Pup showing aggression towards wife and daughter

[ezzy333]

I have found it makes little difference how you decide to reprimand the pup but is essential you do.

Ezzy

[AzDoggin]

I was told by another breeder/trainer many years ago about when pup tries to show dominance to you or another human, to quickly grab, hold pup down and glare straight into their eyes till they look away. You haft to win. They even suggested growling and saying NO to the pup at the same time. Lastly and some may think too gross, was to druell into the puppies mouth till they licked it and submitted to you.

I've done this with a few different dogs over the years - we had one that was dog aggressive as about a 6 month old pup, and this technique was what fixed the problem - I was growling a NO. Seems he had temporarily forgotten who was in charge. (didn't try the drool, that is, but hey, if it works...)

[Swagg]

Im not terribly big on the roll them over and show them your boss thing. unless you time it perfect and have the perfect hold it will seem like a game. nothing about a biting puppy is a game. When it came to biting little kids or anyone for that matter a quick smack on the mouth and a no works perfect. It wont take anything long to learn not to bite. Even a child can employ a quick smack. you rolling a dog over does nothing to show the dog your child is boss. I am by no means saying to beat you dog. i have a super spoiled dog that is like a child to me that gets treated better then most peoples children. Yet i never suffered a torn shirt or bleeding child.

[mountaindogs]

Kinda agree with swagg. I thing putting youself as dominant only makes you more "dog" -- I want my dogs to treat humans as humans. NO biting grabbing growling play fighting etc. We play but not like two dogs would. If you have to make a big deal you will find sharp quick yelling and qesturing to work better. Also mom dogs and do not pin there puppies ti the ground. They nip at the face if they have to but mostly they try to "Talk big" so they dont have to.
The lip fold works well for puppy play thats too rough. ALSO if ypu are to be fair to the puppy you have to teach acceptable play. Teach them to lick on cue without biting. And teach active game commands like spin. Play fetch, play hide and seek. Run marking "cup" drills like pat nolan. Look into Kira sundances puppy book for crazy ways to keep you puppy OBEYING and ACTIVE at the same time. Let them play but manage it. Guide it.

[A/C Guy]

His constant aggressive lunging and biting during play with them is too much for them to bear.

Could this be a male/female thing? Common in Brittanys? Does he simply think he is ahead of them in the "pack" order? Both times happened later in the evening.... could it be he is just tired late in the day (8:30-9pm)? How do we combat this? Had a couple of better days with my daughter but still acting aggressive when playing inside especially. This pup is SOOO birdy and full of great hunting instinct...so much potential. But I NEVER had this problem with any labs pups I owned (5 total).... please help this new Britt owner.

This is definitely a domination issue. I use same method as Cesar Millan, lay on the pup whenever he gets aggressive. hold him down and let him slowly wiggle free. That teaches him who is dominant. Then have your wife and daughter do the same when he is either aggressive or not submissive to them. This technique works, it may take a week or two, but it is humane and the dog will submit and cease being aggressive.

[JIM K]

get pup into a dog kennel with other dogs his size.

run, hurry DO IT.

[Fester]

Just reading and it's been a couple weeks is the pup growing out of this? if not I think he is going
Fester

[JIM K]

Just reading and it's been a couple weeks is the pup growing out of this? if not I think he is going
Fester

if he did not get pup into kennel with other dogs his size, i would guess its not any better.

[JIM K]

We got him after his 9 week. He was the only male in the litter, definitley a dominant dog IMO.

if other pups were released before 8 weeks and your pup was there with mother until 9 weeks and maybe not even around her,that most likely is your problem.
I CANT STRESS IT ANYMORE, get pup in kennel with other dogs his size and others that will be handling him.
most kennels have women and young girls etc.

that is good as most pups seem to want to bite women over men more.

[boonebrit]

Update for those who asked:
The pup hasnt showed any aggressive nature towards my wife or daughter since I laid into him those first few days after the incident. I used a combination of pinning down and using my hand to pop his lower jaw. I also let him hang with a couple of other dogs in the neighborhood, who set him straight a couple of times. But he is a tough little bugger and isnt scared or timid AT ALL when it comes to squaring off with older and bigger dogs.Having my wife and daughter feed him and give treats has also helped. We also make him stay at the door, before feeding, and before crating. Keeping him on a lead inside has also helped. He is extremely smart and learns very quickly, my vet and hunting buddies are amazed at how much he has already picked up.
While he still jumps up on from time to time on my daughter, he rarely nips when doing so. We taught him the "down" command and he obeys immediately. I really appreciate all the feedback and help... I really think I have a great pup and the help in this thread was invaluable. During our walks in the woods, he is sniffing out some woodcock/dove and pointing them most of the time... impressive for a youngin. Here is a pic of him in the back yard a little over a week ago.