8 week old mini schnauzer aggressive behaviour

[LauraLouisa]

Hello, I’ve just joined the forum for support as a new Miniature Schnauzer owner.

My puppy Wilf came home 6 days ago. The breeder told me Wilf was the ‘naughtiest’ puppy in the litter, and when we visited/received videos he was always play fighting with his siblings. He was also the biggest and most confident in the litter.

Now that he’s home he’s settled in great. But immediately you could see Wilf was a confident pup, was not anxious at all, didn’t seem to miss his litter and took to living here well.

Me and my partner live alone and have no children of other pets.

My sister however has an almost 6 month old cockapoo who we introduced Wilf to quickly as we live close and see daily.

Otis the cockapoo has a friendly nature, is very playful as a puppy himself and adores both me and my partner - used to our full attention.

On the first meeting Wilf immediately humped the cockapoo and began playing very rough with him, despite the fact the cockapoo is about 10 times his size.

Im not too worried about the play fighting however Wilf has been showing an aggressive side to the cockapoo, and has started to bite him on the face and ears, and sort of latch on and not let go. The cockapoo is yelping in pain but does not retaliate and does not bite back.

I really don’t know what to do, as it’s getting worse and Wilf is behaving aggressively when they meet. He is playful and loving when he’s home and with us, but if we go to my sisters house it’s like he’s high on Adrenalin and runs around trying to attack the cockapoo, and it doesn’t seem like normal puppy play fighting.

Does anybody have any advice on what we should we doing? He hasn’t had his second vaccinations yet so he can’t go for walks but I’m worried if this is how he behaves with the cockapoo he will be aggressive to other dogs.

I really want them to learn to be together but at the moment we keep having to crate one as Wilf just can’t settle and is constantly jumping up and biting him hard.

Has anybody else had a similar situation with an overly confident, dominant mini schnauzer?

Thank you,

Laura.

[zeta1454]

Welcome to the Forum Laura

If Wilf is biting and humping your sister’s dog, you do need to manage the situation as you have been doing but it is still early days if he has only been with you for a week. Much of the behaviour may be due to Wilf not knowing how to behave in a new situation. If he has had limited contact with other dogs previously apart from his siblings he may not have learned canine social manners and you will need to introduce him to more dogs as soon as you can, preferably older, calm but confident adult dogs and not puppies. A mature adult dog may be helpful in teaching him better manners Puppies naturally are playful and energetic and, if two of them are put together, this is not a good combination if one is feeling uncertain how to behave out of his own comfort zone (your home) and feels he must make his presence felt to avoid being pushed around by the other.

Are Wilf and your sister’s puppy playing outside or in the house? Outside is better as there is more space for either to move out of the way if they don’t feel comfortable with the situation. You also need to be sure that Wilf is not getting overtired as this is a sure way of causing ‘naughty’ behaviour. A puppy in the early months needs plenty of rest time. 2 hours rest to 1 hour activity through the day and the activity should vary between physical - outside exploration in the garden and play and mental challenges such as training work. Wilf needs time to settle in a crate or playpen regularly and be sure he is rested and calm when he is going to meet another dog / puppy.

Food is also a possible issue with hyperactivity as any food or treats that are high in carbohydrates and / or artificial flavours or colourants can trigger hyper behaviour in puppies and dogs.

See if you can get Wilf and the cockapoo puppy to spend short periods together with toys or doing training tricks with treats - even for just a few minutes at a time so that Wilf can learn to engage with the puppy in a more friendly manner.

Socialisation with other dogs though is really important and, if you can find a good training class or have other friends with dogs that are healthy, calm adults which can be introduced to Wilf, this will help him learn how to behave more calmly. The risk of contracting disease for a healthy puppy is not high in most circumstances even before being immunised and the risks associated with poor behaviour patterns due to lack of socialisation are much greater.

I think this is a situation which should get better with time and patience and you should not fret that Wilf will grow up to be an aggressive dog but, if you do feel you are struggling with him see if you can find a good canine behaviourist in your area who may be able to give a personal assessment of Wilf and offer specific advice.

[Dawnspell]

Just to add to Leighs post. Also be aware your sisters dog is also still a puppy and will be coming into adolescence. He's still learning and will not be capable of making the right choices for what is acceptable play with another dog let alone a boisterous puppy. It could affect his behaviour towards other dogs if he doesn't enjoy the experience with your puppy. It's up to the owners to decide what's appropriate. Keep play time a fun time not a long time.

You could also try giving them both a lick mat, Kong or long lasting chew. Have them a good distance apart to start with, opposite ends of the room or garden and on lead so they cant approach the others treat. This will start to teach them to do a calming activity in the presence of each other.

He's not being aggressive he's just a baby who is learning about the world and himself. Bit like a toddler having a tantrum and lashing out.

[LauraLouisa]

Thank you both for your responses.

I agree that maybes introducing him to the cockapoo as the first dog he met was not a good idea, with him being a puppy himself. I just wanted them to meet straight away as I normally spend every day with my sister, and I haven’t been able to because of the pups this week.

I’ve just been round tonight after a few days keeping them apart and met in the garden. Wilf immediately jumped up at Otis and was biting him, Otis was yelping and crying and I had to go over and separate them and release wilfs jaw off his ear. He even had some of Otis’ fur in his mouth.

I’ve booked to see a dog behaviourist on Thursday to get his view on the situation. I know to others it might sound something that they will grow out of, but it’s awful to watch your 9 week old puppy hurting another dog to the point they’re crying and can’t get away from him.

Thanks for the tips on introducing them calming and with toys, treats etc. It’s definitely something I need to work on, as at the moment when this happens I’m just scooping him up and immediately taking him home.

They have never spent a long time together. I think the first couple of times may have been under an hour, as Wilf didn’t display this behaviour at first, but now it’s 5 minutes and we leave. Typing this I realise I’m probably not doing the best thing but it’s so difficult when other family members are upset at your puppy for hurting their dog I just feel so disappointed.

I like your idea about short times together with tricks etc at the moment Wilf seems to launch and hurt him immediately so we don’t have time to try anything else.

I’ve been taking him on socialisation walks to meet other dogs but obviously he can’t go on the ground so we don’t have the full idea what he will be like, I’m just trying to introduce him to as many dogs as I can.

I’m really hopeful the behaviourist on Thursday will help me. I just need to know how to handle it and what to do. I know he’s a puppy and learning himself but I just really don’t want a dog that I can’t take out and meet other dogs, and from having a dog in the past I’ve never seen anything like this.

Thanks again for your responses and any further advice is appreciated!

Laura

[Dawnspell]

Just a quick point you say he launches himself at Otis. I would have him on a harness and lead so he cant practice doing this. Theres nothing wrong with managing the situation for the best outcome, hes not going to make the right choices on his own. You can then try working on his self control with out him having access.

[zeta1454]

I agree with Alison that you want to try and stop this behaviour before it happens by using a harness and lead to prevent Wilf launching at Otis. It sounds as though Wilf may have been allowed to get away with boisterous behaviour with his siblings before he came to live with you and you don’t want this to become his default reaction when he sees another puppy / dog. However Wilf is very young and hopefully the behaviourist will give you some useful advice to help you manage and overcome this very soon. It is rare to have a puppy with no challenging behaviour, one way or another, and with good positive training and care these issues are almost always resolved just fine