[Doggydooger]

Hey guys! I know this sounds far fetched. But I got an Australian shepherd puppy 3 weeks ago. For the first week she did really well, I crate trained her, have been hand feeding her all her meals using it for obedience training. I’ve been giving her a good amount of exercise and also enforcing naps. She took the routine really well, she was loving training, got potty trained and was settling on her own (many times in her crate). However since the last week she has been acting very stubborn, hates training (gets frustrated and decides to walk away and play with her toy). And very recently she’s been snarling and snapping at me during play. She’s also been barking a lot in her crate and takes a while to settle. I’ve never used any dominance methods and have imposed restrictions by saying firm ‘no’ which she understands. I’ve tried being a good leader to her. However, it’s very demotivating that she never wage her tails around us, never wants to cuddle, never happy to see us and worst of all she’s been snapping and snarling at us (different from play bites) I’ve had multiple dogs and trained multiple puppies but don’t know what to do. Please help

 

[DaySleepers]

Has she been checked out by a vet to make sure there's no pain or other underlying issue that might be making her act unusually? Especially if any of this was particularly sudden or out of character.

Assuming everything's clear on the medical front: the thing that strikes me is that this seems like a lot for a puppy her age. When you say you're doing obedience training, do you mean drilling behaviors or just really easy, low pressure "learn that humans are fun and behaviors earn you treats" type stuff? How long are these sessions? I've known a few dogs who absolutely tap out if there's too much pressure with training, even if that training is force free, positive reinforcement based. These dogs tend to be sensitive and struggle with 'failure' - as in even using a no reward marker or a too low rate of reinforcement can completely ruin their motivation to train. Not saying your approach is wrong in general - obviously it's worked for your past dogs! But it might be too much for her.

I'd try stepping back the training. Do more puppy stuff. Make training easy, short, low-pressure games that she can choose to participate in and always 'wins' so she can rediscover the joy in interacting with people and earning reinforcers. 101 Things To Do With a Box would be a great example of this kind of game, where the focus is on letting the puppy problem-solve freely and learn for themselves that their behavior can produce reinforcement, without there being a 'wrong' option so she can't fail.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Training a dog should be fun for the dog. If the dog is not eager to train it is likely you are not making if rewarding enough for the dog.

People have a tendency to tell dogs (and kids) when they are wrong but rarely do they have a real party when the dog or kid gets is right!

In training an 11 week old puppy you are not going to work in more than 3-5 minute increments. Every time the puppy gets something right you are going to break into a bit of play that the dog likes. At this age I don't correct at all and I have trained dogs to a very high and demanding level of obedience.

The mantra is first you show them how to do what you want.. and make if fun. Then you make it more fun so they WANT to do what you want. If the do something you don't want you redirect them to something else.

The bond you want to build with the dog is that you are FUN and you are SAFE.
Corrections come in much later. Fact is, my current dog did not really get any corrections in training until he was over two. This is a dog that is trained a lot. He cannot wait to train. In fact, that is how all my dogs are. They get so excited I have to work on impulse control just to get a collar on.

 

[Lillith]

It's difficult to tell without seeing a video, but note that snapping, snarling, and barking is how herding dogs, such as an Aussie, get livestock to move, and this can carry over into play. They are often vocal when playing and literal land sharks. They nip heels, bite (HARD) at flailing hands, and generally make you wonder why you got a puppy. They do not understand that such rough, vocal play can be a little intimidating to us humans.

As others have said, try backing off on the training. Puppies have the attention spans of a gnat. Seriously. Five minutes of training, max, until she gets a bit older. Incorporate training INTO play, like learning to drop the tug toy when you say or the toy becomes "dead". Hide and seek games where she gets a treat for finding you. Reward for simply making eye contact. Reward for displaying calm behavior.

I would also just get rid of the "no" marker. At 11 weeks, she likely doesn't know what it means, and it may be contributing to her frustration. Instead, focus on teaching her what she should be doing. Play continues and she gets praised for biting on appropriate toys, but if she insists on biting human flesh, the play ends and the human leaves. Same applies for snapping or snarling. Personally, I don't really care how loud or "vicious" my Aussie/Collie mix is as long as he doesn't bite me, but if she starts to get too wild you can end play and walk away.

Also, don't be alarmed if your pup doesn't want to cuddle or doesn't always seemed that interested in you. Some dogs never really become cuddlers (which you will have to learn to respect if that is the case with your pup), but most (especially velcro Aussies) become more focused on their owner as time goes on and the entire world stops being so novel.

Also be warned, the mouthiness and being so vocal will likely continue for some time. It won't go away overnight. You will probably a notice a backslide at around 6 months as the dog gets bigger and doesn't realize how strong they are. Be consistent, and be patient!