12 Weeks old - growling/snapping

[fawncoat]

Hi! I'm hoping to get some help/feedback about an issue I'm having with my 12 week-old female.

So far, these things cause growling:

to be hovered over, or hugged from above

to be hugged too tight

being moved from the couch or chair

being picked up and held by someone she isn't entirely familiar with

(I can pick her up from above when I take her out at night to keep her from stopping on the carpet along the way, my step-father cannot pick her up- she thrashes and growls at him)

I no longer allow her on the couch and make her get down if she gets on the couch or chair. At first I would pull her down even if she growled at me. Eventually she understood and would get down if I persisted and now she rarely even jumps up there.

Outside of these things, she is very sweet, playful, happy, and overall easy to manage with rewards and praise. She can be skiddish- doesn't like to leave the yard on leash, is afraid of car rides (wants to get in my lap and inside of me if possible). On the other hand, she is confident in familiar territory and even a bit dominant/assertive.

I am worried about her growling at others (and me, but especially others) for getting too close or approaching her from above. Are there any red flags I should be worried about, and any suggestions on how to handle them?

[emilys]

well, LOTS of dogs don't like being hovered over or hugged... I think her growling at that is pretty normal, especially if someone in the past squeezed too hard while hugging or picking her up, and this has resulted in the warning growl when being picked up. So don't hug her , and don't let others (especially strangers) do that

You'll want to slowly re-condition her that a human touch is always positive. Start with gentle touches/stroking with praise and treats. Have strangers do that. GRADUALLY move to holding a foot, lifting her gently a little way off the floor, etc. BABY STEPS.

Forget about labeling her "dominant/assertive". Focus on what her actual behaviors are and work on changing the undesirable ones.

She's a puppy, very much just learning about her world. The key to positive puppy training is to reward when puppy is good and do whatever it takes to prevent puppy from being bad, by watching and distracting from bad behavior (for example: if it looks like she wants to chew your shoe, distract her with a toy she can chew. And put way your shoes so she can't get at them)

Be POSITIVE in your interactions: praise and reward her for doing the good things. So if you never want to allow her on the couch, don't let her up now (stop her before she does, distracting her and offering a reward when she comes to you). You ARE watching her at all times, right? ;-) If you WANT to allow her on the couch, but only when you give permission, you can start that training now.

If she hasn't been to a vet recently, you'll want to go to yours and check that she doesn't have any painful spots

[fawncoat]

Thanks for the thorough reply

Yes, I watch her always. I cannot say that she doesn't ever get out of my sight, but I call her to me when she does. She follows my other dogs into the kitchen when someone else goes in there. She still has the occasional accident but these days just urine, no poop in a while.

I do fuss her briefly for getting on the couch and I don't always have a treat handy to give her for getting down, but I do praise her and pet her for it. But I see what you mean about not fussing at her, per say, but rather just call her off instead and make it positive.

Thanks for putting her behavior into the perspective that ALL dogs have preferences. I get tripped up sometimes as a new-to-pits owner. That I know of, she has never been mishandled or squeezed. I do know that she wasn't introduced to human contact until she was around 4 weeks old. Her mother's owner was working offshore and found the pups when he came home. He coaxed them out with food and eventually they became comfortable with people. The mother was a real sweetheart though. I just guess that may be part of it- lack of introduction and being outside and away from humans for the first 4 weeks of life. Idk, just seems to make sense.

I see what you mean about removing the dominance/aggressive labeling from her behavior. I am moving away from that train of thought with all of my dogs. (I have three, all different breeds and ages). The labels just don't serve a purpose. The behaviors have to be dealt with the same regardless.

I have to admit that with respect to her breed and the potential consequences, I want to do the best I can to avoid anything that may eventually set her off. I may sound ignorant, and that's okay I'm here to learn and raise a healthy canine family member.

[fawncoat]

Thanks for the thorough reply

Yes, I watch her always. I cannot say that she doesn't ever get out of my sight, but I call her to me when she does. She follows my other dogs into the kitchen when someone else goes in there. She still has the occasional accident but these days just urine, no poop in a while.

I do fuss her briefly for getting on the couch and I don't always have a treat handy to give her for getting down, but I do praise her and pet her for it. But I see what you mean about not fussing at her, per say, but rather just call her off instead and make it positive.

Thanks for putting her behavior into the perspective that ALL dogs have preferences. I get tripped up sometimes as a new-to-pits owner. That I know of, she has never been mishandled or squeezed. I do know that she wasn't introduced to human contact until she was around 4 weeks old. Her mother's owner was working offshore and found the pups when he came home. He coaxed them out with food and eventually they became comfortable with people. The mother was a real sweetheart though. I just guess that may be part of it- lack of introduction and being outside and away from humans for the first 4 weeks of life. Idk, just seems to make sense.

I see what you mean about removing the dominance/aggressive labeling from her behavior. I am moving away from that train of thought with all of my dogs. (I have three, all different breeds and ages). The labels just don't serve a purpose. The behaviors have to be dealt with the same regardless.

I have to admit that with respect to her breed and the potential consequences, I want to do the best I can to avoid anything that may eventually set her off. I may sound ignorant, and that's okay I'm here to learn and raise a healthy canine family member.

Sorry for the double post. ETA- Do I need to worry about her snapping at my daughter's face any further than just not allowing her into situations that may cause her to react that way?

[fawncoat]

I forgot to say this too- she is an affectionate little pup. Loves to cuddle and be petted, just mostly on her terms. I did let her sleep in the bed a couple of times and she was sad and vocalized her protest when I stopped letting her. She loves to be in a lap. We really don't have issues with her being touched in general. just certain times and I'm not sure why yet. Giving her space is the best thing, I think. I do notice that all of these things are on her terms though. That's totally fine too. We can work with that.

[emilys]

poor little thing... she missed a HUGE amount of human contact in her important early weeks. She learned to "do it herself". All the more reason to go very very slowly and very very gently and teach her that doing what YOU want is lots more fun and rewarding. Try to really SEE her and understand her. As Suzanne Clothier (a wonderful human trainer/behaviorist/writer) say, "ask your dog, "who are you".

Another great humane writer with wonderful ideas for training is Patricia McConnell. RUN AWAY from any Cesar Millan types, or anyone who wants you to put a choke or shock collar on her.

[fawncoat]

Thanks, lol! I'm not going with the dominant approach with her. I've done that before and I regret it. I'm only lucky that dog still loves me.

You kind of summed up how I see her. I was reminded real quick that she was raised with mother and siblings only in those first weeks and humans came secondary to her. I'm very fortunate that she loves people as much as she does. She's snoozing in my lap right now

I reward her for things I like/want her to do and I avoid punishment as much as I can. It's rare.

I've been doing feeding sessions with the three of my dogs together. That's typically how I feed her- by hand. I'll ask her to do a few things in session like sit, or down, and the reward is right there. I mainly focus on rewarding calm behavior, not pawing me or trying to steal food. (I know, very Cesar, but it's working for us). We play a lot of "you choose." She's learning from my other two what I expect and what gets results.

Mainly, I wanted to know if I were seeing red flags, or normal behavior- and if I'm doing the right things. Doesn't look like red flags, so I'm happy about that.