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18 Week Old Mini Aussie Aggressive

by Linda
(FL)

How should I handle my 18 week old pup from growling and biting when I need to take something away from him? Several times I needed to take something like tissue, MY CREDIT CARD... away from him that he snatches from a table or my desk. He just grabbed my credit card from my desk when he was on my lap. He growled and tried to bite me when I took it away. I'm very concerned at this early age being this aggressive. It's starting to scare me if this gets worse. I just don't want to punish him the wrong way. I yell NO! for now but then what? I don't want this to get worse.

He will also do that at times when I have to go out and I have to pull him away from the door. He hates when I grab his collar. He will do this quick growl and bite thing. Any suggestions?

Thank you!

Aussie Behavior Problems? Australian Shepherd Lover's Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care




Comments for
18 Week Old Mini Aussie Aggressive

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Re: Aggressive
by: Anonymous

You need to nip this in the bud LIKE YESTERDAY! He is becoming alpha in your household and you are losing ground fast. You need to 'claim' your space. Some dogs suffer from 'possessive' aggressiveness. They 'claim' their stuff. Toys, beds, blankets etc. This is a dominant behavior, obviously.
If you are not afraid of him actually biting you, you can just approach him with great confidence, give him a command such as 'leave it' and take it away. If you ARE afraid of him actually biting you then you have several options. One of which is to approach him, telling him to 'leave it' walk over to the item and try to stand OVER the object in turn, he backs away, and you pick up the item. You dont have to reach down and pick it up right away, just stand over it and 'claim' it. You can also use a spray bottle. Most times plain water will do, but sometimes you need a little more. Try adding a little vinegar or lemon juice adding more if needed. THIS WILL NOT HURT YOUR DOG! Give him the 'leave it' command. He should drop it and/or back away. If not spray him(in the face) He will learn the spray bottle is his discipline and pretty soon you will not have to use it. You can also attach a short leash to him when supervised of course. This way, you can give him a command and he does not respond you have the leash to pull him away, thus not getting bitten. You can do this with his food also. Make him work for his food. Sit, down, stay, etc. then reward with a kibble or two. Do this with EVERYTHING! If he has toys, put him in a sit or down with leash on, put his toy, food or something of his in front of him, telling him to 'leave it' start with short periods and then give him a release such as 'OK' and let him have it. Use LOTS of praise. Use the leash and the squirt bottle as needed. The squirt bottle can be used in a multitude of situations from barking to aggressive behavior, to chasing etc. Good luck!
aggresion
by: Linda

Thank you, I will try that. I just didn't want to do it the wrong way and have bigger problems down the line. He is also possessive like you said with his toys. Every time his sister plays with something, he takes it away from her. Sometimes it turns into a mild fight between the two. Also I can never touch or hold his sister without him pushing her away, he will jump right between the two of us. Thank you! I will work on that for sure.
Aussie pup aggression
by: Anonymous

Hello. My seven month old female aussie showed much aggression from 4 months until 6 months, similar to what you are reporting. She is very bossy, and we have been working with her, but there are times when she has bitten me and broken skin. As soon as I sense this aggression I make her sit, and I remove her from the room. Time-outs help a lot. She went through training and it helped a bit. I have noticed that each month she gets a little better. They are bred to bite livestock, and this herding instinct comes out sometimes when I am on a walk with her. Trust me, I was at the point of hopelessness until I went to training. The play-aggression (taking your things, etc) gets better with age. Training will strengthen your bond with the pup and help it gain more self-control. You will be able to work through this and teach the dog they are not to herd people. This is a common problem with aussies, but with proper training, etc, it can be worked through. I used to get black and blue bite marks every week, now I haven't had any in about 6 weeks:) They listen better as they get older...do not give up! Training, and firm time-outs, bitter spray, and lots of reward when they do listen will help.

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