[mkells]

We have a 14 month old English Bulldog. We got a 4 month old lab mix this weekend from the Humane Association. The bulldog is fine with the puppy and actually really likes her, but she is baring her teeth at him at him and snapped and barked at him once. In her defense, he is much bigger than her and does want to play constantly with her. He is very friendly, but an in the face kind of dog. Could this snarling be a normal reaction for a puppy responding to an overly friendly dog and not a sign of aggression?

What concerns me is that the times when she has been the worse is when she is around the kids and he walks up. She LOVES our kids and it almost seems she is being overly protective of them. She is the perfect puppy except for this one issue. She is sitting and shaking and almost potty trained and likes her crate for naps and night. And most of the day, she is fine with our bulldog. My husband just let them both out to potty and they trotted along beside each other and even played a bit.

So, here is my question and concern. Could she just be an aggressive dog and that is just how she is going to be because she wasn't socialized in her first 12 weeks of life with enough people and animals? All we know is a man brought her and her two siblings into the shelter when they were around two months old and she was in a run with them.

The Humane Aasociation wants her back if it doesn't work out. I know it would be best if it doesn't work out to do it sooner than later while she has a better chance of getting another home perhaps without other animals.I want to give this a shot, but I also don't want to risk my kids getting bit in the cross fire when she is a 70 pound dog is she continues to be aggressive. I guess I'm just shocked that a little lab puppy is the aggressive one and he is fine with her. He has not growled back once at her and just really seems to ignore the behavior. Although he doesn't back off and continues to try to play.

Thanks!

[kendallj]

She could just simply be trying to establish dominance over your bull dog, but wasn't around her litter mates long enough to learn exactly how. Does she back down when the bull dog walks away or does she pursue and attack?? If it's only when he is actually in her face and she's not going after him it could be that she likes her space. How long have you had her? I would give her a month to cool off. At 4 months it is very likely she was taken too young from her mother and that could be the problem. My best advice is to be the dominant one. Show her that there is no need to fight for dominance because YOU are the dominant one. Be firm but not harsh. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Labs are a dog that need structure and lots of it because they have a lot of energy, but big plus is that they are VERY loyal to their alpha, they want to please them in anyways. So become the Alpha, and see if that helps. She may need behavior modification classes. Ask the Humane Association what they plan to do with her IF it does end up not working out. Some shelters put down dog aggressive dogs, and others try to rehabilitate them. Look around and see if there is a trainer in your area that may be able to help you out... I wish you the best of luck...Just whatever you do don't keep them locked up in separate rooms, this will make matters worse, they need to figure out who is alpha and then they can go on with their lives. Your bull dog may also be trying to establish his dominance, but in a more suttle way.

[mkells]

Thanks. I am just sick about this. We spend over an hour with her at the shelter and she seemed so gentle. She is great with us and the kids and does show a strong need to please. She has already learned sit and shake and is almost house trained. If we didn't have kids, I would work with her as much as it took and get a trainer. I have just read in so many places that this is probably due to not enough socialization when young and you can train some of it out of her, but she will always have that tendency. I am just kicking myself because we thought we knew dogs so well. My husband and I volunteered at a shelter in college and have had several rescue dogs. We have never run across a puppy like this.

When Cody, the bulldog, walks away, she does not chase him. She really does seem to like him sometimes. When they are outside, there are rarely problems. They trot around the backyard and play sometime. When she growls, I saw no firmly. Should I also be putting her in her crate?

We are crate training her and both of their crates are in the laundry room right next to each other. When she goes in for the night, she will whine until we put him in the room and then she stops and doesn't whine all night.

The Humane Association would probably just put good with kids and needs to go to a home with no other dogs on her tag if she were to go back. There were several there with that notation on their tag and when I questioned it, I was told similar stories.

Thanks for any input anyone is willing to give or similar stories. I just don't want to drag this out for her sake and the kids if this is a potentially dangerous situation for the kids. She has a better chance of getting a better suited home at a young age.

[blackrose]

I have one dog aggressive dog (a Lab mix), one fear aggressive dog (a Lab/GSD/ACD/? mix), and one puppy who is an alpha bitch and tries to attack any dog that isn't groveling at her feet (trying to work on that. She's a Collie/Aussie mix). I also have three younger siblings, ages 12, 12, and 6. All three of my dogs love the kids and are wonderful with them.

From the sound of it, your pup is growling and snapping at your Bully when he is annoying her. That doesn't sound like a dog aggressive dog, it sounds like a dog who doesn't know enough about dog behavior to tell him to back off more subtly.
If she doesn't chase him and doesn't "attack" him, I'd say with time they could learn to get along. However it will take training and persistance on your part.

If she is gets "snappy" when your kids are around, it very well could be because she is protective of them. It sounds like she is a dominant dog and if she doesn't get recognized as such by your Bully, she gets snappy.
We used to "own" a Malamute. She was our neighbor's dog, but she lived over at our house. She was a dog aggressive dog as well, but would co-exist with our two other dogs. If I would walk up and pet Rose before petting Loupie, Loupie would attack Rose. If I pet Loupie first their wasn't a problem. If we were outside and haning out with Rose but ignoring Loupie, she'd come up and attack Rose.

You can learn to have your dogs co-exist with each other, but it takes a lot of training, a lot of patience, and a lot of persistance.

If you don't feel confident that you can handle the situation, then it would probably be best to find your Labby another good home. Perhaps you could foster her until a sutible home could be found, so you could have a role in helping her find a new home.

[mkells]

Thanks! I'm wondering if some of the solution doesn't lie in training the bully to stop being such a pest. Although I am at wits end on that one. He is a sweet gentle dog most of the time and does respect us and know that we are alpha. However, he is horrible with dogs. He just will not stop pestering, following and getting in their face. He aggravated every dog he meets. I know crating him to punish him is not the solution because some of the problem is too much energy and that would make the situation worse. I can't increase his walks because we are in the south and the heat is just killing him. He can only go on walks early in the morning and at dusk and then for only a short time. He is too hot to even play ball much outside so he is indoors 95% of the time right now. That and he honestly just loves all dogs. He doesn't even respond to violence with violence. He just ignores it and tries to play again. He honestly just doesn't get it.

I guess we are just holding onto the hope that she is just reacting like other dogs to his constant pestering. I mean, she isn't searching him out and jumping on him. it is when he just won't leave her alone. That and I did put her in a sit and started hand feeding her kibble with him around to see what she would do and she growled when he came up, but he was trying to get the food so I can't blame her.

Are you guys saying that if she was a well socialized, good tempered lab puppy, she wouldn't growl or bare her teeth even in these situations? I guess that is my main question. I really want to make this work.


Update

Uh oh. It is getting worse. I called the shelter for more info on her and they said she was actually just brought in on 7/30. Her owners said she was around her liter mates and they had kids and the pups were all friendly. They also had proof of her first shots.

I then called and talked to a local dog trainer who specializes in aggressive dogs and she wasn't concerned about her correcting him when he is being aggressive. What she was concerned about was her guarding behavior with the kids, She recommended time outs. Basically, if she is around the kids and snaps at him, she is removed from the kids. I set up a time for her to observe her and was actually feeling better when the worst episode of all happened.

They were actually romping and playing. He was nibbling her neck and they were both wagging their tails. I made sure he was being gentle and put my hand in to make sure he was nibbling. A minute later, she started snapping at and lunging at him. I actually heard her teeth clanking. He seemed like he even got a little mad which I have never seen him do. It scared me since I am alone at home with the kids so I grabbed him and put him out back for a minute and told her no and crated her. I just don't know what to do now.

[poodleholic]

]We have a 14 month old English Bulldog. We got a 4 month old lab mix this weekend from the Humane Association. The bulldog is fine with the puppy and actually really likes her, but she is baring her teeth at him at him and snapped and barked at him once. In her defense, he is much bigger than her and does want to play constantly with her. He is very friendly, but an in the face kind of dog. Could this snarling be a normal reaction for a puppy responding to an overly friendly dog and not a sign of aggression?

Your 4-mo. old lab mix is still a baby! She's in a new environment, with new people, and is having to put up with an adolescent Bulldog who is being obnoxious and rude, and has constant access to her. Give her a break from this in-your-face guy, and give her some TIME to adjust!

What concerns me is that the times when she has been the worse is when she is around the kids and he walks up. She LOVES our kids and it almost seems she is being overly protective of them. She is the perfect puppy except for this one issue. She is sitting and shaking and almost potty trained and likes her crate for naps and night. And most of the day, she is fine with our bulldog. My husband just let them both out to potty and they trotted along beside each other and even played a bit

.

You don't really give enough information here. However, her experience is that the Bulldog keeps pestering her, and apparently doesn't back off when she gives him warning (the barking, then snapping). This is your cue to intervene on her behalf. Redirect the Bulldog, and control his access to her. Very important with two or more dogs is to give each dog one-on-one time with you away from the other dog.

So, here is my question and concern. Could she just be an aggressive dog and that is just how she is going to be because she wasn't socialized in her first 12 weeks of life with enough people and animals? All we know is a man brought her and her two siblings into the shelter when they were around two months old and she was in a run with them.

It really doesn't sound like it to me, however, without actually seeing her behavior, it's impossible to give you an accurate assessment. From what you have stated, I think she's just coping with the Bulldog's unwanted behavior as best she can. Why are you allowing the other dog to harrass this puppy?

The Humane Aasociation wants her back if it doesn't work out. I know it would be best if it doesn't work out to do it sooner than later while she has a better chance of getting another home perhaps without other animals.I want to give this a shot, but I also don't want to risk my kids getting bit in the cross fire when she is a 70 pound dog is she continues to be aggressive. I guess I'm just shocked that a little lab puppy is the aggressive one and he is fine with her. He has not growled back once at her and just really seems to ignore the behavior. Although he doesn't back off and continues to try to play.

Again, from what you've shared, it seems the problem is the Bulldog's rude behavior. Make that dog back off!

We spend over an hour with her at the shelter and she seemed so gentle. She is great with us and the kids and does show a strong need to please. She has already learned sit and shake and is almost house trained. If we didn't have kids, I would work with her as much as it took and get a trainer. I have just read in so many places that this is probably due to not enough socialization when young and you can train some of it out of her, but she will always have that tendency. I am just kicking myself because we thought we knew dogs so well. My husband and I volunteered at a shelter in college and have had several rescue dogs. We have never run across a puppy like this.

She was with a litter mate when brought in, and you've said yourself that she's great with you and your kids. There's only a problem when the Bulldog won't leave her alone, and she is simply telling him to back off. He doesn't, so she growls. It's your job to intervene.

When Cody, the bulldog, walks away, she does not chase him. She really does seem to like him sometimes. When they are outside, there are rarely problems. They trot around the backyard and play sometime. When she growls, I saw no firmly. Should I also be putting her in her crate ?

DO NOT STOP HER FROM GROWLING! A Growl is a warning. It comes before a BITE. To stop a dog from growling is dangerous! In a truely aggressive dog, you would, in essense, be training the dog to bite first. Again, this puppy doesn't sound dog aggressive to me. Your Bulldog's behavior is very rude, because he doesn't back off when the puppy barks or growls at him! What you should be doing is controlling his access to her.

We are crate training her and both of their crates are in the laundry room right next to each other. When she goes in for the night, she will whine until we put him in the room and then she stops and doesn't whine all night.

Doesn't sound like an aggressive puppy to me. Despite his rude behavior, she still likes his company. Supervise whenever the two are together, so that you can step in and make the Bulldog stop when his behavior is overwhelming the puppy, and she's had enough.

The Humane Association would probably just put good with kids and needs to go to a home with no other dogs on her tag if she were to go back. There were several there with that notation on their tag and when I questioned it, I was told similar stories.

Thanks for any input anyone is willing to give or similar stories. I just don't want to drag this out for her sake and the kids if this is a potentially dangerous situation for the kids. She has a better chance of getting a better suited home at a young age.

Have a professional come out and observe, if you really believe this puppy is aggressive. Based on what you've posted, I think this puppy's behavior is normal, given the obnoxious behavior by the much older Bulldog.

They were actually romping and playing. He was nibbling her neck and they were both wagging their tails. I made sure he was being gentle and put my hand in to make sure he was nibbling. A minute later, she started snapping at and lunging at him. I actually heard her teeth clanking. He seemed like he even got a little mad which I have never seen him do. It scared me since I am alone at home with the kids so I grabbed him and put him out back for a minute and told her no and crated her. I just don't know what to do now.

Again, I have to ask, WHY do you allow the older dog to harrass her?

I have two Standard Poodles. When Maddy won't stop her intense nibbling on my male, Beau, he raises his lip and gives her the look. Most of the time she backs off and knocks it off. Sometimes he has to tell her off. She deserves it. When I catch it, I redirect her to something else.

[mkells]

I totally agree the bulldog is a pest, but I guess I wasn't clear on why I am concerned about her being aggressive. She is a lab puppy and should want to play some. She never wants to "play" with him. She will trot along side him fine and even lay a couple feet from him in the same room happily sometimes. However, the minute he goes up to her to play (his tail wagging, bottom in the air, bouncing and running), she snarls and snaps at him.

I spoke with a behavioralist for over an hour and she is going to come observe, but she is concerned with what she calls her "guarding" of the children the most. Yes, we have much work to do with the bully, but he can simple walk around the corner and come next to where the kids are with the puppy and she will growl and snarl. If he comes even closer, she will snap at him.

Shouldn't a lab puppy want to play some? Does this behavior not throw up a red flag that she wasn't socialized or is aggressive?

[sydney-the-cattle-dog]

I wouldn't get overly worked up until the bahaviorist has a chance to watch the dogs interact. I would be sure to recreate all of your problem situations for her so that she can fully evaluate the situation.

I thought I had an aggressive dog until I started working with a trainer who is very experienced with aggressive dogs. He was able to show me that it wasn't the dog at all but rather how I communicated with him. Basically, in dog speak, I was telling my dog that he was supposed to act aggressively in certain situations and I was completely unaware that I was doing any such thing.

Dogs perceive very subtle changes in emotion and body language that can trigger fear or aggression. You and your children may be giving off subtle cues to the lab puppy that are causing her to react when the other dog is near. Of course only the behaviorist can confirm and change this behavior but since she doesn't seek to attack your other dog it doesn't sound like true aggression.

Let us know what the behaviorist says.