Agression or play

Question
QUESTION: Is she going to be an aggressive dog. Help!! My 12 week old waste bitch Rona seems to be very aggressive, she bites constantly, you can't pet her without her mouthing or bitting. She has also started to growl and bark at us if we don't give her attention or chastise her. we have had her for three weeks and her behavior is getting worse. We have tried shaking her scruff when she bites and gets out of control, but this seems to be making things worse.  I don't want her to be scared of us i think we are giving her the wrong signals and confusing her.  I'm i right to worry or is this just puppy behavior.

ANSWER: Hi, Lisa,

How old was Rona when you got her? Did her mother lactate? Did she have any littermates?

As for shaking her by the scruff of the neck, that's not advisable. As you discovered, it tends to make matters worse, not better.

Puppies have three basic moods: happily engaged in play or exploration, overstimulated and overtired, and sound asleep. It sounds like Rona is showing too much of the second one, she's overstimulated. When she gets like that she needs a time out so that she can learn how to calm down on her own.

Just to ease your mind, no puppy starts out wanting to be aggressive. They only become aggressive adults when they're not raised properly, that is to say with too much punishment, dominance, and "discipline."

The reason she enjoys using her teeth on you is pretty simple: she's going through a very important oral development phase. It's one of the most important parts of puppyhood. The more you make an issue out of it and try to stop her from nipping and mouthing, the greater the likelihood that she WILL grow up to be aggressive.

I recommend you read an article on my website, "How to Stop Puppy Bites." It explains how to teach a young doggie the difference between soft mouthing and hard bites. It works best though, on dogs who've already developed a soft mouth from interactions with their mommies and their littermates. If Rona didn't have enough time with her litter, she's going to be more difficult to deal with.

A helpful hint to save wear and tear on your hands and clothes: spray Bitter Apple on your fingers, cuffs, shoelaces, etc. It has a very nasty taste that deters most dogs from chewing on anything that it's been sprayed on. You can find it at just about every pet store in America.

Also, give her lots and lots of play with her toys so that her teeth start to naturally gravitate more to them than to you and the furniture.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further clarification on anything.

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Rona was with her littermates for nine weeks, but we think they were taken from mum to soon as she doesn't seem to have any puppy manners.  She's a very very confident puppy and is still growling and barking when being chastised, all the puppy books say firm handling is required, but they don't give any tip on how this is done.  I have enrolled  Rona in puppy training classes, but they don't start till January. Any advice would be appreciated

Answer
Hi again, Lisa,

It's not a good idea to chastise, punish, or scold a puppy. It creates a confrontational dynamic instead of one of willing cooperation. The hallmark of the pack instinct is that the group members are able to cooperate, and work in harmony while hunting as a group.
I'm not sure what books you've been reading, but the idea that firm handling is required is kind of antiquated, at least in the way I think you may be interpreting it.
Puppies are like little kids. They really don't know what they're doing, and they have no ability to tell right from wrong. They only know what feels good at any given moment.
On the plus side they want to be part of a group dynamic, they want to engage us in play. Those things need to be nurtured. The other stuff -- those times when Rona gets too wound up and is too oral -- those behaviors (and her teeth) need to re-directed away from your hands, shoelaces, clothing, etc., toward toys. The more you play with her, the less you'll need to reprimand her. The less you reprimand her the less aggressive she'll be.
As for those times when she's so wound up she can't settle down, can't focus on a toy, when she's like a kid on Halloween night, who's overtired and on a sugar buzz, that's when she needs a time out: she should be gently (but firmly) put into her crate or gated area, left alone, and ignored until she calms down.
My advice, listed above, still stands.

I hope it helps! (If not, let me know.)
LCK