A few behaviour related issues...!!

So Jasper is a handful at the minute. To say the least...
Absolutely glowing with adrenaline and energy   

He is quite mouthy a lot of the time and the ignore technique often works or redirecting. But he is sometimes more bitey, especially when i have on a nice thick jacket    Do I just keep doing what I'm doing? He is now 14kg as of his last visit to the vets the other day and at 5 months I think he will end up quite big....

Also, on the odd occasion he has growled (doesnt sound playful to me..!) at myself and my partner (with me its usually when he is stood behind some reeds in the garden and I am on the path below trying to get him out of the beds !!! Im wondering if its becuase he is 3 ft higher than normal as usually he would defer to me and roll over if he was being obstinate about something and I wouldnt let him have his way.
But tonight he was biting quite hard at my arm when I tried to get hold of his collar.

I ended up walking away and he jumped down and followed. But just wondering if anyone has any advice for me with this situation as I don't want it developing into anything worse down the line, which would be bad news...

Has anyone else had this sort of behaviour??

The main question is do I challenge the growling if it occurs?? or do I walk away?!! The vast majority of the time he is great, but the small percentage is concerning me at present if Im honest. Im just hoping he grows out of it ...fast!

Keep doing what your doing - time out works well but these things take time and its certainly not aggression just pushing boundaries Xx

Some of the noises Daisy makes sound like growling but she is not aggressive at all, just very vocal! Be consistent and firm when you need to be, you'll get through it xx

OK thanks ladies!! It is great to hear some encouragement. It can be a lonely place at times!!

Consistent and firm and timeouts it is then!!

He has got exponentially better than when I got him, but I think your right, he is pushing the boundaries. As he sometimes gets all cocky and snapping (playing) but when I stand up to take control of the situation he often rolls on his back and wants nothing more than a belly rub.

With that said the growling is a bit unnerving (is there such thing as a play growl??!!!) So I will make sure I carry on as I have been and update how I go

Thanks again   

Daisy definitely has a play growl you should hear her when we play tug of war, sounds like she's about to kill me   

Thats very true actually sazzle!
Our last dog (collie x GSD) had a ferocious growl and snarl when playing tug of war with stuff, but once he didn't have the item, or I let go, it stopped!!
The reason it's unnerved me a bit with Jasper is because he is biting with it (or snapping as I move my arm away when possible!!).
I wouldn't mind if he was 3 months old but 5 months and he is getting very strong!!

Will persevere though and hopefully will sort it soon!!

Yeah stick at it xx

Thanks! Will keep updating this thread as we go..

Sounds like your doing great with your stroppy teenager, he'll soon learn you mean business, keep up the good work xx

Thanks _Hayley_

This age is all a bit new to me so I don't know what it normal or not!! Thanks all for your encouragement

a few current pics of the dog in question - looks like butter wouldn't melt!!!






A recent addition to him is he has got some brindle stripes coming through his coat!! Only quite faint but clearly visible! crazy colouring lol

Aww he's gorgeous   

Have took him on 2 x 3 mile walks today so far.... Just going out on the same route again... so that's nine miles today eek..

It seems to calm him down significantly though I wouldn't say he seems tired lol.

I have to keep telling myself he's a beauty at the minute or I would go round the twist!!!

I meant to ask. I have searched and read around the forum but cant find the answers I need.

When I take Jasper for a walk, usually for the first 10 minutes he can be a nightmare. Nipping at my trousers, jumping up and nipping at my jacket, going for my shoes, my laces.....etc

This can
1/ make me look a twit!
2/Puts me off a bit and can get the walk off to a bad start.

I dont give up, and use the lead to try and hold him at arms length, then make him sit, reward him for his good behaviour, rinse and repeat... until we now get to the main road where there are some trees on the verge and he decides they are more fun to sniff.. and after a few more minutes the behaviour stops and we go on the walk as normal..

He did this on his last walk tonight, had bags of energy again (after 6 miles total today) and I want to know if there is a better way to deal with it?
I cant give him a time out!! and it is a relatively new behaviour (last 2 weeks or so I would say)

All advice appreciated.

Im starting to think his craziness is why he was rehomed 4 times in his young life lol

It's not craziness though it might be driving you crazy ! Sounds to me like you're on top of things with the training but a tip to remember is that they feel tension through the lead. I have first hand experience of this.

With the nipping etc, stop dead in your tracks, get him to focus on you by means of distraction. Lots of people use balls, Flo adores her stick, and get him to sit. Stay consistent with the message and very quickly you will see improvement.

He is still young and very energetic, don't worry about looking silly, good training now will see you through the years to come  

-Ian- wrote:It's not craziness though it might be driving you crazy ! Sounds to me like you're on top of things with the training but a tip to remember is that they feel tension through the lead. I have first hand experience of this.

With the nipping etc, stop dead in your tracks, get him to focus on you by means of distraction. Lots of people use balls, Flo adores her stick, and get him to sit. Stay consistent with the message and very quickly you will see improvement.

He is still young and very energetic, don't worry about looking silly, good training now will see you through the years to come  

Thanks Ian   
I'm feeling better already sharing my woes with fellow owners!!!
Will try the advice you say regards the walking issue!

I am also concerned because we go on holiday in August and have got to find him a dog sitter or kennels (if no other option) so I would love for him to be less of a handful for wherever we choose him to stay   Keep the advice coming mate cheers

Hi mate gorgeous puppy btw  my 4 month old growls at me aswell but its kind of a cross between a growl and a yap lol only does it wen hes playfull hes not too mouthy at the min maybe that's still to come but maybe hes just finding his voice or something im new to the puppies aswell lol its a Learning curve me thinks but sounds like ur doin gud work pal keep it up my friend

Lula is 6 months and can still be mouthy at times a firm no normals stops it straight away. The sounds she makes when playing can make you think twice   Lula loves rough plays and her fav game is tug.
When i first started walking her i had to carry her a few times to the end of the street   then we tried coaxing her with treats which did work for awhile but it was long enough to get her going. Once she realized i would not give in to her was the biggest turning point.
The one bad habit i have struggled breaking is her playing tug with her lead. I tried everything and nothing has stop it completely. I tried telling her to stop and when she did giving her a treat. Oh she stop alright to get the treat but once she eaten the treat she do it again to get another treat. It felt worst because i felt as if everyone was watching me with her and judging us. Once i relaxed and decided to completely ignore her when she did it i found it a lot easier. I do think her new harness has help because of where the attachment for the lead is. Lula does still do it but it happening less and less.

When I got Ledger from rescue they supplied me with a heavy duty chain lead instead of the nice dogs trust one, initially Ledger would spin back and try to chew any lead at the start of a walk but with perseverance he is generally ok but will still try when he is excited or getting anxious I.e. waiting for his turn at flyball and agility and randomly when I let him off lead but from his behaviour I fear that he was hit with the lead clip by previous owners (also explains the scar on his nose)

I have had to get a short chain for flyball as it fits in my pocket, had a couple of interesting experiences when I had the police style over my shoulder and he out of the blue jumped up and hung off it! He released with a firm no but it wasn't the best having 20kg of Staffy effectively hanging off my neck. Btw he quickly realized he can't chew the chain and stops the behaviour!

We have a 10 week old diva who thinks everything from laces to fingers are there for her and her alone to do with as she pleases! And loves a growl and yapping at us. We're counting down the days until we can get her out and get some of this energy burned off. She's our 2nd Stafford and the 14 years since we went through this with Floyd seems to have been erased from memory so watching yours and other pup owners experiences on here can only help.
You could try the chew deterrent on your shoes when you go out, also can you go a different route? Try turning round and going in the opposite direction when he tries to get your shoes.
Pete.