Is it normal for my pup to behave like this?

Question

I have a 10 week old Jack Russel Terrier *****.
Recently she has started chewing anything she can get hold of including your face and hands. While she has hold of your hands she will growl and shake her head as if trying to tear a chunk out!
We've tried everything as punishment such as :
*Ignoring her and stopping the play
*Locking her in a room alone.
*Saying a firm NO.
*Distracting her with toys.
*And even holding her gently by the scruff of her neck.
But nothing seems to work. She just tries to snap at your face.
She seems to be acting really aggressive. Is this normal or is this the first signs of a aggressive dog?

Yes I have had a Jack Russel before, and my Boyfriend has one. So i do know about the breed. I just haven't brought a Jack Russel PUP up before.
& I don't put my face by hers, she does it when you pick her up.

Answer 1

She's trying to be top dog,and trying to domineer you.As she is still only a puppy,she should grow out of it,as long as you make it clear to her who's the boss.
Don't lock her away,as this will make things worse.You've got to be very patient and keep on enforcing the word NO when she misbehaves,but give her rewards when she's good.
Just like a child really,it does take time to train them,but once your there,the rewards a really beneficial.

Answer 2

Its normal behaviour for a spunky little dog from a breed that is designed to kill rats etc!
Keep up the firm No! and don't play rough with her. Ignore her instantly ending the game until she calms down. Don't lock her away as this is too stressful and detracts from the message you are trying to get across. She snaps at your face to try and control your attention towards her. Withdrawing your attention until she calms down teaches her that this doesn't work and you need to be respected.
Focus her energies on toys instead of your hands. Dogs communicate with their mouths, this is natural. Watch two dogs play and you will see how rough they can be with their teeth. It takes a long time to learn not to use mouths with humans as it is instinctive.
She will be a crazy puppy until she is about 7 months so expect relapses until then. Don't worry, its the way you raise her that really determines if she will be aggressive or will understand that teeth on skin is never allowed.
You'll get there just be patient - puppies need a lot of work to turn them into well behaved adults. Bet shes very cute when shes in a cuddely mood though!!

Answer 3

It is most likely that your puppy is teething. Try giving her chew toys to distract her (Jack Russel's are a very lively breed so also be sure she is getting enough exercise). If she attacks you let out a high, short shriek. This is the noise that her brothers and sisters would have made if she hurt them. Also turn your back on her and fold your arms. Also try and get her to realise that you are in charge. A good way to do this is to get her food bowl and slowly eat a crisp or something as if from the bowl, then give it to your dog. This is a pack thing as the leaders of a pack of dogs always eat first. Most bad behaviour in dogs is caused by them not knowing who is boss. Hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 4

yes they are normal jack Russel terriers act like this all the time but it will probably get a little camer besides all pups are like this! and you are doing very well with disciplining her but try not to distract her with toys because if you do she will think she is being rewarded for bad behavior and also ignoring her and stop the play is realy good and the lock her in a room and the firm no is realy good to! your pretty good! also just a tip if none of theses work for you you could give her a firm tap on the nose are give her a blow up the nose i hope i helped!

yours truly

BEN

Answer 5

sounds like my dog. Pick someone to be the "alpha male" if you will and then that person will have to use a rolled up newspaper and rap the dog on the nose, make sure you stand over the dog, establishing dominance, say NO BAD DOG. my dad had to do this for our dog. pups will chew on everything they can, usually keeping things out of reach will work well. once my dog chewed up the whole kitchen, so pick like, a corner of the kitchen and build a wall of chairs, throw a blanket and ball in there and you're set. once the doggy gets older get some of those tasty bones from the pet store that they can chew on for hours. the beef flavored ones are a good choice, theyll like chewing on that more than other stuff. my advice to you is not to leave the puppy alone in the kitchen. bad things will happen. Certain breeds are more agressive, don't be mean to the dog, but don't let it destroy stuff. Puppies are all rambunctious, so id say its normal.

Answer 6

Do not be aggressive back at her...she will just get worse. She has too much energy...you have to take her on brisk walks to tire her out. Provide her with chews and toys that she loves and get her into training. Do not rough house wiith her...dogs see your hands as teeth and if they are rough playing with her, she will bite. Always take her for a big walk and when you get home practice her training...then give her a chew treat. Do this everyday and you will have a good Jack. The reason most Jacks act out is because they have too much pent up energy.

Answer 7

This is normal.....get a old coffee can or something similar.....put some small rocks in it and tape down the lid.Next time she starts to chew on you.....give her a firm "NO" and shake the can to distract her.....than give her a chew toy(she needs to be able to chew....she's teething) and when she starts to play with it....praise her.After a while she will start to understand that it's not okay to bite on you....but be patient....Jack Russel's are very smart....but they can be stubborn.Any time you are trying to teach your dog something always use positive reinforcement.

Answer 8

10 weeks old, sounds like she is teething. Loosing her puppy teeth. Don't let her use you as a teething ring, when she tries to tell her no, in a firm voice and then give her a chew toy instead. I have had numerous dogs and they all seem to go through some type of teething phase. Cant recall if any actually tried to bite my face though. Hands yes.

Answer 9

Well i no that my dog chewed everything for a while he even ate a sofa !!! but he grew out of it as we would tell him no in a firm voice, show him what he had done , put him out side and leave him out there for awhile and ignore him so he wasn't getting any praise for miss behaving. he now doesnt chew! But my dog wasn't a jack Russel it was a golden retriever. good luck !!!

Answer 10

When a dog plays, they mouth you, shake their heads from side to side as if killing their prey. I used to remove my hands and ignore her, but praise her for good behaviour even if she was just sitting quietly. She may be trying to be leader of the pack so wants to exert power where she is in control. Good ways to remedy this are: Don't let them walk through a door before you...you are first, slam the door every-time until she steps back, don't let them run upstairs in front of you as she will look down on you...she MUST always look up. Move her out of the way if she is in your path, you are in charge, the pack leader (you) never moves out of the way. The furniture is yours...she has the floor. You can step in her space, she must know her boundaries and if she gets in your space, move her out gently.. It's hard and takes ages...but worthwhile. A good book to read is "think dog" by John Fisher. It explains what goes on in the dogs head. Good luck and don't give up x and never smack the dog, it teaches it to snap to stop you! agression incites agression