We have 8 Great Dane puppies. They are almost 7 weeks old. The runt is a female and when she is around my kids she will growl at them. I'm not talking about playing. They will go to pet her and she growls viciously. We don't yell or hit her. My kids are older and I always watch them around the dogs. I have never seen a puppy behave this way.
2007-10-24 11:03:42 · 6 answers · asked by ajmommy002 4 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Keep in mind these puppies are only 7 weeks old. She is the only one out of 9 that has shown this temperment. I'm definately screaning potential homes very closely for all of the puppies.
2007-10-24 11:28:02 · update #1
Maybe since she's the runt growling is her way of trying to establish herself in the hierarchy of the pack. It may have become her defense mechanism against the other puppies and she uses it against your kids, who are also bigger than she is.
Are you planning to let these puppies all go to other homes? Make sure the new owner is aware of it, maybe she needs a home where she is an only dog?
2007-10-24 11:24:04 · answer #1 · answered by Cinnamon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first find out why it is growling. is it because of not enough socialization? is it because it doesn't want to be touched? is it from fear?
what you need to do is take that puppy out. get it use to a ton of people. you can have strangers randomly walk up to the pup and give it a treat.
also try putting it on a leash and walking it around the house. randomly have one of your kids walk up get the puppy to sit or be calm. have the child give it a treat and gently pet it. you want it to growl. it is the warning sign for the dog. you just want the dog to know when it is ok and when it is not ok.
socializing the dog properly will help you stop the dog from growling at your children. remember never hit or scare the dog to get it to do what you want.
also something that could help you out a LOT that a lot of trainers use is NILF = nothing in life is free. look that training method up and try it out.
i have a GREAT dog forum. it's active even at two in the morning. all the members are super supportive and can help with everything from training to health problems :)
www.chazhound.com *lately it's had some site problems so if it is down try it again later.*
2007-10-24 18:22:24 · answer #2 · answered by Lisa N 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have a 9 week great dane. He was fine untill we adopted another older pup 5 month pitt/boxer mix, i thought we wouldnt be able to keep the mix because the dane ( who was 7 weeks at the time would play nice then turn really mean and aggressive with the other pup. What we did was limit play time and never rough house with either of them We constantly watch and our great dane is getting much better... what i think was happening was he was being overwhelmed by the other dogs energy being that he is still very young and he feels like he needs to stand up to her when she over does it with him. He also was intimidated by her also but now he has surpassed her in size and he trys to dominate her by standing over her, which of course she only allows that for a minuet!!! lol but its a secure feeling they have to figure out with our help and that takes growing up a little.
2007-10-24 19:17:13 · answer #3 · answered by debbie e 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's a big debate over dogs growling but it's better if you don't train them out of it, it's better for a child to have a warning in the form of a growl than having the dog 'snap'.
Just introduce her to the kids and 'socialise' them, she may just be shy or uncomfortable.
2007-10-24 18:15:48 · answer #4 · answered by Goldengirl 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
growling is a dog's way of sending a warning. if you really would rather have her bite first, then teach her to stop growling. perhaps you should consult with an animal/dog behaviorist if this continues to be a problem so that you can learn WHY she's growling rather than just masking the problem.
2007-10-24 18:17:14 · answer #5 · answered by no qf 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Say NO!!!!!!! and keep after her with the no word.
2007-10-24 18:07:38 · answer #6 · answered by kim t 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋