MY Puppy is being aggressive

Question
Hi, My Puppy is being aggressive these days, he is a Chow chow, with mix with Japanese Spitz. His father is a pure chow chow and his mother is half chow chow and half Japanese Spitz..I've been with him for almost 3 weeks now. I have a problem with him because sometimes, he don't stop biting even if i say NO, that i resort to spanking him lightly with "NO"...and i feel sorry for him, he even bit me once, unintentionally, because we were just playing, i got my shot already though. Now he is being aggressive, like he growl or snarl when he sees my hand coming to pick him up, sometimes i tend to divert his attention by giving him something to bite when im about to pick him up but sometimes he is too fast, it makes me sad cause i really dont like spanking him when he don't listen, what's the right punishment for him when he does these things aside from leaving him and saying "NO"! (because sometimes he doesn't listen) and how do i stop him from aggression when im afraid to touch him for those times that he is being aggressive?

Answer
Dear Hazel,

Number One:  Stop "spanking" him.  Do not hit him, slap him, spank him, or in any other way physically punish him, EVER again.  I say this for YOUR future safety as well as for the relationship that I think you hope to have with this dog.  If he is already growling or snarling when he sees your hand, you have a LOT of hurt to mend already.  Puppies playbite.  It is normal.  It is not fun for us humans, but it is absolutely common and usual for ALL puppies to playbite us in exactly the same way that they playbite their littermates.  The reason your puppy is playbiting you is because that's how he learns about the world.  He needs you to teach him, in the same way that his mother and littermates would, what mouthing is OK, and what mouthing is not OK.  

Please, promise me that you will NEVER hit or otherwise hurt this dog again.  Again, I say this because if you continue, you are without a doubt condemning this pup to being euthanized sooner than later simply because you taught him that humans are unpredictable, scary, and hurt.  Hitting this pup is also preparing him to bite you or someone you love -- or worse, someone you don't know who will sue you for everything you've got.

Have I made my point clear?  Do not hit or spank this dog ever again.

Now, on to the playbiting.  Please read the following (also found at http://www.dogdaysusa.com/mouthtraining.cfm):

Bite Inhibition

If you watch a litter of puppies playing, you will notice that they spend much of their time biting and mouthing each other. Because your pup has very sharp teeth and a weak jaw, his harder bites or mouthing hurt his littermates - so they yelp and refuse to play with him for some time. Soon the pup learns that play time ends when he bites too hard. Because an adult dog has duller teeth but a very powerful jaw, Bite Inhibition (a "soft mouth") is one of the most important lessons your pup can learn while his sharp baby teeth are still in. You and your children should mimic this puppy play behavior in daily life.

There are two phases to training Bite Inhibition:

Step 1:

Practice several times daily for 3-4 weeks. (Best for pups up to 12 weeks of age but if you've never done bite inhibition exercises, this step can be used for older pups who have varied mouthing pressure) Allow pup to mouth/playbite. When he exerts slightly more pressure than usual, say "Ouch!" and immediately stop playing for a few seconds.

Now allow him to mouth again and repeat the "Ouch!" and stop playing steps several times until he ONLY mouths softly. If your pup is not responding to the "Ouch!", simply skip it and simply stop playing and/or get up and move away for a minute, then start again. Your pup will quickly learn that fun ends when he mouths too hard.


Step 2:  (Only after Step 1 has been practiced for a MINIMUM of 2, and preferably 4 weeks)

Now, any and every time his teeth make contact with human skin, say "OUCH!" and immediately stop playing. Get up and leave, and/or ignore the pup for a minute or two.  Your pup should now start to believe that humans are very sensitive and cannot stand the incredible pain of any tooth contact to their skin.  

The point of these bite inhibition exercises is to first teach your pup to have a "soft mouth", and then to teach him that the instant his teeth touch human skin, play time is over. Remember, if your pup doesn't respond to the "Ouch" or seems to get more riled up, just skip it and simply stop playing or interacting in any way for a few minutes.

Hazel, I don't know if you've ever owned a Chow before, but this is not a breed to mess with, and it is not a breed to hit as a puppy.  It IS a breed to socialize with other puppies on a daily basis starting at 8 weeks of age, or you will have a dog that very likely attacks other dogs when he reaches the age of 2.  

I apologize for repeating myself here but this is urgent information for the benefit of you and your dog.  Thank you very much for reaching out for an answer.  Don't get frustrated by the way your dog responds during Step 1.  All puppies challenge this behavior modification.  As long as you remain consistent, patient, and immediately end the spankings, your dog's mouthing will decrease over the next 2 months (don't expect it to end any earlier because you'll just get frustrated that it doesn't), and you won't end up with a "mean dog."

Please also go to http://www.dogdaysUSA.com for lots of other positive reinforcement articles and specific instruction on puppy training.  Go to http://www.apdt.com to find a good trainer and puppy socialization place in your area.  A Chow will not do well with traditional training methods such as a choke chain or any pain in training.  

Good luck and thanks for writing.
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysUSA.com