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  1. #1
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    3.5 month old lab plays too aggresive

    Our new pup is still trying to adapt to home living. The breeder kept him in a large pen with several pups from other litters. He recently has become very aggressive towards me and my wife while playing. When on the floor in the house or even in the grass outside, he will suddenly leap at our face. Prior to his leap he shows no sign of hyperness or aggression.
    What is a good way to break him of this behavior? My wife wants to get a e-collar. I would rather figure out why he is doing this and change his behavior.
    Any tips would be very much appreciated.

  2. #2
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    I know it's unnerving, but he's just a baby trying to play. Leaping at your face is something he would do with other puppies. So first, find ways to play that don't involve getting face-level with him. Google "games for puppies." He's also at the prime age for learning, so training is super important. Can you take a puppy kindergarten class?

    E collars can be useful for dogs who do a lot of offleash work, but they aren't intended to be used as punishment. They are meant to reinforce commands from a distance. Please do not even consider an e collar without consulting a trainer, even when he is older.
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  4. #3
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    I think it's a common behavior for pups at that age. It is scary, but nothing to really worry about.

    I had one that did that jumpy thing. When he got that way we stood up and ignored him. The point was that all good things stopped when he got jumpy and nippy. It took a few weeks but he got the hint. Now he's a 3 year old marshmallow that is the most even tempered and happy boy. Yours will grow out of it!


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  5. #4
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    I echo the previous answers. That's puppy, not aggression.

  6. #5
    Senior Dog SamsonsMom's Avatar
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    Congrats on the new family member! I have a new guy too -- Asher is 10 months old and all puppy. In addition to what you describe, watch those teeth. They are little razor blades. Like others mentioned, the floor level play creates an environment just like his play pen at his first home. He's going to get in your face, jump, growl, etc. It's all play. Loud noises and voices only escalate his excitement. I signed Asher up for puppy class as soon as his 16 week shots were done. I think I could have signed him up earlier but I wanted to be very safe. In the puppy class I went to, it was 90% socialization with other pups. The instructor also went over how the owner should handle the pup...discussions on behavior - behavior you mentioned in your post. I'd like to say at 10 months old he has calmed down...but he has not. We followed up his puppy class with obedience class. We work everyday on brain games. Working hard at stay. I can go in another room completely out of his view and he will stay. Just waiting for that "come" command. It's really fun. Challenging and frustrating but he so wants to do good for me. One problem I have right now is he plays bitey face non-stop with his 5 yr old brother Samson. He tries to play bitey face on my arms. Not biting down but just taking my arm in his mouth. More annoying than anything. Trying hard to break that habit. You have probably 15 more months of crazy puppy behavior! Stick in there....it's so worth it. I get frustrated daily but I stay calm and just take charge of him. You can do a search on this forum as there are other threads that have covered puppy concerns in great detail. Best of luck and have fun with the new guy.
    Last edited by SamsonsMom; 09-03-2017 at 08:53 AM.

  7. #6
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Double Ditto all above. This is how puppies and adult dogs too, play. We call it bitey face and it can look and sound pretty scary, even between dogs. One thing you are lucky in is that the breeder had him with other dogs and pups of mixed ages. Dogs themselves will tell each other when it's gone too far. It's one reason you will read that 8 weeks old is the preferred age to take a puppy home with you as in those last couple of weeks with Mum and siblings they learn bite inhibition. Now, one obvious problem is that other dogs do tolerate some biting in play, just not hard, serious biting. Whereas we tender fleshed humans can't take any biting. He can learn this but it will take some time. You will hit some teething periods that can make biting worse too, pretty soon probably. LOL, Oban didn't get near my face unless he was sleeping at that age. Now he is so averse to biting he won't play tug.
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  8. #7
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    What you are dealing with is a Labrador puppy being a normal Labrador puppy. My boy Brooks is now 16 months old, and at times he will still jump up out of excitement, and will still try to mouth my hands and arms, which is fixed with a stern "leave it". He and my almost 6 year old Lab Sophie also play very rough, lot's of growling and teeth, but it's only play.

    Kimbers Mom posted this Puppy biting! which details a lot of good information regarding this issue.

    The first year or two can be pretty rough living with a Lab puppy, but with a lot of time, training, and most importantly, patience, you will have a great dog and loyal companion. I would also highly recommend finding a good obedience training class. You will learn the how's and why's of what you need to do to correct and prevent bad behavior issues.

    BTW - What's your puppy's name, and we'd love to see some pics???!!!

  9. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by barry581 View Post
    What you are dealing with is a Labrador puppy being a normal Labrador puppy. My boy Brooks is now 16 months old, and at times he will still jump up out of excitement, and will still try to mouth my hands and arms, which is fixed with a stern "leave it". He and my almost 6 year old Lab Sophie also play very rough, lot's of growling and teeth, but it's only play.

    Kimbers Mom posted this Puppy biting! which details a lot of good information regarding this issue.

    The first year or two can be pretty rough living with a Lab puppy, but with a lot of time, training, and most importantly, patience, you will have a great dog and loyal companion. I would also highly recommend finding a good obedience training class. You will learn the how's and why's of what you need to do to correct and prevent bad behavior issues.

    BTW - What's your puppy's name, and we'd love to see some pics???!!!
    Thanks for all the support! We visited a Dog Retreat that is close to our home. Brand new facility and owner operated.
    My pups name is Kimber as well. I will try to post some recent pics as soon as I can.
    Once again, thanks for the help!

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  11. #9
    Senior Dog MontananDakota's Avatar
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    So glad you asked for advice, everyone here is super helpful and knowledgeable.
    Echoing Kimbersmom- e-collars are intended for dogs who have already mastered basic commands and they are best for off leash retrieves by dogs and handlers who are trained to use them. They are not meant for training puppies. They are not meant for every day use to replace leashes.
    Looking forward to seeing pictures as your puppy grows. ��

  12. #10
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    Here are a few pics
    -20170815_110829-jpg

    -20170828_195020-jpg

    -20170818_203008-jpg

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    barry581 (09-04-2017), kimbersmom (09-04-2017), SamsonsMom (09-04-2017), smartrock (09-04-2017), Snowshoe (09-04-2017), SunDance (09-04-2017)

 



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