Growling when you pick him up

[MARIANNE]

HELLO!! JUST GOT AN 8 WEEK OLD BLACK MALE CANE CORSO LAST SATURDAY... HE LAYS AROUND FOR THE MOST PART & DOES HAVE SOME MOMENTS OF ENERGY OUTBURST LIKE A PUPPY SHOULD. NOT AGRESSIVE AT ALL WHILE HE EATS ( I ALWAYS STICK MY HANDS IN HIS FOOD WHILE HE EATS & HES FINE WITH IT) I MESS WITH HIM WHILE HES SLEEPING TO MAKE SURE HE GETS USE TO IT & HE DOESNT COMPLAIN AT ALL... THE ONLY ISSUE WE HAVE IS HE DOES NOT LIKE TO BE PICKED UP & MOST OF THE TIME HE GIVES A VERY AGGRESIVE GROWL ESPECIALLY WHEN HES OUTSIDE & REFUSES TO COME IN & AGAIN WHEN PICKED UP HAS A VERY STERN GROWL.... (WE PICK HIM UP BCUZ WE ARE POTTY TRAINING HIM & UNTILL HES MASTERED THAT WE WONT LET HIM RUN FROM WERE WE HAVE HIM TO THE DOOR)-- WHAT DO WE DO TO GET HIM OVER THAT? I HAVE A 3 & A 2 YEAR OLD & WE WANT TO MAKE SURE HE IS OVER THIS AS HE GETS OLDER. PS WE WONT BE CARRYING HIM WEN HES OLDER UNLESS WE NEED TO GET HIM ON THE BACK OF THE BED OF THE TRUCK....

 

[christinephill]

I know that when my pup was around 10-14 weeks old he did the same "testing" behavior. It's them being defiant and thinking they are the boss and they control where they go, not you. When he'd do this we'd give him a stern NO! Our pup usually stopped by then, if not we'd put him on a leash and make sure he knew that where we go he goes. We also practiced holding him in our lap like a baby, stomach up, to show him to be submissive in a gentle pup way. At first he wasn't too happy about it so be careful of the puppy teeth but he got very used to it with practice. Otherwise you can try a mini time out in a secure bathroom. The only thing is since he's so young (we had this happen) don't be suprised if you open the door after 20 seconds and there's a little puddle waiting for you...

 

[musicdeb]

Yes, when he growls, give him a calm, stern no. As far as your kids, it's best to not let the pup on the ground at the same time as the kids are on the ground. The pup will think the kids are fellow playmates and play with them accordingly: growling and biting.

Put the pup on a potty schedule. When you take him out, tell him to go potty or whatever you want to use for potty breaks. When he pottys, praise him and if he's food motivated, reward him.

 

[MARIANNE]

Well just No doesnt work with him he growls even more- worse wen you get him... I dont like hitting & i get the feeling the breeder didnt pick him up much. I oppted to schold him by saying NO sternly & grabbing him by his scruff & that will stop the growling right away & he doesnt fight back! i dont think he was ever picked up by his scruff like moms do or by the breeder. They kept him in a farm & they fed him OLROY . i hope this is better... what do u guys think? Again this is the only time hes aggressive - he has no food & toy aggression or even wen he sleeps he lets me grab him all over ( i want him to get used to being grabbed cuz of the kids )

 

[Cody]

Could it be how you are picking him up could be causing him pain?

 

[christinephill]

I definitely wouldn't hit your puppy. That would just breed mistrust in a dog who is already acting out of fear or agitation.

Are you picking up his whole body weight by his scruff? Unfortunately, regardless of if he's fine with it now he'll be far too big soon enough.

I agree with what Cody is mentioning. Maybe it's a painful position. After our puppy got so big I could tell picking him up in certain positions were uncomfortable for him. Too much pressure on the chest or tummy. Otherwise I'd check with your vet and make sure there's not something under the surface causing pain.

 

[Sullys dad]

That's what I was going to suggest if he's injured possibly? and picking him up hurts him.
My 9 week old loves being held. He likes chewing my chin whiskers lol.

 

[DennasMom]

I'd work on handling skills with lots of treats. Play with feet...get a treat. Play with ears... get a treat. Pick up front leg... get a treat. .. work up to picking him up completely. Do it during play time, not just potty time, too. Get him used to it in small increments. Keep it all positive, too.

 

[tojvan]

Well just No doesnt work with him he growls even more- worse wen you get him... I dont like hitting & i get the feeling the breeder didn't pick him up much. I oppted to schold him by saying NO sternly & grabbing him by his scruff & that will stop the growling right away & he doesnt fight back! i dont think he was ever picked up by his scruff like moms do or by the breeder. They kept him in a farm & they fed him OLROY . i hope this is better... what do u guys think? Again this is the only time hes aggressive - he has no food & toy aggression or even wen he sleeps he lets me grab him all over ( i want him to get used to being grabbed cuz of the kids )

the good thing is he is just a pup and he cant do much keeping that in mind pick him up as soon as he growls flip him over on his back on the ground. Gently hold him down, just enough so he cant get up, stay calm the whole time, as its going to probably get really bad before it gets better he might growl and snarl. the whole time keep your kool talk in stern voice you can say shhhh or no doesn't matter. eventually when he is going to run out of steam and calm down as soon as he does that praise him, pick him and and put him on the ground give him a treat or so. repeat this every day until the growling is eliminated. Most likely what you have is a very dominant pup, thats why he hates getting picked up, you have to nip it in the bud because if you don't its only going to escalate and get much worse. as soon as he realize your in charge the growling will seize. Do everything when you want to do them he gets affection when you want to give him, not when he wants them, if hes playing take his toy away and start playing with them a few feet away from him. he will come to you trying to play with HIS toys right away gently nudge him or box him out and say "NO" as soon as he calms down give him the toy and walk away. Every little thing counts once he knows you run the show almost all behavioral issues can be addressed with a single "NO" or a show of displeasure. He needs rules and limits with love. Not only love.

 

[imogin]

the good thing is he is just a pup and he cant do much keeping that in mind pick him up as soon as he growls flip him over on his back on the ground. Gently hold him down, just enough so he cant get up, stay calm the whole time, as its going to probably get really bad before it gets better he might growl and snarl. the whole time keep your kool talk in stern voice you can say shhhh or no doesn't matter. eventually when he is going to run out of steam and calm down as soon as he does that praise him, pick him and and put him on the ground give him a treat or so. repeat this every day until the growling is eliminated. Most likely what you have is a very dominant pup, thats why he hates getting picked up, you have to nip it in the bud because if you don't its only going to escalate and get much worse. as soon as he realize your in charge the growling will seize. Do everything when you want to do them he gets affection when you want to give him, not when he wants them, if hes playing take his toy away and start playing with them a few feet away from him. he will come to you trying to play with HIS toys right away gently nudge him or box him out and say "NO" as soon as he calms down give him the toy and walk away. Every little thing counts once he knows you run the show almost all behavioral issues can be addressed with a single "NO" or a show of displeasure. He needs rules and limits with love. Not only love.

this is actually proven to make aggression worse. Also if you punish or correct this behavior it could result in worse and unpredictable bursts of sudden aggression later because he's learned that if he gives you a warning he gets hit or 'rolled' and to skip the warning and go straight for a bite.

Dennasmom has the right idea! Make it really enjoyable to be messed with. I find that lamb kidney or liver works really well. Dogs LOVE the stink of kidney and you need to show him that being messed with/picked up = REALLY FUN and enjoyable!

Also the people saying that he might be injured also have the right idea, I would take him into the vet ASAP and have them do a checkup/x-rays to see if he might have any fractures or issues going on that would cause pain whenever he's lifted.

Definitely don't hit your puppy or 'roll' him.

 

[imogin]

http://respectyourdog.com/read/what-alpha-rolling-is-really-doing-to-your-dog

I'd highly suggest reading this article

 

[MARIANNE]

I did read the article - thank you very interesting. never thought of it that way! he gets his 1st vet chk up on Tuesday i guess bcuz hell be 10 weeks old & due for his nxt shots... I will mention to him abt it & make sure he checks his belly & ribs.... but i think hes a very alpha pup & is hard headed & wants his way- I have a yorkie named Boscoe that is sweet as can be (not yr typical yappie toy dog at all ) ,my 3 & 2 year drag him thru the house & he only licks at them & is not afraid of them, abt 6 lbs & i have never heard him growl untill now while hes dealing w/ the pup... he puts Kingston in his place & the pup rolls over to displays submission towards him (Kingston is way bigger than Boscoe by the way) & lets the yorkie hump him. I guess Kingston just needs to know in our pack hes not top dog...

 

[tojvan]

this is actually proven to make aggression worse. Also if you punish or correct this behavior it could result in worse and unpredictable bursts of sudden aggression later because he's learned that if he gives you a warning he gets hit or 'rolled' and to skip the warning and go straight for a bite.

Dennasmom has the right idea! Make it really enjoyable to be messed with. I find that lamb kidney or liver works really well. Dogs LOVE the stink of kidney and you need to show him that being messed with/picked up = REALLY FUN and enjoyable!

Also the people saying that he might be injured also have the right idea, I would take him into the vet ASAP and have them do a checkup/x-rays to see if he might have any fractures or issues going on that would cause pain whenever he's lifted.

Definitely don't hit your puppy or 'roll' him.

Thanks for the article, there is never enough information. It was a great article and i enjoyed reading. it is correct to a certain degree and I agree with it. I think When I refer to you letting the dog know your in charge you probably get the image of an owner rubbing his dogs nose in his own poop to punish Him. It's nothing like that you have to be fair but firm and you never hit you dog. It just makes you cruel in the dogs eyes and I have no doubt in my Mind that is eventually going to lead to you getting bit.
A puppy is very easy to work with like the article states when fight or flight doesn't work the puppy would submit it is at that time you reward him with cooked chicken. Then you incorporate play into it, as your playing with him you put him on his back almost like puppy wrestle with each other as soon as he growls yu stop and say know show your displeasure, eventually he will get the message and you reward him. In my experience there has to be a positive for everything good he does and negative for bad and negative does not mean to rough house the dog. There is no one way of training.
Trust me I had to learn real quick as my shepherd whom I have had for six years nipped my mom at 12 weeks an was food aggressive. Through hard work and effort he's the perfect dog because he knows that I will never harm him but I won't let him misbehave either. I would never tell anyone to do something that I haven't tried myself. I apologize if I said anything that offended anyone as that was not intention.

 

[tojvan]

I did read the article - thank you very interesting. never thought of it that way! he gets his 1st vet chk up on Tuesday i guess bcuz hell be 10 weeks old & due for his nxt shots... I will mention to him abt it & make sure he checks his belly & ribs.... but i think hes a very alpha pup & is hard headed & wants his way- I have a yorkie named Boscoe that is sweet as can be (not yr typical yappie toy dog at all ) ,my 3 & 2 year drag him thru the house & he only licks at them & is not afraid of them, abt 6 lbs & i have never heard him growl untill now while hes dealing w/ the pup... he puts Kingston in his place & the pup rolls over to displays submission towards him (Kingston is way bigger than Boscoe by the way) & lets the yorkie hump him. I guess Kingston just needs to know in our pack hes not top dog...

Marriene the article looks at dogs from a single point of view. Some dogs are jot dominant, but dogs with a primitive temperaments such as Caucasian or a cane corso are dominant. For example if your dog is sitting on the bed and he growls at you while your trying to get him off; is he growling because he is insecure or because he is asserting himself and trying to claim the bed (from personal experience). I have two dogs a 6 year old intact male and a 10 month old intact fila. My shepherd is very dominant he nipped at my mom at 12 weaks and drew blood for being possessive of his toys. I quickly corrected that by putting him in situation where he would do exactly that and correcting by saying uhuh no. Eventually when he understood I rewarded him with treats, sane scenario with food. Just for reinforcement purpose I play wrestled with him everyday with him ending up on his back multiple time. I even mixed in training for example I would take his toy away and claim it. The only way for him to get to play with it is for him to listen to my commands. Eventually it reinforced me as a fair and firm leader with made training a cinch. Between the dogs there has been little to no aggression after my shepherd understood that my pup is here to stay and aggression towards him will not be tolerated. They are the best of friends now inseparable. I have a couple of nice pictures of them bonding in the morning in the fila section. Even when playing with toys no aggression because the toys are mine and I'm letting them borrow it.

The only time there was aggression was when I was in the backyard on the phone and the dogs were playing, it got rough and my shepherd quickly tried to pin the fila, but I quickly said leave it and that was the end of it, since my fila is still young I had to get up and intervene since to him it was more play then anything. The point is that ring the leader gives you control and keeps the dogs safe.

In my experience The best way to train is to mix various techniques rather than just sticking to one method.

 

[DennasMom]

I agree with you, Tojvan.
Mixing up the training, find what works, each puppy is an individual and each puppy/person team is unique.

Always start with the positive - which works great to shape new behaviors - but for removing bad behaviors, you have to communicate what is NOT desired in a way that they understand. (Note, yelling and hitting is normally not considered good communication in any species. )

With the young puppies, you should be able to out-stubborn them fairly quickly.
Once the puppy learns he can't win by throwing a tantrum... and that his leader remains calm and un-phased by his outbursts... and that he wins by doing as asked. All will be good in the world.

 

[CaneRocco]

I think there is some good information above.
I'm making great strides with my pup by getting him used to being picked up and treating him when he doesn't growl.

When I started I couldn't even put both of my hands on his chest while behind him without him growling. It's only been a few days of consistent training and already I can consistently get behind him and put pressure on his chest. I can even pick him up without a growl about 50% of the time. When he doesn't growl he gets a treat.

I can already tell my Rocco is very motivated by this type of training because he is ALWAYS hungry for more treats

 

[STEVSH]

Topaz did this to my husband as well. My hubby can't resist tormenting and messing with the dogs. So I've always told him "you deserve to get bit". He would pick Topaz up as a puppy and she would growl and snap every once in awhile. But he would just keep on picking her up and ignore it. But I have to say, it worked. I think it showed her that he is boss no matter what she does.
Today, he still goes and picks her up just to "play" and she still growls horribly. But it's sort of a game between them now. She has never snapped at him since she was about 10 weeks old, and when he puts her down, she lunges for her Kong to play with him. Obviously he is the only one in this house that can pick up a 100lb dog, so I don't know if she would do that to anyone else. It's a thing between them really.

 

[Cody]

I did read the article - thank you very interesting. never thought of it that way! he gets his 1st vet chk up on Tuesday i guess bcuz hell be 10 weeks old & due for his nxt shots... I will mention to him abt it & make sure he checks his belly & ribs.... but i think hes a very alpha pup & is hard headed & wants his way- I have a yorkie named Boscoe that is sweet as can be (not yr typical yappie toy dog at all ) ,my 3 & 2 year drag him thru the house & he only licks at them & is not afraid of them, abt 6 lbs & i have never heard him growl untill now while hes dealing w/ the pup... he puts Kingston in his place & the pup rolls over to displays submission towards him (Kingston is way bigger than Boscoe by the way) & lets the yorkie hump him. I guess Kingston just needs to know in our pack hes not top dog...

If he was a very "alpha" pup there is no way he would let another dog hump him. Judging by his reaction, that you have explained with your Yorkie, he is very aware that he is not the top dog in the house.

 

[MARIANNE]

i agree but im not sure he knows we are above Boscoe... hes very persistent wen he trys to play w/ the Boscoe, but Boscoe means business... i just hope he turnes out to be a good loving dog & weve only had him for abt 11 days so well see but at 16 lbs & hes 11 weeks not 8 - his growling & his play nipping has to be nipped in the but & quickly hes going to get big soon & i have 2 small children to be concerned bat...

 

[tojvan]

I agree with you, Tojvan.
Mixing up the training, find what works, each puppy is an individual and each puppy/person team is unique.

Always start with the positive - which works great to shape new behaviors - but for removing bad behaviors, you have to communicate what is NOT desired in a way that they understand. (Note, yelling and hitting is normally not considered good communication in any species. )

With the young puppies, you should be able to out-stubborn them fairly quickly.
Once the puppy learns he can't win by throwing a tantrum... and that his leader remains calm and un-phased by his outbursts... and that he wins by doing as asked. All will be good in the world.

Denna I'm glad you see what I was trying to convey, training is as good as the sum of its parts. There is no one perfect method you have to tweak it depending on the situation and what your trying to teach. I agree with you, you do have to out stubborn the pup and yelling is no solution it is just going make the puppy shut down.