My dog showed some aggression towards me

Well I was reading about this aggression test on the internet. One of the things to test a dogs aggression was to try and hold it mouth shut. Well storm did not like this at all and got very upset and snaped at me. Granted I proably pushed her more then she should have been. She is about 15 weeks old now and that was the first time that she didnt seem to be playing around. I dont know what to take from this besides the fact that I pushed the dog more then I should have.

 

What temperment test are you referring to? can you supply a link? A young pup will usually not like having its muzzle held shut but to snap.. sounds like your pup needs some direction in its life asap.. could jsut be the puppy or it could not..hard to tell with just this one incident.. but it is something that needs to be addressed.

How is the pup anyother time? Domiante personality? Pushy?

 

Give us the link to test this test out...

 

Usally she is a huge puss that is why I was just a little shocked. I mean she is scared of the vacum cleaner. She does love to play with are lab. It nevers gets out of hand. I read about the test on another forum that I would rather not disclose.

 

i eprsonaaly would not worry about that. i wouldn't like it either if someone did that to me. jus show it love and affection and it will turn out right

 

Yeah no doubt, if the only trouble you are having from her is when you do that, then i wouldnt worry about it, most dogs will get agitated at that, and being only 15 weeks old im sure shes just scared still. Watch her for other signs of aggression but the way it sounds now, its nothing I would worry about....if you dont want to post the name of the forum thats alright, but can you just provide a direct link to the test your talking about? Or was the test on the forum? Good luck with her, I think you should be fine.

 

Yeah I dont have a direct link it was just a post on another forum. The test consisted of pulling there ears and tail and tryin to hold there mouth shut. This is suposed to tell you how aggressive the dog is buy doing these things. It doesnt makes much sense to me cause everybody and everything has there limits.

 

I'd say thats a little overboard for a 15 week old dog.....even the best tempermanted dog is going to get a little agitated if you pull its ears and tail. Every dog has its limits like you said but a pitbull shouldn't try and bite when these things happen generally speaking, they normally will ignore it when they get older, or simply get up and go in another room. If you really want to see how aggressive it is, try this test when its at least 2 years old,by that time it should be mentally mature and you will get the most accurate results I would think.

 

For many hyperactive dogs, holding it still & holding it's muzzle shut is considered tortured. But as a vet tech, I do NOT appreciate dogs trying to bite me just because I have to hold it's muzzle shut for approx. 5 sec. for the vet to check out the inside of the ears & check the eyes. It's one thing if the dog sort of seemed to panic, but to snap at you is another.

Good news is she's young, she's impressionable, & she's old enough to start obedience training (which I strongly advise).

 

I absolutely disagree with the method of holding the mouth shut. When a dog is forced to have their mouth held shut it affects their breathing and probaly scares them or confuses them. Also, I tried this with my Male Bambam and he flipped and he has never bit anyone or even hinted at doing so because I'm sure he knows what would happen if he did...I didn't even try the tail or ear...but the mouth was a no no...he didn't show aggression or nip but he did do his little head shake thing and tried to pull away like I was going to hurt him and he knows better than that..I do believe if it was anyone else he didn't know or trust he would have bit the sh!t out of them on the shear principle that it is his mouth and it is abnormal under any circumstance for it to be "forced" shut... no matter who is doing the shutting. I wouldn't do it for any reason no matter who was suggesting it ever again to ANY dog. JMHO. JK

 

I tried this with Jaha and he didn't seem to mind me holding his mouth shut.

 

jaha is a spoiled little fellow, you could probably dress him up in a dress and make him do a little dance and he wouldn't mind.

 

Why the heck would you want to test the pup. Did the dog do anything wrong? Why in the heack grab the dog by the snout and hold it. Your teaching the dog bad habbits by trying the stupid test. If your going to grab the pup make sure it is when you catch it doing something wrong. Most of the time a loud voice will teach them right and wrong. The only time I grab my dogs by the head is when I give them wormer or during a breeding to hold the crazy bitchs head still. Dont make the dog mad to see the limits. If you understand your dog and it trust you it will not bite you but you keep doing the silly test like this you take the trust away. Dogs know when your getting ready to give them something and they start their submission or try to fight you off. When you were little did your parents push your limits to see if you would fight? I dont think so! Because it teaches the child to fight and not reason with a problem.

 

but flamingo, i do love jaha, he is so so so cute.

 

Probablly, LOL. Jaha is quite the laid-back fellow, normally anyway. Once in a while he gets these "spurts" of crazyness.

Thank You!

 

your very welcome, i can tell that he is your favorite, he has such a sweet look in his eyes all the time, how is his leg feeling by the way

 

Holding a dog's muzzle should not cause a dog to become aggressive. I can understand a dog pulling away & shying away from you because she's scared, but to show aggression? No. This is something we do all day long to dogs to keep them still for a few seconds for the vet to check inside the ears & if needed to stain an eye, or clean the eyes, or whatnot. And it's not that common for a dog to become aggressive. But let me explain the proper method to holding your dog's mouth shut. You do not just grab the muzzle and squeeze tightly. You want to reach your arm underneath his neck/head & position your hand so your thumb rests underneath the jaw with your fingers coming around the top of the muzzle (although you can put your thumb on top & fingers on bottom however it can be harder for some people to hold that way). You never want to squeeze hard, just enough pressure to keep the dog's jaw shut (or in our case, from clamping down on my hand or fingers). Even holding an aggressive dog & having to use more pressure, I've never caused a dog to pass out due to lack of oxygen. The dog should be able to breathe fine. NOW, if you are using sooo much force to clamp your dog's mouth shut that it cannot breathe, then get rid of your dog or attend anger management classes.

Just wanted to add that positively adjusting your dog to this process will pay off big time in the vet's office. I don't take a chance with ANY dog when it comes to me irritating him (cleaning eyes, ears, etc) & his mouth near my hand/fingers. Not worth it to me.

 

We forget that they are dogs and not people. They were built to live outside and survive. I take care of my dogs but going through some of this crap I would bite you to. For crying out loud people! THEY ARE DOGS! Pups will act like pups and dogs will act like dogs when time comes. Stupid test people do to animals. You will find out later if your dog wants to bite you or not but dont teach them early by trying things that you dont understand.

 

I never said to "test" your animal. All I am saying is to make it comfortable with people & their touch. And what is "trying things that you don't understand" mean?

 

bfgu..no, I would have to disagree with you.. dogs have been specifically tested, seleceted and bred throughout the years for their qualities in serving humans and for that purpose..to serve man (and woman) kind..unless of course its a wild dog. Not all domestic dogs are capable of surviving outside ..

Yes, the dog will retain many natural instincts.. but above all, the reason for their exisitance in todays society is to serve us..whether it be as a companion, guard dog, guide dog, entertainer, herder..hunting dog.. each breed has been bred to achieve these not by nature, but by man (man selected the traits that were natural to the dog and improved them..)

but I do agree with what else you are saying..they are still dogs.. they will react as a dog will..