I have recently heard from 2 different puppy buyers, that they are having difficulty with their puppies. They are now about 11 weeks old, and both families are having the same problem. Neither family has children. One family works from home and the other is retired. They spend HOURS with their dogs and are truly dog lovers. The problem they tell me is that although their puppies are very sweet most of the time, they do have "episodes" of lunging, grabbing, biting, barking etc. When they say "no", the puppies seem to get even more aggressive at them. One tried to take a toy away and got scared when the puppy started growling etc and would not give it up. I definitely have suggested obedience classes and they both have signed up. I have never had this problem before, and then hear about it twice in one litter???? Parents are very laid back dogs, so this surprises me! Is this just a stage that some puppies go through? Any suggestions or training tips I could give these people would certainly help.

I think they are just getting charged up. I find that sometimes when we scold lab puppies they get even more revved up and it is often better to just redirect them to another toy or game, or a little time-out.
I think their obedience trainer will get a handle on it and they'll be just fine

I'd be willing to bet they are accidentally egging the puppies on. What they need to do is STOP paying ANY attention to the puppy the second it starts to rev up. Even NO is enough to get a puppy going. The pups need to learn that when they get crazy it is Game Over!

Trainer trainer trainer. Have them bring someone in the house and show them how to redirect the natural behavior into something acceptable.

What you are describing is not truly "aggression" in that the puppy is displaying a problem behavior that is not a normal way of dealing with something ie a dog that is dominant aggressive, resource guarding, fearful, etc. The pups are reacting like pups do and they did so when with you in the litter. Now they are just trying to throw their weight around a bit and taking charge over a play session. The new owners need to simply remind little Rover who is the boss. I agree that a trainer now would be best to show them how to take charge - I would suggest puppy kindergarten to them and to start ASAP - most accept pups at 12 - 16 weeks.

Thank you everyone for your advice and I cant wait until their puppy class starts in 2 weeks. I wish it was sooner! In the meantime, when the puppies do act this way...trying to grab their hands or jump up to grab you etc, what should their reaction be.....besides Ouch!
Thanks again.

Turn those puppies on their backs , and make sure they don't get up untill the owner lets them up,with direct eye contact, speak softly and rub that belly to calm them down. These people do have a clue about "who is in charge " don't they ?

I agree, they should be doing leadership drills with these puppies constantly, not just when they get out of control. Making them earn their food, ending play sessions on their terms, not the puppies', etc. I would also be doing submissive drills with puppies this young. They need to learn that kind of behavior will not be tolerated or it will only get worse. And tell them not to step back or put their hands up when the puppies lunge. That will only encourage the behavior. Tell them to step forward and immediately correct the behavior. At this young age, the problem is easily fixable.

Ditto what Sharon said.

Are these pups close enough for you to go and evaluate them and this "behavior" the buyers are describing?

We went thru this with one pup a few years ago and went to evaluate. There was nothing wrong with this pup a little proper training, discipline and consistancy did not take care of.

I would have them start leadership with the dogs. There are leadership excercises that will help with this type of behavior. Of course let the new owners know that you never play tug a war with the puppies.

I think it is pretty amazing how much our dogs take cues from us ( their owners) regarding behavior. I think what you are describing is very similar to children in that it is very easy to escalate a situation and actually CREATE a bad behavior where it might not have existed if handled well, and if proper redirection is used vs. scolding, or punishment.
Having worked with breeds like Rottis, and GSDs that can be thought of as aggressive, I know that a dog with a TRUE aggression problem...especially as a pup is VERY rare if they are healthy and treated properly.


I once saw a person in a training class trying to elicit a bad behavior for the trainer to see...they were intentionally being extremely aggressive with this pup...the trainer said pretty simply, "Its not the dogs behavior..its YOURS!"

I am not suggesting this is your families problem mind you, just saying that IMO it is often an adjustment in how we act/respond that helps the pup/dog be better members of the family.

Best Wishes!
Annie

Interesting....we allow tug of war play with our pups. When it's over, it's over and never have any problems. Games are games.
I guess if temperaments are questionable already though, tug of war wouldn't be a good idea though...

I teach my puppies from day one that I am the
alfa bitch! When they learn that, there should
be not problems when they go to their new homes.

Normally it is the new owners lack of knowledge
and what is acceptable and what is not in a
Labrador Retriever.

YOU, need to teach them that.

Best of Luck

You might want to teach them the lip pinch.
Everytime the puppy grabs your skin!

I teach all my puppies to NOT bit your skin,
clothers are Okay(you ought to see them!)
when they first get teeth. It even worked
with my one and only Cat:)

If you would like to know how to to this
please write back.

These puppies simply need to be taught what is acceptable behaviour and when they get too rough, they need to be redirected to a more acceptable game or put away for a time out. Alpha rolls and lip pinching will harm the trust the puppies have in their families and are dangerous for children to perform. Our puppies need to trust us if we want them to comply with us.
There is nothing wrong with tug of war as long as there are rules attached and followed.
These are:
Game starts only when you start it
Game ends when you decide to end it (puppy outs on command)
Puppy is careful with his mouth or the game ends
As long as he understands and follows the rules, Tug is an excellent game to create bonding and cooperation.
Whenever puppies get out of control, FREEZE completely. This ends the game and they quickly learn that their behaviour can start and end the game and they will change their behaviour if their family is consistent with the rules

Well said Just Breeder!