Yelled "ouch" and puppy seemed aggressive

Mama-Bear

This is all so odd to me because any dog we've gotten in the past has been in the early puppy stages, this puppy is 6-7 months.  She bites constantly, not hard but we still want to correct this behavior.  I just tried the "ouch" method and instead of being her normal good tempered self she started growling, barking, snapping her jaw, and her tail was whipping (not so much wagging) and it looked as if her eyes were dilated.  We've only had her for 3w, but she's not really shown any aggression, even with the kids pulling on her (yes I watch them and as soon as they touch her inappropriately I correct them but it still happens for a second or two at a time).  For some reason this loud "ouch" changed her.  Maybe I was reading too much into it, but having kids it just freaks me out.  It's not that she's used to quiet, we have a loud and rambunctious home.   Thoughts?

closapio

There is some good information in the FAQs about bite inhibition and bringing a new dog into your home.

I wonder if you scared her and she reacted out of fear? Here is a good link for some examples of dog body language.

sandollar1010

When my dog was an "older puppy" she would do the same thing.  It was almost like I was her own personal squeek toy.  It would actually make things worse because she would get all amped up.  The trainer we worked with explained that the "ouch" method usually works for young puppies, but older puppies often don't react the same way.  The only thing that worked was completely ignoring her - as in all play stops, walk away, and don't talk or make eye contact.  Then once she is calm give her something appriopriate to chew on and praise her while she chews it.  Even now she is two years old, and when she gets all excited and wound up she will grab a toy so she doesn't accidentally bite us - it's actually pretty cute.  It took a while, but just stick with it.

Mama-Bear

Thanks!  The mouthing, jumping, and chasing (if our boys run across the house she'll chase them and jump, which makes them run away more, which just gets her more wound up and thing just cycle) are the worst things we're dealing with.  Since we've blocked her from her favorite potty accident spots she's been accident free all week (last accident was Saturday).  She's very sweet and other than last night seems very well tempered, she's just getting to be a large dog (will probably be 60-70 pounds) and isn't "gentle".  While nobody really "likes" jumping, it's not as if she's a little pom or lasa. 

bpphoto785

sandollar1010 said:

When my dog was an "older puppy" she would do the same thing.  It was almost like I was her own personal squeek toy.  It would actually make things worse because she would get all amped up.  The trainer we worked with explained that the "ouch" method usually works for young puppies, but older puppies often don't react the same way.  The only thing that worked was completely ignoring her - as in all play stops, walk away, and don't talk or make eye contact.  Then once she is calm give her something appriopriate to chew on and praise her while she chews it.  Even now she is two years old, and when she gets all excited and wound up she will grab a toy so she doesn't accidentally bite us - it's actually pretty cute.  It took a while, but just stick with it.

This is also what we did with our pup during his biting phase. We would stop play and walk away. It worked for us.

LatteLady5

Our Aussie did that. We didn't get her until she was about 5/6 months old and she had some bad habits. Instead of ouch I made a loud shrill "eeep" noise and immediately stopped play, left the room or sent her out. It took awhile but it finally worked. She will nose us for attention now but doesn't puppy bite anymore.

TarponMonoxide

Probably was taken from the litter too soon. Usually being with the dam will smooth out biting problems; she usually nips it in the bud, so to speak.