Aggression or Playing?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Aggression or Playing?

    I own a 7 month old newfie puppy whos a female. She is the sweetest dog and she loves everyone and walks up to strangers on the street to get pats and never hurts ANY animal. But, with my family she bites us. We might be like patting her and being nice and suddenly she sits up and snaps and barks at us and shows her teeth a bit. I have been bitten by her when she does this but she never draws blood she bites with her whole mouth and just puts alot of pressure with her jaws on you but doesn't bite to ripped you open. The only person she doesn't bite is my father who is VERY tough on her and she won't bite anyone if he's around. I don't think she is trying to hurt us but i think that she thinks she's the boss and if she's had enough she bites. I cant hold her mouth shut because she hates that and when you think she's calmed down and let go she's struggles free and starts biting again. She also hates being grabbed by the colar. But that has improved and she rarely bites me now when i touch her colar since some training that requires me to do that. please give me some tips to fix this problem. If that was fixed she'd be the perfect dog.
    • Bronze
    She is the sweetest dog and she loves everyone


    No, she's not. The sweetest dog in the world doesn't bite her family members. If you can realize that then you're on your way to fixing this extremely serious problem. A dog that bites is dangerous, a 120+ pound dog that bites could kill you.

    The question if this is aggression or playing isn't the right question. If she's aggressive then there's a reason for it. If she's playing then she should have been taught very early that mouthing humans is not permitted. Humans cannot play the same way she can with other dogs. What she's displaying is dominance. She thinks she's the alpha female of the home, just under the alpha male, your father. YOU and everyone else, rank below her and she's enforcing that rank.

    First, take her to the vet and have them run a thyroid panel and look her over for any physical problems. This kind of behavior is very unusual for a Newfie and highly dangerous. Switch to a very good dog food if she's eating regular store-bought food. This can help with thyroid and autoimmune problems which may cause aggression and discomfort in the dog.

    Second, get a muzzle on her until you can get the behaviorist out there. Take a cue from your father. The dog doesn't bite him because she realizes he's the boss. She bites you because she believes she outranks you and the other family members. She's asserting her dominance.

    She must immediately learn bite inhibition and the remaining family members, you included, have to learn how to act around a dog. She cannot run the show in that house when your father isn't there. Some things to do right away:

    1. Family goes through doors before the dog does. Dog always goes last.
    2. Family eats before the dog does. Dog eats last. If she doesn't eat when you do, change her feeding schedule.
    3. Dog is not permitted to jump on family members or anyone else. Never.
    4. Dog is not permitted on beds or furniture. Get her a nice BIG doggie bed. Those of lowest rank sleep lower.
    5. Do not respond to her demands for affection, even if she barks. You decide when to show her affection. You call her to you to pet or play. Ignore her when she wants to play.
    6. Make sure she gets enough exercise but don't play tug-of-war games. A good walk is fine for a Newfie but nothing with a lot of jumping as her joints are still developing.

    When she does bite you make a big deal of it. Pretend you are very hurt by it. Make a sharp scream and act as though you are in great pain. Dogs use correctional biting among themselves to assert dominance. Her bite wouldn't hurt a dog but she needs to learn humans will not tolerate biting. Then ignore the dog. Walk away from her. Make sure no one else in the home consoles or pays any attention to her for a good ten minutes.

    Follow these rules precisely and call a behaviorist! This dog will become very powerful very soon and if she really wants to hurt somebody she will do so. How your family approaches this is very important. She cannot run the house. Do not hit her or call her over to you to punish her or use her crate as punishment when she displays this kind of behavior. She must learn she is the omega, the lowest ranking member of your household. It is up to YOU to do this. Except if there is something physically wrong, she's acting the way YOU taught her to. YOU have to undo YOUR behavior to change hers.

    I'm being serious here because this is very serious. She will be huge very soon and as a moody adolescent she needs to be taught how to behave in your family or else she could seriously harm someone without meaning to just because of her sheer size and strength.

    Talk to the behaviorist. Newfies are wonderful dogs, indeed the most decorated dogs in the world for valor in battle and heroism in rescuing people at sea. There was a Newfie on Titanic who jumped into the water and swam the entire time next to a lifeboat full of people. When Carpathia arrived hours later to find survivors, this Newfie, still in sub-freezing waters, barked long and loud causing the Carpathia to turn and thus miss hitting a lifeboat full of survivors. The dog was the only animal rescued from Titanic.

    No other breed has given of itself so selflessly as the Newfoundland. Once things in the home are righted you should be blessed with a joyful family member who will give you years of unswerving devotion but everyone in your household MUST understand that she is a dog, not a child, not a human. Your dog will feel much less stressed once the humans are back to running the show. Dogs don't know what spite is and treating her as a dog will make her much happier because it will give her the structure she needs to know how to function.

    Think of kids. If every time a kid does something you praise him, he turns into a brat and runs his family ragged. Your dog is acting like Dudley Dursley because, in her eyes, you're treating the way the Dursleys treat Dudley. Dudley couldn't run a puppet show much less a household and neither can your dog. She's acting to lead her family the only way she knows how. Once you step into her shoes she'll stop and it won't bother her a bit. She doesn't want this job but, in dog language, you're telling her to do it.

    Good luck and please keep us posted!

    P.S. - My signature line was written by Lord Byron upon the death of his dog: a Newfoundland.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Thank you very much for that reply. I will try very hard to train her. I have realised that it is very unlike a newfie to act like that. So i strongly believe this can be fixed. She doesn't like to be ignored so i reckon we will stick to ignoring her. I can tell you when this is fixed, she'll be a perfect companion.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Oh yea i would just like to add, she is on very good dog food and she is healthy. Your scaring me though abit.
    • Gold Top Dog
    The only person she doesn't bite is my father who is VERY tough on her and she won't bite anyone if he's around.

     
     
    There is a lot of information here.
     
    You don't have to be mean and abusive, but being a good and capable packleader gets rid of many problems.
    It's not too late, but please, make sure you get on the ball, because when this dog is grown she could be very dangerous due to her size if you don't get it under control.
     
    Make sure she gets proper exercise and training.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Thank you so much for all the info. I'm going to try super super super super hard because this is my first dog and i know what a lovable companion a well trained newfie will be, actually i know one, he's 75 - 80kgs and he's huge. But he's very gentle. And so is my dog the biting is the only bad thing about her. apart from stealing food[:)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    I understand the food part, I own 5 dogs, and when dinner is served they sure would love to have some.[:D]
     
    DH has a habit of eating from a tray at times, the dogs think they can come and sniff, but no, I make my usual noise of "Ah" or Eh", and they get the message. I don't let them hover around when food is being served.
     
    I own 3 GSDs , 1 Husky/ Mal. mix. and 1 Husky/Chow mix. I have my hands full, but it can be done.[;)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Wow. You must be some dog owner. I heard huskys and malumutes are extremly hard to train! As for a GSDs, beautiful dogs but there's no way i could own one. I new some one who had the kindest dog you would ever meet. She was a lab/GSD mix called toffee. She let the daughter of the man jump on her and stomp her rear end and just sat there. She died tho in early december and she is greatly missed. The neighbours of the person who owned her threw snail bait over the fence and she ate it and ran away. It was very unfortunate that her id tag fell off a week before the incident.[sm=cry.gif]
    • Gold Top Dog
    You will find many multiple dog owners on this board with difficult breeds.
    We all had to learn, through reading, and all sorts of other information.
    Nobody is perfect, and I think many of us are still learning, it's an on going process.
    I am sure you will get there, too.[;)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    I sure hope so. lol. Anyway thank you very much for the advice. I got abit scared from the first reply that said she could kill someone. But anyway i doubt that will happen. She isn't allowed to sleep on or beds or sit on the furnature anyway, which is good. and she sleeps outside.
    • Gold Top Dog
    You've had some great advice and the analogy with Dudley Dursley was a good one.  But bear in mind that you don't have to be mean (like Petunia is to Harry!!) to achieve your goal.  Implement NILIF to ensure you are in control of all resources and make the dog earn everything good in life.  This will be a HUGE step forward.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I've just thought of an idea! Please tell me if you think it will be affective or not. Everytime one of my family members walks in the house we will all be standing in the room with the dog how ever came in will greet all the humans first and give them lots of attention and then say hello to the dog. Will this work and is that how it works in a wolf pack?
    • Gold Top Dog
    Sounds like a bit of a panto to me and unnecessary.  You don't have to put on a pantomime each time you interact with the dog in the belief that she will understand you better because you are imitating a wolf pack.  For a start, I cannot imagine that a wolf pack would behave this way - communication is much more subtle and fluid than this.  Second, yuo cannot be sure that she will interpret this the way you expect and so it could be a complete waste of time.
     
    When anyone comes in, IGNORE THE DOG.  Wait until she is fully calm and visibly relaxed before attempting to interact with her in any way - block her with your body and move away if she comes into your "space".  When she is CALM, she can be quietly called over and asked for a sit so she can be petted.  If she deviates from the rules, "switch off" again, wait for her to calm down again and try again.
     
     - By the time she has calmed down, other family members will already have been greeted naturally. 
     - This is using NILIF (making her work for good things in life). 
     - It makes it easy for her to succeed by only asking things of her when she is in a state of mind to listen and respond. 
     - It reinforces calm behaviour, which should always be your ultimate goal.  A calm dog is easier to work with. 
     - Lastly, if you watch a group of wild canines on TV, you will notice that the "alphas" always remain aloof when the pack reunites... they don't stoop to indulge in all the exciteable behaviour that everyone else is participating in.  So in this way, you are emulating the language f her own species in a very fundamental way.
    • Gold Top Dog
    oh ok thanks
    • Gold Top Dog
    Your pup behaves around your Dad because she sees him as the pack leader.  She obviously sees the rest of you as of equal status to her...playmates...and pups play with their littermates with their mouths.
     
    Holding her mouth shut is either going to make her think you are playing back, hence the continued biting, OR make her mad, hence the continued biting.  You can't win in this situation.
     
    I am very hands off in training my dogs.  Other than loving touches I don't put my hands on them.  Oh, perhaps as youngsters I may put a hand on a rump to help them understand what I mean when I ask for a sit, but holding a mouth shut?  Never.  And when I foster a litter of gsd pups, there can be 7 or 8 of them, all thinking that I am the perfect chew toy.  I use my voice, I use a gentle correct and redirect method and lots of praise for doing the right thing, and ignore the stuff I don't like. 
     
    I live with six german shepherds and not one of them would even think about putting a mouth on me, once they are past the puppy stage.  I might get a rude nose nudge now and then, but a mouth?  Uh uh.
     
    The best way to eliminate food stealing is to eat at the table, and completely and totally ignore any efforts to interact, to beg, etc.  I can literally eat dinner without any interruptions with six dogs laying around me. Altho, heaven help me if I need to get UP because I'm tripping over large dogs.   I can also eat something at my desk and get up and walk away from it and have it unmolested with all the dogs in my office, simply because they've been taught that with the exception of bones, if it isn't in their bowl, it isn't THEIRS.  All my dogs like the pizza crusts (pizza bones) and they all get some when I am done eating, and when I place the crusts in their bowls.
     
    I am not a trainer, I have no special expertise or great insight into the minds of dogs.  I read, I listen, I learn, and because I am totally not into physical corrections of dogs I read, listen and learn from positive reinforcement trainers, and I go by what works with MY animals.  I reward the behaviors I want and ignore the behaviors that I don't want, and with nipping and biting, gosh, if I need to leave the room to ignore, so be it.  When I have a litter, I spend a lot of time on the other side of a closed door, the other side of a baby gate or sitting at my desk with my feet tucked under me in the chair.  I don't hit, I don't physically correct, and I don't raise my voice.  I look at a pup as very similar to a human infant....that needs loving and teaching and guidelines.  Works for me.