Puppy suddenly turned very aggressive

[RascalUK]

Hi there. We have an 8 week old cocker spaniel puppy that we have had for a week.

He's very friendly and affectionate but has had a bad habit of biting toes since we got him. Bad habits obviously picked up previously.

We had some guests round to stay on Saturday evenig and he was star of the show, being affectionate and funny etc. However, an hour after they left his temperament has changed totally and he's become very aggresive - snarling, biting, baring teeth, showing whites of eyes. Nothing pleasant at all.

This lasted for a few hours till he finally fell asleep and then continued this morning.

Is it a dominance thing perhaps? Obviously at the moment with puppy teeth it's only really uncomfortable rather than painful but it his manner that is concerning.

Any help greatly appreciated

Paul

[Punkygirl0101]

The problem may be, he was taken away from his mother too early. Puppies shouldn't leave their mother for 12 weeks, 10 at the least. They learn very valuable lessons from their mother, and litter mates in those important weeks!

If he were with his mother right now, and was biting her..or his siblings, they would yelp, or the mother would slightly nip him to teach him its wrong.

Obviously he is with you now. Do you crate him? You need to teach him you are dominant, like in a pack, thats how the puppies learn good "manners".

[Novel]

I must disagree, 8 weeks is old enough, and taking him away from his mother has nothing to do with this current demonstration, in my opinion.

I have to say it is very odd behavior, if it is as you describe it and I don't know what to say. It seems to be completely unnatural. Is it possible he was injured?

I simply cannot think of an explanation for this behavior. Try to contact your dog's breeder for ideas, and so they can evaluate the dog's behavior in person. There is new evidence towards a rage syndrome in canines, and usually happens completely out of nowhere, but usually only for short time. There is no cure and most dogs must be put down that exhibit that type of behavior.

A vet visit may be in order as well, just to check for physical issues that could be causing the behavior, like injury or disease.

[RascalUK]

It is strange. Since our guests left he did start charging around doing a lot of sniffing which is something he hasn't previusly done.

We thought he may have just freaked out at all the extra smells but I was less happy when it continued this morning.

He was at the vets last week for first round of injections and was fine but I'll whip him back round there if he's still like this tonight.

As for the injury. We did put our Christmas tree out yesterday and it did cross my mind when I saw him licking a paw that he may have jabbed it with a pine needle but there is no obvious splinter.

As I say, if it was just playful it would not be so worrying but there is a level of aggression there that shouldn't be.

Thanks,

Paul

[Punkygirl0101]

I must disagree..the original poster got the puppy at 7 weeks.. that is far too young, many people will agree with me that 10-12 weeks is better for the puppies behavior, and manners. its more beneficial to the new owner as well.

Dogs learn a lot from their mothers during the age of 8-12 weeks.. every dog book I have read explains why. The mother and siblings teach the dogs manners during that stage, which includes NOT to bite the alpha, or other dogs. I am sure people will disagree...my mom has even gotten a dog at 7 weeks before, but from personal experience (That does not count having a litter of puppies in the home with their mother, because that is completely different) when you bring a puppy home too early, not only is it more work for you, but the puppy would have benefited from staying with the siblings and mother longer.

My friend got her puppy at 4 weeks. it wasn't her choice, she was helping out a friend who was just going to dump them at the SPCA if no one took them, so she took her.. she has aggression issues as well. And our JRT/Rat terrier/Chi mix, who we got at around 6-7 weeks..also has aggression issues.

[Kris]

Could it be boredom maybe? Going from being the center of attention with alot of stimulation to a quieter, less challenging encironment could cause boredom until he has a chance to readjust to the normality of your household. Darby, my IW has some regression to bad behavior right after we've had company (hyperactivity and snatching pillows off the couch and playing chase). I've always assumed it was a result of less stimulation and try to counter it with teaching new tricks or going over some tricks we do infrequently. It seems to help. Good luck.

Kris

[bigdoglover]

I must agree with Novel.....bringing a pup home at the age of 7 or 8 weeks isn't a bad thing, and shouldn't be the cause of this behavior.

I would also agree that contacting the breeder is a good idea. Did you get to see the parents of this pup? Did the breeder ever mention that mom or dad occassionally get grumpy? Did you get to witness this pup interacting with its littermates?

[rmci]

Did your guests treat the dog differently than you normally do, such as allowing him to do things you don't?

[rottielover]

could it possibly be over stimilation as well. puppies, like babies need sleep or get cranky. Just a thought. Unless the puppy is wired wrong, it was being a puppy, they need to learn manners

[sammy]

Originally Posted by rottielover

could it possibly be over stimilation as well. puppies, like babies need sleep or get cranky. Just a thought. Unless the puppy is wired wrong, it was being a puppy, they need to learn manners

That was exactly my thought too.
This is a young puppy. When a puppy is that young he is very little means to settle himself down in the face of overstimulation. Just like kids, puppies get over tired and over stimulated and when they do they can get hyper and start doing silly things. He has no way of settling himself he may have been being held and not even able to get away from the attention and petting. He has no way to communicate to you that he's getting over tired and overstimulated so he ends up getting bitey and acting wild.
He's not making a conscious choice to misbehave. I would not even consider that this is "bad behavior", dominance or an unstable temperament. This is no more a behavior problem than a human baby at a family party who gets passed around a little too long, gets overdone and can't settle and no amount of rocking and soothing seems to help, it just seems to make the baby cry more.
The best thing to do is pay attention to the subtle signs that your pup has had enough, might be getting tired and give him a break before he gets to this point. Put him somewhere away from all the petting and noise and let him relax.

[Cassiepeia]

Just wanted to agree with Novel and BDL...8 weeks is a good age to bring a medium to large breed pup home (and 7 weeks isn't devastating although I think it's still too young). It is toy breeds that shouldn't be brought home until 10 - 12 weeks...but this is not a toy breed.

Also agree with others that this pup needs to go to the vet to make sure there isn't anything more serious going on. Perhaps contact a behaviourist as well to see him in person.

Cass.

[Kris]

I guess I think a vet visit (unless you haven't already taken him in after you got him) or a behaviorist is a bit of an over-reaction. This pup is 8 weeks old, for goodness sakes. At the very least give him a few days to settle down after being in what could easily have been the most exciting event of his very young life. Show him that his current behavior is unacceptable and then just be consistent for a bit.

Kris

[Cassiepeia]

The OP said the behaviour continued the next morning. I don't think a vet visit or behaviourist is an over-reaction if the behaviour the puppy is exhibiting is very unusual for a puppy. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Cass.

[Punkygirl0101]

This is the first forum I have been on where people agreed that 7-8 weeks is a good age to be brought home..

happens to be the first time I have heard that, even from the books I have read.

[Doglover1988]

I have never heard an age other than 8 weeks. Just wondering which websites or books you heard this from? I have heard of small dogs needing to stay with their moms longer but not larger ones.