and goes for me i try to walk away from her ignoring her behaviour but she runs after me barking and biting.i have to say it spoils our time together and I'm hoping it will improve.I've just got in touch with a dog trainer whos going to come to my house week after next to help us with this and walking on her lead.

I never imagined having a puppy would be this challenging after having 3 boys i thought I'd be fine.We'll keep trying and hope for the best


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## mandym

Im a dog walker and one of my clients recently got a behaviourist to deal with similar problems with her cocker pup.Your puppy is young enough to nip any problems in the bud before they get out of hand.During games if the bad behaviour starts stop the game immediately and turn away,pup will soon learn that this kind of behaviour has no rewards.Dont allow pup on the sofa or bed with a strict OFF if pup goes where he is not allowed and when nipping fingers again firmly NO or make a loud yelping noise like another litter mate would then once pup behaves give something suitable to chew on.At this age they are simply seeing ho far they can go,pushing their luck and they have to be given boundries just like children


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## aevans

i am so glad you posted this question, we are having the same problems ! Ours will growl and show his teeth if you take something away that he is chewing on, but also if we try to move him sometimes. He was sleeping and my husband picked him to take him out for the last time that night and he started growling and snapping at him very aggressively. this only lasted for for about 5-10 seconds. I understand the growling when taking away something that he wants, but didn't really understand the growling when picking him up. any ideas on that? i am a little concerned as we have already had to give away one dog because of aggression issues (the vet recommended) because we have children (ages 8 and 9) would like to try to take care of this now and not let it get out of hand.


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## kendal

pick him up more, play with his body when sleeping get him used to the fact that you are the boss and can do what you want with him. 

from day ome of having a puppy mess about with them when they sleep it will hdlf with grooming and nail clipping when older if they learn to just lie there.


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## Stela12

Hi everybody,

I am going through same kinds of problems with my 4 month old puppy Stela. She is doing quite a bit of snarling and growling when we try to take something away. She is fine with taking away the food or even her toys; it is only when she steals something from us (socks, slippers) that I have to fight with her in order to get it form her mouth. I am already worried and sometimes really scared. 
Also, last night she started growling when I woke her up, which made me really upset 
So, I am really curious if your puppies have outgrown this and if life is easier with them now. I hope to hear from everybody, and especially Nitin and Angie as two of them had the same problem around six months ago.
Please let me know!

Thank you


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## Janev1000

I still have that problem with Biscuit and he's 6 months! but only if it's something very high value like a raw bone, which we all know to leave well alone! He's fine with food in his bowl, toys, etc but would also react like Stela if he stole something he shouldn't. So I always try and have treats at hand and that usually works. However, I usually find he discards the item pretty quickly anyway as he's not a real chewer. I need to work harder on the 'drop' command though for his own safety in case he grabs something dangerous. I think the worst thing you an do is chase them. I never do this in case he swallows what he's found.


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## S.Claire

Oh gosh this thread has just taken me back! It's funny what you forget but at the time was such a 'big and worrying problem.' Nacho was terrible with this - when I took a bone from him, something he shouldn't have etc it sounded like he was going to murder me. He was very snappy too and quite scary for such a little fluff ball. I followed the steps pointed out by Kendal above. I then usually 'grounded' him and put him in a room for time out by himself - he hated that as he loves being around people. Some short shouts saying NO also helped. It would normally startle him enough to stop the snarling. I became top dog and now I can take almost anything away from him without a problem - pigs ears are still a small problem  Best of luck, you'll get there! xxx


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## S.Claire

Oh and when I fed him, I would pick the bowl up halfway through his meal too. I don't know if this is orthodox but really worked with Nacho. When I first did it, he was very growly but after about a week i'd taught him to sit back down patiently and give me his paw to have some more. I only did this for a couple of weeks. xx


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## Stela12

Thank you Jane, it's nice to see that other people have similar problems and that we all try to find solutions for them.
Thanks


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## Stela12

Hi Susie-

Thank you so much for your post...it means so much to me to read that you can actually overcome these problems!!! I feel much better and I am ready to try out your suggestions. Stela is totally fine with taking away her food ; it is only my slippers and my socks or anything that she should not have; and I get upset....and the snarling noises make me shiver.... Oh....My husband thinks it's funny, but I am very non confrontational person and these episodes upset me so much.
Thanks again

Sasha


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