Is my new puppy aggressive, unhappy or is this just normal behaviour?

[FiddleFigs]

We picked up the new puppy (8 week old cocker spaniel) on Friday and I know it's been less than a week, but I worry that I've made a dreadful mistake both for him and us.

I have no concerns about his breeding and early upbringing (the breeder had the pups in her kitchen, and they were around her young children from very early days) - we visited a couple of times before we brought him home so we saw how he lived and interacted with his litter and the breeder's family. But he doesn't seem to have settled with us.

DD is 4, and is very gentle around him (and actually tends to leave him alone most of the time) but in the last few days he has been displaying some signs of aggression towards her and me (snarling/growling, lunging and biting). He growls and snarls at me too most times, unless I'm giving him his meals. I was prepared for nipping and puppy biting, and there is some of that. But sometimes it goes beyond that.

I find him very difficult to play with because he just wants to tear around the garden - he doesn't want to interact with me or play much, and any playing usually lasts about a minute before he starts showing the aggressive behaviour and then I immediately stop. He's also pretty aloof. He plays quite happily with DH (but DH works long hours during the week, and so he only sees him for about 30 mins/1 hour at each end of the day).

I grew up with dogs and have experienced many puppies, but never this behaviour. Have I just been lucky in the past? And is this fairly normal for puppies? Am I just overreacting, or is he just not happy with us?

(sorry for the length of this post, but I don't want to miss anything out.)

I would slightly restrict the area that he can be in either just one room at a time or a puppy pen. Do not leave him alone in this for hours on end but just give him an area to feel confident in.

1. This can make him feel more confident

1. It is easier to puppy proof and can prevent a lot of unwanted behaviour

3 Hand feed him - make interaction with you positive - throw the food away from you and then call his name and give him food from your hand. Feed him while holding his collar so he gets used to be being close to you. Gently and slowly at first. If you raw feed this can be done by using a spoon or just hand feed the kibble.

1. Play with toys with him eg knotted t towel , fleece tuggy etc if he starts to bite get over excited etc just stop playing and move away. No need for no or punishment.

Good luck it is always a bit hard to start with having a complete stranger in your house that appears to speak a foreign language.

Re castration I would not make up your mind either way until you see your puppy grow up. It is recommended to not castrate until at least 2 years if poss to give your dog time to develop physically and mentally.

OP, as @user1494670108 said, we've been through the same experience. We got a french bulldog puppy at 8 weeks (almost). From the very beginning, as tiny as he was he was BITING. HARD. 5 months later he was still peeing inside, biting even harder etc even though we've got the best behaviourist & he really tried more than his best.

I loved the puppy dearly, but this behaviour was not normal, my arms were bitten almost completely (at some point I even had to cover them at work so I don't look suspicious ffs).

This needs to be handled properly otherwise it can turn into a nightmare for all of you, puppy included

Who let the dinosaur out?!

Dogs are not pack animals who strive to dominate humans. Is Planet Earth Round?

Neutering early can definitely make fear issues worse.

Personally I'd bring him back. He may need a more experienced home. He sounds like he's going to be hard work. He's still tiny and can be rehomed easily. What made the breeder decide to mate his parents? A good breeder goes far beyond having the pups in your kitchen. Did she run any temperament tests on the pups? Have the parents been shown as in has the quality of the dogs including temperament been verified by an independent party. A good breeder will be hoping to achieve something with the litter. They should be looking to advance the breed and have a keen understanding of genetics/lines etc.

FiddleFigs my pup is also a cocker and the advice about restricting where he can roam is a good one. For a long time I was restricted to the kitchen and blocked off part of the garden. This helped manage his behaviour in terms of trying to chew stuff he shouldn't as you can puppy proof a room more easily than the whole house. Distracting didn't really help with mine, removing him or ourselves when he got bitey was far better for us.

I'd also say if a dog has reached the age to be neutered and aggresive behaviours are increased, it's because they were not addressed far sooner. And I'd be interested in reports on European dogs, to eliminate things like growth hormones in diets as a contributor.

Unfortunately Several you seem wedded to you opinion against the weight of scientific evidence. And a bit conspiracy theorist to boot. Please do read around the subject - the information is out there if you look at reputable organisations. The only type of aggression neutering will reduce is hormonally-driven aggression e.g.competitive aggression in entire males. Removing the gonads does not have magical personality-calming effects!

www.apbc.org.uk/articles/dog-aggression-faqs
skeptvet.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Benefiits-Risks-of-Neutering-in-Dogs-and-Cats.pdf

7th - bred for temperment and as family pets. I only mention the kitchen to illustrate that he's been brought up in a family environment at the heart of the home - not in a kennel. Both parents from show lines; health tested and chosen for temperment. I looked into it very carefully as I wanted to be careful for what pet I chose to join the family.

Bitey thank you for commenting. He is pretty much restricted to the kitchen/diner and hall - not allowed upstairs at all, and only in the living room in the evening (when he's usually conked out under the sofa). He does sometimes get into the living room during the day (DD still needs to remember to always shut the door), and he mostly just wants to get under the sofa for a snooze.

But he does have access to the whole garden, and while it is not massive, I wonder if he works himself up into a frenzy by tearing around it at breakneck speed.

Give him some time OP, it's very early days and you sound sensible, try and redirect his biting onto appropriate toys.

The free Coursera course I linked to earlier has loads of useful info too

It sounds as though you are doing the right things so far, but definitely need a shared plan for what to do when the biting/nipping happens and BE CONSISTENT, that means every adult doing the same thing and removing him to give him a clear message that you do not want the behaviour. Remember just because you say "no" he will not know what this new word means unless you show him and teach him by a consequence, which probably is ignoring or removing him, then making lots of fuss and food treats as a positive interaction so he knows the differences and which he prefers! x

I think that is you can give him time and follow the better advice on this thread then your pup will settle eventually and grow into a living family pet. But it may be a difficult few month ahead and it if you think you are not up to the task with a young family to manage also I would recommend taking him back now before things get too out of hand for there to be a good home for him. It's a difficult decision to make. It be realistic about it, it may be the best for pup too.

If you can afford it consider getting a one to one trainer who comes to your house, that way you don't have to wait for the vaccinations, I did that when pup was 8 weeks.

I'm very open to any new info, surprised to have not had any of this new information though my former job. So much so I've fired an email off about it. Re neutering I support the practice as reducing unwanted animals must be a priority, poor breeding contributes to the majority of dog ailments. And having witnessed disease in dogs prior to neutering and un neutered dogs it does not irradiate some cancers nor some birth defects. It may well have an impact on health if my vet tells me not to neuter I would heed that advice, but Wordpress sites and famous dog behaviourists I'll not give credence to over the BVA, nor excellent standard of training obtained via the MET. I'm no conspiracist. Might be a dinosaur but not a conspiracist.

Veterinari thank you for your comments - some very good info, and I've looked at that website/course you posted too. Thank you.

missyB that is an excellent idea - I think I will do that. Thank you.

And thank you to everyone for commenting - I do feel reassured and more optimistic about it. But I will also see how it goes and if he doesn't seem to be settling or bonding at all, despite following the advice here, we'll have to rethink whether this is the right home/family set up for him - we obviously want him to have the best possible life.

You haven't mentioned his colour. He's not golden is he? There has been a lot of talk about a thing called 'cocker rage' where they fly into an awful temper and get very aggressive and it seems to be mainly golden cockers. I have absolutely no idea why this is but I've heard about it from various different sources over the years.

If he was still with his littermates he would have been playing rough 'hunter' games with them, as is perfectly natural. He is still a baby and trying to play the only way he knows, in time he'll learn a gentler way. Most pups would only be leaving their mother at his age.

Omg.

8 week old puppies being dominant. I've heard it all now. What utter rubbish. If you really are a trainer, several, you SERIOUSLY need to update your education.

OP listen to Veterinari. She knows her stuff.

Vote of appreciation for Several who seems refreshingly open to new ideas and the reality that thinking has changed. Sadly not my experience with a lot of people who advocate training based on dominance theory.

Sounds like you are not only open to more modern, evidence-based methods but also that you are willing to inform/educate former employers.

I thought that was going to turn into an entrenched position argument there and was very pleasantly surprised

And Hurrah for Veterinari for her fab advice again. Hope this works out for you OP.

MsAdorabelle He's liver/chocolate.

Absolutely Mcakes - well done Several for being open.

Several the BVA don't actually have a policy on neutering except in relation to preventing the birth of unwanted kittens and puppies and the perpetuation of genetic defects. Other health and welfare issues are outwith the scope of their position and I certainly wouldn't place their position over that of the APBC in relation to pet behaviour - the BVA does not have expertise in that way - it consults with expert divisions in order to formulate policy. So by all means put your confidence in them if you wish but don't consider their fairly superficial policy to be the complete picture.

The BSAVA policy is more comprehensive and states 'The decision as to whether to neuter the individual animal for medical or behavioural reasons needs to take into account factors such as species, gender, breed and age of the animal as well as current and future health status.'

Which I think is a reasonable approach and sadly not one that many owners or vets engage in.

Has he been vaccinated recently? Look up side effects of vaccines, they send some dogs mental!

Has he been vaccinated recently? Look up side effects of vaccines, they send some dogs mental

Oh good another loon!

OP this may be useful
www.apbc.org.uk/system/files/private/APBC_Advice_Sheet_1_Puppies_-_Mouthing_and_biting_low_res.pdf

Treat the advice with caution though - it's APBC and they're only ' a network of behaviour counsellors that have achieved the highest proven academic and practical standards available in the field of companion animal behavioural therapy.'

FiddleFigs my cocker has a lovely temperament but when younger he was very bitey. I remember reading online someone referring to cockers as 'cockerdiles' and didn't understand what they meant until mine was a bit bigger and needed his eyes wiping each morning. He would see me approach with some wet tissue and open his mouth wide like a crocodile and snap it closed as a protest to what was going to happen . At the time I thought what if this escalates and he tries and bites me and I end up with an aggressive dog but the phase passed and his temperament is lovely.

I know you said you grew up with dogs but come and join us on the puppy survival thread. We are at all different ages and are battling with all different issues and phases but you can dip in and out as much as you like for a bit of support.

Thanks everyone. Bitey, I'm now working my way through the first puppy survival thread

Today we're just practising being very very calm. DD is at nursery (which should help) but both she and DH have been instructed to be calm and steady around him, avoid engaging in rough play (DH guilty) and jumping about (DD guilty). Hoping this will help Dpup relax a bit and begin to settle.

cockerdiles
The little I know about cocker rage is that it comes out of nowhere, with no warning.

OP, some puppies are active landsharks. On the advice of a dog-trainer friend, when our latest got OTT, we picked her up calmly, put her in another room and shut the door.