HELP! IS MY 7 MONTH OLD SETTER GROWING INTO AN AGGRESSIVE DOG?

[rosey fyfe]

i had my 7 month old setter puppy bailey out for a walk to local park he was running around playing and when i clipped his lead on him to carry on with his walk he appeared to turn aggressive he was jumping at me showing his teeth and trying to bite onto my wrist and he just kept coming at me i had to pin him on the ground until he calmed down

this problem with play biting has been an issue since i got him at 10 wks old he's always done it and its a problem i cant seem to shake. bailey doesnt like getting a row for being naughty and will retaliate usually by trying to boss me by jumping up and clamping onto my hand or arms resulting in bruises usually

any advice with this would be good as im scared the problem seems to be getting worse as hes getting older and i dont want him growing up into a aggressive dog that may bite

i dont know if this is a common problem in setter pups or if im being too sensitive and its my imagination could he just be playing roughly is it common for them also to show there teeth while playing

i know most setters have lovely gentle natures and its not usual for them to be aggressive dogs maybe hes just playing rough as he will just keep jumping at me lots of times and tries to clamp on to me

has any other setter owners out there experienced this with their puppy's

[Jo Ottinger]

Very good advise Sue. Hawk is very mouthy but if he starts to get to excited I will change what we are doing to get more control. Sits and downs work wonders.

[rosey fyfe]

hi sue
thanks for the advice
generally bailey is a very confident sociable dog loves people especially children and other dogs
he can be well behaved when he wants to be i have taught him while out for walks to come back to me by offering him a treat and he will sit on command quite easily
i really dont know what came over him while out for his exercise the other day he just sort of flew at me and started lunging at me maybe he was playing roughly but it did'nt look like it
i must admit i didnt know how to handle the situation maybe i shoul'nt have shouted at him to get down and shoud have walked away and ignored hin instead of getting in abit of a scrap with him by pinning him down [advice i got re issues with playbiting from guy in pet shop and of course dog whisperer] dvd
i generally am very soft with bailey and spoil him rotten so maybe thats the problem too he does'nt see me as pack leader
he has also started lately jumping up and trying to hump my leg so i guess my little guy is going through adolesence and is displaying abit of dominance who knows eh
guess im rattling on abit hear so thanks again sue for help

[Melinda Auld]

Please don't pin dogs to the ground. It is extremely threatening and frightening for a dog to be pinned to the ground, for any reason. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT canine (or lupine) behaviour to pin another dog (or wolf) to the ground. Dogs certainly don't understand it. They will see it as you being threatening, not as you disciplining. If you have to, tie him to a fence for a moment and walk away from him.

If your puppy is pushing the boundaries, the best thing to do is to not respond in any way. If he jumps and bites when you put him on the lead, simply fold yours arms, and turn your back on him. It might take 10 minutes for his tantrum to end. Just wait until it does. Then walk on as if nothing had happened.

Dogs do what gets them attention. What were you doing while he was jumping? Saying, "No! Stop! Down"? That is attention, to him. So is getting angry or upset. Dogs respond to body language, after all ;-) Hard as it may be, just don't talk to, or acknowledge him at all, until he gives you the behaviour you want from him.

[rosey fyfe]

hi cornelia
thanks so much for taking the time to give me such detailed advice about my problems with bailey
he sounds to be displaying some of the issues that your joy used to have especially the ones you mentioned at the beginning like jumping up at you. as for walks he does tend to pull quite abit on the lead[ am using a normal collar and extending lead at the moment] but might change to a halti as he is getting strong. he sometimes when tired out from the walk can walk nicely at my side but on occassion he will jump up on me usually in an excitable playful manner or generally jumping up in the air resulting in him getting fankled up in the lead
i usually can get him to 'come' while off the lead by getting him to sit nicely and giving him a treat on command
at the moment he is enjoying playing with empty plastic juice bottles we come across on our walks and he'll walk along proudly holding one in his mouth for part of our walk or sticks if he can find usually the biggest one
one of my big issues ive had from the beginning is i cant sit on the sofa with him at my side without him mouthing at my arms hands or feet as i would love to be able to sit and stroke him and make a fuss of him without him knawing at me i really dont know why he does this as he has done this from the very time i got him so i guess it must be a combination of habit and perhaps teething, who knows but i hope he will grow out of it sometime soon
thanks again
rosey

[Ossian]

Fran where is Rosey?

she does need help. I can take her on she does sound like she needs a steer

contact me through here - Rosey or Fran

[Ossian]

There are several very good people in Scotland who are completely up to speed on behaviour. If Rosey can give her location i will point her in the direction of a GOOD trainer who can help with these specifics in her area Fran

[rosey fyfe]

hi ossian
i live in the falkirk area which is in stirlingshire central scotland
if you know anyone in that area who you can recommend that would be great
rosey

[Ossian]

Rosey hi
you are about twenty minutes then from me and I have called another trainer who is also quite close. Will get back to you today sometime.

[Ossian]

Rosey hi
I have just realised you are not on my friends list. I have forwarded the details for you to Fran and you are welcome to contact this trainer as soon as you like.
Good luck

[rosey fyfe]

hi ossian
just to say thanks for all your work looking into getting me a trainer for my issues with bailey
fran has been in touch with the trainers details and i have just emailed her
cheers

[Ossian]

you are very welcome. Ler me know how it goes and if I can help in any way.
good luck

[Deb Bouttell]

All of the above suggestions seem reasonable replies to a plea for help.......best not insult people by calling them idiots.........!