Staffordshire Frustration-elicited Agression

[danibdo]

Hi! My name is Daniela and I own an female Staffordshire Bull Terrier, she is 59 days old, very cute, smart, but I think she has Frustration-Elicited Agression.
Every morning and night we practice, I use her meal time to hand feed her. We practice Positive Training and we exercise Kiss soud for positive interruption, leave it, touch reinforcement and others. But as soon as we end the feeding time and I stop providing continuous food she becomes agressive.
She keeps ofering positions and when I don't answer with food, she starts bilding her anger... Finally she charges over me and bites wherever she can.. I've tried to ignore and wait for her to calm down só I can rewarding, but she keeps.. To use the positive interruption and ask her to sit and feed (what works, but only while I Keep feeding her)...
Right now I'm frustrated and sad that I can't deal with her and provide what she needs....
She's with me for only 15 days... But it's getting worse and now even if I say only NO to her she charges over me, or my roomates when they try to correct her.. My skin is puncted everywhere, mostly my hands..
I need some help... Anyone?

 

[Amateur]

Sounds familiar ..

But really its only been 15 - give yourself a break ... takes time. 15 days is not a long time !


Search for puppy calming on this bored - lots of great advice.


Ok - my little devil NEVER settled - was pushy and bitey and " dominated" my every moment.
Luckily a lot of that changed when at 4 month we got her off lead at the dog park.
So called aggression and dominance was really just a lot frustration and energy.

I did two things a lot

First off - There is nothing wrong with crating during the day even when you was there. It gave me peace of mind to do stuff without worry what the pup is doing. It also prepares the dog for later should you need to crate them for health, travel etc. ANd oh what reward it is to get out and play for a bit if we were good.

Second, -- my favourite - was forced " Puppy Hugs" If Zoe was getting rangy and out of control and too excited, I would sit on the floor say Puppy hugs and pull her into my arms where she HAD TO settle in my lap. She had to visibly and physically relax and settle befor she was released again. No struggling, mouthing etc. I would pet her as I quietly grabbed a moment to drink my coffee or something. I always wondered if this forced restraint was leaning towards negative training - but later when she was over one year and I hadn't done it for a really long time - I was curious and yelled puppy hug and Zoe came running and snuggled into my arms and layed down -- so I guess she didnt mind after all.
This allowed her to get herself to relax .

 

[danibdo]

Hi! Thank you for your reply. I'm realy strugling with her agression. If I put her in my lap while she is in that state she will bite my legs... There is no part of me that is not bites.. I tried now to push her away when she starts to get angry, but it didn't work.. I've decided to but those metal fences so I can crente some sort of canel where she'll stay.. I'll take her out to play, but put her back when she starts to get angry... Even though she is a puppy she is hurting me... Badly and I'm afraid she escalate... I've decided to take her to the bulding's garage so I can exercise her, even if I'm not supose to , sinceramente she's only got the first cicle of vacines.

 

[brody_smom]

I have no personal.experience with puppies, so I may be completely wrong here. I do have a very mouthy young dog, though. Two things that I have done with him have made a difference. One is to give him something he is allowed to bite when we are playing. Something fairly soft, like a ball or tug rope, that he can sink his teeth into and hold on while you are handling him. The other thing is to suddenly break off attention from him when he puts his teeth on me. This works well when we are doing something he enjoys, like tummy rubs or back scratches. If I stop rubbing his tummy or scratching his back, stand up and turn away, he gets the idea that good things stop when he puts teeth on me. It sounds like she is a very high energy puppy. This may change as she gets older, or it may not. But she needs to learn right away that teeth on skin or clothing is not allowed. (Especially with her breed, this could lead to real problems when she is bigger) If she did that to another dog, they would stop playing with her right away, maybe give a loud yelp and turn their back on her. If she kept doing it to them, she would lose her playmate, or maybe they would bite her back. Was she the only puppy in her litter, or was she taken away from her littermates very early? This could explain why she does this, and you have to treat her the way her mother or littermates would to get her to stop.

 

[danibdo]

I

I have no personal.experience with puppies, so I may be completely wrong here. I do have a very mouthy young dog, though. Two things that I have done with him have made a difference. One is to give him something he is allowed to bite when we are playing. Something fairly soft, like a ball or tug rope, that he can sink his teeth into and hold on while you are handling him. The other thing is to suddenly break off attention from him when he puts his teeth on me. This works well when we are doing something he enjoys, like tummy rubs or back scratches. If I stop rubbing his tummy or scratching his back, stand up and turn away, he gets the idea that good things stop when he puts teeth on me. It sounds like she is a very high energy puppy. This may change as she gets older, or it may not. But she needs to learn right away that teeth on skin or clothing is not allowed. (Especially with her breed, this could lead to real problems when she is bigger) If she did that to another dog, they would stop playing with her right away, maybe give a loud yelp and turn their back on her. If she kept doing it to them, she would lose her playmate, or maybe they would bite her back. Was she the only puppy in her litter, or was she taken away from her littermates very early? This could explain why she does this, and you have to treat her the way her mother or littermates would to get her to stop.

I've tried to give another toy, she has balls, Kong, tire and a tug rope, but she always comes charging to my hands or legs if I'm siting in the flor with her, playing and holding the tug rope or anything, eventually she ignores the toys and choses my hands.. If I drop the toy and let her play for her own she comes to my hands... I always praise her for playing for her own, but it is not working.. I've tried to stop playing and then leave if she continues o bite.. But now she is biting my roommates.. So usually I have to at some point lock her at the kitchen (where she sleeps)...
I've done my research, hahahah, but nothing that they recommend seams to work! I'm doing something wrong for sure....
I'm looking for an professional here in Brazil.. But can't find an Positive Trainer... For SURE the punitive/abusive technique does NOT work with her, only makes her angrier....

 

[brody_smom]

Wow! You really have your hands full with her. I'm so sorry you are in that situation with no positive trainers nearby. I have struggled with finding a good trainer also. You didn't say if she has littermates, or how old she was when she left her mother. Biting is quite normal for all puppies, but they need to learn to inhibit their bite, meaning they don't bite hard enough to break skin. Then they learn not to bite at all. I don't know if puppies that young can be labelled as aggressive. Of course, some kinds of aggression are genetic and are very difficult, if not impossible to train out. Yours is so young, almost too young to be away from her mother. I wonder if she was weaned wrong, making her very food driven. What do you know about the mother/father and how the pups were treated before she came home with you?

 

[brody_smom]

I just did a little reading on puppy aggression. What makes you say your puppy is angry, other than the fact that she is biting? Remember, she is very young, and her mouth is also her hands. She needs to learn to inhibit her bite, and also not to bite, but this is how puppies play and how they relieve pain from teething. Everyone who comes in contact with her (ALL your room mates and any visitors) have to treat her the same way so she gets a clear message. NO teeth on skin. When she bites, give a sharp scream, withdraw hands, stand up and move away from her. If you have a gate, put her behind it and keep your room mates away from her. Don't give her attention if she barks or whines. When she is quiet, you can give her attention again. Repeat this as many times as necessary. Puppies learn very quickly what works and what doesn't work for them. Put all her toys away except for teething/chewing toys. All other toys only come out when you play with her, and they go away when she bites you. You can play tug with her, just be gentle. It is a great way to release her energy and exercise her teeth and jaws in a harmless way. Just tug for 5 seconds then let go. If you have two tug toys, you can make it exciting for her to chase and catch and tug on one for 5 seconds. Then release it to her and get the other one, encouraging her to leave the first one and chase the one you have. If she bites you, the game is over and the toy goes away. Keep your time-outs short (less than 30 seconds) or she will forget what she did that earned her the time out.

 

[danibdo]

Wow! You really have your hands full with her. I'm so sorry you are in that situation with no positive trainers nearby. I have struggled with finding a good trainer also. You didn't say if she has littermates, or how old she was when she left her mother. Biting is quite normal for all puppies, but they need to learn to inhibit their bite, meaning they don't bite hard enough to break skin. Then they learn not to bite at all. I don't know if puppies that young can be labelled as aggressive. Of course, some kinds of aggression are genetic and are very difficult, if not impossible to train out. Yours is so young, almost too young to be away from her mother. I wonder if she was weaned wrong, making her very food driven. What do you know about the mother/father and how the pups were treated before she came home with you?

Wow! Thank you for the replies!
So, the breeder is reputable, here we usually take the puppies from the mother with around 45 days old. The think is, the mother got some infection and the puppies Had tô be take away from her pretty soon...
I've already got to that conclusion too, that's probably where my problems started...
For a week I've been using the technique you guys describe, to don't give attention and leave her when she starts.. But sometimes we're sitting at the sofa and she charges at us if we don't give her attention or feed her with treats.. And REALLY means CHARGES AT US... Her tail is up in the Air, steady, she growls, and cames biting and does not stop, no matter if I use the positive interruptor, a "stop it", "no", "ouch" or e ver if I stay quiet and calmlly comand her "off" while she bites me... I've tried it all, even being phisical I have to confess, so frustrated I got one Day... I'm lost...

 

[Amateur]

I think I cried everyday for 2 months with mine ...
She is absolutely fabulous now - I have absolutely no problem putting my face up to her mouth -
Give it time, just keep calm and things will happen. remember 15 days is nothing.

p.s. is she getting enough sleep ... sometimes puppys are so tired they misbehave but dont settle to sleep ... sometimes they need to be told it is time for sleep. Zoe was on a strict regiment of feeding, pooping/pee, play, walk, nap. She was put in her crate every 3 hours ( I think at first) for a 2-3 hour nap. I cant remember the exact schedule but after nap it was pee/poo, feed, pee/poo, hour play inside (puppy hugs) , pee/poo, walkies, pee/poo, --- then thankfully naptime. lather rinse repeat

 

[southerngirl]

Wow! Thank you for the replies!
So, the breeder is reputable, here we usually take the puppies from the mother with around 45 days old. The think is, the mother got some infection and the puppies Had tô be take away from her pretty soon...
I've already got to that conclusion too, that's probably where my problems started...
For a week I've been using the technique you guys describe, to don't give attention and leave her when she starts.. But sometimes we're sitting at the sofa and she charges at us if we don't give her attention or feed her with treats.. And REALLY means CHARGES AT US... Her tail is up in the Air, steady, she growls, and cames biting and does not stop, no matter if I use the positive interruptor, a "stop it", "no", "ouch" or e ver if I stay quiet and calmlly comand her "off" while she bites me... I've tried it all, even being phisical I have to confess, so frustrated I got one Day... I'm lost...

First off remember she is a puppy things will get better as she ages. She will calm down, she will learn to stop biting, but it take time and tons and tons of patience. Also she is not being aggressive she is being a puppy. Right now I have a 9 month old puppy who I rescued when she was 4 months old. I find myself often having to remind myself and others that she is just a baby, she'll drive you crazy, and make you want to pull your hair out.
Okay so your own the couch and she charges at you stand up, and if she is biting your feet step on the other side of the gate so that she can not. If she continues to charge and bite you once you've went to sit back down put her in time out( for about 2 min. and try again. No, this won't work right away. Take the advice everyone gave you and just keep doing it, it may take a few weeks for it to start to click "hey mom doesn't like me biting her". Being that she was taken from her mom early she will be pretty mouthy.
You say you've had her for 15 days that is not enough time for her to already understand to stop biting like I said above use what everyone said and give it time. Good luck

 

[brody_smom]

Wow! Thank you for the replies!
So, the breeder is reputable, here we usually take the puppies from the mother with around 45 days old. The think is, the mother got some infection and the puppies Had tô be take away from her pretty soon...
I've already got to that conclusion too, that's probably where my problems started...
For a week I've been using the technique you guys describe, to don't give attention and leave her when she starts.. But sometimes we're sitting at the sofa and she charges at us if we don't give her attention or feed her with treats.. And REALLY means CHARGES AT US... Her tail is up in the Air, steady, she growls, and cames biting and does not stop, no matter if I use the positive interruptor, a "stop it", "no", "ouch" or e ver if I stay quiet and calmlly comand her "off" while she bites me... I've tried it all, even being phisical I have to confess, so frustrated I got one Day... I'm lost...

When your puppy is very young, it is a good idea to keep her in a crate or inside an x-pen (like a little indoor fence) at all times if you are not playing/training. This helps with house training as well as keeping her out of trouble. Any behavior that your puppy is able to do by her own choice, she is going to repeat as long as she enjoys it. Right now, she has the freedom to charge at people and bite them if they don't feed her. She will become a little tyrant if you let her do this. She must be kept in control. Even when you have her out of her crate (does she have one?), you might want to keep her on a leash that is tied to you so you know where she is at all times. With unwanted behavior, just like good behavior, practice makes perfect. The more she is allowed to do it, the better she will get at it. You have to find out what works best for you in your home, but crating a puppy is a good option if you need some time to yourself and don't want to worry about her causing trouble. I still crate my 18 month old rescue dog when he's being troublesome. Just keep your tone cheerful and feed her lots of treats when she goes in there. Make it a place she enjoys being, and she will even go inside on her own.

 

[kassidybc]

Maybe this video will help you....

 

[danibdo]

Hi guys! Thank you for all your feedback! So, it's been a while and I'm glad to say that she is so much better. I've ended up trying everything (yelping when she used to bite, ignoring, leaving her alone) but nothing worked... She escalated as the days went by... She became more and more aggressive and I still have the scars to prove.. Unfortunately I had to be firm eventually and after that, she stopped.
I don't crate her because she stays alone during the weekdays, I come back to home to feed her at midday than left to work again, so it is too long for her to be confined, but she stays at the kitchen, where she is safe and out of trouble.
Now she stays with us for ours, when before she only got to be free for 15 minutes, since after that she used to become unstoppable and bite everybody...
I'm doing a lot of exercises with her and training and she is doing great!
So I guess that she didn't knew how to call us and have our attention, so she used to bite because that's what she knew...
Now... She does this thing.. She goes under the bed ou cabinet and starts barking at us... Barking and barking.. I'm not really sure how to deal.. If I try to stop her from going under the bed she starts to charge and run to go under the bed, crazy like... Some times I manage to get her out by luring her with a toy.. Sometimes I just leave her alone.. Any suggestions?

 

[danibdo]

I love kikopup channel and the only tip that didn't worked with Ônix was this one.. Everything else I follow her instructions and now Ônix sits, stays, lays down, she turns around.. I'm training her to go to bed.. She is awesome!!!

 

[southerngirl]

So I guess that she didn't knew how to call us and have our attention, so she used to bite because that's what she knew...
Now... She does this thing.. She goes under the bed ou cabinet and starts barking at us... Barking and barking.. I'm not really sure how to deal.. If I try to stop her from going under the bed she starts to charge and run to go under the bed, crazy like... Some times I manage to get her out by luring her with a toy.. Sometimes I just leave her alone.. Any suggestions?

Unless it's really annoying you I really don't think it would hurt to just let her do it. She's a puppy and will do some pretty odd, annoying, funny, weird things, but she will stop on her own, especially if you just ignore her when she does it. For example my puppy Piper used to constantly play tug with her leash, I just let her do it(unless she was Missy was getting annoyed of her pulling on her own leash). Now Piper only plays with the leash out of frustration, but that is a completely different problem. Anyway my point is there are things puppies do that aren't a big deal they'll grow out of it. Sometimes the best thing to do in this situation is to ignore her. Just try for let's say a month of ignoring her when she does this behavior and if it hasn't stopped or gotten better go back to the drawing bored. Of course if you feel like this won't work than me and other members can think of something else.
P.S I'm glad she stopped the biting. Sometimes it does take a firm voice of "No, Uh Uh, or hey" if other things don't work.

 

[brody_smom]

Sometimes it is okay to just ignore a behaviour and wait for it to go away, as long as you think you can live with that behaviour. Some behaviours are self-reinforcing, like barking or chewing, and won't go away by ignoring them. If she is doing something specific just to get your attention, ignoring it is fine as long as it is not self-reinforcing, because they will keep doing it anyway. This is where a crate comes in really handy. I know you say you don't need a crate because she is confined to the kitchen all day, but in order to prevent her from doing things like this when you are home, a crate is still a better option than letting her do things you don't like when you aren't able to stop her. With Brody, who is 19 months, when he wants attention and I am busy, he will steal things he thinks are valuable to me. I have taught him to go to his crate on cue, so if he steals something, I send him to his crate, take away the stolen item, and shut the door to keep him from repeating the behaviour. When I am free to give him attention, I will let him out and play with him. Dogs are smart, and they can learn to shape our behaviour as well. You have to be careful not to ever reward them for doing something you don't want them to repeat, but always reward them for something you do want them to repeat. If you lure her out with a toy, you are rewarding her for running under and barking. She will keep doing it, because you paid her for it. If you can stand her barking, when she becomes quiet, you can then toss her a treat or lure her out to play. If you can't stand the barking, lure her out, but don't play with her until she is quiet and get her to do a couple of her cues you have taught. Anytime you give her something she likes, you need to think of the two things she just did, because those are what she will repeat in order to earn more rewards.

 

[MaryK]

I'm a bit late on this post, so much very good advice. So glad she's stopped with the biting, it's frustrating and painful, but then she didn't learn at 'her mother and siblings side' that biting hard doesn't work.

With the barking, remember as others here have said, she's a puppy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Puppies can do some annoying things at times, they're like children, they have to learn what is acceptable and what isn't. If the barking isn't creating too many difficulties, just ignore it!!!!!!!!! No one likes to be ignored, least of all puppies, and turning away from her or just plain ignoring it usually works - but REMEMBER TO REWARD HER when she's quiet and behaving nicely. People often forget to reward their puppies when they're doing the right thing - for example - she's sitting down quietly, not being a pesky puppy, then REWARD HER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ignore the unwanted behavior but REWARD THE GOOD!!!!!!!!! Puppies are smart, they soon learn to recognize the fact that "Hey if I do what is right I get a reward - but if I do the wrong thing no reward".

Work on the basics of training with her and reward her plenty.

Also take her for good walks, she may have a lot of pent up energy, being along all day is so BORING for a puppy, so when the humans arrive home it's "Hey look at ME give ME SOME ATTENTION NOW I've been alone all day I'm BORED" - Puppies are very 'me' orientated.

I know it can be hard to find a good Positive Reinforcement School, so is there anyone you know who works with their dog/puppy using P +? If so, maybe you could get together for a few training sessions, so she has the company of another dog(s).

She's not aggressive but demanding, keep that in mind.

Good luck, she's only been with you a very short time and puppy training does require a load of patience and love!

 

[danibdo]

Sometimes it is okay to just ignore a behaviour and wait for it to go away, as long as you think you can live with that behaviour. Some behaviours are self-reinforcing, like barking or chewing, and won't go away by ignoring them. If she is doing something specific just to get your attention, ignoring it is fine as long as it is not self-reinforcing, because they will keep doing it anyway. This is where a crate comes in really handy. I know you say you don't need a crate because she is confined to the kitchen all day, but in order to prevent her from doing things like this when you are home, a crate is still a better option than letting her do things you don't like when you aren't able to stop her. With Brody, who is 19 months, when he wants attention and I am busy, he will steal things he thinks are valuable to me. I have taught him to go to his crate on cue, so if he steals something, I send him to his crate, take away the stolen item, and shut the door to keep him from repeating the behaviour. When I am free to give him attention, I will let him out and play with him. Dogs are smart, and they can learn to shape our behaviour as well. You have to be careful not to ever reward them for doing something you don't want them to repeat, but always reward them for something you do want them to repeat. If you lure her out with a toy, you are rewarding her for running under and barking. She will keep doing it, because you paid her for it. If you can stand her barking, when she becomes quiet, you can then toss her a treat or lure her out to play. If you can't stand the barking, lure her out, but don't play with her until she is quiet and get her to do a couple of her cues you have taught. Anytime you give her something she likes, you need to think of the two things she just did, because those are what she will repeat in order to earn more rewards.

That's a great advice!!!!
I'll try and follow your directions. A crate is really out of questions now, but mostly because because right now I don't have the money to buy one, just next month. I've spent a lot of money with supplies LOL. I've bought one Pet corrector, the air spray, so I can use when she barks and starts this behavior. I'll let you know if it works!!!

 

[danibdo]

I'm a bit late on this post, so much very good advice. So glad she's stopped with the biting, it's frustrating and painful, but then she didn't learn at 'her mother and siblings side' that biting hard doesn't work.

With the barking, remember as others here have said, she's a puppy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Puppies can do some annoying things at times, they're like children, they have to learn what is acceptable and what isn't. If the barking isn't creating too many difficulties, just ignore it!!!!!!!!! No one likes to be ignored, least of all puppies, and turning away from her or just plain ignoring it usually works - but REMEMBER TO REWARD HER when she's quiet and behaving nicely. People often forget to reward their puppies when they're doing the right thing - for example - she's sitting down quietly, not being a pesky puppy, then REWARD HER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ignore the unwanted behavior but REWARD THE GOOD!!!!!!!!! Puppies are smart, they soon learn to recognize the fact that "Hey if I do what is right I get a reward - but if I do the wrong thing no reward".

Work on the basics of training with her and reward her plenty.

Also take her for good walks, she may have a lot of pent up energy, being along all day is so BORING for a puppy, so when the humans arrive home it's "Hey look at ME give ME SOME ATTENTION NOW I've been alone all day I'm BORED" - Puppies are very 'me' orientated.

I know it can be hard to find a good Positive Reinforcement School, so is there anyone you know who works with their dog/puppy using P +? If so, maybe you could get together for a few training sessions, so she has the company of another dog(s).

She's not aggressive but demanding, keep that in mind.

Good luck, she's only been with you a very short time and puppy training does require a load of patience and love!

Thank you for the advice!
She is too young for the walks, she'll be clear to go to the street by March, 15.. Then, for sure I'm gonna take her to daily walks, so we can spend all that energy.
She is so adorable and I'm only having little problems, that we're working on.
I'm watching all the Kikopup videos and she uses P+, so I'm following!
I always reward her, she is so food driven, LOL! When it is food time I hand feed her while we do the training once a day and she is great! All it takes for her to behave is show her some food! kkkkkkkk

 

[danibdo]

Here is my litle monster!
Soooooo dam cute!