Puppy question?

Question

He is a Lab mix that we rescued from the pound. He is now 8 weeks old and we've had him home for 2 weeks now. When he gets too worked up from playing and gets too rough, we have been holding him on his back (firmly but not excessively so) to try and get him to submit to us/calm down. However, this makes him worse! He starts growling and wriggling and biting really hard and doesn't stop. Are we scaring him? Does he think we're playing? Is he dominant? I have been making him sit before his meals and before we go in and outdoors. What are some other ways we can show him who's boss?

Answer 1

Here is a site that has a few link for alpha issues and biting:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/care.htm

I would stop the holding his scruff. If its not working, its most likely making him worse. Also try to take him to an obedience class. That will help him get more confident and he'll socalize with other dogs. Since you rescued him so young he didnt learn from his mom/litter mates that biting is a no-no. If you let him play with an adult dog (that likes other dogs, not an aggressive one) .. the adult dog will get fed up and kind of swat at your pup to let him no to stop. Not hard, it wont hurt him. It's what his mother would have done.

Oh and as someone else suggested DO NOT put him in his crate when he misbehaves. You will have MAJOR issues with that later. His crate is supposed to be a safe place and NOT a place for him to get 'grounded'. So NEVER punish a dog by putting him in a crate or outside. Just simply yelp when he bites you and walk away and ignore him. He'll know he hurt you. Just keep doing this when he bites. (Just ignore for about 5 minutes since hes a pup).

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

You could get a crate , the wire ones and if he gets biting and growling put him in the crate and leave him there until he settles down. This is like the time outs that you make little kids do when they miss behave. It works for most puppies.

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Michelle…Member since: April 22, 2007

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Michelle V
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We adopted Gus from the pound 16 years ago. He was found walking the streets of the city we lived in at 4 weeks old. We took him home at 8 weeks and trust me, no one had ever told him what to do. I came home from work and my bf was holding him at the end of the hallyway. I called him and he didn't come running towards me, he charged me. We did not want to roll up a magazine or anything so we were forever on the phone with the SPCA asking them about his aggressive behavior. They suggested putting a couple pennies in an empty soda taping the opening shut. You are then supposed to smack him under his chin (not hard, just enough to startle him with the noise). He found this to be funny and wanted to bite the can. I am sure you dog things you holding him down is a game. The biting is probably teething.

He went to puppy obedience school and this is where I learned that you have to be dominant and NO means no. He finally learned and has been the joy of my life for many MANY years. You are doing great. Just keep it up. Gus is a retreiver/weimeramer mix. Lots of walks!

Good for you for adopting your pet! Too many people forget about this.

Answer 3

We adopted Gus from the pound 16 years ago. He was found walking the streets of the city we lived in at 4 weeks old. We took him home at 8 weeks and trust me, no one had ever told him what to do. I came home from work and my bf was holding him at the end of the hallyway. I called him and he didn't come running towards me, he charged me. We did not want to roll up a magazine or anything so we were forever on the phone with the SPCA asking them about his aggressive behavior. They suggested putting a couple pennies in an empty soda taping the opening shut. You are then supposed to smack him under his chin (not hard, just enough to startle him with the noise). He found this to be funny and wanted to bite the can. I am sure you dog things you holding him down is a game. The biting is probably teething.

He went to puppy obedience school and this is where I learned that you have to be dominant and NO means no. He finally learned and has been the joy of my life for many MANY years. You are doing great. Just keep it up. Gus is a retreiver/weimeramer mix. Lots of walks!

Good for you for adopting your pet! Too many people forget about this.

Answer 4

Yes of course that is going to make him worse. He is a puppy. Puppies get wild! They take awhile to calm down like a year or more. When he gets too worked up give him a nyla bone to chew on. You will want to get him obedience classes but not until he gets older. 8 weeks old is like having a baby...you need to let him be a puppy. He'll eventually fall asleep. Some dogs don't even leave their moms until 10 weeks. Just give it some time. He will know you are in charge as long as you are not a pushover, but thats a really young age :) The only time my dog has to sit is before he gets a treat and at stop signs and he is very well behaved. Good luck :)

Answer 5

Taking your pup to obedience school asap would be a great benefit for him and make your life easier too.

I rescued two Chow mix dogs and they had a whole lot of energy as pups and needed a lot of attention the first year.

We crate trained them in the house and started obedience training them the day they came home.

once he learns sit, stay, down, and go to your bed things will be a whole lot easier, You won;t need to physically touch him to have him obey and calm down.

you may need to walk and play with them where they can run off some excess energy

Answer 6

A far bettr plan is to give him a time out. Specifically crate train your dog. When he mis behaves treat him to a 1-5 minute time out in his crate. When you say "Kennel" after the first few times he will know to go and will. Do this now because in a few months this will be far more difficult. Initially you will need to take him to the crate but he will catch on soon enough.

Answer 7

i actually have a lab too. when things get too rough. we just stop doing whatever were doing. and if hes doing something you dont like, simply ignore him for 3 seconds and try again. you can show him whos boss by showing that his toys belong to you. if he doesnt follow your rules, he doesnt get what he wants. for example, you say play time is over and tell him to give back his toys. if he doesnt. you simply hold the toy and tell him to drop it. if he doesnt, stare at him and say drop it very firmly and give a light tug. hold a treat in your other hand so he will go for the treat. when he does drop the toy praise him.

Answer 8

You could get a crate , the wire ones and if he gets biting and growling put him in the crate and leave him there until he settles down. This is like the time outs that you make little kids do when they miss behave. It works for most puppies.

Answer 9

He is a puppy so i think what your doing will help in the end just keep in mind too when training puppies to use the same commands for each thing you want him to do, like to come inside tell him come in or whatever you choose to use but every time you want him to come in use that command only if you tell him come in and you hubby or kids say this way or lets go he will become confused what you want him to do and just stop listening. just a tip, or even try puppy classes, they will be better able to determine if its his demeanor or just puppy behavior.

Answer 10

I'm not too much of an expert, but I'm glad to see that you are trying to make yourselves boss. If he was scared he would have reacted by whining and/or biting harshly (in a defensive manner). What I recommend is that when you have him pinned, and he starts to struggle, reprimand him when he starts to continue to act up. He needs to know that it is not ok for him to act like this. Maybe putting him immediately into his crate/cage would make him associate his bad behavior with the hard play...............good luck..