# Desperate for help!



## Popps

Hi, we are at our wits end and could really do with some solid advice!

Our six month old (Apricot coloured) Cockapoo has recently turned very unpredictable and aggressive. One moment she is fine and then suddenly she will growl and even lash out and bite. She drew blood from my finger and has now also bitten our three children and even attached the vet this morning, who said it was very, very unusual behaviour and that we will need to see a behavioral specialist. 

Most of this happens if we approach her day bed but it can also happen when interacting with her in the kitchen etc. She is fine with food and toys, other dogs and strangers in the street / park and loves walks in the woods, off the lead, which we do once a day for around 45 mins.

She was fine when we first got her but first started to growl at people after about a month. We then went away for ten days and she stayed with our parents and seemed perfectly fine, but then after a while she started to growl more. There was also an incident where she jumped from our arms and hurt herself, and after that it got even worse. Last week we left her for a trim at the parlour and then again it seemed to get much worse still. 

We are now all scared to touch her and our lovely pet is becoming a bit of a nightmare for us all.

Can anyone please offer us some advice?

Many thanks,

Jon.


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## S.Claire

Hi Jon

Oh how awful for you all. I can't offer much advice but is she any pain or discomfort at all? You say she is also quite aggressive if you go near her bed... this could be a territorial thing. I would probably take your vets advice and seek a behaviourial therapist who will be able to assess the situation and your personal circumstances. 

Best of luck and let us know how you get on.


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## kendal

Have you started training classes yet. M nit a fan of behavurists they tend to be very expensive and often offer little help but a training class can help even just talking face to face with other owners if pups the same age. 


Puppies go thrugh a bighting stage that can seem agressive. just watch how mu h you listen to your vet they jump to aggression so quickly.

I would pop a shirt light lead on her that you just let drag. that way if you need to get controle of her you dont need to risk your fingers. 

but defonetly get a dog training class.


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## wellerfeller

Poor you. It sounds like things are getting worse nor improving. 100% get a professional opinion. Ask your vet to refer you. Has you vet suggested any tests to rule out a physical reason for her behaviour. With her now having bitten everyone in the household it is getting to dangerous to go it alone. Please go back to your vet and ask for their help.


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## Popps

Thanks for your replies, it doesn't help that the breeder won't return our calls or e-mails as we wanted his advice also. But she was fine for the first month, it is so hard to figure out - but she really went for the vet - like a wild animal, the noise was terrifying!


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## wellerfeller

That is disgusting on the behalf of your breeder! Just this info tells me that perhaps poor Poppy was possibly not bred from the best parents temperament-wise. Although an owner can do the best they can with socialisation etc if the parent/s had temperament issues then this can and will be passed down to their offspring.
I still say to ask your vet for a thorough physical and tests to rule out any medical issue and then ask for a referral to a professional, this can possibly be covered under your dogs health insurance but you do have to go through your vet.


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## colpa110

Sorry to hear you are having such a terrible time...Karen as always has provided very sound advice. Just wanted to wish you luck .


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## Sezra

How awful that your breeder is so unhelpful 

I agree with Karen and try and find an ADPT behaviourist that uses positive methods of training. We had issues with Daisy and had a 1 hour personal consultation. We learnt more things in that one hour than in any puppy class where they tend to not have the proper time to focus on your own dog properly.

Good luck with everything.


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## Popps

Thanks all, we love her so much but she's just a bit schitzo at the moment, and a little scary and possibly even dangerous to our little ones who tend to crouch down with their faces in biting reach


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## Sezra

Popps said:


> Thanks all, we love her so much but she's just a bit schitzo at the moment, and a little scary and possibly even dangerous to our little ones who tend to crouch down with their faces in biting reach


Hopefully if you seek professional help whilst she is still young you will be able to do something. Some owners think that dogs 'grow out' of problems but in nervous bitey behaviour it is better to nip it on the bud quickly so that she doesn't continue to 'grow into it' further.


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## Cat 53

Sorry you are having a bad time. You could try taking away her privileges a bit. Not letting her up on the settee for a cuddle, that sort of thing. Just until you get professional help in. Stop her going through doors first. Make her sit and wait before feeding. Only allow one toy at a time and take it away before she has had enough. Did you leave her alone at the vets? Maybe she was feeling very insecure if so. No excuse I know, but a possibility? Keep us posted. Good luck.


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## Jedicrazy

This must be very worrying for you and what an irresponsible breeder too! Definitely go back to your vet and rule out if there is a physical problem as it could be fear aggression if in pain for some reason. You may already be doing this but while you are sorting this out ensure you do not leave the children unsupervised with the puppy at all, just in case. 
Prevention is better than cure.


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## Tressa

Poor you - I can see all points of view here, but after ruling out a phyical cause for her behaviour, maybe the easiest and cheapest way would be to try a puppy training class first. I have seen the benefits of the interaction with other dogs and people in a group, and only after that would I consider a behaviour therapist. Seems that you are missing out on a stage if she has not been to puppy training yet. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a solution very soon. How stressful the situation must be for you, especially with the children around. :hug:


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## Enneirda.

I think a behaviorist is much better most puppy classes. I knew by far more then both of the teachers I went to for basics. luckily I'd started out from the get go using them just for socialization lol. There are smart trainers who are positive based around, from my experience they're just not very visible. Please look hard (and ideally view the trainer at work) before handing over any money.


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## Cat 53

Tried to respond to your plea yesterday but post lost again! Remove her privileges for a while. Don't let her up on the settee, cut back on treats. No going on the bed all those types of things. It could be she needs reminding who is boss.


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## Popps

Many thanks for all the advice. We will be getting a behavior therapist in soon. Poppy has now done 6 sessions at Puppy training, but if anything is now getting more nervous of other dogs (after a 2 week break in sessions). 

If we manage her carefully at home and don't try and stroke her on her bed and the kids don't pet her unless she comes to them the problem seems pretty containable and hopefully after the sessions with the specialist things will improve. She is no longer alowed on the couch with us and has to earn treats etc.

I think she is a bit of a grumpy pooch when tired, and that may well be how she is, but hopefully she won't launch an out-and-out attack on the vet again!

Thanks,
Jon.


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## Pollypiglet

Couple of things spring to mind, 1, Is she getting too much rich food? Some foods can cause exitability. 2. Has the vet given her a full health check and physical examination. She may be in pain which may exacerbate in certain situations. Pain should always be ruled out when questions over temprement arise, how else can you dog let you know something is wrong.


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## Popps

We are waiting to see a recommended behaviour therapist but the more I read the more confused I get. It seems to be a mix of fear aggression and dominance aggression, but hard to say. It is almost always when she is on her bed that she snaps and growls. Many sites say we should consider moving her on to another home, which is very alarming! When we meet other cockapoo owners they say it sounds very odd / unusual...

Last night she growled at me when I closed her crate door and bit me whilst on her bed when I gently approached her with a finger to sniff - but otherwise all weekend we had a nice and normal relartionship / time. She is also humping my leg and playing tug at every available opportunity...


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## Von

How do you approach her? Some dogs find the direct look we often give them intimidating, and either back away or are fearfully aggressive, particularly if we do this from a height. If you get down to her level and look away as you approach her or reach to touch her you may find she responds differently especially if you let her do the approaching.

Turid Rugaas has written a very practical book called 'On Talking Terms With Dogs:Calming Signals' these are signals which dogs use between themselves, and many can be emulated by us. The book is relatively short, and as I said, very practical. there is a whole section on puppies, stressed dogs, and dogs who have lost or never had the canine language as well as a chapter on using the signals in practical handling and training. The 'looking away' example is one which we found helpful with our own dog Jenna. I have to say that she wasn't aggressive, but she would not come to us if we called her on the field where we walk her. She would respond to her name, but then just sit, watching. We used to walk away from her, calling her and then she would come, now we get down to her level, and call her, looking away from her, she watches for a few seconds and then comes to us. I think when we were walking away and calling her we were inadvertently emulating the turning away calming signal, the signal seems to work on its own now.

If you have a Kindle, you can download the book from the Amazon Kindle site. It's also available as a regular book. It's fascinating reading and may help with what you are dealing with.


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## Popps

Thanks for this, I will check it out. I definitely engage in eye contact and am 6 feet 3, so tower over her. Will try this out, makes sense. I've never had a dog before so I tend to treat her like a cat! Having said that I have a strong bond with her, 99.9% of the time.


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## rachelkidd

I have an 8 month old cockapoo called Nell who is displaying the same signs of aggression. My poor sister has now been bitten twice and I've been growled and lunged at too. I have contacted my breeder and they are checking on the parents of Nell and are trying to offer me advice which is good but we are all really terrified of her sometimes. She's such a great puppy 80% of the time, but when she gets nasty, it's a disaster! I'm really struggling to cope!


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## Marzi

If your dog's aggression is linked to them being approached when they are on their bed - be very careful in that area not to be confrontational - look away from them as you walk past and try yawning and dropping a few treats on the floor as you walk past - don't chuck them at the dog, just drop them. keep walking. You may need to start by walking in an oblique line so that your approach is not directly at the dog.
Don't reach in to touch your dog when they are on their bed, or try to grab them and pull them off if they are growling.
Call your dog to you always before touching them - don't just muss them when they are asleep or resting and don't eye ball your dog, look to the side of their ear and try just licking the corners of your lips as you do. Yawning and lip licking and avoiding eye contact and all ways that dogs try to calm down a situation - it might help.
Above all, keep calm yourself and keep safe...


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## Kody&Beau

Popps said:


> Thanks for this, I will check it out. I definitely engage in eye contact and am 6 feet 3, so tower over her. Will try this out, makes sense. I've never had a dog before so I tend to treat her like a cat! Having said that I have a strong bond with her, 99.9% of the time.


Hi Jon,

After reading your posts on pops one think that really concerns me is her humping your leg, this is a definate domination issue, I found this out from a breeder who bred working cockers and he told me that in no circumstances do you ever let your dog hump your leg it actually means in a simple way that they don't see you as top dog and this is what you need to be seen as to pops, Dogs need a top dog in their life and although you may hate being strict in the long run dogs need to know who's in charge for their own well being, I am having to firm up with both of mine now and I too feel horrible sometimes being such a strict mummy but I know I have to for my sake and my dogs for them to feel secure. If she humps your leg push her away firmly and make a noise that you use every time you push her away I am doing this at the moment with my two for keep jumping up, be consistent and she will get the message. A behaviourist will be able to do wonders, I promise you a good one will be able to sort all these problems out for you. X


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## Popps

I'm sorry to hear that you are also having problems. It does seem to be worthwhile seeing a specialist and we will be doing that! :best_wishes


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## Popps

Thanks for all the advice. I've heard mixed thoughts re the dominance issue - some say it doesn't really exist and others swear by it. Poppy is a bit Jeckyll and Hyde - one minute she is fearful, the next she wants to win tug games and hump your leg. Sometimes she is fine with other dogs, other times not. Sometimes she happily goes in her crate and other times it's like the last place on Earth she would consider entering! We are definitely doing to see a trained behaviourist!


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## 2ndhandgal

Kody&Beau said:


> Hi Jon,
> 
> After reading your posts on pops one think that really concerns me is her humping your leg, this is a definate domination issue, I found this out from a breeder who bred working cockers and he told me that in no circumstances do you ever let your dog hump your leg it actually means in a simple way that they don't see you as top dog and this is what you need to be seen as to pops, Dogs need a top dog in their life and although you may hate being strict in the long run dogs need to know who's in charge for their own well being, I am having to firm up with both of mine now and I too feel horrible sometimes being such a strict mummy but I know I have to for my sake and my dogs for them to feel secure. If she humps your leg push her away firmly and make a noise that you use every time you push her away I am doing this at the moment with my two for keep jumping up, be consistent and she will get the message. A behaviourist will be able to do wonders, I promise you a good one will be able to sort all these problems out for you. X


Humping is not a sign of dominance - it can be used in play and can even be used at times of insecurity and to be honest dogs showing these signs of aggression are generally pretty insecure and just trying to protect things.

Molly was rehomed from her first home due to aggression to the other younger dog and to the people - her issues all relate to resource guarding in some form and are all due to her feeling worried that things are going to be taken away from her. Without those worries she is a happy girl who will not happily let me approach her food bowl and moves down from beds and chairs when asked. If she is more stressed about something she generally shows this by an increase in her resource guarding.

Definitely get a good positive reward based trainer or behaviourist who will allow you to work on safe ways of managing behaviour and increasing your dogs confidence so they no longer feel they need to guard.


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## Popps

Poppy has now just come into season, so will now have a new phase to deal with and are yet to get an appointment with the behaviorist. She now won't be able to have her beloved walks off the lead, so don't know how this will imapct on us...

She's still biting and growling...


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## Blossomgirl

Hi 
Poppy's behaviour sounds quite strange. More than the usual teething biting and playful growling. Do u know much background on Poppy's parents and their temperament? Did she come from a large litter and was she treated well in her 1st 8wks? I spoke to a couple of behaviourists when Blossom was a pup and 1said put her on wet food , meaning it can help with behaviour. The other reassured me that a puppy cant be aggressive?! Luckily it was just me being a paranoid worrying first time owner. I hope little Poppy calms down and everything sorts out for you all.


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## 2ndhandgal

Popps said:


> Poppy has now just come into season, so will now have a new phase to deal with and are yet to get an appointment with the behaviorist. She now won't be able to have her beloved walks off the lead, so don't know how this will imapct on us...
> 
> She's still biting and growling...


What circumstances is she biting and growling in? I think you need to take all pressure off her until you see the behaviourist and totally avoid circumstances she might feel she needs to growl in as you do not want her practising this behaviour.

If Molly growls or grumbles these days I usually look to see what I have done wrong to cause the reaction or put her in a situation she struggles to cope in rather than thinking the problem is caused by her.


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## cockapoo291

rachelkidd said:


> I have an 8 month old cockapoo called Nell who is displaying the same signs of aggression. My poor sister has now been bitten twice and I've been growled and lunged at too. I have contacted my breeder and they are checking on the parents of Nell and are trying to offer me advice which is good but we are all really terrified of her sometimes. She's such a great puppy 80% of the time, but when she gets nasty, it's a disaster! I'm really struggling to cope!


Hi Rachel, I was just wondering where you got Nell from? We're from near you and Archie has been showing minor signs of aggression and like Nell is great 80-90% of the time, I wondered if it could be the same breeder or even the same litter. (Archie is now 9 months)


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## 2ndhandgal

What circumstances is Archie showing aggression in? Many cases of aggression are actually a form of resource guarding and cocker spaniels are a breed which frequently can develop these behaviours.


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## cockapoo291

When we're sat in an evening he will jump up and try to bite our hands, we push him down and say no but he's straight back up again. We thought at first it was him trying to tell us something so we tried play, toilet, water etc but there was nothing obvious that he wanted. 
Also I find whenever I am sat on the floor he will lunge at me or try to bite me, could that be him thinking that the floor is his territory? 
Trying to groom him is awful, he'll snap at my hands and bite down quite hard.
Now I'm writing it, it doesn't actually sound like aggression, could be him pushing the boundaries or acting up for attention.


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## 2ndhandgal

cockapoo291 said:


> When we're sat in an evening he will jump up and try to bite our hands, we push him down and say no but he's straight back up again. We thought at first it was him trying to tell us something so we tried play, toilet, water etc but there was nothing obvious that he wanted.
> Also I find whenever I am sat on the floor he will lunge at me or try to bite me, could that be him thinking that the floor is his territory?
> Trying to groom him is awful, he'll snap at my hands and bite down quite hard.
> Now I'm writing it, it doesn't actually sound like aggression, could be him pushing the boundaries or acting up for attention.


To be honest that sounds exactly like my three month old (non cockapoo) puppy. It sounds more like clumsy attempts at play than aggression although difficult to say without actually seeing it.

With grooming has he ever accepted it? If not sounds like you need to start training now with very short sessions and a reward for good behaviour rather than engaging in a battle.


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## Blossomgirl

Like you would a child, have you set boundaries and rules? Do you follow through with correcting bad behaviour so pup knows what you are not happy with and what you are? plenty of praise for good behaviour and being told off for biting. I would remove Blossom from the room if she tried to bite and say firmly "no bite". It has worked wonders and even if we are playing and she opens her mouth, as soon as i say no bite, she licks straight away. Did you see the little dog on Paul O'grady's Battersey dog home. He was so aggressive but it turned out the little dog had been spoilt rotten and had no discipline (not that im saying you are spoiling your pup rotten but is there a chance your pup is confused with how he should be behaving). Good luck.xxx


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## Kody&Beau

Totally agree with Tammy, you really do have to be firm with them, I like to think I'm firm but fair with mine, Beau has always been a very good girl where as my new pup Kody can push the boundaries a bit, at nearly 6 months now he really is feeling his feet and I'm becoming firmer with him and attending obedience classes weekly. I'm quite lucky in the fact that so far he is understanding who's boss and he's accepting the telling off and generally does as hes told once corrected...let's hope it continues


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## 2ndhandgal

Just to be totally clear - setting clear boundaries might well help with Archie if he is just being a normal pup trying his luck - but Poppy sounds like she has far more serious issues and needs some proper help and guidance and they need to avoid all conflict until that happens and they get some proper advice about how to deal with it.


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## cockapoo291

2ndhandgal said:


> To be honest that sounds exactly like my three month old (non cockapoo) puppy. It sounds more like clumsy attempts at play than aggression although difficult to say without actually seeing it.
> 
> With grooming has he ever accepted it? If not sounds like you need to start training now with very short sessions and a reward for good behaviour rather than engaging in a battle.


Sometimes with grooming he is fine but other times he isn't. We've been to puppy training classes and one of the things we were taught was how to teach him to behave whilst being groomed and how to hold him properly when doing it, he was perfectly well behaved during class but not always at home.

I'll try again with the short sessions and treats.


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## DB1

Wondering how things are going with Poppy Jon? If her aggression was all fairly recent I would wonder if it was due to her coming into season - puppy PMT? although your original post says it was longer, it did sound as if a lot of it was defensive, especially since she was hurt and the groomers may have been a scary place for her. I would be really interested to find out what a behaviourist would say as our boy seem to be a mix of anxious and dominant at times, although no real aggression at all. We had a trainer in when he was young who agreed he was a very cocky young thing and more than your average handful of a pup. We have always tried to stick to the 'pack leader rules' but I think I sometimes worry too much about it all....he's turning out pretty ok. Archie sounds fine, I stop all contact with Dudley if he puts his teeth on me when playing, but ignore it if he does it while I'm grooming him - I dont want him to think he can stop me by biting, to be honest he really snaps at the brush sometimes but if he goes for my hand its more of a firm hold as if to say 'please stop that', if he's getting distracted by treats he'll pretty much let me do anything!


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## fiona

*Cockapoo top tog*

Hi I've just had my cockapoo for. Week but owned dogs all my life, you must show them your top dog to stop biting as dogs are pack anmnals ie if it bites you nip it's ear to show your boss - other thing remember teenagers dogs about 8 months have hormones all Over the place it could be hormones and a phantam pregancy we had one dog that did his that is why it's aggressive once it's been in heat should pass hope this helps. Ps our ruby is 10 weeks


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## wellerfeller

fiona said:


> Hi I've just had my cockapoo for. Week but owned dogs all my life, you must show them your top dog to stop biting as dogs are pack anmnals ie if it bites you nip it's ear to show your boss - other thing remember teenagers dogs about 8 months have hormones all Over the place it could be hormones and a phantam pregancy we had one dog that did his that is why it's aggressive once it's been in heat should pass hope this helps. Ps our ruby is 10 weeks


I hope I am reading this wrong as I am sure you ave just suggested biting your dog????? That would be the surest way to get a bite in the face!!


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## MillieDog

You're winding us up Fiona. Cockapoo's are just not dominant dogs, we don't need to impose our will to get the best out of them.

It's bad enough when I accidentally tread on my Millie's paw, poor girls cries. If I nipped her ear, I'd have her in therapy with anxiety.


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## Kody&Beau

Hope Fiona is joking, I've never ever heard of biting my dog back neither would I want to.


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## 2ndhandgal

Absolutely - and having had a variety of dogs and helped out with a huge variety of dogs at training classes and being fostered by various friends I would say no dog needs that sort of treatment and it is not the way to get the best relationship with any animal.


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## DB1

It is a method I had heard of in the past, must say it was not something I was tempted to try during Dudley's biting stage, think I would definitely have had a nose pierced if I had tried!


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## Chumphreys

It's a bit like when people say that if a child bites you,you should bite them back!
I never did like this idea as I believe it just shows them that it's acceptable behaviour 
XClare


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## fiona

Hi I do not mean dogs biting in playing but was told the dog was showing real aggression this is a totally different thing. Of course in everyday play you would never consider nipping your dog but all dogs are pack animals no matter what breading type, some can show real aggression, sometimes because they are scared or want something they have to be the leader - I said a nip ie a small pinch if it being very aggressive and really biting someone you only have to do it once. Better that than a child been bitten or scared for life. In everyday life I would never harm my dog and sorry if that was taken the wrong way


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## wellerfeller

Sorry Fiona, you might be feeling a bit ganged up on but if a dog is showing ANY type of aggression biting its ear is never a way to deal with it. All you will get for your trouble is more aggression!you would most likely get a bite in the face as a result. The issue is not just bring cruel to your dog but it is downright dangerous for you or anyone attempting it. Please delete this particular piece of dog training advice, it's just total nonsense.


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## DB1

I found myself browsing through the much older post's on here yesterday and found some advice I wish I had seen when Dudley was very young, it said that 'you should hold the muzzle with a firm growly no' ....ok we have all heard that and I tried that and stopped because it seemed to make Dudley worse, but what this post continued to say was.....'some puppies will come back at you in which case you have to do it again and again until they back down, it will not usually take more than 3 or 4 times', I do wonder if that would have been a good thing to do with Dudley, I tried the muzzle hold a couple of times and just thought it was winding him up more and stopped, he has always been slightly cocky to us although a lot less now and is anxious of noises outside, so I feel he is still not totally convinced we are 'pack leaders' although he is not spoilt in the least and we are pretty firm....then again maybe its just his character...(of course he is probably feeling my anxiety to 'get everything right'), anyway I thought that puppy advice maybe useful to some with young pups, although others may not agree with it.


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## mairi1

I'm not sure Fiona is suggesting actually biting the dog... "Nipping" to me means a sharp pinch with 2 fingers.. Like kids do to each other. Whilst I don't condone ANY form of physical discipline I think the 2 forms are quite different. 

xxx


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## wellerfeller

mairi1 said:


> I'm not sure Fiona is suggesting actually biting the dog... "Nipping" to me means a sharp pinch with 2 fingers.. Like kids do to each other. Whilst I don't condone ANY form of physical discipline I think the 2 forms are quite different.
> 
> xxx



Oh ok, well perhaps Fiona will just get a bitten hand instead of face then 

Sorry Mairi, I couldn't resist.

One thing to remember with dogs is that they are animals, most animals when in pain or pain is being inflicted on them will react with a bite. 
Even the most well balanced pet will snap if provoked. I have unfortunately helped in a road accident involving someone's dog, the owner couldn't get anywhere near as the animal was acting instinctively i.e. trying to bite as it was in pain and scared.
I think who ever gave Fiona this piece of advice whether its means pinching or biting or nipping was not doing her any favours. Best case scenario the dog takes the physical punishment with no ill affects but worst case the dog defends itself and ends up being taken to the vet to be pts, as its now bitten someone. 
Sorry a bit heavy for a Sunday morning I know but I just hate hearing of these types of methods to communicate with your dog.


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## mairi1

I hear you Karen  

xxx


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