seriously need help!!

[judebt]

  Hi everyone. really hoping some of you experienced puppy owners/ breeders out there can help. We have Roxi, a nine week old working cocker pup, for 1 week and in some respects have made head way but I am becoming increasingly concerned regarding signs of agression and disregard to authority. She is EXTREMELY head strong and will persist on getting her own way. For example; She does not like to be left in the back garden on her own but I would like her to be able to stay out 5 minutes at a time and increase it gradually. Problem is, as soon as she has piddles she runs straight up the back steps (4 steps) and sits at the back door and cries to get in. I have started standing on the 2nd last step and saying 'NO' to stop her climpbing past me but she does everything in her power to push past, through my legs. I say NO, I shout NO, I clap my hands and have resorted to slapping her nose but NOTHING works she keeps at it, no exaggeration she has 20 goes and still keep trying. I know she knows that she is not allowed up them but completely disregards it. This is only one example, she does the same thing jumping onto sofa, chewing slippers etc. I know these are all puppy things to do but surely there should be some recognition of what they are doing is wrong, I know my last dog did!
Next problem which I am more concerned about and I think is linked to her disregard to authority. Yesterday I had lifted her into my arms and she started wriggling to get down, when I did not put her down immediately she started to growl and try to bite my hands, the longer I held her the more angry she got ( I literally had her in my arms for 10 secs and she is normally fine), I had to put her down as she was actually starting to scare me!
Today I brought her in from the back garden and she flew into the living room and started launching at my sister and biting her HARD, this was not normal play, you could see she was biting on purpose and seemed to be angry (for no reason). I immediately lifted her, shouted NO and smaked her on the bum and put her into a seperate room. After 5 minute I let her back in and she just lay down and started chewing her toy.
I really dont know how to handle thses situations. Shouting does not work. I dont want to hit her as I feel like a bully and am worried that she will become more agressive as a result of this.
I know it is early days, we have only had her a week and she is a baby BUT I am aware that these tendencies need to be stopped before they are allowed to develop and I never had any of these issues with my last dog (a westie) who was EXTREMELY well trained and obedient.
Im sorry for the rant but I really am  worried about this and it has taken all the fun out of having her. I have even been thinking about taking her back to breeder (which would break my heart). PLEASE HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPP. Judith

[Pammy]

I don't have time for a full reply but you need to get yourself a copy of The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey and also read our FAQs that cover a lot of what you are going through. It all sounds like normal  puppy behaviour/

You mention 5 min's a couple of times - is that a real five mins or what feels like 5 min's Five minutes to a puppy will feel like hours. Reduce it to 1 - 2 minutes

I know it can be hard - but please don't smack your puppy - it's counter productive. Shouting also might not help. It's human nature but puppies are canine not human

This can be a very difficult time - but with patience and perseverance you will get through it.

[suki1964]

Welcome to col

I might sound harsh but you are asking too much from a 9 week old pup

A pup of that age shouldnt be left in the garden on their own - gardens are very dangerous places for pups - poisonious plants for starters, and also a pup will quite happily chew a plant which is also not the behaviour you want so you will end up telling it off all the more.

Smacking a puppy will also make it scared of you and less wanting to come to you when called. Would you want to go to someone and get smack?

Cockers in particular hate to be kept away from their humans, we call them our shadows

The saying (rather then shouting) No and the putting out of the room for a minute is usually enough to teach a pup that the behaviour is unacceptable - not overnight but in time - usually by time the teething has ended at 6 months

The first weeks of having a cocker pup have reduced more then one of us to tears (me included in that) but perserverence and positive reinforcement wins through in the end

As Pam has advised get The Perfect Puppy

Good luck and do keep posting for advice, help and support. Also do a search of the older threads on here about biting - loads of them with some great advice

[Cob-Web]

Hi Judith - I echo Pammys advise to get a copy of The Perfect Puppy, it is brilliant

Nothing you have described to me sounds like anything other than a perfectly normal pup - at 9 weeks old puppies don't know what aggression is; all they know is play and loads of it 

Take the example you gave of coming up the steps when you have left her alone in thegarden, for instance. Her natural instinct is to return to safety out of this big scary open space, once she has done her business Crying is her way of telling you (her protector) that she needs protecting Standing on the steps and preventing her coming in won't help - as she will interpret this as a game - pups play by barging and pushing against each other. Hand clapping will excite her and she is far to young to understand what the word NO means at this stage - all she knows is that you are talking to her 

Growling and nipping is the way that 9 week old pups play -when together they learn not to by discovering that when they nip too hard, their siblings yelp and end the game. Playbiting may go on for several months - Gwen Bailey expains how to use a time-out method in her book which really does teach them.

Time is a great tool for conviniently "forgetting" things - if you had your Westie from a pup, I am sure that it went through typical puppy behaviour too - I would be more worried if it hadn't. You are right; hitting a puppy will teach it all the wrong things about people and can eventually lead to a dog that may snap/bite in fear No point in shouting either; pup doesn't understand what you are saying, just that the noise you make hurts it ears

Have a read through the Puppy section of the forum: as Caroline says, we have all been at the end of our tether and in tears - and we all came out the other side, a bit bloodied and scarred, but with a great doggie friend by our side 

Good luck

[miche]

Please don't worry - this sounds all normal, not at all aggressive behavour.  Cockers love their people sooooo much.  Mine dont like being left out now and they are 7 months and 9 months.

With time and a lot of positive reinforcement you will have a dog that will be a pleasure to own, keep posting on COL too, it's really friendly and there's a lot of experienced cocker people on here who will willingly help you through this puppy stage.

[silkstocking]

I can only echo what the other have said, your pup is still soooooo young, really she is only learning to settle into her new environment, a week really isn't very long, but I knwo the first week is possibly the hardest you'll ever experience.

COL is great for asking questions, everyone is here to help

[k]

We have a working cocker too who is now nearly 2. He is an absolute delight and is very active but still quite a determined character when he wants to be. I used to have a dog who was extremely placid and very obedient and it was quite different when we got Bramble but we did want a dog who would play with the kids. As others have said 9 weeks is still very young and I'm guessing you are comparing a previous older dog to one that is full of life and not passed that playbiting stage. I can understand that you may be concerned that playbiting  may be signs of aggression but (as a non expert) I suspect you are just worrying too much, all pups go through this and I'm sure a lot of pup owners go through what you are going through. Enjoy your pup and don't expect him to be just like your other dog as he won't be , may be as great but for different reasons. I think seperating yourself from your pup and ignoring them seems to work well with working cockers as they just love people (the yelping tehnique didn't work for us) but try not to smack and remember this phase lasts a while but will pass. I used to tell the kids stand still, fold your arms, turn your head away and put your nose in the air.!!!  These are a great breed - stick with it, they're worth it.  BTW our working cocker also hates to be outside on his own even now, but as soon as there is a hint of anyone willing to go out to walk/ play/walk//feed the rabbits/walk/ hang the washing out/walk/water the plants/walk , he's there. Yet I was told this breed would happily stay outside - not ours, on your knee, in front of the fire and  always within sight .

[PennyB]

Cockers are stubborn its part of their temperament and some more than others. My cocker bitch is sooooo stubborn yet her half-brother isn't.

The biting your puppy is showing is very normal and shouldn't be labelled as aggressive. I've had my fair share of demonic puppies in the past year (you should try terrier pups now they can bite) but it was something I knew I had to get through and with time and patience it becomes a distant memory.

Puppies have very short concentration spans so it does take a lot of patience.

I found a mixture of stuff helped for the puppy biting problem (but never smacking them or giving them a good telling off) and the best was the timeout (even if it meant doing it quite a few times when they're in one of their really bitey phases).

[crunchie]

I know I have only had my new baby for 24 hours, but I did previously have two cockers for 13 years so feel that I might be able to give a bit of advice.

Firstly, cockers are headstrong.  We picked little Pringle up yesterday afternoon and already she is showing great determination over several things, mainly when out in the garden.  We are trying to keep her off the muddy borders and it seems that because we have removed her from them a couple of times, it has made her more determined to go on them!!!  The minute you put her down she is heading straight for where she is not meant to be going, at top, wibbly, wobbly 9 week old puppy speed!! and believe me that is can seem quite fast when you are in hot pursuit.  But this is just one of the cocker traits and lets be honest, that is why most of us picked them as a breed because they are such little characters!!

At 9 weeks old they are still very young and I don't think yours is showing a disregard for authority.  I think it is just because she is still a baby.  And that is probably why she is crying when she is left outside.  She is probably a little bit scared.  As for nipping, well Pringle is more than capable of that as well, but at the moment we are following advice given in a book I have got and that is when she starts nipping just say no and replace whatever part of your body she is hanging off with a toy or chew that she is able to gnaw on.  I have spent a fortune at the pet shop today buying teething rings, teething sticks, an activity ball and all sorts (spoilt brat or what!!) but we have been finding that this does work. I would also reiterate what many others have said about not smacking.  The last thing you would want is for her to be fearful of you.

Anyway, as I have said, I am only 24 hours in to bringing up a puppy and I am sure I will be posting on here with my fair share of problems.  As they are the same age it will be interesting to compare how yours and mine get on.  Good luck

[ali-c]

Hi everyone. really hoping some of you experienced puppy owners/ breeders out there can help. We have Roxi, a nine week old working cocker pup, for 1 week and in some respects have made head way but I am becoming increasingly concerned regarding signs of agression and disregard to authority. She is EXTREMELY head strong and will persist on getting her own way. For example; She does not like to be left in the back garden on her own but I would like her to be able to stay out 5 minutes at a time and increase it gradually. Problem is, as soon as she has piddles she runs straight up the back steps (4 steps) and sits at the back door and cries to get in. I have started standing on the 2nd last step and saying 'NO' to stop her climpbing past me but she does everything in her power to push past, through my legs. I say NO, I shout NO, I clap my hands and have resorted to slapping her nose but NOTHING works she keeps at it, no exaggeration she has 20 goes and still keep trying. I know she knows that she is not allowed up them but completely disregards it. This is only one example, she does the same thing jumping onto sofa, chewing slippers etc. I know these are all puppy things to do but surely there should be some recognition of what they are doing is wrong, I know my last dog did!
Next problem which I am more concerned about and I think is linked to her disregard to authority. Yesterday I had lifted her into my arms and she started wriggling to get down, when I did not put her down immediately she started to growl and try to bite my hands, the longer I held her the more angry she got ( I literally had her in my arms for 10 secs and she is normally fine), I had to put her down as she was actually starting to scare me!
Today I brought her in from the back garden and she flew into the living room and started launching at my sister and biting her HARD, this was not normal play, you could see she was biting on purpose and seemed to be angry (for no reason). I immediately lifted her, shouted NO and smaked her on the bum and put her into a seperate room. After 5 minute I let her back in and she just lay down and started chewing her toy.
I really dont know how to handle thses situations. Shouting does not work. I dont want to hit her as I feel like a bully and am worried that she will become more agressive as a result of this.
I know it is early days, we have only had her a week and she is a baby BUT I am aware that these tendencies need to be stopped before they are allowed to develop and I never had any of these issues with my last dog (a westie) who was EXTREMELY well trained and obedient.
Im sorry for the rant but I really am  worried about this and it has taken all the fun out of having her. I have even been thinking about taking her back to breeder (which would break my heart). PLEASE HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPP. Judith

Hi Judith, sorry to hear you are worried about your new puppy. I have a one year old black cocker called Poppy and can sympathise with what you are going through. Poppy too loved to play quite rough and would bite (often hard) at most parts of my body given the opportunity...even my face if I bent down! I too was a little worried at first but was very much reassured when I read a few posts on COL. The phase definitely passes although it does take a while. I still have holes in clothes where she would hang off the end of my trousers and she made me bleed on more than one occasion  .
Your puppy sounds fairly normal to me and I do think that some are more confident than others when it comes to challenging your authority. I tried saying no and growling at Poppy when she misbehaved but it never made any difference. Short periods of time out were all that seemd to work to cool her enthusiasm for mischief. Please do not smack your puppy she WILL get better