10 month puppy growling & biting

[realmajor101]

Hi, my 10 month old male maltipoo puppy has recently developed a habit of growling & biting me when he deems that I’m trying to take something away from him e.g something he’s biting or something in his mouth. And he also does this when I’m cleaning him & i do something he doesn’t enjoy e.g when i brush his fur or when i apply cream on his paws.

I tried using stern voice to tell him not to do it but he will still repeat the behavior next time.

Any advice or suggestions on how to reduce/eliminate this habit appreciated!! Thank you very much!

 

[fieldofroses]

@realmajor101 I don’t think it’s cause for alarm necessarily but I would check in with your vet. Physical discomfort and/or pain can make a dog act out.

If your vet gives the all clear, it might be time for a trainer. Even for a small dog, training is important. A qualified trainer will help you assess the source of your pup’s negative behaviors (fear, aggression, stress, etc) and help you figure out a plan. It’s an investment but worthwhile if it can bring about a positive relationship with your pup. You could also just do a few sessions then pick up on the training yourself, you don’t necessarily have to have one long-term.

 

[realmajor101]

@fieldofroses I actually already had a trainer lol so he was worse previously in other aspects e.g general biting, after guidance from the trainer, it was better. But back then he hasnt exhibited this behavior. Let me see if i need to engage one again. Thanks!

 

[fieldofroses]

@realmajor101 Apologies, I shouldn’t have assumed. Good luck!

 

[realmajor101]

@fieldofroses No, please don’t apologize. Thanks for suggesting! I’ve personally found engaging a trainer to be very helpful, i tried watching YouTube videos etc but i think sometimes a personalised training is useful as i couldn’t tell what i was doing wrong etc until the trainer pointed them out to me

 

[alive22]

@realmajor101 Sounds like ressource guarding. Try to give your dog something of equal or better value for a trade.

Regarding brushing: treats. Show the brush, treat. Come closer with the brush, treat. Touch him with the brush, treat. Slightly brush, treat. If he starts showing discomfort, repeat the current step until he can handle it. And that's probably a no brainer, but be really, really gentle with the brush. I have to comb my dog very carefully, because it can hurt quite quickly.
The treat strat can pretty much apply for anything.

 

[realmajor101]

@alive22 Thank you for your reply!! Previously i tried to barter with him but he ended up swallowing what’s in his mouth in order to eat what I’m giving him. I think like the other Redditor mentioned, i need to toss the treat somewhere n hopefully he drops what’s in his mouth. On the grooming, i do give him treats but mostly he doesn’t want to eat it, maybe he’s too anxious. I’ll try again in a more relaxed setting, maybe on my lap or somewhere else he’s more comfortable at.

 

[alive22]

@realmajor101 You're welcome!

Concerning the problem that he doesn't just drop the toy. You could try to teach the dog to drop it. I used a long toy with mine. Him on one end, me on the other, playing. Then occasionally I would say the command and stop moving the toy until he dropped it, because it became boring. Then I restarted the game. Maybe this could work for your dog too?

Concerning the grooming situation, it may very well be that he's too stressed to take treats. In that case I guess what you could do is to either try extremely high value treats like liver wurst/sausage, give your dog a lot of kisses and gentle words when he shows discomfort (that's what works best with mine), or you stop moving the comb (but still leave it there) until the dog relaxes a bit and then gently continue.

Or maybe you need to do it in tiny baby steps and first make him comfy with the comb around and then only do the next step of getting the comb closer, when he realizes that it's not so bad to have it nearby.

I guess it's trial and error. Every dog is different. Best of luck to you!

 

[realmajor101]

@alive22 Thank you for the suggestions!! Yesss, got to try n see what works for him!