Aggressive 8 week old puppy?? - Page 2

Furface · #11 10-20-2009, 11:25 AM

Hang in there folks, and take gmaclouds advice, and be consistent and patient I went through this with mine, she is now 8 months old and has well and truly out grown that behaviour

wvKIMwv · #12 10-22-2009, 06:44 PM

Thank you ALL for your responses...even to those of you who are experiencing the same thing with your puppy. It makes me realize that I'm not alone, and it's normal boxer puppy behavior! RockyCody, it DOES get better!! I tried the same things you did...muzzling her with my hand made Lillie go crazy, too!! She would bark and growl and come after me when I did that. I have been walking away from her (yelping seems to get her excited also!!) and it's starting to sink in...FINALLY!! It's only been a few days, and although I know it'll take a lot longer to actually get the point across completely, she is responding to us walking away and/or going to another room and shutting the door behind us. She cries and whines, too, but that lets me know that she is disappointed and wants to be with us!! Many times she just starts playing too rough again, so we repeat walking away. After a while, she gets it and calms down. I've also removed HER instead of us leaving the room. I put her in her crate and she quickly calms down...often falling asleep soon after. I think she's just overstimulated or tired when that happens and needs a short nap. It's not affecting her feelings about her crate...she still goes into it at night and doesn't cry. If I thought it was giving her a negative feeling, I wouldn't put her in time out in it.

I have to say that I was getting really frustrated with Lillie, too. I was beginning to not enjoy having a new puppy around. But, after learning her personality and seeing that all she really wants is attention, I'm falling in love!!! She is still too rough for my 3-year-old to play with. My daughter gets too excited and that carries over to my puppy...who, in turn, growls and bites at her. I've told my little girl to just pet her when she's calm and sleepy...that's the best time to let them bond. They will eventually learn to play together...I just know to be patient...and let it happen in time.

I came extremely close to calling the breeder and asking to return my puppy before I asked you all for help. Please know that you are the reason I hung in there...and will continue to do that!!! You are such a wonderful support system!!! THANKS SO MUCH!!!

momtobrndon · #13 10-23-2009, 12:29 PM

I am glad things are going better for you. I am still having a hard time here. She is RELENTLESS with my kids. I feel so bad for them. I want to let Cali out in the living room with us to "hang out" but it just doesn't work. I have to keep her blocked in the kitchen most of the time when the kids are around and "life" is going on. I take her outside a lot to play and release her energy but as soon as a kid comes out, it is like she is Jaws! She will just hang onto poor Emily (4 y/o) and not let go. Honestly, at what age will this "I want to eat those children for lunch" phase be lessened? I want this to work but am just still so overwhelmed. My husband works out of town all week so it is just me and the kids and Cali. I don't want to find her a home because it would be pretty hard for anyone to prove their worthiness to me. LOL I do love her and want to make this work but get so discouraged. She sleeps well at night, hardly any potty accidents in the house but this serious biting thing is killing me....

wvKIMwv · #14 10-25-2009, 09:46 AM

Lillie still bites my little girl...on a daily basis!!! We just know that she can't be around my 3 year old unless she is sleepy. She is really rough with me and my husband, too. I just have to take each day at a time...wanting to give her away one minute and loving her to pieces the next. I have to keep reading everyone's positive stories on how their puppies grew out of this phase. I also keep in mind that I know she is teething and want to bite hard to make her mouth feel better. I know this is not the case when she growls and "attacks"...it's THEN that I have to laugh at her for being so BRAVE. She is so much smaller than us but acts as if she could eat us alive! What is hard for me to understand is how our cat can simply look at her a certain way and she cowers!!! Hang in there!!!

Mesquite · #15 11-04-2009, 08:59 AM

It sounds like we are all in the same boat. Just when I want to sink into the recliner, Jake decides its time to play. If I just sit there, then he starts with the biting, etc. I have found that if I get up I can usually get him to play some other game that does not involve biting me. I think he just has LOADS of energy he needs to do something with. He is much better behaved on the weekends when he's had plenty of outdoor activity (and few naps).

I often browse the local boxer rescue web page and it's distressing to see so many boxers in need of homes. They're great dogs, but too many people who buy these cute little puppies have no clue what they're getting into; they just do not understand how much time and attention these dogs must have (yes, it can be exhausting!). Boxers who are ignored generally turn into "problem" dogs that people want to dump.

ikonxone · #16 11-04-2009, 03:00 PM

nixxon doesn't bite or mouth on people, but he does with other dogs. the website says to do the correction when he bites to hard on the human, so how would i transition this to correcting it when he mouths on other dogs or should i not worry about that?

Boxercompa · #17 11-04-2009, 06:24 PM

I am raising my 2nd boxer puppy and they were both the same to me. Very mouthy, biting, full of energy and rebellious at times but never really meant any harm. My arms and hands are currently all marked up with scratches but I understood what I was getting myself into and to be honest I enjoy the challenge they provide. They will challenge you from time to time as they get older but usually respond to a command that you have taught them to respond with. I completely understand how someone can be exhausted and sometimes plain tired of it and not enjoy your boxer but as they get older (in my experience) they are dogs that you love more than any other pet. Just give yourself a timeout and return when you regain your patience because sometimes we need it more than our boxer pups do, lol.

ehayes21 · #18 11-05-2009, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ikonxone

nixxon doesn't bite or mouth on people, but he does with other dogs. the website says to do the correction when he bites to hard on the human, so how would i transition this to correcting it when he mouths on other dogs or should i not worry about that?

I wouldn't worry about other dogs...they will let the pup know he's gone too far.

Mesquite · #19 11-12-2009, 08:59 AM

Last night Jake acted so horrible that both my husband and I were about at the end of our rope. Usually I can distract him with some other kind of game, but last night he seemed to grow bored with his toys and playing fetch/keep away and resorted to biting and nipping and absolutely refused to stop. Yelling "ouch" doesn't phase him in the least. He apparently could care less how much pain he is inflicting. We tried time out, but once we're back with him he's right back at it. I only hope he outgrows this. Money is tight right now, but we really need to get him in a training class ASAP, mostly so that we can learn how to effectively deal with him.

I'm wondering if he's too young (4 months) to be going through some kind of adolescent phase.

No more puppies for us. Any future boxers will be older rescue dogs.

SweetCody · #20 11-12-2009, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesquite

Last night Jake acted so horrible that both my husband and I were about at the end of our rope. Usually I can distract him with some other kind of game, but last night he seemed to grow bored with his toys and playing fetch/keep away and resorted to biting and nipping and absolutely refused to stop. Yelling "ouch" doesn't phase him in the least. He apparently could care less how much pain he is inflicting. We tried time out, but once we're back with him he's right back at it. I only hope he outgrows this. Money is tight right now, but we really need to get him in a training class ASAP, mostly so that we can learn how to effectively deal with him.

I'm wondering if he's too young (4 months) to be going through some kind of adolescent phase.

No more puppies for us. Any future boxers will be older rescue dogs.

Not to scare you but Aniah was awful for her first year. There were so many times when I said to myself I hate this dog....she has to go. I don't call her Satan's Own for nothing. It took boat-loads of patience to get through her very long puppy phase. But now she is about 18 months and has become a better dog. She is still nowhere near the "Good Doggy" that my Cody is, but she is "good" for her. They just have very different personalities. But she has her own little charm.
I used and still do the leaving the room technique. I will slam a door in her face in a heartbeat. Sometimes it takes more than once, but she does get the picture now with just once most of the time. She does not like to be alone at all and will calm down pretty quick now. Good luck.