Puppy Aggression Question

[Celean]

Hi,
I have a 5 month old pup, who is just starting to bark aggressively at some people. I was just curious if this is normal? Once, I was dropping him off at daycare, and he randomly started barking/growling at one of the workers. The guy was able to sit down on the floor, and my puppy ended up licking him all over his face by the end. But I'm just not sure what set him off? Also, he was in a deep sleep on the floor in my house, and woke up abruptly and started barking/growling at my husband out of nowhere. It took a couple of minutes for him to settle down, and not even his prized tug toy could distract him. I know that the trainers I'm working with told me that he will develop his 'defense drive' very young and that he's not mature enough to handle those feelings yet. They also told me to distract him with treats/toys etc., but when he's like that there's NOTHING I can do to distract him. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to properly handle these situations? Thanks!

[Mobil]

How long have you had him?

the short answer is no, I don't think that is normal behavior.

Here's my long answer:

I would be concerned, based on my personal experience. What you have described made me immediately think of my GSD, who was ultimately put down because it was determined that he was genetically predispositioned to fear aggression. It started out as you describe. Barking/growling aggressively at people, then being able to be talked into meeting/getting petted by them. It moved from there to growling/barking aggressively at my husband. the first few times were after waking abruptly. It escalated from there and he moved onto growling/barking aggressively at one of my sons when he came home after school. then another son, who had accidentally hurt him when he was wearing his prong. We got a trainer who said she specialized in fear aggression. Her methods (dominance based, prong collars/negative reinforcement) made it worse.

I finally made an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who outlined a reconditioning plan with medication for him, but it was too late. He'd become far too dangerous and unpredictable; and the vet behaviorist indicated that my dog had decided he needed to protect me from everything he was afraid of, including my family.

I don't want to scare you with my experience, so I apologize if that all freaked you out. I have two DSD pups who are just turning six months old right now, and while they do bark at people, they do not display any aggression while they do it, fear based or otherwise. their barking is excitement and a desire to make new friends.


this is my first experience being a DSD owner, and I know Dutches have a tendency towards being protective, so perhaps others here can chime in on whether their dogs have exhibited aggressive behavior at around five months old.

It's quite likely that my dogs are from a shitty backyard breeder who has dogs from shitty working lines, and as a result they are calmer or have less drive than well bred Dutches and that's why I haven't seen what you describe.

Based only on my experience with my German Shepherd, though, if I saw that behavior in any dog I have going forward, I would be on the phone with a behaviorist, lickety split.

[Stacy_R]

Without seeing him in action, my first thought is two-fold:
a) that for some reason he doesn't trust his environment, and
b) he may be more sensitive to pressure.
It sounds like he also struggles with recovery (i.e. recovering from a certain situation, periods of high excitement, etc.). Do you practice the "place" or "base" exercise with him? This is very helpful for recovery and is also helpful for relaxation, space, and decision-making...it's a great tool. Are you using a trainer who is an experienced behaviorist? If not, I would say shop around and find one. In situations where he is acting aggressively, I would personally not recommend using treats/toys as a distraction...you're sending the wrong message. Treats & toys are rewards (and are typically exciting) and if you are using them as a distraction, really what you are doing is rewarding the behavior (and creating a more excitable environment as opposed to calming it down).

There are two ways you can go about this:
1. Work on your "come" or "here" command and if he starts acting out, recall him, sit him or down him, and let him sort out the situation. When he calms himself down, then you can give him a treat/toy (you'll know by his body language if he is truly calm and relaxed. For example, if he's in a down, he'll roll his his hip. A big, heavy sigh is also a good indicator).
2. Have treats with you and before you let him meet/greet new people, give them a handful of treats. If he starts to act wiley...have them lessen their pressure by looking away, ignoring, and turning sideways. Let him approach them and they can give him a treat or two, but hold off on the affection.

These are just my opinions from working with my own dogs and behaviorally challenged foster dogs and working with some amazing behaviorists in Concord, NC. I am in no way saying anyone else's suggestions or opinions shouldn't be considered.

Good luck.

[karenz]

2. Have treats with you and before you let him meet/greet new people, give them a handful of treats. If he starts to act wiley...have them lessen their pressure by looking away, ignoring, and turning sideways. Let him approach them and they can give him a treat or two, but hold off on the affection.

My guy would get overly excitedaround people. Not barking and growling but super excited. Jumping on them, pushing them, just super excited. This theory that StacyR mentioned worked great. It didn't take long and my guy would go up to guests or whoever and just sit waiting for a treat. He didn't jump or push because he knew he wouldn't get the treat until he chilled and sat. A little different situation but same concept.