In your last thread about Maci, you mentioned you were having a trainer come over to have a look. Did this happen? If so, what did the trainer say?
but she acts like this for no reason a lot
Whilst I
have seen or heard about dogs with severe psychological/neurological issues, it has been rare and not with a puppy this young. There is almost always a reason for behaviour. Hence, I have some observations and questions for you.
Watching the videos, I would say this puppy is definitely not in ' play-bitey mode' such as I think many of us were assuming. She seems to 'mean business', but I suspect from all of the ultra-fierce growling going on that it is a defensive strategy -- trying to scare you away from her space --, rather than truly aggressive. A couple of observations: In the videos, you approached her from behind, and touched her without speaking to her first. In one video, she seemed tolerant of your stroking her until you picked her up. I also noticed that in the video where she settled in your arms, you didn't reward the desired behaviour (calming down and allowing herself to be carried) with praise or treats. For her behaviour to change, she needs to associate good things with you and your wife. For the time being, imho, you need to avoid picking her up -- and definitely don't try to restrain her/pin her -- as it appears to lead to panic, and heightened aggressiveness. Here are some things I would try: (I should say we have NEVER had a puppy that behaved this way, but we have worked through issues with two 'Problem Child' dogs (a GD and a rescued IWH -- about to be put down for biting his owner --) who were highly reactive and fear aggressive.
> Make sure she has a personal space where she is not bothered at all, and can feel safe. This could be her crate, her bed in an area of the room, a gated off room, etc. The rule is, when she is there, nobody is allowed to approach or touch her.
> For the time being, put her in her crate or a gated room when friends/company are over. She really needs to get settled in and bonded with your family before she is subjected to a lot of (to her) strangers. Definitely don't let people walk up and pet her. I could be wrong (I'm sure someone will say) but my impression is that this is more important for CC's and harder temperament molossers, than for some other mastiff breeds.
> Speak to her when you approach her (and don't approach her is she is in her safe spot). Preferably call her to you and give her a treat and praise when she obeys, as she does not appear to find petting pleasant. Begin shaping behavious so that you can eventually handle her all over. Start by touching/stroking areas of her body that she seems to enjoy or at least tolerate. Give her lots of praise (and/or treats) when she behaves. Gradually extend the area of petting/handling.
> If you haven't already done so, begin training her. At her age, she should be able to learn and perform commands such as: Sit, down, come, stay. Have several very short sessions per day, and reward with praise and treats. Feed her consistently in the same place, and make her sit before you put her food down. As someone else said, feed your dogs separately, or at least ensure she is fed separately. If she keeps resource guarding her food from you, try putting special goodies (a bit of liver, chicken....) into her bowl by hand whilst she is eating. If she does her ultra growl/snap routine, you may have to feed her by hand for awhile.
> I agree that she should not have bones at this point -- or only give them to her when she is in her safe spot and is not going to be disturbed by other people or dogs. If you do give her a bone or dog biscuit make her obey a command first.
Questions I have for you:
What would you describe as different (circumstances, interactions, who initiated the interaction, what you are doing with her, etc) about scenarios where she is loving and scenarios depicted in the videos?
Did you get to see the conditions of where Maci was living (in the house with the family? Outdoors? In a kennel?) before you got her? Were you you able to watch her interact with her breeder and siblings? Did anything strike you as unusual?
Did the breeder say why he/she was letting the puppies go at 7 weeks?
Have you contacted the breeder about Maci's behaviour?
I ask the above, because thinking back, I do recall one puppy with reactive/fear aggressive/resource guarding behaviours. This puppy, his siblings and Mum lived outdoors with very little human interaction. As his mum was weaning the pups, he had to compete with the others for food, bones and toys. Sometimes, their early circumstances can shed some light on behavioural issues and their solutions.
