agressive sounding puppy

hi guys...when my puppy plays she growls, snarls, and barks....she also looks really pissed, she is soooo loud....you wouldnt believe the noises are coming from a 3 month old puppy...i have never heard a puppy play like this...she isnt mad at all and totally playing but i am afraid she wont grow out of this and when she gets bigger will intimidate people who's dogs she is playing with and will intimidate the dogs and make them fight...i know when my lab is playing with a really noisy growling dog she gets confused and might snap...doesanyone have a puppy who did this and did they grow out of it....is there a way to train her not to make these noises....i know some noises are normalin play and sometimes even growling but it sounds like she is full on fighting and it is just her making the noise, she looks like she is attacking but t is play for her...its cary cause she sound soooo pissed...een when i have seen two dogs fight they have never sounded as bad as Syd...any ideas???i really hope she grows out of this...by the way she has played with about 4-5 dogs and sounds the same with each, some she may be a little more calm with and some not so calm at all..help please

 

I would try squirting her with a spay bottle. That helped when we had an overaggressive kitten. That much noise coming from a pup can mean they will be really noisy barkers as an adult. What breed?

 

she is a boxer/lab mix...she just sounds agressive but is just playing...when she actually barks i say no...you think squirting her will work...i want her to still play just not make those sounds anymore...thank for responding

 

I would play with her, just you and her, no other dogs, and when she growled I would say no and squirt her. It should surprise her a bit. Then praise her(if she stops growling) and start playing again until she growls again...same process....I know that is something that would work with a sheltie and it did work with our cat! :|

 

I would be inclined to just ignore it. Some dogs make sounds when they play, and some dogs don't.


Jamiya

 

Winnie, I would not squirt her with a spray bottle. Although some people use this as a training technique to stop bad behaviour, she is not doing anything bad. The last thing you want is a puppy that's afraid to play because she doesn't want to be squirted.

This is regular puppy play. Some dogs are loud some aren't. Harley gets very loud and I have gotten startled before and stopped, but she jsut sits there with her tongue hanging out waiting to play again.

If you are worried about what other dog owners will think, stop. Lots of dog owners have the same concerns you do. Puppies learn a lot from older dog in ways of manners and body language. Maybe you can try to det up different play dates with other dogs in the neighbourhood. Once she hears other dogs not beign so vocal, she may settle down a bit.

 

I would take the pup to obedience classes, or consult a proffesional. If she is growling now, this may escalate into more serious problems. Puppies need to learn what is right or wrong were they are playing, just like a human child. If your child screamed all the time while playing, wouldnt you tell them no? A noisy puppy grows into a noisy dog, and noisy dogs get complaints from the neighbors and relatives etc. Many dogs go to the shelter for noisiness, that could have been prevented if the correct training was done. (But Im not saying that you will take your dog to the shelter....)

 

I really wouldnt worry about it, but im just speaking from personal experience. Nana was a total terror from 5-10weeks. She would play and her tiny growls were absolutely unbelievable, she was such a rough houser. But now that she is older she has calmed down alot, she will only growl if I growl at her, then she fakes an attack.

But she is the sweetest thing, always wanting to play and be petted. I just let her play the way she wanted, I mean I wasnt going to yell at her just because she was playing, i would have felt as if i was doing something wrong. The only times i'd correct her is when she bit a litle too hard. When she had her milk teeth she did this quite often, and I think she drew blood from just about everyone in the family. But she has since calmed down lots, good luck with your pup!