[Netangel334]

I have been diagnosed with Cancer, therefore to avoid stresss. My dog is 7 weeks old and is a terror when I spank him he backs up and growls and me. He will not play with a toy, he bites everyone and everything in the house. I can't get a moments rest and so I crated him for short periods which gives me some reprieve. But as soon as I let him out it is hell again. I get sooo angry that he is so hard headed and escpecially mad and spank him really hard when he growls and bites me. I do praise him for going potty with positive tones and treats and I am on disability so I am home and he is out alot. I just can't take him being this way and I am scared that the growling snarling and stuff is a sign of what is to come. Do these dogs ever show love and appreciation? When does it get better. I don't want to battle cancer and put what I have left into him and he turn out to be a terror because he is taking all I have left. and no one around here buys them but to fight them and I cant afford to give him away. Please help...Desperate in NC

 

[Netangel334]

one more thing

Please don't think I beat him all the time. I snuggle him or try and he bites me. sometimes he will sleep on my lap. and I try to say no bite jake loudly before resorting to spanking. He has plenty to eat, 100 toys and a big back yard that we go play in so I don't abuse him nor do I feel I expect too much from him at this age. Just to play with his toys, play ball with me, sit on my lap, my other dogs have bloody bite wounds all over them from puppy teeth and they won't come out from under the bed because he grabs them by the throat. He acts like he is playing with them. Then I say no and crate him and he does the same so I spank him and then he goes crazy on me. How do I teach him not to be so aggressive?

 

[sajoseph]

WATER SPRAY BOTTLE, obedience classes. I know too much what you are going through. And it is hard to have a puppy in your condition let alone a mean one!!!

I have gtg but have some solid advice for you. I will get to you later or tomorrow, so make sure you get back!!!

 

[ac1d8urn]

Wow... sounds like you're going through a lot & you have my sympathy

First off, PLEASE stop spanking. It works on kids(including my own) but simply does NOT work on dogs. All it does is scare, confuse, and anger them. They don't learn from it- they don't connect the spanking to the bad thing they just did, all they know is that mommy just hit them and it hurts. Spanking a dog is the best way to make dogs agressive or psychologically damage them. I actually tried spanking on a dog I had last year. He refused to be housetrained or obey me. He pooped everywhere as soon as my back was turned & everytime I'd open the door, he'd bolt outside & be gone for hours, terrorizing the neighborhood. Everytime he was bad, I'd spank him. You know what it accomplished? Nothing, except to make my own dog FRIGHTENED of me. Me, the one who he was supposed to be able to love & trust above all else. It was not a good feeling.

It sounds like your dog has the temperament to become aggressive, so please, stop spanking immediately. Negative reinforcement just does NOT work, and only causes more problems. With dogs, the earlier you train them, the better. Puppies are infinitely more impressionable than adult dogs, so any training(including harmful techniques) you do now sticks with them for a long time. A puppy trained with spanking and harshness will grow into a dog that is fearful, aggressive, untrusting, and ultimately- DANGEROUS.

I have a new puppy as well, around the same age as yours. I've only had her since sunday, and in 3.5 days I have taught her not to bite me. What I do is- whenever she starts play-biting, I say "Ouch!" in a yelpy tone and turn away from her for a minute, pretending to be hurt. That way she learns that biting hurts & that I won't play with her if she bites me. It's gotten to where all I have to say is "No, Zaily, don't bite" and she stops. OR- I give her her bone to chew on if she's acting nippy. Now, with your dog, it'll take longer to teach him since you've been spanking him, but he should eventually get it.

I have been doing clicker training with my dog & it seems to be working. It's so simple- all you do is buy a little $2 clicker from petsmart & just click it whenever the dog does what you want them to do. Say, if Zaily poops outside or on the training pads, I click & praise her. Just ANYTIME they do something you WANT them to do, you click & praise during the desired behavior. I don't know exactly how it works, but it does. Google it for more info.

Also- just give him time! He's still a toddler, he WILL grow out of the "terror" phase. Think of it like a much shorter version of the terrible twos. If he's just too much to handle for you right now or he makes you so mad that you spank him "really hard"- for your sake & his, give him away & get yourself an older dog that's already trained.

 

[sajoseph]

7 week old is not displaying a temperment that he is aggressive. A 7 week old puppy does not know better. He may have been the dominant one in his litter, he may have ruled the roost so to speak. I have a litter of almost 4 week old pups that are constantly growling, biting each other and sometimes they get pissed and attempt to throw down. All out of play.....One bumps into the other, that one gets angry and growls, the first one doesnt accept it as a threat, but play, the second is not so accepting, they throw down and argue all the time, they are not aggressive!

When he bites, I agree yell "OUCH!" sharply(Not nec. yell, but stern" shock him so he associates his bite w/ your yelp.

Get a spray bottle too. Spray him a quick short spray when he does this.

ESTABLISH yourself as the ALPHA right now, right from the start. Make him EARN everything, treats, loving pats(doesnt mean you cant cuddle) appreciative gestures, his dinner, his bones, walk in a room before he does, etc. Do a search on the subject, you will find lots of great info.

7 weeks is not far from my litter, and I see that these pups have alot to learn as far as controlling their behavior. Your pup prolly came right from the litter where they were rough housing, and now he has no one to do that with. I imagine when looking at my pups, what if they werent weaned 100% before some breeder sold them??(Not mine, but pups in general) How would the new owners deal??What if they had no training what so ever??

This is why I am doing as much as possible before mine go. Even the stern OUCH and NO! because they understand.

LOL-2 are arguing right now, I clapped and shouted NO and they stopped!!!
They are like babies.
Hope this helps.......Do you have a crate???Time out works well to. Wheter in a crate or in a corner, teach him.

You poor thing, going through this now..................................I feel your pain.......LITERALLY!

It will all be worth it though, trust me.

 

[Netangel334]

Thank you both for input..I already started

I started yelping and he stopped and kissed me. I got him from a stupid breeder had 9 females to 2 males all outside tied to large chains. He was the only male puppy out of six and he wanted them gone by 4 weeks. So I have had him for just over 2 now. My biggest worry was what do I do if he turns out to be mean after I put so much time into him and how could I give him up knowing bull dogs have such bad reputations and he may end up in a fighting situation. I see the sweetness in him too. But what you both said made alot of sense. The yelping makes him stop and give me the cutest I am sorry look and he stops biting the other dogs if I yelp to. Only if he is being too ruff. My lil girl Maltese actualy stood her ground which was great. Like i said I want to love him and him to be my forever mushy bully lol but was scared at these early signs because I don't know when to watch for the behavior to start, I have never had this breed and my Rott. was an angel from the start, also an only dog...(which is deceased) or my lil dogs who are lap dogs for sure. I definately can see how him being the only male, outside, ignorant breeder, not weened or socialized at all is working against me. We went for a long walk and I talked to him and we started by making a new commitment he is great housetrained already. Doesn't cry in his crate and almost sits at 7 weeks..most of the time he will unless otherwise destracted. So it could be worse TY For your thoughts, opinions and prayers. I am gonna go do some snuggling while it lasts. Hopefully it will get warm soon and we can do some leash training how old do you suggest to start that? I am trying to do one thing at a time. Making him sit for treat, food, etc.

 

[ac1d8urn]

I started yelping and he stopped and kissed me.

Excellent! See, you just gotta think like a dog & communicate with them in ways they understand. Puppies don't understand our words right off, but they'll understand a yelp of pain cause it's what their brothers & sisters do.

As long as you treat him with kindness and guide him in the right directions, he won't turn out mean. Pits have this reputation for viciousness because many people keep them as fighting dogs & train them to be vicious, and THOSE are the ones that maul little kids. It's not just Pits- ANY dog can be trained to be vicious- it's not a built-in quality. You should see my mom's chihuahua- she's like 10 pounds & has drawn more blood on me than any other dog. There's really no such thing as a "bad dog". They aren't born, they're made. Animals can feel our emotions, if you're stressed & upset, they will be too. They're so much like babies, lol... Pits ARE strong-willed, and because of that you have to establish authority early on or else they will boss YOU around.