Is it normal for basset pups to growl and bite?

Question

I got 2 basset pups because i read they are very gentle and one of the best dogs to have with kids. The 7 week old pup is very sweet & does not growl or bite. The 8 week old growls and bites every time you try to pick her up and gets very mean. She does this when she's eating to. Will she out grow this? How do i stop her from acting like this?

Answer 1

She is the alpha bit$* or at least thinks she is . You need to deal with this now while she is little and has little teeth. First you need to establish that you are alpha. Dogs are pack orientated and see you and your family as members of the pack. You need to establish that you are leader or alpha and that the dog is at the bottom of the pack.

The food issue-make her sit and work for her food don't just give it to her. After you have placed the food in front of her, reach down as if you need to make an adjustment-if she growls or bites at you take it away. Make her work for it again-do this over and over until this behavior stops. Have your children pet her while she is eating-if she growls-take the food away again-have them make her sit and return it to her. This will establish that your kids are above her in the pack. Also, never allow your dogs to sleep in anyone's bed-this puts them on the same level-allow them to sleep at the foot of the bed, on the floor.

Watch the movie 8 Below-about a pack of sled dogs that were left to their own resources in Antartica. You will see a lot of dog pack behavior and food protection.

As for the growling and biting when she is picked up-have your vet check her to make sure that she does not have a medical problem causing pain, if this is not the case-do this. When she growls or bites-roll her over to her back hold her there until she stops. Once she stops, praise her and let her back up. Do it again. Rolling her on her back means you are alpha-but if you let her up before she stops struggling/growling or biting you are essentially telling her she is in charge.

Consider a puppy socialization class and obedience classes for these dogs. Teach your children commands for the dogs as well.

If you are still having problems you may want to contact the breeder-if they are reputable they guarantee their temperment and will allow you to bring the pup back. If this is not an option-you may want to enlist the help of an animal behaviorist. Check with your vet to get names of reputable ones.

Answer 2

Your Basset pup is becoming food dominant which can be really bad, resulting in aggression. It sounds to me like your pup is already on its way to developing strong fear aggression towards you. The first thing you need to do with this pup is walk it every morning and also at night for at least 30 min if you can. If you can't walk it 2x a day at least walk it in the morning before you feed it.

When you reach to pick up the pup ignore his snarling and growling, by reacting to it you are teaching him that by doing that he can keep people away from him. The second he does this don't say anything to him or acknowlege the behavior in any way, just keep reaching for him and pick him up. If he keeps doing this grab the scruff on his neck lighllty until he stops.

Training him to take food nicely is super important. When you go to feed your dogs don't just put the food in a bowl and put it down, instead do the following for a week or two or however long it takes to change the behavior. The first few days hold the bowl and hand feed the dogs, this is letting them know that you control the food and they only eat if they are calm. After you hand feed them for a day or two put the bowl on the ground with no food in it, then take a small handful and put more food in the bowl, as soon as the food is gone wait until the pups are calm and looking at you before you add more food. This teaches the pups respect. After a few days of that fill just the bowl about 1" and play around with the food as the pups are eating. If the pup keeps growling and the situation doesnt improve start all over.

If you feed your pups in two seperate bowls do this for both bowls so neither pup develops food dominance. If you can't correct the behavior with one or two tries I suggest finding a good trainer that will come work with you for a day or two at your home. Sadly pups don't outgrow this behavior, it actually gets worse over time if it isn't corrected while they are young. Don't give your dogs too much affection, this is exactly what causes this problem. I suggest you read Cesar MIllans book Cesar's Way...I use it with my dogs as well as dog's I'm training.

Answer 3

Basset pups are not known for aggressive behavior, but it does sound like you do have a behavior problem. It could be a dominance issue, or (more likely) it's insecurity. I know if I was as small as a puppy, I'd be terrified to be picked up 4 feet off the ground. Start small - sit on the floor with your puppy, pet her and speak softly. Put your hands around her middle as if you were going to pick her up. If she growls or attempts to bite, discipline her as her mother would - take her by the scruff of her neck, shake firmly (with small shakes, like a dog might shake a favorite toy) and very firmly say, "No!" Make sure you also praise her good behavior. Be consistent, and gradually work toward picking her up with you sitting on the floor.

The food issue is different. Make sure that you're feeding your puppies separately from each other, possibly even putting a gate between them. You'll need to spend time with your growly puppy to teach her that every time your hand goes to her bowl, she's going to get something good. Sit with her on the floor with her empty food bowl between the two of you. Put one piece of food at a time in the bowl, let her eat it, and praise her when she starts to look to you for more without growling or biting. Patience is key!

Answer 4

It is normal for any puppy to growl and bite in play, but if one of them is getting mean about it, especially while eating you want to start training it to stop that behaviour.
First off if you have kids make sure they don't bother the dogs while they are eating. Then you should do some positive reinforcement around food and people with both the puppies. For example before you put their food bowl down pet them and talk to them in a nice voice. And then give them their food.
I'm not sure what you would want to do if the pup begins growling. Maybe hire a professional dog trainer?

Answer 5

NO - what your 8-week-old pup is doing is not normal! Run, don't walk, to a private trainer or behaviorist. The pup's behavior is likely a symptom of a larger problem. If you don't get this under control right away you are going to have a dangerous dog on your hands in a few months. Without help she will not outgrow this - she will grow into it and become an expert at being aggressive. Your vet or local animal shelter should be able to give you a referral to a trainer, or check www.apdt.com or www.iaabc.org.

Answer 6

its normal for pups to growl and chew when playing also they will start teething soon. but your pup sounds as if its going to far. it may be frightend when its picked up and becoming food posesive.

whenever it bites make a high piched sound or yelp and put it in a dog cage for a while. once the pup has calmed down and is quiet let is out and praise it.
with the food biting try feeding it sepratly and hand feeding for a wile, if this dont work when it turns remove the food and feed it later on when it settles
to stop this behaviour consistancy is the key you must do it every time.

Answer 7

The puppy isn't likely to grow out of it, without help from you.
It is showing aggression because it , more than likely, has a dominant personality. You need to get her in godd obedience classes right away. If you can't afford classes, you will have to do all her training yourself. This will take awhile.
You'll have to be very patient but at the same time very firm with the dog.
She's young enough. She should be able to learn correct behavior without too much trouble.
Begin training her right away. Do not allow your children (if you have any) to pick her up or play with her until she's fully trained
and does not show aggression. She'll likely bite them badly, if you do let them play with her right now.
How to start training...you need to show her you are alpha dog in her pack and demand submission and obedience from her.
Pick her up by the loose skin on the back of her neck. Quickly roll
her over onto her back, tummy up. If she growls, trys to bite, barks or shows any other sign of aggression....Growl at her yourself and bite her on the ear hard enough that it hurts but not hard enough to draw blood....you want a scared whine out of her
before you let her up.
Repeat this with all signs of dominant behavior. It sounds weird,
but it works really well.
After she acts submissive around you for awhile, if she remains aggressive with other adults in the household or your children, each person she is aggressive towards should do the same thing with the puppy that you did.
If the puppy is aggressive with other dogs and cats, she may have to be placed in a home where she is the only pet to avoid
injury to the other animals.
Most Bassets are not aggressive by nature. My guess is that
she had some sort of traumatic incident in her young life. Perhaps she was hit or kicked or handled roughly before you got her.

Answer 8

She has dominance issues and she needs to be corrected now. Give her her food then reach for it. If she growls at you say NO! in a loud firm voice. When she calms down give her the food again then reach for it - repeat until she stops growling when you reach for the food - then let her eat it. Keep doing it until she lets you reach for her food and take it from her without growling.

Do the same when you pick her up. When she growls and bites tell her NO! No Bite! in a loud firm voice. Keep picking her up and cuddling her, praising her when she is sweet, until she can control herself. She is just going to take more time than the first puppy. She should eventually learn that growling and biting is not allowed.

Answer 9

You absolutely need to consult a trainer/ behaviorist right now. Ive met quite a few Bassett Hounds in my 14 years of woring with dogs, and most of them do not have sparkling temperaments. To be honest with you, most of them have been quite nasty. Dont get me wrong, Ive met more than a few sweet, obedient ones too. The good ones are really good, and the fresh ones are really fresh. Get that pup to a Puppy Kindergarten class. Alot of them start the puppies at 10-12 weeks. The trainers will be able to assess her aggression issues and guide you to the proper way of handling it. She will absolutely not outgrow this issue on her own, it will only get bigger as she grows. Whats not cute at 8 weeks old, is going to be scary at 1 year old and 65 pounds.

Answer 10

It is normal for all puppies to growl and bite. Bassets are sweet and gentle as adults when they have been well socialized and trained as puppies.

Find some books on puppy training (Before and After Your Get Your Puppy by Dr. Ian Dunar is a good one) and a local puppy kindergarten class.