WWYD? Would you rehome?

[DaniJade1990]

Looking for some advice and honest opinions as I'm really confused. I am a first time dog owner and I posted last week about my beagle pup showing signs of aggression. Most of the time she is a lovely, normal bouncy pup but since posting her little signs of aggression have become more frequent and worrying. Today she lunged at my 5 year old dd, growling and trying to bite her hip. My friend and her bf came over and she went for both of them. I contacted a charity for beagles and have been following their advice but if I'm totally honest she frightens me when she is like that and I find it hard to deal with. I dont want to give up on her but i am frightened she will hurt my dd. Please dont flame me I really dont know what to do I dont have experience with dogs, only cats! Im so torn

I will start walking her less. If she behaves badly I ignore her, turn away from her EVERY TIME. Maybe you are all right, to be honest I think I've been feeling a bit depressed with it all which has clouded my judgement. I lost a pet last year and I can't even bare to think about it, the puppy has really overwhelmed me and the pet I lost was the most loving thing you could ever wish to meet and since I got the puppy I think about her much more. Thanks for everyones advice once again.

I totally get the overwhelmed feeling, I remember having times when I questioned what on earth I had done having a puppy. It was relentless for quite a while, it seemed as though we sorted house training and then it was the nipping and then as soon as that was sorted he was chewing because he was teething and then it was stroppy teen time (which made puppy troubles seem a breeze tbh) but now he's about 18 months and he is a delightful little dog and all the hassle he caused seems long ago and not so bad anymore. It's just a case of hanging in there.

Perhaps this isn't the dog for you and maybe it is just not the'right' time for you , if that's the case see if the breeder can take the puppy back now as she will have a much better chance in a new home at this age than when she is a year old - lots of people make mistakes and it's not a problem if they then deal with it correctly . The Blue Cross have a pet bereavement service and it may be worth a call to them about your feelings . Good luck .

I know method of dog training isn't fashionable here but I don't agree with the positive only method.

I do tell puppies off, and make it clear some behaviours are not acceptable. I don't hurt them, nor do I shout but I am very clear with 'no' and have zero tolerance for mouthing people or their clothes. My pups don't nip. I feel strongly that ignoring it, or just turning away doesn't make the message clear enough.

They need to learn bite inhibition - but not using me!

The beagle breeder we've been in contact with said the same daisydotandgertie. They sometimes need a firm 'no' to know that something is not acceptable. No shouting, no smacking just a firm tone.

I worry that I won't make such a good dog owner as I'm a bit of a soft touch and my children aren't very compliant!!!

Are you taking her to any training classes? Even experienced dog trainers take their dogs to training classes as nothing can substitute for working alongside other dogs and everyone, however experienced they may be, can get into bad habits. Training classes will teach you how to teach the puppy, for example a 'leave it' command can be extremely useful but the puppy is not going to learn it by you simply saying 'no' (and 'no' is not a good word to use anyway as it is in common usage).

As for the aggression it is extremely rare for a young puppy to be aggressive but it is possible. No one can advise you on aggression over the internet. You need a qualified behaviourist who can visit your home, assess the behaviour, explain its origins to you and teach you training techniques to deal with it. I would suggest you get someone out as a matter of urgency to help you develop the skills to understand and train your puppy.

'No' works jolly well with mine!

So does 'what do you think you're doing?' And a very simple 'ah-ah' if it's a pup I've bred.

Most of it's tone of voice of course. Tone of voice is massively important in dog training.

Of course there are lots of approaches to dog training, and I absolutely agree that training classes are valuable no matter how experienced a dog owner is, and should definitely be done with puppies. A behaviourist might also be useful but I really think it's unlikely the dog is aggressive.

OP - my best advice is to grow a bit of confidence and teach the dog what is acceptable and what isn't. Teach with as much positive attention and praise as you can squeeze in, but don't be afraid to use a bit of negative too. My experience tells me that they need to know what's wrong as much as they need to know what's right.