scottish terrier/shitzu

Question
my pup will be 4months old on the 9th and is very sociable with everyone and every dog except on occassions she will get very aggressive and snap and bite especially at shoes. Its different from "Puppy chewing". Have tried sprayng with water, holding down by scruff of neck (somethimes not always possible because of snapping) lover her dearly but am nervous of possibel danger. Can you help please?

Answer
Stella -

Let me apologize. I've been sick for a few days, hence the delay.  This sounds like an interesting mix of breeds!

At 16 weeks, she is ready to start formal training. I would start with the command "look at me."  Its super easy to train, yet is one that many people miss.  The reason I like to use it first is because it comes in handy when a dog is simply not paying attention to me and needs to be refocused on the interaction with me.

To train this, you will need a few tiny bits of a high value treat. I use cheese and for a puppy like yours I would 1/2 the size of a pencil eraser (I sure hope they are about the same size on your side of the Atlantic). You simply wipe it past your pup's nose so she is aware you have it, then hold it next to the outside corner of you eye and say "Look at me."  As soon as you have said it and she is looking you in the face, you treat. You will not need to wipe it past her nose once she knows you have them.  Do this 5-6 times in a row a couple of times a day and she will understand in no time.

Once she is reliable with this, try it at a time when you can anticipate she is going to have one of her acting out sessions.  The ideal way to do it is to set up the scenario with a friend so you can practice in a controlled environment.  Make sure you have not faded out giving treats yet, or used a lower value treat because this is an extra important time for her to do the right thing.

In other situations where she is not going to act out, and once she is doing this command very well, you start fading out the treats and replacing it with emotional rewards of praise and scritches.

I would also recommend a series of puppy obedience classes both for socialization and so you can start working with her on the more formal training.

I hope this gives you some ideas to get started.

-Beth