Training An Aggressive, Stubborn, Toy Breed Puppy?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
Abby is a miniature dachshund and papillon mix. She is five months old and weighs just a little over four pounds. She has been in our family since she was 8 weeks old.
At first I put off training with her because when I contacted trainers I was told she was too young and it was best just to develop a relationship at this age.
Three months have flown by and now she’s a terror in our household. She is aggressive; biting hands and feet (even faces!), barking and growling at other dogs, gnawing through wooden furniture she’s even chewed a hole through the carpet! She has a basket full of toys and is never left unsupervised.
My family keeps offering advice(the “rub her nose in it” style) but I’ve been trying really hard to work with her using gentle training methods but nothing seems to be working!
How can I help Abby become the sweet sociable dog I know she can be?
Thankyou!
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It’s never too early to start training your puppy. She needs to learn what she can bite and what she can’t for example.
You can immediately start Pay-to-Play training. Put away all her toys and treats. She needs to sit or down or do some other behavior on command before she gets anything. That includes food, treats, toys (she only needs a handful until she learns what is and is not ok to chew — too many can be confusing for puppies), going outside, petting, etc.
Keep her off the furniture and, when you can’t watch her — even if you are in the room with her, keep her in a crate. You can do basic obedience with or without a class but a class can help socialize her.
She is a terror because she is confused as to her role in your household. Once she understands that you will teach her how things are done, she will relax and be a much happier and friendlier dog.
I have a problem with other Trainers saying it’s too young to train a dog. I started at 3 months of age so the pet would know no other way of life. By giving the additional 3 months to grow. The dog has mentally aged 10 times. Remember the dog fully matures around 12 to 40 months. So does his learning. They still can learn after that, but not as fast.
Well enough of that. You have a problem and if it doesn’t get fixed or at least people in your house able to deal with it, I’m afraid they’ll want her gone.
Now I can’t answer all that’s going on, but you more then welcome to join my friends list to continue.
Aggression is caused by a lot of thing. The environment as well as maturity. Because she has this early in her life, I think it’s mostly her surrounding. She had to learn to fend for herself because she wasn’t taught. The best way is not to allow anyone to play rough with her. Keep her from dogs that you know are aggressive.
Set up a routine for her. When she goes for walks, plays and yes eat and drink. Dogs learn by routine. Once you get that established then life might be a little easier.
I must remind you I don’t know the whole circumstances, so I can’t fully help or don’t know if what I suggested is going to work.
If you can find a Trainer that has the same concept of Training, I do with pets being 3 months fro training. Get with them. Or like I said..join my friends and continue this out of answers.
I’m here to help..one page it’s going to solve everything
You should have started training her when you just got her. She might have been bred poorly because puppies should NEVER be aggressive at such a young age.
If she bites you – tell her “No” in a firm voice. No hitting, yelling ect. because that will just lead to more aggression. Buy her some chew toys/bones to chew on.
You can try crate-training her. Leave her in the crate so she can spend some time alone. When it’s time to feed her, give her water/food then let her outside to do her stuff. Puppies usually need to go right after their meals.
Introduce her to more dogs/people so she’ll become more socialable and comfortable with others.
She has absolutely no respect for you or your family. Rubbing her nose is useless. YOU need to know HOW to train her and asap. Cesar Milan has a great show called Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. He has a web site which you can search, I am not sure of the url, but he runs a Dog Psychology Center. Also , call those trainers back and describe your issues and see if one will help you, you need someone there to teach you how to take control of things.
Go to obedience training with a dog behaviorist that teaches you how to be the “alpha”. Right now she loves you, but she just doesn’t respect you (or anyone else).
sigh,you should have started long ago. you have to start very young teaching a puppy the proper way to act. I dont believe its ever to early to teach them. course im not a trained animal handler,so its just my opinion.
I think the trainers you were speaking to meant your dog was too young for their training. It is up to you to immediately set boundries to any pup that comes into your home. I have 11 Shih Tzu’s and it makes me very proud when people tell me how well behaved they are, but that comes with consistincy. No chewing is allowed. I take what ever they are not allowed to have away from them, and give them a chew or something of theirs to chew on. I don’t play rough like growling play. If they get to rough with each other I stop it right away if it dosen’t work I put them in a room for a few hours by themself. Eventually they get it. And biteing there is absoublty no biting allowed face hands or any part of the body. You have to start from scrath, and when you say no mean it. Saying it firm in a loud voice. And you have to stick to it. The training the trainers might have been talking about is the sit, stay, come, stand and walking on a leash. It is not too late to change the behaviour of your dog. It is still a pup, but you have to start now and keep with it. Sometimes people allow puppies to behave badly because they think its cute. People have asked me how can I have so many dogs and they all get along so well, especially since I have just as many males as females. I put it like this. You know when a little kids swears how people just laugh and think it’s cute, well it’s not so cute when that same little guy gets older and starts saying those swear words to your face or in public to your friends and family. So nip it in the butt now.
Take an empty can and fill it with rocks, when she is being bad shake the can, she should stop it.
Also and this sounds icky, take one of your old dirty socks, cotton work sock is best, they have to have your scent on them, get them soaked with water, put in a freezer bag and freeze in the freezer until hard. Give this to the dog, or play with the dog with it. I had tried all the toys with no luck, i got this hint from an old farmer, really worked, she kept the sock until it was in little pieces
She is not too young for obedience training. A beginner class at a place like petsmart may help. You have to be stern with her. You may be being too “gentle” with her. (Not saying to beat her so noone start with me.) You have to let her know who is the alpha dog…you.
A dog is never too young to start training but unfortunately 8 weeks is pretty young to leave the litter. A good breeder will keep puppies until they’re 10-12 weeks old especially small breed.
You’ve got your hands full but a good trainer asap will help. Stick with her! Good luck.
She can become the sweet little dog you always wanted her to be. As has been said a million times, “Dogs live in the moment.” I would see if you can find a trainer that you like. One that isn’t ‘heavy handed.’ Interview different trainers, they all have their own ways. It doesn’t really matter that you didn’t start training when she was one day old or 1000 days old, otherwise most of us would have impossible dogs. Start interviewing different trainers as soon as you can, there is someone out there that can help you. Don’t worry, worry is not productive.
Well then u need to take her to an obedience trainer, I saw one at Petsmart before.