aggressive or just vocal ??

lucy dog · #1 12-28-2006, 08:01 PM

I have a 14 wk old male and he is very vocal with my Lucy dog. I get down to play with him and he is the same with me and our kids. I don't think that it is aggressive behavior, rather vocal puppy playing. He doesn't seem angry to me but is there anything I should look for that would say .... yes, this is a bit aggressive.

Lucy will be 2 in March and we have been training SAR for a little over a year and all that time she has only barked ar practice once. I wouldn't normally keep up with it but it is really just once, so it isn't hard to keep count as of now. Even when she and I are playing she isn't very vocal. Maybe since she hasn't been and Apollo's a little loud mouth... has me thrown for a loop with thinking he is becoming aggressive.

Is it just me?

SILLY6PAK · #2 12-28-2006, 08:52 PM

It is more dominance I think than aggression. Sort of trying to get that last word. I do think it is something to pay attention to. More alpha types take a firmer hand or you will see problems down the line.
Have a bunch of rules to clearly show you as a leader. An example would be sitting before being fed or leaving the house... Start young and you avoid problems down the road.

Lola's mum · #3 12-29-2006, 04:43 AM

I agree with Ellen on the trying to get the last word

Zeb's the same and always has been. Also 14 wks is very young so it might just be a combination of play and being sassy. Some dogs are just more vocal then others.

rosebje · #4 12-29-2006, 08:15 AM

I do know that my Jake only barked when someone came to the door (this only started at about 4-5 yrs) and then would only do the crazy wiggles once they were inside. He would bark just slightly to get in or out - but only sometimes. Jake was a very quiet docile dog, he didn't play rough. Harley on the other hand is a bit more vocal, and if he gets carried away while playing, he barks. I've noticed a couple of low toned, small barks while we are out for walks when he sees someone-only once in a blue moon, and unheard of with Jake. He is more aggressive than Jake though, but not in a mean way, in a over rambunctious way. He gets playing with my daughter and is constantly jumping up on her, biting her pantleg, chasing her around - he is only 6 months, but he is definitely different from Jake.
I guess for my dogs, barking was not a sign of aggression, but a sign of a more outgoing, more rambunctious dog - a dog that likes to sometimes express himself vocally - just like some people are very loud and boisterous, and others are very quiet.