Giving up 12 week old puppy

[Ridusofyourstupidity]

Please please be kind.

I’ve been quite honest on here about losing my last puppy suddenly to anaphylactic shock and getting our new puppy a few weeks later. Now I’m not sure I can keep her due to her behaviour. It goes beyond anything I’ve experienced. She is 12 weeks old, weighs over 14kg and can reach chest height when she jumps against me.

She is repeatedly attacking me on a near constant basis with seemingly no reason. She will be chewing on a toy, lying down and get up to lunge and jump at me and bite my stomach, legs and arms while growling if I’m standing in the room even if I haven’t moved to draw attention to myself. If I ask for a sit or similar to distract her she’ll snap at me and ignore the request, although she does know ‘Sit’, ‘Down’, ‘Touch’ and will give both paws. When I have to carry her in from the garden she’ll growl and snap at my face. She is a large breed who isn’t meant to do stairs so this is unavoidable.

I can’t enter the room without her attacking me, she’ll bite the backs of my legs or jump up at my side to bite my arm. She’ll try and mount my leg while biting me if I’m still Leaving the room does nothing, she’ll try and block me leaving and she’ll continue when I return, even if calm. Toys do nothing as she will ignore them to jump and continue biting higher. Or she’ll pull my clothing like a tug toy while growling. I’ve tried every kind of toy but she let them go, snarl and dart under them to get back to biting me.

It is either very rough play or something more but it’s unmanageable. I’m now having to leave her alone in the kitchen as I can’t be in there with her, even when calm she will without warning launch at me. I keep trying to go in but it soon becomes too much as she doesn’t stop trying to get to me to bite. 15 mins is the most I’ve lasted with her ignoring toys and being latched on to me.

She’s incredibly difficult to walk even with no distractions as she’ll still attack me and bite me while we’re walking. She refuses all treats on a walk (I’ve tried several) and will pull, be incredibly hyper, running from left to right, and lunge and bite when I stay still.

I’ve done everything we covered in the puppy classes with my last puppy with her from the day we brought her home and none of this has made any difference. She has a marker word and all other commands are the same as before so everyone is on the same page. I’m not sure I’m going to make it through until Friday when I have a private training session booked. I’m utterly miserable and defeated.

I agree with BendyLikeBeckham
I also keep thinking about this, and how young she is. I have never seen true aggression in such a young puppy. Even when in pain or very frightened, puppies might make feeble attempts at snapping, but that is not the same thing. I have seen many puppies play roughly and with loud growly noises. My old vet (at pup socialisation classes) had a different room for the quieter, more sensitive puppies, while he occasionally used a plant water spray on some of the more full on and growly pups in the other room (mainly terriers..!) to break up over enthusiastic play fighting.
Many puppies don’t go to their new homes until around twelve weeks. My current dog came to us at eight weeks, but my two previous dogs, as I said above, had been 12 and 14 weeks. She is a really, really young pup still.

It's so rare to see a truly unbalanced poorly bred large breed that I think most people reckon the OP has it wrong....I don't. You absolutely can get proper aggression from guarding breed pups this young.

A Spanish mastiff isn't a dog most people take on lightly and there's good reason. This is a very poorly bred cross. It is well within reason to think this dog is acting aggressively. The whole doodle cross breeds are bad enough but this is exactly why crossing two poor examples of a breed with no line knowledge is a completely irresponsible thing to do.

Locking the dog away in the kitchen is basically a death sentence. I know the OP is well intentioned but if this dog has any hope it needs to be meeting and greeting all sorts of people/dogs and situations pronto. I'd be handing it over to a rescue ASAP or try to find a Spanish mastiff breeder (a proper one!) that might take the pup.

I have raised puppies, bought pedigree dogs, and rehomed rescue dogs of all ages. I must say that the easiest calmest dogs have been the older rescues. Perhaps this would have been a better choice OP. However I do know that a large breed would not be placed with you if you have younger children (teens ok) or if you are inexperienced. Raising a large breed from a puppy is even harder.

You've bitten off a lot more than you can chew (sorry!), and I really do hope you find a solution that works for you and your family, and the dog of course.

Keep posting, there is a lot of advice here which you could find practically useful (emotions aside).

I'm confused.

You put the pup in the car and managed to fail to return her to the breeder?

I did catch the bit about behaviour in the car.

You spoke to the breeder. By phone or in person?
Did the breeder get to see the pup?

There seems to be a lot of drama and not so much effective action.

I think Bendy is talking about boundaries and respect in a patronising and sneery way. I had a puppy that nipped and bounced on and off me, playfighting and "attacking me", and not my husband and it was nothing to do with me not training him. It was because he liked me much better than my husband and thought I was a "companion" to frolick with, because that was the age he was 12 weeks...Yes you can reinforce boundaries slowly but they have to be age appropriate, and puppies play fight unless they are given other puppies to channel their natural play onto. It is not about saying No and telling them off all the time. Reinforcing sleep and playtimes and working with natural instincts not domination.

Often adults and dog owners who have a natural affinity with children and dog owners perceive that what they did was to be authoritative and assertive, whereas what in fact they did, and was ultimately very much more successful was to work with the natural instincts of their small child/small dog and the need of that young creature for downtime and play exercise challenges and attention not just saying NO all the time. I do NOT think the OP was insufficiently strict, I think like the rest of us, an overwhelming flood of puppy behaviour without any idea of when it was going to end or why it was happening has caught her at a vulnerable time.

And I think you can turn this around. But not by being stricter.

@Nettleskeins I don't think discipline (or good boundaries) in isolation is everything a lively puppy needs. Of course she needs other things like play, stimulation, rest, socialisation, etc etc. I don't think I was sneery or patronising at all (certainly not my intention) and I hope the OP didn't take it that way (if she reads or returns).

I agree that the puppy may see the OP as a fun playmate. I suggested exactly this. Nobody wants to be a dictator, but as an adult in your own home you do need to be the 'parent'. Especially since it is your responsibility to teach what is acceptable and what is not. The rules of safe and fun social interaction, where to pee/poo, where to sleep, when to stop rough play, how to fetch a ball/play tug etc etc. Sometimes this means gentle action (removing a toy, crating, ignoring, rewarding, or praising) sometimes a stern word, it depends on the temperament of the pup and each incident. But you have to be confident, esp with a big dog. I'm not sure the OP is from how she recounts events.

For example she says the pup is too big to put her manually in the down position. I could do this with a 9 stone Rottie and I'm small built. It isn't about brute force, or domination as such, not at all. It is commanding respect, building a loving relationship (pup should seek to please you), knowledge and confidence.

Getting good training whether 121 or a class is essential for new dog owners. I cannot emphasise this enough.

This is why so many teenage dogs end up in rescues because many inexperienced owners don't realise what they are in for when the puppy goes from cute baby dog to very challenging bigger puppy. I have adopted rescue dogs at exactly this stage in the past.

How have you been getting on today OP?

Hoping you and Hope have found a way forward OP.

I think she sees you as a toy - our first pup did (she's fine now).

Have you thought about kibble and increasing the carb level in her food (this helped a bit for our hyper second pup). That way you can also use it to reward her throughout the day so she doesn't get anything unless she performs a positive behaviour.

Try Dog Training Advice and Support on Facebook - they are fantastic and will help you get through to Friday.

Also, things like likimats can be calming and reduce stimulation.