Help...

[redmoor 0]

We have an 8w old Beddy x Whippet, first cross, he is a nice pup but i am a bit concerned about his fiery behaviour..he throws real tantrums when he doesnt get his own way..his eyes dilate and he snarls and snaps, i thought we had got past this after the first couple of days, but tonight he has done it again several times. He mixes well with all my adult dogs, but with dogs he has met he can be snarly and snappy if they try to paw at him, now, to a degree i can understand he is possibly afraid and wants to defend himself, but he keeps going back for another go. I have two kids and although this behaviour is handleable now, he is going to be a medium sized dog and strong. Help..is he just a bad 'un or is this 'normal' puppy behaviour for this mix? One example was tonight, he had fallen asleep in the kitchen on a bed, but i had to go to work and couldnt leave him where he was, i called his name until he woke up and went to pick him up to pop him in his cage, he threw himself around snarling and snapping, eyes dilated and really having a go, i scruffed him and he started to squeal, after a few seconds i released my grip at which time he seemed to have calmed down, i then praised him, stroked him and put him in his cage. I have had terriers for the past 20y and never had this in a young pup. Thoughts/advice?

[higgins 75]

We have an 8w old Beddy x Whippet, first cross, he is a nice pup but i am a bit concerned about his fiery behaviour..he throws real tantrums when he doesnt get his own way..his eyes dilate and he snarls and snaps, i thought we had got past this after the first couple of days, but tonight he has done it again several times. He mixes well with all my adult dogs, but with dogs he has met he can be snarly and snappy if they try to paw at him, now, to a degree i can understand he is possibly afraid and wants to defend himself, but he keeps going back for another go. I have two kids and although this behaviour is handleable now, he is going to be a medium sized dog and strong. Help..is he just a bad 'un or is this 'normal' puppy behaviour for this mix? One example was tonight, he had fallen asleep in the kitchen on a bed, but i had to go to work and couldnt leave him where he was, i called his name until he woke up and went to pick him up to pop him in his cage, he threw himself around snarling and snapping, eyes dilated and really having a go, i scruffed him and he started to squeal, after a few seconds i released my grip at which time he seemed to have calmed down, i then praised him, stroked him and put him in his cage. I have had terriers for the past 20y and never had this in a young pup. Thoughts/advice?

it's the terrier nature coming through also it is on the defensive till it gets settled down,just bought a terrier recently which was a real heller,but i kept him in the loop with family,kids other dogs until he learned there was nothing to defend himself from,just keep socialising him put him through as many experiences as possible,he will soon learn this is life,my terrier bit me fiercely,i'd never had one like that before but he is now integrating with everything around,i'd give it a good few months more yet,

before you have to make a decision,all the best,

Higgins.

[redmoor 0]

I'm worried that he has a 'bad' streak through him..he is first and foremost going to be a family dog..its the dilated eyes and the snarling and snapping in one so young that's quite scary..is pinning him and really telling him off the best way ahead? Also, when he meets larger dogs, should i allow him to snarl/snap if they paw at him..or should i step in and stop it?

Edited August 23, 2007 by redmoor

[Bobo 135]

The kitchen incident sounds like he just got a bit spooked,even though he was awake at the time it probably all just happened too quickly for his small mind to comprehend.By the way aint it typical when you're looking for something in particular you struggle to find it locally,well theres a litter of beddy/whippets in the cmw in Scotland.

[redmoor 0]

Isnt it just? Where abouts in Scotland are they? Could i find one when i was looking..like three legged chickens they were! He is such a nice pup in some many ways, VERY clever and switched on for his age, i just dont like this fieryness that he is displaying, he is a VERY determined pup and its taken a good week for him to respect the other dogs, he has been nailed several times and is now beginning to take heed..thank goodness...i am just hoping that this will all calm down..i was worried incase there was something badly wrong with him.

[gaz 284]

Ive had bedlington types for a while now and like yourelf ive found them to be wee fiery pups aswell when it comes to anything that doesnt suit them doing or being chalanged ect,but carry-on as your doing mate and let it know its place in the pecking order and by this i mean below youself and everybody else in the family and it should turn out ok as it matures.Every beddie type pup ive had has lost this as they matured,and every one of them became good natured dogs around people including children and other dogs aswell.

 

But from now untill then especially if it is kept inside among the family keep a close eye on it and dont leave it away with any aggresive behaviour towards yourself and your family and it will soon know where its place is.You dont need to be too sore on it mind,just as you were saying just a sharp scruff to the kneck with a cold stare ect,and also keep in mind the pup should get its own space aswell when its needing a kip or when its being fed ect

[redmoor 0]

Aww thanks for that Gaz, its a huge relief to read your post..i have been scruffing him and then releasing him and praising him if he stops growling..its amazing just how fierce an 8w old pup can look! I'm not making excuses for his behavior tonight, but i do wonder if he was a bit over-tired..he had been out in the garden for most of the day with the other dogs, it was warm and he slept and ran around with them, i maybe should have brought him in at some stage in the day and let him sleep in his cage where he wouldnt be disturbed? One quick question, when he meets larger dogs that are trying to play but are perhaps a bit rough and he snarls and snaps at them, should i step in and stop this, or is it ok to allow him to do this? I dont want to do the wrong thing.

[skycat 6,173]

It sounds as though he's already had a bad experience, maybe being jumped on by another dog when he was asleep, or handled roughly: the dilated eyes and snapping sounds like a defensive fearful reaction to me.

I would NEVER allow strange big dogs to paw at a pup: once again he's having to defend himself in the only way he knows how. If he's fine with YOUR adult dogs that shows it's a fear reaction with the strange dogs. Imagine a bloody great giant comes up to you and wants to paw YOU!

 

I've had some pups that really do lose their rag if they don't get their own way: Saluki blooded ones typically. LOL I just sit and hold them firmly and calmly, stroking them and talking rubbish to them in a low calm voice until they resign themselves to being held. I would only scruff a pup as a last resort. Its much better to gain control calmly without over doing the use of force.

 

Once they've got to about 12 weeks those early fear/snappy/ reactions seem to go as they accept their place in the pack and also learn to trust you. If the pup hadn't been very well socialised it will be doubly traumatic for it during the first few weeks in a new home and it needs a lot of extra attention to get it over the culture shock.

 

One other thing I do if I've got a wriggling snarling pup in my hands is to make a loud distracting noise such as a high pitched shout of "oi!" or "Rrrrr!" with a rolling 'r': an unusual sound to distract them from what they're doing: they usually snap right out of it. Sometimes I laugh at them as well: honestly. It helps to diffuse the tension that you will be feeling too.

 

I wouldn't take it too seriously at all and just remember he is just a little pup in a big strange world. Socialise little and often and stop strange dogs pawing at him: I always pick a pup of this age up if I see a strange dog approach as I just don't want to take any chances the pup will be harmed. Then I ask the owner if the dog is OK to say hello to, and if they seem confident their dog won't do anything to your pup then I'll let them meet on the ground.

 

Edited to add: finished this and didn't realise you had posted again! Actually I don't think there is anything to add apart from that I would absolutely NOT let a strange dog try and play with him until he is a lot bigger and more confident. Their idea of play is not right for a little pup. The only meeting I tolerate from a strange dog of any size is gentle sniffing: no pawing and certainly no bouncing about in play.

Edited August 23, 2007 by skycat

[redmoor 0]

Skycat thanks for that..i should clarify, when i say 'strange' dogs, i mean dogs that are owned by people i work with (Vets) they are all larger dogs, vaccinated and friendly, but i totally take your point that to him this is maybe a bit too early and its scary for him. I dont think he had seen very much of anything until he came here, just his mum and the inside of a kennel, and its possibly been much more stressful for him that i had realised. Also, thinking about it, we have 6 adult dogs here which he has had to get used to..its possibly my fault that he is having to be defensive for putting too much on to him too early. Maybe i should slow things down with him? Just read your edited bit..that IS totally my fault then..i have expected too much of him far too early..i will keep him around my dogs until he is bigger, its easy to forget how small he is and how vulnerable he feels..i will also try the noise and holding him instead of scruffing..unless i really need to..thank you for your help, i really appreciate it.

Edited August 23, 2007 by redmoor

[boo28 0]

We have an 8w old Beddy x Whippet, first cross, he is a nice pup but i am a bit concerned about his fiery behaviour..he throws real tantrums when he doesnt get his own way..his eyes dilate and he snarls and snaps, i thought we had got past this after the first couple of days, but tonight he has done it again several times. He mixes well with all my adult dogs, but with dogs he has met he can be snarly and snappy if they try to paw at him, now, to a degree i can understand he is possibly afraid and wants to defend himself, but he keeps going back for another go. I have two kids and although this behaviour is handleable now, he is going to be a medium sized dog and strong. Help..is he just a bad 'un or is this 'normal' puppy behaviour for this mix? One example was tonight, he had fallen asleep in the kitchen on a bed, but i had to go to work and couldnt leave him where he was, i called his name until he woke up and went to pick him up to pop him in his cage, he threw himself around snarling and snapping, eyes dilated and really having a go, i scruffed him and he started to squeal, after a few seconds i released my grip at which time he seemed to have calmed down, i then praised him, stroked him and put him in his cage. I have had terriers for the past 20y and never had this in a young pup. Thoughts/advice?

wonky eyes sounds like fits bang no point when he has one of the bairns eyes out

[redmoor 0]

Maybe i explained this badly, his eyes arent wonky, they just are dilated when he gets into this state..reading several of the posts above made me realise that i have been trying to do too much too soon with this little lad and that his reactions are probably more down to me than to him..this forum is invaluable with the help it gives..thanks a million guys..you made me realise that i have just been far too impatient with this pup.

[Guest quixflash]

Hi. I had a real trouble with my border collie bitch when she was little as she is very dominant. I did the whole walk through doors/gates first, eat from their food bowl(pretending unless you like dog food!) and putting her in a down if she was bolshy. Did a lot of obedience work in short bursts with her early on to give her a job and keep her occupied and getting her to work for me and respect me. She also wouldn't take telling from older dogs as she was so dominnt even though small. If she was aggressive to others I just removed her from the situation saying no or leave it or whatever. Whislt she can still be prickily with other dogs, she never starts trouble and looking back was probably a bit insecure. Even though insecure maybe it was important to be firm as her mother was a nasty one. Another thing some people say is if she snaps or growls at you to make a crying noise and this upsets them. Didn't work for mine although it has worked for people Iknow. I have 4 kids so wouldn't have stuck aggresion for long.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

 

 

Great Post!

 

 

I'm currently being guided by some International Level experts in handling Scary Dogs, and that sits comfortably enough with the stuff they're telling me

 

 

I'd just pitch in that None of ye Dogs should be allowed inside that pup's 'space' as that will simply spark off that which YOU don't want, Redmoor. As the man I've openly referred to as " God ", where this sort of Dog Training is concerned, recently put it something like;

 

' I simply wouldn't tolerate behaviour from ANY of my Dogs which was liable to cause upset with any of the others. '

 

Translating that to ye own situation, we see that strange Dogs may upset ye pup. So; Simply keep that pup and strange Dogs apart. No strange Dog. Nothing to fear. No drama

 

As he grows he'll make his own way. For now ~ Eight Weeks?! ~ jesus christ! He'll be a babe in nappies for four more, mate! Protect him from his fears. Don't force them upon him.

[redmoor 0]

Thanks guys..hands up..i've been doing the wrong things..i think the more i saw this fiery side the more i thought i would expose him to more and more things in the hope of stopping the fiery behaviour..i can see now having read these posts that all i have done is increased his fear of a situation and made him more defensive. Well, you live and learn..it just goes to show that you should never get cocky and think you know it all....EVERY pup is different. He isnt a bad pup..i know that..but i have been pushing him into situation where he has to react then getting worried when he does. He loves being out in the garden with the adult dogs, no-one would hurt him and he seems to enjoy their compnay..i take it this isnt a problem to let him be around them on his own (i am in the house). I also think i need to allow him more time to rest..whether he thinks he needs it or not! Today is a new day. Will keep you all updated as to how he gets on. Thanks again.

[redmoor 0]

I read back through my posts and i cant believe i am talking about the same pup..i took all of your advice on board and have allowed the pup much more quality sleep and have not attempted to do a whole lot with him..result...a totally different pup..he no longer stalks around with his tail rigid and there has been no growling/snapping etc..he grovels to the adult dogs now and plays with them. He is wriggly and waggy tailed and is honestly like a different pup from the one i have just read about! He hasnt done anything at all that has meant me reinforcing what is right and wrong and happily just wanders around usually dragging a toy behind him. I cant thank all of you enough for your advice both on this thread and the people who PMd me also. Fab forum this..you have all made a massive difference to me with Jake. MEGA Thanks! And...Happy Hunting now that Septembre 1st is here!