Agressive Shih Tzu

[Ming Ming and Suki's Momma 0]

Ming Ming is 9 weeks old and has a very bad temper. She doesn't like the word "NO" and goes on attack when told no. She is biting and nips at the whole family.

Does any one have any solutions on how to stop this behavior?

Thanks

[TheShihtzuation 0]

At that age she may not have grasped the meaning of "NO!" yet.

Our trainer suggested making a really loud ACH ACH (AT AT! or EH EH!) type noise or clapping your hands twice REALLY loud to startle the pup then distract it from whatever it was doing wrong - and give it a toy or something to distract him.

Good luck!

[kcsheperd 13]

Payslee didn't like me touching her ears, or clipping her nails at that age. She would flail about and squeal and bite at the brushes and stuff. She also went crazy when I would put the blow-dryer. I found that whatever she could get away with..she would..So I had to get a hold of myself and become 'the pack leader'.. The more she hated something, the more I would do it. She eventually just quit when she realized that I was not giving up, and I was the mama!

As for the "No" and such, when I used to squeal and say "OWWW" to Payslee..that just made her bite harder (Yes, I know..she is a little devilish..and she still does that to Sawyer when he cries from her biting) So to stop her from nipping at my feet, and at ME, I would get a small spray bottle and turn it on 'mist' and if she started biting me AFTER I had said no, she would get misted in the face. She didn't like it..so she quit.. Because like your Ming, when I would say "NO" she would point and laugh.. lol.. But you definately have to stop the behavior now, as it will only get worse when she gets older, and you definately don't want that. So try the spray bottle if saying 'No' or 'OWW' doesn't work..

[Ming Ming and Suki's Momma 0]

Thank you guys for responding. I have tried the saying "OUCH" and clapping thing and I think that makes her more agressive. I also think part of the problem is my 4 year old who constantly aggravates her as well. I will definitely try the spray bottle thing. This behavior has to stop soon.

Thanks again!!

[kcsheperd 13]

Well some are just more stubborn than others. If I told Rally NO, he would quit. When I tell Sawyer NO..he quits..but Payslee would just get more excited if I squealed or said Oww..She thought it was hilarious and that I was playing, so thats why I had to get the bottle. She's much better..They also grow out of a lot of the nipping..but you want to make sure you teach your 4 year old that its not okay to taunt the pup, or the aggression will just keep building. Payslee had a bad encounter with a 3 year old that kept chasing her, and carrying her..and I finally had to tell the toddler "NO. She doesn't want to play with you anymore" because Payslee was getting FED UP! lol

[Luna 8,676]

A firm "NO!" coupled with a brief scruff shake and followed by completely ignoring the puppy for a few minutes (and by this I mean literally turning your back and refusing to acknowledge them) generally works wonders very quickly. We went through this with Katy about a week after we got her (she was 9 months old) and she took a bit longer than usual, I suppose because she was older. A squirt bottle works as well (although occasionally you get a puppy that thinks it's a game and drinks the water), as does a can of compressed air (aim it near the head, not AT the head).

NLIF training gets them headed in the right direction promptly.

[suzzz123 5]

Luna is right whenever she is acting up biting say the ouch thing loudly and put her down and walk away. She will probably be a bit bewildered at first but they are clever little dogs she will get the message that aggressive behavior is not acceptable in any way.

[Seastar 44]

It is absolutely crucial that you not let your 4 year old "aggravate" your puppy! The puppy must be protected at all times. All of the puppy's dealings with the kid must be positive. The puppy has to know that being with kids is fun, and that she is not going to be hurt.

I would be very careful and mindful with this dog. A lot of breeders won't sell to people with small children for this very reason. But the child can be taught to be gentle and kind, and you need to have rules such as no picking up the puppy, etc.

[luvinpreciousntoby 0]

Paula... Bingo!!! A pup is defenseless.. and one drop by a child can affect it for life... Sometimes children don't know the proper way to play with a pup.. but it needs to be supervised closely... with rules adhered too...especially with such a young child. Good luck!

[miley's mom 0]

I have to agree with the child thing! I have three aged 8, 10, and 11 and I had to train them how to handle Miley! As a result, he now loves kids. When I have a young child: 5 yrs. and younger approach Miley I'm right there teaching the child to let him sniff first and then pet him with an open hand: no squeezing or picking up! We have a three year old in our neighbourhood and now they adore each other. Miley sits on JJ's lap now and they are very cute together, but JJ had to learn the rules.

Just recently there was a pup on Craig's list for sale because the pup was chasing and nipping at the owner's 4 children. I think that this could have been avoided if the pup had a sectioned off area of the house and supervised play time with each child; but it's a lot of work. It's worth it though and I'm sure that things will work out with Ming Ming and your family!

[mel 251]

It is absolutely crucial that you not let your 4 year old "aggravate" your puppy! The puppy must be protected at all times. All of the puppy's dealings with the kid must be positive. The puppy has to know that being with kids is fun, and that she is not going to be hurt.

I would be very careful and mindful with this dog. A lot of breeders won't sell to people with small children for this very reason. But the child can be taught to be gentle and kind, and you need to have rules such as no picking up the puppy, etc.

I agree totally! Children must not aggravate the pup. We want all the dealings to be positive around children.

[Ming Ming and Suki's Momma 0]

Thank you all for the positive feedback!!

[Sally 1]

Make sure you always keep the pup safe from kids. They will get agressive if picked on. Sure wouldn't blame a pup for that. We have to protect the pups.

[Pooh's mama 0]

It is absolutely crucial that you not let your 4 year old "aggravate" your puppy! The puppy must be protected at all times. All of the puppy's dealings with the kid must be positive. The puppy has to know that being with kids is fun, and that she is not going to be hurt.

I would be very careful and mindful with this dog. A lot of breeders won't sell to people with small children for this very reason. But the child can be taught to be gentle and kind, and you need to have rules such as no picking up the puppy, etc.

I SOO agree with this! When we got Pooh, the family had a 2 year old little boy. When I sat on the sofa to greet Pooh, we was talking to him and trying to pet him and the little boy just grabbed a handful of Pooh's hair and just pulled him off the sofa! My first thought was OMG! I didnt know who to be worried about more, Pooh or the baby? The babys mother said they wrestle all the time like that and now its become a problem with her son at daycare. We still have trouble with Pooh playfully biting us but after a few nips it starts to hurt! We do use the water bottle. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. I have trouble with my 12 year old son who sometimes plays rough with him and has to be reminded he isn't a toy or a cat who can fall on his feet. Pooh does seem to respond to a firm NO! I haven't tried the Owwww sound with him. Now if I could just get Sassy the devil cat to respond with a firm NO! Maybe I wouldn't look like her scratching post! LOL Sometime shes faster than I am with the water bottle. Mean ole devil cat! LOL

Below is a picture of Sassy the devil cat! lol

[FairyTail Josette 14]

With proper supervision, a puppy and a small child can exist very well together. Open hands and no picking up are some of my rules. Here's my grandson, Charlie, he will be 2 yrs old in June and Josey. He LOVES Josey. He has to be holding her ALL the time...it's so sweet. But, he thinks Josey is a cat, because, Josey is the same size as his farm kittens. My dil and Charlie are sharing his Easter candy with his kitty at a family get together. My son likes to give me a hard time about this.

[CrazyTzuLady 16]

I agree with Suzi, I have always babysat young children at my home and they have always been taught to be gentle no getting in the puppies faces and absolutely no picking them up. My niece who just turned 7 is still not allowed to pick them up. It is just to easy for them to get injured and I just don't want something happening to them.

I have to tell you that picture is absolutely precious Suzi!!! Charlie and Josey look so sweet together! :blush-anim-cl:

[loewenthal.anna 4]

Poe was very poorly behaved when I got her and she continues to be alpha-aggressive when "pushed". She has learned to accept my authority but will still snap on other dogs who challenge her. All I can give you is what worked for us. Keep in mind that at 9 weeks she was 28lbs and I do not condone "rolling" smaller dogs because what is authoritative to a giant breed, can be downright terrifying to a small dog.

"NO" was a huuuuuuge problem for us. Poe's reaction was to snap and bark (while staring directly at me, which is an extremely dominant gesture for dogs) -- what I started with is crating her. I don't mean just when I wasn't home either, she stayed in the crate until she could be polite enough to earn free time. The moment she misbehaved she went back in the crate and at minimum she had to be quiet before I allowed her back out. This meant a lot of trouble getting her on a schedule and it took us longer to housebreak her than a typical puppy so you should be aware of that.

Biting and snapping when asked to do something when she was little bought her 20 minutes pinned on the ground. I really would skip this step and opt to crate your girl in these instances also because I have seen many a toy breed ruined for human affection by rough handling. By the time Poe was 6 months she was too large for me to physically hold down so I would swiftly grab her by the neck and push her down only for a moment which seemed to startle her enough that she forgot what she was doing. Keep in mind that I had to do this sometimes 4-5 times in a row though.

Poe also was forced to learn to "sit-stay" before she could do ANYTHING. Before she get's food, a treat, out to go pee, out of her crate/room. Anything. When she decided she didn't want to listen I would simply walk away and make her wait 10 minutes before she was given the option again. It took a while but she learned that it was in her best interest to jump through my hoops. She will now sit-stay without being asked and wait for the go-ahead from me before she does almost anything.

We did staring contests mostly because she liked to try and intimidate me by staring and that's unacceptable. I would hard stare right at her and whenever she glanced away (the sign of submission for dogs) she got a treat. Her average started at about 20% treats to 80% kennel time and now we are at a good 60/40 ratio although I don't find it necessary to test her often anymore.

She is NOT allowed on ANY furniture. Ever. Even when my Tzu are on the couch cuddling her place is on the floor because being on our level reaffirms (in her mind) that she has authority.

She still gets crated when she sasses me, either by gesture or by barking. I still do not let her do anything without sit-stay, and she still cannot be trusted to behave on anyone's command but mine (and believe me, with big dogs eeeeveryone thinks they "know how to do it", ha!). That is the life with an alpha. On a fundamental level size of the dog has nothing to do with it. Yes, our first reaction is to cuddle the little ones but that makes it even more important to nip these issues in the bud. You do not want to constantly be brushing people's hands away when they just "have to" cuddle her. It takes a lot of consistent work and is emotionally draining, I spent the first year with Poe on the phone in tears at least once a week, I won't lie to you. But the results are well worth it. I now own a dog who, so long as I am around, can be pet and grabbed at by strangers, can play nicely at the dog park, and can be trusted around children.

I put hand gestures to all of my commands so I need not speak at all to Poe when I need her to do something. I found that as long as I can give exactly the same body motions, she responds better to them because my movements do not change with my mood the way my voice can. It also helped me to keep from screaming at her, which does nobody any good. She does know the phrase "BIG TROUBLE!" as an indicator she's about to pay for her actions, and she knows "INAPPROPRIATE" as an in-the-moment correction. I don't like "BAD DOG" or any of it's comparable phrases, I feel like there is too great a potential for me to say that with anger and dogs pick up on those things.

I don't mean to scare you by indicating that your dog will become some sort of monster without immediate action, some do not. But from what you've said she clearly seems to have alpha issues and those, unlike other emotional problems in dogs, can snowball and become unmanageable very quickly. I think it's extremely commendable that you've asked for help and are committed to working with her. I wish you all the luck in the world and please do keep us updated on her progress!

Edited May 1, 2009 by loewenthal.anna

[ShihtzuBeauty 47]

Suzi that pic. is Precious!!!

[Kae+Gizzy 5]

LOL Lisa I love your devil Cat!! She looks so much like ours!

Suzi that pic is adorable

We have a very playful Tzu. He was abit of a play biter when he was a puppy but we would walk away when he got TOO playful. Those little teeth are so sharp! He hated being ignored so soon learnt to quit mouthing.

My Children know not to play rough or pick Gizzy up, If they do play with him they will throw his toys for him to fetch. Giz can get very over excited so they are mindful of that. He is only a year old so still very bouncy and full of life!

We have always had Large dogs so having a little one was abit of a novelty. However my kids have been brought up to respect animals and give them some space. Giz adores my 7 year old daughter and follows her everywhere. If she sits down he will climb up beside her and put his head on her lap. They have such a great bond and I think it's because there is mutual respect there.

Nilf realy is a lifesaver and has turned our once possesive little guy into a nicer little guy who will quite happily drop his loot. (He steals everything from my daughters hairbands to socks)

[FairyTail Josette 14]

:head_hurts_kr: Melissa, Barb, and Wendy. Charlie was trying to decide which color Skittles Josey was getting and what he was keeping for himself. He has one underneath his hand, he was giving her. I didn't say a word...as grands do no wrong, imo. :head_hurts_kr: