My 2-month-old puppy is too playful. How do I stop aggression?

Actual aggression in a two month old dog is highly unusual, and a definite sign of bad things to come unless it is nipped in the butt immediately. I would highly recommend obtaining professional help from a behaviorist or dog trainer before Blue turns in a large adult dog with behavioral issues. In the mean times, do not interact with Blue if he shows any signs of aggression what so ever. You do not want him to mistake attention given to him as a reward. Typically I never recommend punishment since it is not as valuable a tool as positive reinforcement. However, in extremely young puppies such as these sometimes punishment can be effective. Once again, professional assistance is highly recommended in this instance. Hope this makes sense.

Hi there. From your description, it sounds like he's getting over-aroused during play and becoming too rough - this is a common problem in puppies, and is not a sign of "dominance" or any other issues :) He just gets too excited and doesn't know how to calm down. If you can, try and pay attention to the signs he gives that he's starting to get too worked up, so that you can end playtime before this happens. Give him a peanut butter stuffed Kong, a rawhide chew, or something else to keep him busy and help him calm down. If needed, you can put him in his crate or an x-pen for a few minutes to settle before letting him back out. If the problem continues, I would recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a more detailed plan to work on this behavior. You can search for one in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Congratulations on your new puppy! It takes some time for puppies to learn to mind their manners. I recommend making sure that Percy has plenty of toys to chew on as his adult teeth are coming in. As you are playing with Percy and he starts biting, you should stop playing and tell Percy "no" and only begin paying attention to him again once he is calm. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have about Percy!

That is certainly possible! Try playing a game with him this morning like fetch or tug-of-war that can be played in the house. It’s very likely that if you can burn off some of this energy, the play aggression that you are seeing will stop, at least for a while. Puppies require daily activity or they can be naughty. If you’re still seeing aggression issues, please post again. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to ask any additional questions.

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.

Yes, it is possible for sure! This behavior is typically puppy play but can sometimes be outright aggression. I would recommend turning Austin over on his back whenever he becomes aggressive / misbehaves and hold him on his back until he calms down. You can also use a spray bottle filled with water and spray him in the face whenever he acts up. Provide him with plenty of toys to interact with and exercise him lots and this will help as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Most puppies go through a stage where they become very mouthy and try and bite everything. This is a very different situation to an aggressive dog that is not being playful but is trying to inflict damage. I assume your dog is just being mouthy but if it is aggressive then you should contact a professional behaviourist asap. Mouthy puppies are best handled with consistency. When the pup bites firmly say no and put it on the floor and ignore it for a minute or 2. Resume play and repeat when the pup bites. Give the puppy plenty of toys which it can bite but never encourage it to see your hand as a toy.