How to calm an over-aggressive puppy?

When I correct my 4-month basset mix puppy's behavior with a loud "TSST" (a technique from The Dog Whisperer), he gets very aggressive and tries to attack me. When I try to hold him down on the ground (very gently!), he doesn't calm down at all, but starts to snarl. I stay as calm and assertive as possible, but it never works (even after 15 minutes!), it's always a struggle and my hands and arms are shredded into bloody ribbons from his teeth and claws by the end of it. I love my puppy very much but I need to be able to calm him down and get him into a submissive state of mind. Any ideas?

How to calm an over-aggressive puppy?
Rebecca,





The Dog Whisperer's techinques should not be used by anyone. You really need to stop them. Obviously, they aren't working.





By holding him down and making noises at him, you are challenging him and he's fighting back. This is a typical reaction to these abusive and antiquated techiniques.





You should never train your dog to be "submissive". You should be in charge and should be the leader, but your dog should not fear you or be submissive because of your actions.





It's time to enlist a real live trainer that can help fix the problems that the dog has, and to help train you. The trainer will probably have to undo some of what you've done, so listen very carefully and support the new techniques at home.





I know that you are just doing what you see on TV, but that show has a disclaimer that the techniques should not be used at home. .





GL 2 u and the pup.





AHA statement against Mr. Millan: http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageS...





http://dogtime.com/cesar-millan-and-ian-...





http://dogs.about.com/cs/basictraining/a...








Added: I have to add that all these "yelp" when he bites you and say "ouch" when he hurts you things are TERRIBLE advice. Your dog is already potentially showing signs of aggression. Doing this will show your dog that he is hurting you - putting HIM in charge. This is why you need the help of a real person, not a bunch of 12 year olds who read a bad book or heard from their brother's girlfriend's cousin that this is how you train dogs.





They are ALMOST as bad as the morons who are telling you to up your dominance by Alpha Rolling. YOUR DOG DOESN'T NEED IT!!!!!!!!! DOing it will most likely freak your dog out more and potentially force him to hurt you seriously.





Read the links I gave you. Please.
Reply:You can't use those technique on an agressive dog. Didn't you see the disclaimer on the show.


You need professional help...get a trainer, a behaviorist.


check this website out


http://www.animalbehavior.net/
Reply:just say no and ignore him


does he listen at all???


maybe obedience class!


if he is older u should neuter him...thats gonna calm him down.


i have a beagle puppy and he got a lil wild too...but he is very obedient...I was patient and it worked
Reply:Instead of using that "tsst"method (obviously it doesn't work), use a loud, stern NO. You can say no in a soft sweet voice and a loud, booming, stern voice and get two completely different results.
Reply:Get him to obedience training ASAP. Once you and your vet decide that the pup is ready, getting him neutered might also help with this behaviour.
Reply:You didn't say what you were correcting the dog for doing, but I suggest you ditch the Dog Whisperer's techniques (which really aren't appropriate for puppies and are controversial anyway) and get your dog into an obedience class - 4 months is a perfect age. You will learn a lot and so will your dog. This technique is obviously not working for either of you if you are getting ripped to shreds. More positive techniques are appropriate at his age, even if he is very dominant by nature. Also, he is a hound breed and they can be a bit stubborn, so some patience and consistency will be needed.
Reply:Thats not very helpful Emily..


As the person above has said you really need to get in contact with a behaviourist yourself. If you can't find one in your area go to your vet and they can refer you to somone that they recommend.. Good luck..


Also if you don't already get yourself to obedience classes which will help you gain that Alpha role..
Reply:Please take your dog to a good training class where you can learn how to train your dog correctly, using kind methods. It's not surprising your puppy is growling - you're probably terrifying him and all you are teaching him is to be afraid of you. Forget all this assertive/submissive stuff and start working with your pup, ignoring him when he does wrong %26amp; praising him when he does things right.


http://www.apdt.co.uk/list_trainers.asp


Advice to do an alpha roll on a dog you don't know anything about is very foolish, and sometimes downright dangerous.
Reply:I do like Cesar Milan's techniques, but remember each show posts the "do not attempt this without consulting a Professional".





From the sounds of you pinning technique, you are getting it wrong, he should not be able to bite you. Get yourself enrolled with a Certified Professional Trainer as soon as possible.





Good Luck.
Reply:Tell him "NO" instead and clap your hands loudly at the same time. If he snarls or growls, tell him "NO" again. If he continues to growl/snarl, pin him on his BACK. This is important to pin him on his back (without hurting him) because it is a submission of him to you. He is going to fight you on it though. But it's important to keep him like that until he settles down. Don't even yell or tell him "no" while you have him like that, just try and stay calm while you're doing it. Once he settles, praise him alot for it. If this doesn't work, grab him with your arm around his neck (like a choke-hold but without choking him) and make him stay pressed against you until he calms down. Again praise him alot when he does.
Reply:I don't know exactly about your dog, but almost all puppies try to play "aggressively", that is how they begin the socialization with each other. When he does bite you give a high pitched yelp, that is what his litter mates would do, and it is how they know that they are being too rough. Another good idea is to ignore him when he is playing too rough. Puppies are constantly vying for attention, so make sure he doesn't think that behavior will get him some.
Reply:If you are a dog whisperer fan then you should have read what it says at the bottom left-hand side of the screen about not trying those techniques on your own. Ask your vet to recommend a behaviourist and find a good training class. The best way to find a training class is through recommendation from other owners. Stop trying to hold your pup down, you are probably frightening him to death and he has decided the best course of action is to fight back. What sort of behaviour needs this sort of extreme correction? If the 'TSST' noise is annoying him he must be associating it with something unpleasant so change it to something else.


Go back to basics with your training, use lots of love and treats for good behaviour and try, as much as is safe, to ignore bad behaviour.
Reply:This is WHY they say ***do not try this at home***





I like some of the things in Caesar's approach (calm assertive), but some of the things I couldn't disagree with more. Forcing a dog down on it's side or standing over the animal will usually cause a dog acting in an aggressive manner to ESCALATE the aggression. In fact in the animal's mind those are direct threats and can even cause a dog that isn't behaving aggressive to become aggressive. And you are witnessing this first hand!





Get the puppy into puppy obedience. There is nothing going on here with a four month old pup that cannot be corrected if handled correctly with patience and kindness. Please lose the idea everything a dog does is connected to dominance, there are so many behaviors and motivators a dog can have, dominance is just one among many and THE most misinterpreted of all thanks to this show. So please get some training help from a certified professional trainer and leave the forcing a dog to it's side to Caesar =)
Reply:ihave a 4 month australian shepherd that gets very excited after his nap or when he sees another dog or another person. he has bitten me a few times but you have to understand puppies dont know any better. when he bites you, say "OUCH" really loud in a voice that sounds like your in pain. ive also calmed my dogdown using a number of ways. ill just hold him in my arms, wont pet or do anything just hold him, wont even look at him and he usually cries and calms down. ive enrolled him in obedience classes and agility courses to get his workout or ill put him in the crate shut the door and just sit beside the crate not looking at the dog till he quiets down then ill let him out. thats what i do but i use the crate as a last resort ive only used it once and hes never ignored me since. in fatc al his energy is now used while i teach him tricks. good luck to you and your pet, just rmemeber its never the puppies fault
Reply:I highly suggest you getting a qualified trainer out to your house to work with you and your dog.





Looking at Cesar work the dogs can look very easy for people and I am sure that there has been alot of people being bitten when they try to do what he does. Remember when you are watching him, there is a lot of editing of the show. Dealing with aggression is not a overnight thing. Cesar if very good at body language, his and also the dogs that he works with. Because the "TSST" isn't working for you, stop using it and what I use for my dogs, is just a simple "Too Bad", and they go to time-out. I am calm, no yelling, I am matter of fact, etc. Think of safety first for you. You NEVER do alpha rolls. They have never seen a wolf in the wild throw down another wolf like that. The one might summit tho. The puppy's behavior is going to become worse if you continue with what you are doing. You didn't mention why you are having to do this with your puppy. I think you are breaking down the trust in your puppy with the methods that you are using. Dealing with aggression needs to be worked with a behavorist or qualified trainer.





What works for certain dogs may not work for another dog. I had big problems with food aggression. The methods that are in the books did not work for him. I had to get another trainer work with him and she was able to do it after everyone else wanted me to give up on it.
Reply:change methods of training as what you are doing could be harmful use a reward based training method change your thinking from dominance to control you want to be able to control your dog without having to have a fight simple obedience training using a modern reward based method of training stop fighting him and start training him
Reply:Sounds like you're going about it wrongly, but you have a quality I admire very much in dog owners, and that is realising when something is not working and asking for ideas. :)





The thing about dominance and submissive behaviour is that in the dog world, the submissive behaviour is offered, not forced upon the submissive dog by the dominant dog.





If you observe how a dominant dog is greeted by submissive pack-members you will see how it actually does very little except having a calm and confident body language. Any "alpha-rolls" (usually only used by very submissive or young pack-members) are the submissive dog rolling onto its back voluntarily, NOT the dominant dog forcing it to do so or holding it down.





Most dog language is ritualised. Use of force or violence outside of a play-situation is usually reserved for fights - and in a pack, dogs will go to extreme lengths not to fight, because it endangers and destabilizes the pack, if the fighting dogs are hurt or killed, the pack is weaker. If a dog has to leave the pack after losing the fight, the pack is weaker, plus a dog has a lower chance of surviving on its own than even the lowest ranking member of a pack.





By holding your puppy down, you are displaying very threatening and aggressive body language. It's a bit like your boss twisting your arm onto your back forcing you to say "uncle" to show you respect him. Some will put up with it, most won't...and it tends to breed more resentment/fear than respect. And as you've discovered, it's not working with your puppy.





He obviously also has some negative associations with the "TSST" sound, so I would switch to another sound. Stop holding him down to calm him, instead turn your back to him and ignore him (leave the room if this is the only way to ignore him).





If you absolutely need to physical correct him, my suggestion is "pinning", which is a gesture that mimics the mother dog's behaviour when correcting and unruly pup.





"Pinning" is simply curling your finger over the bridge of the pup's nose and exerting gentle pressure, be careful not to cover his airways or poke his eyes (and never use this method with flat-nosed breeds). A submissive puppy will often OFFER an alpha-roll in response to the "pinning" and if he does, you should let go immediately.





He sounds like a pup with an attitude, so he probably will not do that, but if he respects you, he might narrow his eyes/ try to look away/ pull his ears back/ yawn - all calming signals that will show you that he's got the message.





Instead of using force - play, obedience- and contact training are great ways to bond with your dog and establish ranking. They make the dog WANT to defer to you.





I believe this will work with you and your puppy as well. You seem to have the right kind of attitude (loving your puppy very much, plus being calm and assertive), it's just your methods and your current submission-dominance thinking that are somewhat off, in my opinion.
Reply:This is a four month old puppy and he is obviously trying his luck with the bite reflex. What this means is he has left his Mum and siblings and he has perhaps forgotten who the Boss is.


Next time you are trying to disipline him and he bites or scratches you, let out an audible yelp, like you were very hurt, and then tell physically take him to his bed.


This will teach pup that he has hurt you and that he is not in charge. Remain calm throughout and be positive with him, but remember to be absolutely silent when you discipline him. When you have put him away from you in another room , he will know you are displeased with him. When you put him in his bed, WALK AWAY and CLOSE THE DOOR AND LEAVE HIM THERE! This is important! Leave him there for 10 minuites! Then let him out. If he is naughty again, then put him in the other room IMMEDIATELY! and get on with what you were doing. Repeat this procedure until he gets it!


You will be tired and really peed off, but please believe me, it's worth it. You will have a beautifull healthy and happy dog, and he will give you a lifetime of happyness!
Reply:It's the little things that will make a bigger difference.





Always make sure you eat before he does. If his meals are before your meal times eat a biscuit of anything just so that he sees you are eating first.





Sit in his bed, move him to sit in the place he's sitting. Don't give him access to any of his toys, make them your toys and play with them when you want to then when you've finished playing put them away again.





If he's at the top of the stairs, don't walk up to him but call him down to you before you go up. Walk though doors, gates etc before him.





Don't point your finger at him when you correct him, it can be very threatening ( just think how you feel when someone tells you off while pointing their finger at you), use the palm of your hand the same way a traffic controller would, and give a firm 'NO'.





Is he food aggressive also? If he is, put his lead on while he's eating. Call his name while guiding him back with the lead and give him a treat tastier than what he's eating and praise him, then let him go back to his food. Over time you'll be able to put a treat in his bowl while he's still eating ( don't try this just yet!!!!) He'll soon learn that you are putting something nice in his bowl and not trying to take his food.





Invest in a puppy crate. First sign of him being aggressive put him in the crate with a blanket over it for time out. Totally ignore him and when he's quiet bring out and praise him. If he's aggressive again put him straight back in.





Enrol him into a puppy class and the trainer will be able to assess your puppy more.
Reply:try saying a loud no. If I were you I'd pick up a chain-linked shirt too. Just my opinion.
Reply:you have a dominant dog on your hands. Seek professional advice ASAP . He is still young enough to be trained out of this behaviour. Best of luck :))))
Reply:I always go overboard with praise when a puppy does what I want it to and ignore anything that they do wrong. I would try to give it more exercise and do some training in the garden. Teach your dog to retrieve and take it to puppy classes.
Reply:when he starts to get aggressive stop and stare at him and keep staring until he cant make eye contact with you ;this works with my dog
Reply:Don't say "TSST" if this makes him aggressive, maybe try a different word like "AH!" (It suggests that in "It's me or the dog" by Victoria Stillwell)


Bach Essences are supposed to calm them down(http://www.bachfloweressences.co.uk/) also DAP diffusers (http://www.doggiesolutions.co.uk/erol.ht... you can even get collars like that


I hope this helps-Good Luck!!
Reply:point and laugh
Reply:Your young puppy isn't submitting to you, plain and simple. You need to assert yourself as the alpha in the relationship, roll him on his back to make him submit, if he becomes agitated or snappy he might just be thinking you are playing. Use your hand to grab the scruff of his neck (not too hard you don't want to hurt him) and mimic the biting his mother would give him. You may need dog training supplies and you certainly need to enroll him in a puppy obedience class. Good luck!



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