My 2-month-old puppy is aggressive. How do I stop this behavior?

Yes it can be normal at this age, but you have to stop the behavior now or it will get worse as Capi gets older. Unfortunately, this is a serious problem - aggressive behavior like this (assuming it's true aggression and not rough play) is very abnormal in such a young puppy. To have the best chance of growing up to be relatively normal, puppies like this need early behavioral intervention from a professional. I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist as soon as possible for a in-person evaluation of your puppy. He/she can give you a much better idea of whether this issue is "fixable", in the sense of having a relatively normal dog when he grows up. They will also help you put together a step-by-step training plan to work on the problem, and give you very specific management instructions to make sure everyone stays safe. You can search for a behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

It can always be tough with a new puppy. Some chewing is normal with a young puppy however it is important to start trying to control the behavior now. I would recommend when Blue starts to bite to replace it with something he can chew on. Also, I would recommend starting with some basic training. This would be sit, stay and come. That way when Blue starts to bite you he can be re-directed with the commands. I hope that helps

I strongly recommend you consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. You need a trainer to come to your house and see the behavior and the interaction of all the family members with the puppy. This is your best bet. Aggression problems need special care and it is not recommended that you try to correct this on your own. You may give him the wrong signals and make him worse. This needs to stop before he hurts someone.

Great question! If you feel that she is being too playful, then I would stop the paling with her immediately and ignore her. When you stop giving her that attention, she will learn there is a point at which her behavior is no longer appropriate. Once she stops acting too playful, return to giving her attention which reinforces calmer behavior. If you are consistent with this, she will learn that she will get more attention when she is calmer, and she will be ignored when she is too playful.

It's not normal for a 4 month old to be scared or aggressive. I would recommend getting an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist (this person is a vet, not just a layperson) if at all possible -- your vet may have recommendations for someone nearby. It sounds like he could have been scared by the tackling incident, but it's still atypical for such a young dog to be aggressive. It would be like your 2 year old threatening to beat you up --- it's just not how their brains work at that age. The behaviorist can assess him and likely give you a pile of exercises to do at home and some medications. In the mean time, or if you can't take him to a behaviorist, avoid anything that makes him scared and hand feed him all his food as "treats" throughout the day as rewards for interacting with the family.

Hi, thank you for using PetCoach. At 8 weeks old the puppy will still need to be vaccinated, as it has probably only had 1 or 2 distemper parvo vaccinations. He likely has not received a rabies vaccination this young. Please see a doctor about your bite wound. This book is great for puppy behavior. https://www.dogwise.com/perfect-puppy-in-7-days/ It is important to determine is Prince is truly being aggressive or just an overactive puppy with no manners. Puppies will normally bite while playing, but he needs to be redirected to biting a more appropriate toy. If he is truly aggressive at 8 weeks of age, he needs significant intervention with a reputable positive reinforcement dog trainer or veterinary behaviourist.

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.