# Aggressive growling and biting



## Marley1

Marley is great and is settling in so well but this week he has started really aggressive behaviour. He growls and has gone for both me and my husband this week drawing blood from both of us but the last straw was today when he growled and went for my nephew luckily he clamped onto his top and not his hand but it really scared me as he has been such a loving dog but this behaviour definitely can't continue! Any ideas on what we can do to correct this or do you think we need to get a dog trainer in to help? Thanks


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## kendal

He just testing you. 

what was happening when he bit. were you playing. was he exited. 

pop a short lead on him which means you can correct him but keep your hands out.the way. 

but i would advise you go to training class, face to face help is always best. also you are around other puppies going through the same thing. 


its not aggression it just rugh puppy play. he just needs to learn he cant play like that.


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## colpa110

How old is Marley??


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## JasperBlack

Jasper is 6 1/2 months now and has stopped the lunging and biting now. He does bite still but it's easier to control. When jasper was bitey and having crazy moments he would go in time out. He still does but not as often. Best thing is to be consistent with it! If he is a young pup I wouldn't take it personally hes just testing his boundaries and how far he can push you  you need to show him your BOSS....good luck 


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## Marzi

Marley is just going through thug puppy stage!
Read old posts about all the puppies who have gone through this and the owners who have survived with all of their fingers and limbs!
Go to puppy school.
Keep calm. It is ok to put him in time out when you don't feel you can cope with his behaviour.
Don't give up.


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## DB1

Marley is being a 'Gremlin pup' as a few of us called ours last year!! be consistent as others have said, it is a stage, although it lasts a bit longer with some than others he will grow out of it but you do have to remind him that it is not the way to play or to get attention.


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## jeanniejones

My Billy is just 4 months old, and lunges at my face and bites hard! I have found that he calms down with time out and I have put some coins in a tin which Billy absolutely hates and will calm him down immediately! I don't need to use it much as just the presence of the tin on the coffee table is enough.


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## DB1

Ha ha all the noise things were a waste with Dudley he just pounced on whatever was making the noise - worked as distraction though! I expect in a couple of months there will be lots more new owners thinking they have an aggressive pup (spring seems to be the most popular time to get a pup), I did really worry about that with Dudley - paid to get a trainer round (too much!), gave some good tips but to be honest I think most of the problems were ones he would have grown out of anyway. Now I can honestly say there is no aggression - he will still get over excited and nip when he is, but never hard, he still bites his brush if i'm not distracting him with treats, but - we can snuggle into his face, can take any food from him and he will happily let us climb into his bed or crate if we so desire!! he even licks our toes, when we couldn't walk around without him attacking our feet when he was younger, so hang in there even the worst pups turn into cuddly adults.


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## Marley1

Thanks everyone. He is nearly 4 months old now and it's good to know that you all said your puppies did the same. He did always nip a bit which I put down to normal puppy behaviour but the aggressive growl and snapping seemed to be more serious. The last couple of days he hasn't done it at all but it all started Monday after he had been staying away for the night so perhaps the two were linked? It didn't help when I told a lady who I know who has a cockapoo who told me her puppy never bit at all so thought there was something seriously wrong. X thanks all so much ill just keep going we seem to be getting there no lots of other things that were once a problem so I'm sure it will be the same with this x


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## JasperBlack

Jasper once had a paddy the first time I left him with my parents for a few hours! I think he stressed we weren't coming back. He ran round the house when we got home growling and barking and pouncing at me. He's fine now when I leave him with them, it must be because he now knows we are coming back 


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## MissMolly

*Biting and aggression*

Molly was 10 weeks on Saturday. Over the short time I have had her she has shown more signs of aggression. When I look at her size it seems mad to think such a thing, but I am so concerned that I will not be able to control this if I don't nip it in the bud now.

At times she can be so loving but then a switch flicks and she goes mad. She runs around like a gazelle and will then launch herself at people, hang off of their clothes, bark, growl and bite. 

I have tried saying leave, no and will continue to do so but nothing works at the moment. Once she has a grip it is really hard to get her to release. I have tried saying ouch but she isn't bothered by that, and if I shake keys or pennies in a plastic bottle she gets even worse. I try to put her into her crate and shut the door for a minute, but when she comes out she generally starts again. Eventually she tires herself out but its quite upsetting and a little worrying. She still sees her crate as a safe place as I dont usually close the door. I am no expert so not sure if I am doing the right thing, but it seems the only way to get her to not do this is to remove myself from the sitaution. 

She is extremely clever and is picking up tricks and toilet training really quickly but she just isn't getting this, are there any other techniques I could use for this?

She can start going for walks outside in just over a week so am hoping that by using up some energy it will help things.

Grateful for any advice.

Thanks


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## JasperBlack

I am sure she just has enormous amounts of energy and is just letting off steam! Jasper was a crazy bitey puppy too. He had time out in his crate lots and lots. He was in and out like a yoyo. Have you tried a water sprayer like you use for plants? Also you can get a corrector spray that emits a hissing noise. Believe it or not at 2 years old I have used this on jasper for barking at me. Attention barking, although he has lots of attention...strange!!! The corrector has worked today at stopping this naughty behaviour, we will see what tomorrow brings. Another thing I did when jasper was restless was fill his kong with something yummy as a distraction, still do this at 2! Also games that use their brain are good, try layering some towels or blankets with treats in each layer. They can be monkeys, it's because they are so clever! You need to be one step ahead, please don't take the biting and growling personally, it's a phase and just stay firm, all will be fine xxxx


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## Datun Walnut

It's good to keep it under control but don't worry too much, they are just pushing the boundaries to see what they can get away with. We used high pitched piercing yelps when bitten and Poppy looked really shocked that we reacted that way, we also used a corrector spray hidden behind our backs that emit a loud hiss, 

She still mouths during play but it's all good natured and we discourage it. She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body, so it proves that it's nothing to worry about.


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## 2ndhandgal

Please don't use things like rattle cans, plant sprays and air sprays especially for such a young puppy. Your pup is just being a puppy and this is how they play. You need to teach at this age that human skin is delicate and redirect onto appropriate dog toys which he can chew and bite at so things like tuggy toys.

This is my two when Chance (black dog) was 3 months old and playing with my other dog - it is fairly calm play as far as it can go but I am sure it is pretty similar to what you describe Molly as doing to you.

http://beanydogz.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/playing.html


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## RuthMill

This sounds like a tired puppy. Is she getting up to 18 hours sleep per day, in a regular routine? If she gets difficult to handle, best to take her firmly but quietly out if the situation and put her in her crate, or another room in peace and quiet with a nice bed and a toy, then when she's calm allow her out again or if she's asleep by then let her sleep. This timeout works really really well at this age but you need to be consistent and once you have a good sleep routine you will find all the over the top stuff really settles. If your pup cries when you give time out, try your best to ignore her - you don't have to let her cry or get distressed but try to wait until she is quiet before letting her out again. If she is really distressed do a funny dance or make yourself busy around her without talking or making eye contact. This is actually quite effective because usually they focus on what you are doing and calm down, then you can let her out.


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## RuthMill

Also if she knows you are anxious or annoyed about her nippy behaviour, she will be worse, they sense anxiety very well. So just remain calm, make sure she gets plenty of sleep and have lots of toys around to place in her mouth instead of human body parts. The CROCKAPOO phase doesn't last too long, I had it with Lola and she did the whole lunging thing, full throttle, she was like a devil dog. As soon as I sorted out her sleep pattern, and started giving time out when she was OTT, she settled in a matter of days.


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## kbparrothead

*Hello and Thank you!*

Hi Everyone,
I am new here. My 14 week old puppy Aldo has just really started displaying all of this behavior. Thank you for sharing your stories. It is a relief to know he will outgrow most of what is now making us crazy. I am looking forward to cuddling on the couch without getting up in frustration! LOL


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## Gaynor59

We had the same with Louis, he used to growl and bite, my hands were really marked! He used to make it really difficult just to walk around the house because of him biting our feet, eventually after he lost some of his sharp teeth he stopped, 6 months now and mouths us but only gentle, time out was the only thing that worked for us, had to get rid of clothes that he ripped holes in, but hopefully through it now , good luck .


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## Lexi&Beemer

It's definitely normal puppy growing phase but it sure doesn't feel normal when you are going thru it. Great advice from veteran folks. 


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