Snappy 12 week old, what to do?

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Postby Rolex+Deebo » December 13th, 2010, 11:57 pm

Just got a 12 week old pup kind of dumped on me. Because she has a big bump on her jaw.
She is supper sweet, just a great puppy. But I noticed that when people get in her face,(like people like to do to puppies to get kisses) instead of getting exited, and giving kisses, she stiffens up, gets a stern look in the eyes, and then starts growling. And now I was just told that she snapped at a person when she was not with me. I have never delt with such a young pup with those issues. She does not do it to me, or the BF. Im not sure if I want to punish her, then she will associate people in her face with a punishment and might get worse. So what would you do? We are getting xrays done soon to see what the bump is. I had her at the Vet just for a check up, and all is good. The bump seems to be like a broken bone fused wrong, and then scar tissue over it. So any advice would be appreciated :neutral:
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Postby TheRedQueen » December 14th, 2010, 12:29 am

Do not, do not, do not give a correction or punishment for this behavior. My foster, Gibbs, came to me in the same state...he had actually drawn blood on a teenager's face. We worked hands-off, lots of clicker and treats for good behavior and handling. He had to earn everything...NILIF all the way.

Do not allow people to get in her face right now, you want her introductions to people to be GOOD right now, it's a critical time for her socialization.
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw
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Postby Rolex+Deebo » December 14th, 2010, 8:08 am

Thank you, glad to know im on the right track. NILF starts today!
PR Top Line's Inna White Tee CGC ~aka~ ♥Rolex♥
Deebo ~aka~ Slobber Monkey
Scahill's Goddess Of Light CGC TDI ~aka~ Ziva

Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace. Albert Schweitzer
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Postby LMM » December 14th, 2010, 10:15 am

Please go have her head area x-rayed just because of that bump. This post brings back awful memories for me. We had a puppy that came from Mexico and acted the exact same way whenever anyone got in her face or tried to cuddle her. She also had a bump (showed up much later as her bones healed and fused). We always wondered why she didn't act exactly puppy-ish but we didn't realize anything was seriously wrong until one day she started stumbling around a bit. We thought maybe she had a bad ear infection and her equilibrium was off.

Turns out her mother corrected her about 6 weeks earlier. We do know mom killed her sister around that time frame, however we didn't think anything happened to Nena at the time. The jaw was the least of our problems. She had 3 fractures in her neck and her vertebrae were starting to compress on her spine as she grew.
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Postby TheRedQueen » December 14th, 2010, 10:17 am

LMM wrote:Please go have her head area x-rayed just because of that bump. This post brings back awful memories for me. We had a puppy that came from Mexico and acted the exact same way whenever anyone got in her face or tried to cuddle her. She also had a bump (showed up much later as her bones healed and fused). We always wondered why she didn't act exactly puppy-ish but we didn't realize anything was seriously wrong until one day she started stumbling around a bit. We thought maybe she had a bad ear infection and her equilibrium was off.

Turns out her mother corrected her about 6 weeks earlier. We do know mom killed her sister around that time frame, however we didn't think anything happened to Nena at the time. The jaw was the least of our problems. She had 3 fractures in her neck and her vertebrae were starting to compress on her spine as she grew.


Yes...this too! I forgot to mention that a vet visit is definitely in order for this little one! No matter what, I always get a vet check when trying to deal with aggression cases. And especially since she's got an obvious problem!
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw
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Postby furever_pit » December 14th, 2010, 11:08 am

I agree.

A vet visit would be the first thing on my list. NILIF and not allowing other people to get in the pup's face is the way to go. I would also watch for other signs of a confidence issue.
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Postby mnp13 » December 14th, 2010, 12:42 pm

TheRedQueen wrote:Do not, do not, do not give a correction or punishment for this behavior. My foster, Gibbs, came to me in the same state...he had actually drawn blood on a teenager's face. We worked hands-off, lots of clicker and treats for good behavior and handling. He had to earn everything...NILIF all the way.

Do not allow people to get in her face right now, you want her introductions to people to be GOOD right now, it's a critical time for her socialization.

I agree 100%

Though the behavior needs to be addressed I would absolutely avoid it except under strictly controlled circumstances.
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