Why does my puppy growl and bite when I pick him up? Is it rabies?

Oh dear! Growling when you pick her up is a major red flag for future problems in a puppy this age - this is not normal, and needs more help than just socialization. From your description, it's hard to say if her behavior with the other puppy is normal play or aggression. I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a plan to work on these issues - it's best to do this as soon as possible, since early intervention gives you a much better chance of being able to change this behavior before she grows up. I'm not sure what part of Canada you're in, but your regular veterinarian should be able to help you find out where your nearest board-certified veterinary behaviorist is so that you can make an appointment. In the meantime, I would try and avoid doing anything that tends to make her growl - instead of picking her up, for example, use treats to encourage her to come to you. I would also not recommend any kind of punishment for this behavior, as this has a high risk of making things worse over time. The behaviorist can help you identify what kinds of situations tend to trigger the growling, and will put together a training plan to work on this issue.

Hi there! Aggressive behavior (snarling, growling, etc.) when picked up or disturbed is not normal in a puppy this age, and is a very concerning red flag for future behavior issues. I would take this very seriously, and make an appointment to see a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Zelda in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on this issue while she's still young, rather than waiting for things to get worse as she gets older. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

If you feel like your puppy is weaker than her should be at this age then I recommend taking him to the veterinarian to be examined. He may have intestinal parasites (very common in young puppies) or could have something more serious like parvovivrus. You should also make sure he is fully vaccinated. Your veterinarian can give you a schedule of when he needs what vaccines. He should also be vaccinated for rabies at 12-16 weeks of age. Your puppy should be eating a large breed puppy food. This will ensure he gets all the nutrients he needs. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Please put a muzzle on your dog and immediately take him to a veterinarian. There is a possibility that your dog may have been infected with rabies, especially if he is not up to date with rabies vaccine. Please also see a doctor since he bit you. Rabies is a deadly disease.

What you are describing may be normal puppy behavior for Bear because some puppies respond very poorly to dominance type of behavioral training. However, I would be concerned with the behaviors that you are describing. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian or the foster organization for a recommendation on a trainer to work with to have someone else observe Bear's behavior to help you decide where to go from here. The longer this behavior continues, the more serious it will be become, so this needs to be dealt with immediately. In the meantime, I would not reprimand or challenge Bear since that seems to escalate the situation. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I don't think you have to worry about either disease at this stage however, it is always best to check with a human physician. By law, we really cannot recommend any treatment for human conditions. You can start training as early as 8 weeks of age. Hope this helps. Happy Holidays!

Saban is very cute! Biting and mouthing is very normal for puppies this age - and since it sounds like he was taken from his mom and littermates much too early, it's likely that his bite inhibition and general play skills aren't as good as they would be in most puppies. This doesn't mean that he can't learn, but it does mean that you'll need to be very patient with him, and you may need to enlist professional help to get things on the right track if you're having trouble. In general, we want to focus on redirecting puppies to something more appropriate when they start to bite our hands, feet, clothing, etc. - so when he does this, I would grab one of his toys and encourage him to bite it instead, then reward by tugging on the toy and engaging in play. I would also make sure that he has plenty of things to lay and chew on, such as bully sticks, rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If he isn't already enrolled in a good puppy kindergarten class, I would also start this right away. You can search for a qualified trainer offering classes in your area here: www.ccpdt.org. If you are not seeing improvement in the next few weeks or if things are getting worse, then I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person to help determine if what you are seeing is normal or not, and can also put together a detailed plan to help you address the issues he's having. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org