Snappy Boston Terrier Puppy?

[katevin]

Am not sure whether my 4 month old Boston Terrier has a bit of an attitude problem or whether he's just displaying normal puppy/dog behaviour. We've had dogs before, but they've mainly been outside dogs so we've never spent as much time with our pets as we do with our Boston. He also comes with us most places we go (that dogs are allowed) so am wondering whether we're just seeing this occasional snappy behaviour because we spend so much time with him compared with previous dogs.

Anyway, since we got him there have been a handful of incidents that he has gotten quite snippy with us- he has never bitten us but growls quite angrily and bites in our direction (if that makes any sense)! Here are a few of the incidents that come to mind-

* He was asleep on my lap and I went to pick him up and scoop him onto my chest and he growled/snapped at me.

* My husband took him for a walk and after bringing him inside, tried to take off his harness as he was pulling to get to his water bowl. He obviously became frustrated and growled/snapped at my husband,

* He ate something be shouldn't have and vomited (was a one off and his behaviour was otherwise normal) on his blanket in his crate. I reached my hand into his crate to grab the dirty blanket (while he was in there) and he growled/snapped at me.

* We went to the beach today and when we got back into the car, hubby put him on the floor of the car as we were all getting back in as he was quite wet. Hubby then got into the car, picked Archie up from the floor and as he did, his leash was kind of tangled (very, very lightly) around his back leg. He growled/snapped at my husband a few times.

So does this sound like normal puppy behaviour? My last dogs were pugs and I don't think they ever snapped or growled at me throughout their entire lives. Guess it just surprises me that in the couple of months we've had Archie (who is otherwise a beautiful boy and brings us much joy) he's behaved this way on several occasions. Want to know whether its a behaviour we can work to correct or not.

Thanks in advance for any responses :)

(Hope this all makes sense!)

Edited January 22, 2013 by katevin

[pie]

I definitely think you should get a behaviourist to assess the situation fully and to help you before this escalates to worse situations, but in my opinion until then (if not beyond) you shouldn't be picking him up, especially not when he is asleep and likely to get startled. Some dogs just don't like it - just because you can pick them up doesn't mean you should. I could relate to a lot of your situations, My Tenterfield terrier is like this - he doesn't appreciate being picked up, doesn't appreciate feeling trapped, and also his crate is his safe place and I am always careful not to reach into it or eyeball him in it and invade his personal space because I know he doesn't like it, and he then knows if he needs a break from the world he is safe in there. I always call him out of his crate before I do anything in there, never drag him out. He is a special boy... and requires a bit of management but we live in harmony the majority of the time :)

Also remember that your Boston is a terrier and terriers have a very different personality to pugs, and some terriers can be quite feisty, particularly if you aren't respecting their space.

I hope you find some solutions that work for you and Archie :D And please post a photo :p

[persephone]

Hi - Archie sounds as if he has very caring owners :)

what does Archie's Breeder say about this behaviour??

I will suggest a thorough vet check ..in particular checking joints etc ..in case there is some pain causing him to react when he is, or thinks he is going to be moved/touched in a certain way.

IF that is all clear ..

I will also suggest enlisting the services of a recommended trainer/behaviourist ASAP . Someone who can see exactly what's happening ..and show you how to manage it. :)

In the meantime ..I do recommend NOT touching him when he's asleep .....

and letting HIM control what cuddle time and rewards he gets each day ...ie: you learn to not reward him for just breathing - HE shows, by his behaviour, that he is ready to be loved and cuddled and fed treats :) .

read HERE CLICK

Edited January 22, 2013 by persephone

[Christina]

He sounds like a little shit :laugh: Some puppies just are, they try it on & they all have different personalities like people do. Some are more dominant.

I also think persephones suggestion of a vet check is a good idea. He may be sore & you don't realise or know quite where otherwise I would be telling him off when he snapped at me with as sharp ah ah no & let him know this is not on. No physical action though.

I would also expect him not to snap when disturbed if he is asleep. I assume you gently picked him up or moved him so he should tolerate this. Not as though children are poking at him.

I would not pander to his whims at all. You have to be the boss, firmly but persistently.

If he was a cat I would say let him have his own way, you can't boss a cat :)

[raineth]

Am not sure whether my 4 month old Boston Terrier has a bit of an attitude problem or whether he's just displaying normal puppy/dog behaviour. We've had dogs before, but they've mainly been outside dogs so we've never spent as much time with our pets as we do with our Boston. He also comes with us most places we go (that dogs are allowed) so am wondering whether we're just seeing this occasional snappy behaviour because we spend so much time with him compared with previous dogs.

Anyway, since we got him there have been a handful of incidents that he has gotten quite snippy with us- he has never bitten us but growls quite angrily and bites in our direction (if that makes any sense)! Here are a few of the incidents that come to mind-

* He was asleep on my lap and I went to pick him up and scoop him onto my chest and he growled/snapped at me.

* My husband took him for a walk and after bringing him inside, tried to take off his harness as he was pulling to get to his water bowl. He obviously became frustrated and growled/snapped at my husband,

* He ate something be shouldn't have and vomited (was a one off and his behaviour was otherwise normal) on his blanket in his crate. I reached my hand into his crate to grab the dirty blanket (while he was in there) and he growled/snapped at me.

* We went to the beach today and when we got back into the car, hubby put him on the floor of the car as we were all getting back in as he was quite wet. Hubby then got into the car, picked Archie up from the floor and as he did, his leash was kind of tangled (very, very lightly) around his back leg. He growled/snapped at my husband a few times.

So does this sound like normal puppy behaviour? My last dogs were pugs and I don't think they ever snapped or growled at me throughout their entire lives. Guess it just surprises me that in the couple of months we've had Archie (who is otherwise a beautiful boy and brings us much joy) he's behaved this way on several occasions. Want to know whether its a behaviour we can work to correct or not.

Thanks in advance for any responses :)

(Hope this all makes sense!)

Definitely not normal!

I am really wondering if he is sore somewhere as most of those incidents you describe seem to be brought on by you handling him, or him thinking you are about to handle him. Also he is quite young to be displaying this sort of behaviour. Make sure you let the breeder know that it is happening, as well as taking him to the vet.

Even if a lot of this is caused by pain, I would really recommend that you see a behaviourist. This is because you need him to tolerate, to an extent, having uncomfortable things done to him. For instance if you make a mistake when clipping his nails and cut his quick you don't want him biting you.

It's lovely that you take him lots of places with you :) good luck in getting it all sorted :)

[Christina]

If I cut my dogs nail to the quick ( which I never have fortunately ) I would forgive them for biting me When you hurt an animal its a natural reaction, not the same as aggression for no particular reason, & cutting to the quick really hurts a lot. Not like a minor bump.

[raineth]

If I cut my dogs nail to the quick ( which I never have fortunately ) I would forgive them for biting me When you hurt an animal its a natural reaction, not the same as aggression for no particular reason, & cutting to the quick really hurts a lot. Not like a minor bump.

Personally I do expect the dog to have a relatively high threshold for an aggressive response. I want and expect to my dogs to have very good bite inhibition and raise them accordingly.

My boy especially has had to have some quite painful veterinary procedures done and he has put up them and not responded aggressively. Which is good as he is 60 kgs and could easily inflict a lot of damage with a bite.

I have also accidentally cut his quicks a few times and he has never reacted aggressively. I think it is important for us owners to do what we can to raise the threshold in which our dogs respond aggressively. This can be done with good bite inhibition, fixing any anxiety problems your dog may have, and by ensuring it respects you and other people.

I'm certainly not saying that dogs should never be expected to bite under any circumstances, and they should put up with anything and everything, that would be ridiculous!

Maybe the OP's dog is in a great deal of pain and its responses are very understandable if this is the case. However it's also possible that this behaviour is teaching him that aggression is an effective way of controlling his humans, and that is not good.

Anyway, not trying to have an argument, just explaining my thoughts on the topic :)

[Dame Aussie]

Sounds as though you have a wee monster on your hands :p

But seriously, I agree with a vet check to make sure he isn't sore anywhere, and if not then some work with a good trainer should help.

He's only young and it may be that he is just pushing the boundaries :) Little buggers! Let us know how you go :)

[BC Crazy]

Yes, I too would have him checked out just to make sure all is ok.

I don't think it is usual puppy behaviour but having said that some puppies will take you to task at times. My BC girl at 12 weeks of age was a real handful. First time I feed her a chic wing, I was supervising her from a distance & she flew at me, ears flat to her head, teeth bared & growling. I was gob smacked..... We soon sorted out little miss & she never pulled that stunt again. She used to growl when I brushed her. Or sometimes if she just didn't want to do what I asked her to she would look at me & growl.

She was just trying me out. I had to be firm but fair with her & consistant. Now at 2 she is a very loving, very sweet & super obedient girl :)

This is just my personnal experience & am not saying that how I handled Stella's attitude will work with your puppy. I am by no means an expert. I was following what Stel's breeder advised me to do.

If you don't feel confident or are unsure with your pup, get some advice from the breeder & or a good behaviourist. Good luck & keep us posted :)

Edited January 23, 2013 by BC Crazy

[corvus]

There is really no such thing as "aggression for no particular reason". Even if the reason is medical, it still happens for a reason. Identifying the reason is the best way to go about changing the behaviour. I think it pays to be very careful about being confrontational with dogs like this. A lot of people say things like "he needs to know that behaviour is not on". How are you going to tell him that without meeting aggression with aggression? And if that's how you do it, you had better hope he backs down rather than escalating. I've had a small puppy escalate and it was scary. He might have been small, but he could still hurt and he was trying really hard to do just that. The usual way to tackle these kinds of things without confrontation is NILIF and desensitisation/counter-conditioning. This is how I did it with my Erik, who at 9 1/2 weeks old reminded me very strongly of this puppy that escalated and tried to have me. Erik is now 3 years old and it's hard to believe I ever handled him so carefully. He pretty much lets me do anything to him, now. It's some behaviour modification, but also a large dose of trust. If I don't habitually push him around then he doesn't feel that bothered when I do for whatever pressing reason. I've always listened to him in the past. I don't push him too far and I don't frighten or hurt him.

[BC Crazy]

Well said corvus... all puppies have different characters & need to be handled accordingly. Stella has always been extremely sensitive to touch/sound/movement, so I had to take things very slowly

with her. She is also very fearful/nervous/anxious at times. You have to take all of these things into consideration while handling her. What I found was key for me was gaining her trust & to do that

I remained calm,confident,consistent but firm at all times. Working slowly with her as her confidence grew. Most of her attitude was & still is fear based & she is quite territorial.

Rewarding all good behaviour generously, ignoring any unwanted behaviour. She soon learnt it means 'jackpot time' when I'm good. I use this method with all puppies but really had to exaggerate &

extend this with Stella.

As far as the food aggression went, I worked out she was only protective over her prized chic wing or anything raw, like a meaty bone, nothing out of her bowl or her toys etc. So I cut the wing into

pieces & give her a piece, walk away, return & give her more & repeat over. Ignoring any negative behaviour. She soon realised I was only approaching to give, not take. Never had an issue again. I took

that a step further as she matured so now I can give her a bone, walk away come back & ask her to 'leave it' & she will drop it & sit till I let her have it again, without issue. This takes time. Like

everything with Stella. I call her my 'handle with special care girl' :laugh:

I can do anything with her now. Handle her etc. We still have our 'issues' with anxiety that we are dealing with but she has matured into the sweetest, most loving, happy little girl :)

Edited January 24, 2013 by BC Crazy

[katevin]

Thanks to everyone for your responses, you've all been very helpful and reassuring!

Since I posted the original message, we thankfully haven't had any aggressive incidents with the little guy. Maybe he realized we'd had enough and he finally realized who is boss around here ;)

If we have any more dramas with him in the future, we'll definitely look into getting someone to come out and assess his behaviour. We've got an appointment with the vet on Monday so will also mention his behaviour then.

And yes, he is indeed a little shit/monster! :laugh: Lucky he's so cute!!