Please help...I have puppy trouble already!?

Question

I have a 10 wk old male blue heeler named Gus. I've had him about 1 mth. He's always had a bit of aggresion. My husband & I did some research on them and heelers are "protective" dogs. He growls at us often & bites alot. We thought we could train him otherwise. We also figured alot of it was just being a puppy...so we bought lots of toys/bones. Last night we got a female heeler to later breed with him. We expected some trouble, but he's went nuts. Everytime that she moves, he will run at her and tear into her. Some nipping is characteristic of heelers,...but this is an all out BITE. He keeps walking right in front of her and backing his rear end in her face. He will also walk beside her and put his whole body weight on her...just lean into her. She has defensively nipped back into him,...but she's scared...it's obvious. He's actually brought blood. What's gotten into him? How can I fix it? (Obedience school isn't an option.) I'm worried now for the new pup & my kids.

I've actually seen some major improvement since I've asked my question.

Answer 1

We (My husband and I) also had this problem. We recently got a St. Bernard puppy and we have a 1 year old blue healer. The blue healer was very agressive towards the puppy, (yes a St.Bernard puppy is a bit smaller than the blue healer) so we had to get very strict with the blue healer. Everytime she'd go to harm the puppy, we'd grab her, smack her butt and say NO in a firm voice. Sometimes when she'd get close enough to nip the puppy, we'd grab her mouth and smack it, and say NO. It took a while, like 3 weeks, but she eventually got the picture. Some people don't like to spank an animal, but sometimes that is the only way to get the animals attention. I would never leave the puppy alone with the blue healer until it is big enough to defend it's self because when you are not around, they will try to esablish dominance.

Answer 2

I agree with Jenna. You have to show the pup who is boss now and put the puppy firmly in his place or you are going to have massive problems later on. I dont mean by being violent towards the pup or cruel, obviously, but maybe a rolled up news paper every time he steps out of line, not hard to really hurt him, but enough to startle him and get the upper hand, because there is only one place this pup is going to end up if you dont be firm now with him. Keep shouting No! also in a really firm voice. A 10 week old pup should not be behaving in this way all ready, all pups nip, but aggression already? Feel for you, but firm discipline is what this pup needs if he stands any chance. Please dont consider breeding if this dog grows up into a vicious animal. Can you take the pup back to the breeder? I feel that breeder needs Questions asking. Could his mother or father be aggressive? did you see his parents? Everytime he bites smack his nose until he learns that he is not going to be ruling the roost in future. Best wishes and the best of luck! x

Answer 3

First, leave the breeding to the professionals and if you still own the dogs at 6 months of age, get them altered.
Next, if this dog is not showing signs of obedience and is instead showing signs of aggression at 10 weeks of age, WHY on Earth would you want to breed him and make more of this behavior? Breeders breed to bring out the best in a breed and this obviously isn't the best.
If obedience training is not an option, you may not get this under control and will end up with a bad dog on your hands that is a liability. If there are children in the home or the possibility (grandchildren, neighborhood kids, friends children, etc.), this is of even a greater liability.
The breeder from whom you got this dog, if a reputable breeder, offers a lifelong assistance wit the dog. They will even take the dog back. If the breeder is not reputable, your on your own.
Heelers are naturally protective, your right. They may even try to heard you (the nipping a the heels). But biting (or even nipping) needs immediate attention. These are smart breeds, but you need to be the top dog, not this puppy! Many people can give you advice on how to train, you'll here it all. Your best bet is to go to the library, book store or pet store and get a book on this breed and read, read, read. If you are not going to enroll in obedience classes, then you must do this at home and training started 4 weeks ago! A mother dog will discipline her pups by lying them on their back and holding them down with her paw until they settle down and behave. You can do this by hold the pup down while he lays on his back by using your hand and a firm voice telling him NO. Don't let him up until he has settled down. Try this technique until you can get a heeler training book and learn other training techniques. If you are not 110% committed to properly training this dog, you need to find someone who is or return him to the breeder.

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Answer 4

You have a VERY dominant male....did the breeder you got him from help you pick the puppy? Could you contact the breeder and maybe "exchange" him for a more mellow one? Since obedience school isn't an option, you need to establish who is boss. Try NILIF training (Nothing In Life Is Free)...you can google it. Also, put him on leash when you are home, and keep hold of it. Everytime he acts like a jerk, correct him with a pop of the leash, and a firm NO....then make him sit, then reward for a good sit.

I could go on and on about this training, but if you google it, you can really research it. I will say that I think unless you get this dog under control now, you are going to have a "bad dog" in the future, and I would definitely worry about the kids. I'm not going to lecture about the reasons you want to breed, the fact that you should get him neutered unless you are working him in cattle or showing. Others here will do that for me.

And I agree with the person above who stated not to breed an aggressive dog....trust me, temperment is genetic, and you DO NOT want to breed that male to anything.

Answer 5

You need to hire a trainer to come to YOUR house. Ask about his background, dog aggressive training, and dog behavior education.

The at home trainer will assess the situation, asses the dogs, the family etc and teach you techniques to handle the situation, the dog and the environment.

A training class can't do that. You need to find out what the cues are and what in the other dog, your body language etc is that sets this dog off.

That is the strangest thing I've EVER heard about a blue heeler. I've had one and I've worked with a few and they are highly intellegent, loving breeds. Herders YES but not aggressive. If they were they'd kill thier herd when challenged. Something is setting this dog off and you need to find it before it kills this other dog - because that sounds like what it's about to escelate to.

Answer 6

I actually have a blue heeler(8yrs old) and weve had to go through alot with her behavior.
Since your puupy is still so young, you can still change his peronality before he grows into it. He may just be showing signs of wanting to prove his alpha position..and remember! He's a herding dog and still has the instinct to keep everyone in line. Once you establish your alpha position, he will learn where he belongs. For now, work on his biting issues and scold him and seperate him evertime it happens.

Answer 7

He is just being dominant and trying to show her who the boss is - you need to make him realise that YOU are the boss and that this sort of behaviour is NOT going to be tolerated.

There are many websites on training a dog - but the majority of it is down to you to show him that he can NOT get away with this sort of behaviour.

Perhaps maybe you should have introduced them on neutral territior and at a slower pace so that htey could get used to each other? Perhaps its not to late to take these steps?

Good luck.

Answer 8

He is only 10 weeks old so he is bound to nip and bite. Don't separate them! They will form a pack with each other and settle who is top dog. It a power struggle right now and he is showing her who is boss...but we know she will win it the end ;o) LOL

Answer 9

Are you doing obedience training on your own, if not you have to start now to show him whose boss. He is showing his dominance over you and the new pup. I suggest if you can't do obedience school and you have no experience go online and look up Cesar Millan. He has dvd's and books and does gentle training techniques. This will only get worse if you don't get it under control now. Until he gets under control get a good size crate to keep them separated when he is misbehaving. This is natural behavior but he has to know he is not the leader of the pack soon.

Answer 10

we had aggressive cocker spaniel pup.we took her vets got her spayed at vets request and still she was aggressive we ended up with a 5 year old dog that had all family stuck in a corner being bitten.get help now before it gets out of hand!we had to have ours destroyed which was heart breaking.don't breed from an aggressive dog or you will carry the problem on in the genes if its nothing medical.