Meremma Sheepdog mix puppy - signs of aggression?

I'd definitely up her exercise, and have her wear a lead or nylon rope in the house. Minimize the need to physically touch or reprimand her. In fact you should be hands off as much as possible. In a physical confrontation with a dog...most times the human loses. The dog loses too, if it become fearful or feels the need to defend itself everytime a hand comes towards it's neck or collar. That's not the relationship you want.

Use treats or toys that she likes to encourage her to switch off the aggro when it is BEGINNING...redirect her. She should be working for every meal she gets or treat she gets. Reset her mind because right now it's less about her breed and more about her age. She is right in the middle of adolesence a time when even biddable breeds can become mind numbingly dense, stubborn, willful, or plain crazy LOL. Rather like human teenagerhood.

I would make sure your husband feeds her and issues commands as often as you do. Make her WORK in your home whenever you are there...lots of sits and lots of DOWNS.

I would seek the advice of a qualified behaviorist AND consult people with breed experience.  I would also implement NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free).  Personally I take any biting or aggression towards a handler very seriously but without observing the dog and knowing the context of how it was raised and train it's hard to make specific recommendations online.  However I think *any* dog can only benefit from NILIF, it is a safe start.  If you Google it and read through the top hits you will get some good ideas.

I have a Pyr mix and he has never ever shown any sort of handler aggression. He is (now) yard and space protective, especially of his family, but he does not behave in this manner towards his family, so I don't think this is a breed trait or a breed issue, per se. Besides, snarking and biting what you are trying to protect doesn't make much sense. Do you know what she's mixed with? That can have a huge effect on temperament and actions. Being mostly (or all) one breed doesn't mean that your dog will behave in exactly the same way as all dogs of that [predominate] breed. I haven't had experience in dealing with a dog that was acting this way towards a human or handler. I will say that I notice my dog's behavior improve with NILIF, and consistent steady commands and direction. I do see the same doorway behavior and wanting everyone to be in the same room, in my dog. When I'm at home his jobs are tracking and obedience, these types of dogs might be strong-willed, but they know who will let them get away with what. I second the recommendation of seeing a behaviorist, and consider advice people here off you. And good luck with getting her issues sorted out.

Our little BC mix LOVES tennis ball "chuck-it".  Sometimes I will do about 10 minutes of chuck-it outside with her before dinner to take her edge off for a little while then after dinner take her for another walk.  She has also loved every training class we've ever taken her too.  Right now she is in Agility 1 and it is really improving her confidence.  She also loves practicing her commands in the house for treats.  She loves learning things for treats.

I do not own one, because we don't have a big enough yard (we live in a townhouse at this time, hoping to get a place with a better yard) but I've seen herding balls online.  They are large balls that herding dogs can push around the yard and feel like they are herding something.  Maybe that is something your dog would enjoy?

There are also puzzle games for dogs.  We have a treat-dispensing ball that Layla has to roll just right to get food out, she's got that down to a science too, LOL. 

I'm now going to have to look up "Meremma Sheepdog" since I am unfamiliar with that breed.  But I believe all herding dogs are active.  Layla has made me more active and much more of an outside person and it's been good for me.

 

Liesje

I would seek the advice of a qualified behaviorist AND consult people with breed experience.

 

Agree

Liesje

Personally I take any biting or aggression towards a handler very seriously but without observing the dog and knowing the context of how it was raised and train it's hard to make specific recommendations online. 

 

This too.

Yep, what lies said. A physical bite is something to take very seriously and at this point it is about the individual dog, not the breed. So, forget about the herding theory. I agree with everyone else about having the dog drag around a leash. Limit physical hands on contact unless the dog has earned it by doing a sit or down on command. Never drag the dog by the coller or scruff of the neck. Use the leash and treats to get the dog to move. Start a strict nothing in life is free protocol and call a good trainer for some one on one sessions at your home. This won't come cheap, but if you don't get ahead of the biting thing you will ultimately lose the dog.

Start doing obedience drills in a fun way with high rewards. You want to teach the dog that really great things come from working for/with you. You can start with some casual stuff right now by keeping some treat tidbits in your pocket and every now and then call your dog just using its name (not the come command). When it comes to you praise and treat. Likewise, if the dog is hanging out in the living room and offers you eye contact (calmly) praise and toss a tiny treat. What you want is to establish the basis of a positive relationship.

A very important key to remember here is that aggression breeds more aggression. So if your dog is snarling at you and you scruff it by the neck, the snarl is going to turn into a snap. You really need to work with a trainer who understands this so be careful who you choose or your dog will get worse. Look for a trainer who have background in behavior modification. This forum is really good at checking out trainer websites and telling you to stay away or give them a call and ask questions so if you find some trainers in your are feel free to post links and we will help the best we can

Thanks for all the input. The past two days I have been trying some new techniques with her. I read up on the breeds that she is (1/2 meremma, 1/4 Great Pyr, 1/4 Anatolian), and her behavior makes a little bit of sense. Not because her breeds are aggressive, but because of what they were bred to DO. I read that a meremma actually doesn't want there to be a dominant and submissive member of the pack; they want a leader, but they would prefer that leader to take the roll of a partner and not a dictator. This is very different from our pit mix who would do ANYTHING to please us and really wants to see a dominant pack leader. I have been taking our meremma on walks. We live close to a college campus, and I experimented yesterday with taking her around other people. I was hesitant to do this, but she did extremely well. Totally ignored the people, and tried to "protect" me by keeping me on the sidewalk, away from cars, etc. She needs some work in the area of pulling too much, but she is responsive when i stop walking and say "Wait" (she slows down or stops immediately). We have been trying NILIF stuff for about a week, and I don't give her praise or treats unless she sits first. Even when I first get home, she must sit before I pay any attention to her. When she starts getting a bad attitude, I make her do something for me. The past two days, I think she's just wanted attention. I had one growl this morning when I asked her to get away from the trash can, but other than that we are teeth, bite, and bark free! Granted, 2 days is only 2 days. But we were having intense drama every day for a week. I learned of some behavior classes not fair from where we live, and we are looking into it. They offer agility class, rally class, manners class, and therapy dog class. I think she would enjoy a very ACTIVE class, so I might look into that as well as a manners class. To clarify, she is not a naturally aggressive dog, and when she IS aggressive it's definitely tricked by something very specific. She never "surprises" us with her aggression. A situation occurs and we know that, if we ask her to leave the room or go outside, that it will turn into an aggressive situation. The past few days I have tried to diffuse the situation all-together instead of making her do what i want her to do. Instead of forcing her to go into another room, I give her the option of sitting (quietly and calmly) where she is. If she wants to sit alone in a corner and pout, she can. Or if she wants to be with the rest of her "pack", she can. I feel like by giving her 2-3 HEALTHY and acceptable choices (created by my husband and myself) she is able to take responsibility for what she wants and is able to use the decision making quality that she was actually bred for. Can anyone suggest any mentally stimulating games we can do with her as well as behavior games and "tricks"?

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