Advice on agressive puppy?

[RavenAbyss]

My parents recently picked adopted a lab/boarder collie mix. They got her at just six weeks and in the first few days she seeemed normal. Now at 15 weeks she is very aggresive. She wants to play and will be happy to see you when you walk through the door, but as soon as you pet her she growls and bites frantically. I've seen dogs do those things out of fear or playful excitement, but there is a difference between those behaviors and what she exhibits. She will sit on your lap and if you touch her she growls, if you try to help her on the couch or pick her up you risk being bitten. gonk My poor arms have been on the other end of her teeth too many times.

My question is, what can I do to stop or calm this?

I have no access to training given I live in a small rural all town. I have also had no experience with this type of behavior, despite being around dogs most of my life.

I do know that the puppy and her siblings came from a good loving home. Despite the aggressive biting and growling, she is very sociable and loves new people.

[q2k]

Does anyone else interact with her other than you? Is there any chance something might have happened recently that made her uncomfortable with being touched? Is there a specific part of her body she starts biting for, or is it if you touch any part of her at all?

[RavenAbyss]

Q2k

Does anyone else interact with her other than you? Is there any chance something might have happened recently that made her uncomfortable with being touched? Is there a specific part of her body she starts biting for, or is it if you touch any part of her at all?

Any part of her, and she gets interaction with other people. Like I said, she is sociable and loves people. But after getting use to a person she starts the growling and biting. It doesn't seem fear related, but she goes for anything she can bite. There haven't been any incidents, after a few days of having her she started to come out of her shell. That is when it all started. She came from a loving home, and while I can't say there was absolutely no chance of an incident, I can't be too sure. She walked right up to us, tail wagging, the day that we got her. She wouldn't stop licking my face and acting happy. stare I have honestly felt a bit tricked.

[Latrans]

If she is actually being aggressive with you at this age, return her to the breeder.

If it's not actually aggression, and is instead play/excitement behavior, clicker training is going to be your friend.

[JaziSnake]

Latrans

If she is actually being aggressive with you at this age, return her to the breeder.

If it's not actually aggression, and is instead play/excitement behavior, clicker training is going to be your friend.

Yeah uh. This.

I always cringe when I hear "aggression" and "puppy" in the same sentence. It either means that the puppy has some serious temperament issues that need to be evaluated and worked on with a behaviorist asap... or that the owner is misinterpreting their dog's play behavior. And the latter is MUCH more common.

Labs tend to be pretty mouthy puppies, and getting her at 6 weeks before she has learned from mom and littermates to curb her behavior is not helping this. I know you said you haven't contacted any professionals over this, but I would definitely see if you can find a trainer that can evaluate her behavior and tell her which of the above she's actually doing. As said, most likely it is misinterpreted play. Very very few puppies her age have aggression issues to this degree.

[SHD]

JaziSnake

Latrans

If she is actually being aggressive with you at this age, return her to the breeder.

If it's not actually aggression, and is instead play/excitement behavior, clicker training is going to be your friend.

Yeah uh. This.

I always cringe when I hear "aggression" and "puppy" in the same sentence. It either means that the puppy has some serious temperament issues that need to be evaluated and worked on with a behaviorist asap... or that the owner is misinterpreting their dog's play behavior. And the latter is MUCH more common.

Labs tend to be pretty mouthy puppies, and getting her at 6 weeks before she has learned from mom and littermates to curb her behavior is not helping this. I know you said you haven't contacted any professionals over this, but I would definitely see if you can find a trainer that can evaluate her behavior and tell her which of the above she's actually doing. As said, most likely it is misinterpreted play. Very very few puppies her age have aggression issues to this degree.

This and what Latrans said. 3nodding

Puppies shouldn't go to their new homes until they are at least 8 weeks old, although 10 weeks or even 12 weeks can be better. Puppies need to be taught by their mother and their litter-mates how to behave correctly. Since you got her at such a young age, she never got the chance to learn. So it is up to you to teach her right and wrong. What she is most likely doing is experimenting different behavior's and found out what she can get away with. If you allow this behavior to continue, she will view her behavior as normal and her strength will only get stronger and could seriously hurt someone.

Please at least e-mail or call a trainer that is close to you, and/or a behaviorist. A good trainer and/or behaviorist may even travel a bit to come and help you, or ask you to at least meet half-way.

You may want to contact the 'breeder' of the puppies and discuss the behavior with them. Ask for the contact information for the other puppy owners and get in contact with them about the behavior of your pup.

[Aerobe]

My Lab Pyrenees mix came home at 6 weeks as well and it took at LOT of training to get him to not bite with pain. We also had to endure quite a bit of pain to get where we are.
He's currently 22 weeks old and he nibbles fingers but he understands that he can do damage. At this very moment, he just wants fingers in his mouth to soothe his gums from cutting 8 teeth.

Have you guys taught her bite inhibition?
I know you have no access to a trainer but have you guys done any training yourself?

[bcuzno]

Is anyone in your home playing rough house with her? When my dog was a puppy, he became a bit aggressive when we started rough housing and had to stop immediately because he bit one of our neighbor's.

My suggestion is that you seek help from a professional. No one wants to think about taking their puppy back and if it's a "minor" (and I have that in quotations) problem that can be fixed and you give him/her back, it's not gonna make you or the puppy feel good.

I also suggest not just instantly putting your hand on the puppy. Touching without the puppy sniffing and finding comfort scares them an acts out in an aggressive manner. I've met a few run away dogs that have acted out in survival instinct and have found comfort in me when I don't show any sudden movements and whatnot. (:

You can always call around and ask, that's what I do first. They might not always give you the instant answer (they need to get paid, you know) but whatever theories they come up with can help you until you can get in to see a professional.

[VonVix]

RavenAbyss

My parents recently picked adopted a lab/boarder collie mix. They got her at just six weeks and in the first few days she seeemed normal. Now at 15 weeks she is very aggresive. She wants to play and will be happy to see you when you walk through the door, but as soon as you pet her she growls and bites frantically. I've seen dogs do those things out of fear or playful excitement, but there is a difference between those behaviors and what she exhibits. She will sit on your lap and if you touch her she growls, if you try to help her on the couch or pick her up you risk being bitten. gonk My poor arms have been on the other end of her teeth too many times.

My question is, what can I do to stop or calm this?

I have no access to training given I live in a small rural all town. I have also had no experience with this type of behavior, despite being around dogs most of my life.

I do know that the puppy and her siblings came from a good loving home. Despite the aggressive biting and growling, she is very sociable and loves new people.

What are you feeding her? It's a point often overlooked.