Aggressive Puppy - How To Recognize And Treat Puppy Aggression

I frequently talk to new Labrador puppy owners that are very worried. They are worried that their nine or ten week old puppy is aggressive.

Life with a puppy like this can be very stressful. And these new puppy parents are afraid for what the future will bring.

This is not people that are being pathetic about a few little nips. These are people with very young puppies that are launching into frenzied attacks.

Whilst looking angelic in between.

It’s about children in tears, it’s about snarling and biting. It’s even about puppies drawing blood. If your puppy is behaving like this, read on.

Here’s The Good News

Your puppy is perfectly normal.

That’s right! Your puppy is perfectly normal! He has not turned into a demon dog – all puppies – and I mean ALL puppies make this horrible, vicious sounding, noise when they play. This is a developmental phase that puppies go through.

“But, but!” you cry “what about the biting? And the blood!”

Drawing blood is also within the range of normal. It’s more common in puppies that are more excitable and its more common in puppies where some family members are engaging the puppy in rough, physical, play. Not all puppies draw blood, but those that do are usually quite normal, and this will end.

Growling and snarling in small puppies is loud, and ferocious. But no matter how fierce your little puppy sounds, it is not a sign of aggression.

So the good news is that your puppy is normal. I guess you knew there would be some bad news right?

Here’s The Bad News

The bad news is that your puppy is perfectly normal, and that he is going to keep on biting for a while.

All small puppies bite. They bite hard. And it hurts

If your tiny eight week old bundle has not started biting – he will. Just as soon as he settles in and feels at home.

Many Labrador puppies are a bit subdued for the first few days in their new home. Once they have their feet under the table, the biting starts in earnest.

It takes time to teach a puppy not to bite. So for a while, you will be subjected to regular assaults with a sharp little set of needles.

You are going to have to be tough, you may need to make some changes to the way you manage your puppy, and you will need to protect small children from the puppy’s attentions for a while!

You’ll find instructions for next steps in this article: How To Stop Your Puppy From Biting

If you are still not convinced that your puppy is normal, read on!

Are You Sure My Puppy Isn’t Aggressive?

Genuine aggression is very rare in small puppies and is almost always linked to extreme fear. A puppy that bites from fear will normally attempt to hide and withdraw first.

He will not be attacking your slippers or hanging on to your toddler’s jumper, he will be cowering in a corner.

The frightened puppy will normally growl fairly quietly and try to avoid contact before he bites, whereas the playing puppy will initiate contact and growl more and more fiercely once the biting game is underway. A frightened puppy will also often give off a distinctive musky smell.

Helping A Frightened Puppy

If you find your puppy cowering under a chair and not wanting to be touched, you can be sure that someone or something has really frightened him.

Don’t dive in and grab him. Remove the source of fear (toddlers, and other dogs are common culprits) and take your time over reassuring him. Fetch some nice food, and tempt him out.

Check him over to make sure he isn’t hurt, limping, bleeding etc. He may need plenty of cuddles for a while, but try not to worry. Most puppies are very resilient and soon bounce back from an unpleasant experience. All you can do now is try to figure out what happened and make sure it can’t happen again.

True Aggression In Puppies

While true aggression in small puppies is usually caused by fear, it is also occasionally associated with resource guarding, where the dog growls to protect their food or toys. Most dogs don’t resource guard at all, and most dogs that do resource guard don’t start doing so until they are older. Resource guarding is also essentially caused by fear. Fear of losing something that the dogs sees as valuable

The best way to avoid true aggression in puppies is to protect them from fearful situations. Thorough socialization helps to prevent puppies becoming fearful of people and places.

And teaching puppies that approaching humans usually bring rewards rather than taking their stuff is critical. If your puppy has something you want, don’t grab it, swap with some tasty chicken. When you approach a puppy’s food bowl, add something tasty to it.

Here’s my article on How to Stop Your Puppy Or Dog Growling When Eating. With persistent resource guarding problems, especially in older puppies and adult dogs, it is best to get professional help from a behaviorist. Your vet should be able to recommend one.

Puppy Aggression Towards Children

I see this a lot of intense growling and play biting much more, in families with small children. This is because kids get puppies over excited.

Because puppy play can seem like aggression, small children can become very upset by it. Not only does the biting hurt, it also feels like their puppy doesn’t love them. Of course this isn’t true.

The puppy is as loving as ever – he just doesn’t understand how to play gently yet. The answer is to limit the amount of time that small children spend in lively play with your puppy, and supervise them more closely.

Regularly separating the puppy from your kids will give them both chance to calm down after play time. If you can encourage calm stroking next time they are together, rather than rough playing this phase will pass more smoothly.

What About Older Puppies?

Most puppies are through the worst of the biting phase by about four months old. But some puppies at around six to nine months old have a resurgence of nipping and rough behaviour.

Often ending in tears when children are involved.

This kind of biting is almost always linked to inappropriate play. Often involving children. Dogs, especially young dogs, are not great at reading behavioral signals from small children and vice versa.

There is a bit of a language barrier here, and children can get hurt. Do check out this article: playing safely with your Labrador for more information.

Aggression towards other dogs

As with dog-human interactions, it is important to be aware that puppy growling and gentle biting at the other dogs in your house is normal puppy play.

Keep an eye that the older dog is not getting frustrated, and separate them if needed – but try not to worry about the puppy noise! You may find our guide to introducing a puppy to an older dog helpful.

Getting Through The Bitey Phase

Growling and biting are not usually signs of aggression in puppies. Noisy, aggressive-looking, play is a developmental phase that all puppies go through. With your help, it will soon be over.

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Serious aggression in small puppies is rare and only occurs in puppies that are terrified, and that have been prevented from hiding. So rest assured, no matter how fierce your little puppy sounds when he hangs on to your shoes or attacks your fingers, it is not a sign of true aggression. It is normal puppy play.

If you are concerned that your older puppy or adult dog is showing true aggression, or that they may bite you in a way that causes genuine harm, seek help. A canine behaviorist can assess your dog and advise you on how best to retrain them. Your veterinarian will be able to put you in touch with a behaviorist.

Remember, children are particularly at risk from dog bites. If you are concerned, minimize interactions between your dog and children. And always supervise their time together.

Research shows that most people find it hard to predict when their children are safe around a dog, and when to worry. So don’t be shy of asking for help. Your vet is an important point of call for an aggressive puppy or dog.