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Need help with possible aggression and/or dominance issues with 8 week old male Beagle pup

1K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  Cassie 
#1 ·
Hello,
So we recently got our puppy from the breeders where we’d been visiting him, his litter mates and mom since they’d been born. He’s been with us for a week and for the past couple of days we’ve had issues with possible aggression towards our toddler (3 year old) and black Labrador (neutered male, 4). He starts out playing very well, complete with play bows, but about 5 minutes into playing with our Lab or son, it turns into very serious growling with hackles up and snarling. With our Lab, he will run full force at him while snarling and growling loudly and it makes my other dog very nervous. With my toddler, I think it’s more so the puppy being afraid of my son being too rough with him, so he lets him know he’s had enough. I’ve only ever had Labradors so this breed is very new to me.
I know he was the “alpha” of his litter, but I hope that what I’m seeing from him is normal puppy stuff and a dominant personality and not the beginnings of aggression. We have a 2 week board and train program scheduled for obedience training come August.
Can anyone give me advice or tips or assurance if this is normal? Thank you!
 
#2 · (Edited)
Welcome and I recommend staying on the forum for help.
First of all you have a small child so safety is most importance. Always monitor your child and the puppy.
Separate the big dog from the puppy and keep the puppy in a restricted area. Puppies go through a biting/nipping stage for a few months which is NOT considered "aggression". Dont hit the dog. Over excitement and rowdy play will get the dog overly excited and will start the biting. Dont sit on the floor and play with the puppy..again easy for nipping to start. Get a crate if you dont have one and use it for sleeping and potty training. ...and if you want more advice you have to post cute pictures of that biter...thats the rule...lol
 
#8 ·
Do it periodically. Put their leashes on them and let them drag it around in the house so you can control any negative behavior. My dog is 8 1/2 yrs old and has her leash on all the time in the house (not outside). She acts like she's under control when she isnt.
Just redirect negative behavior until they learn to be together. I have one dog so others will have to chime in.
Your dog is adorable.. the first 6 months are the roughest and it takes up to 3 years for much better calmness ( yes that's what I said...lol)
 
#11 ·
Integration with the community is the process by which an animal learns to recognize and communicate with the species it lives with. For domestic dogs, its community includes other species such as humans or cats. "By learning to interact with other species, dogs will develop skills that help it recognize whether it is threatened and respond to other species."
 
#12 ·
Glad to hear it's gotten better. You can focus the puppy by starting to teach commands like "sit" and "down"...
Get a Clicker at the petstore or on line.. its a great cheap training tool. Look at YouTube videos to see how to use it. The clickers might look different but the purpose is the same.

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#13 ·
Glad to hear it's gotten better. You can focus the puppy by starting to teach commands like "sit" and "down"...
Get a Clicker at the petstore or on line.. its a great cheap training tool. Look at YouTube videos to see how to use it. The clickers might look different but the purpose is the same.

View attachment 41723
Thank you for the tip! He knows sit, down, wait and come so far!

I do need a bit of advice on one thing I’ve noticed though. When Scout falls asleep somewhere like his bed or on the floor in front of the TV, and my son goes to sit next to him or pet him, he starts to grumble and growl. Doesn’t nip, but it worries me that he does that. Me or my husband can walk up to him with no problems and mess with him or pick him up, but he doesn’t like my son doing it. Any advice??
 
#14 · (Edited)
If you look back at my original response and reread it you'll see I mentioned not to sit on the floor with the puppy which is when they get nippy... it definitely will get better as they get older once this puppy phase passes. Try to teach your son to give a command like sit etc. Use the clicker to reward the dog which your son could use.
 
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