# Aggressive whippet pup



## Tiggsy72 (Aug 23, 2019)

Desperately looking for help - we have an 11 week old whippet puppy who at 4pm in the dot turns from a lovely gentle sole to an absolute nightmare. I know all puppies mouth and nip but our fella is drawing blood I don’t have a limb that hasn’t been scarred! We’ve tried all the ouch and walk away techniques, he has toys that stimulate and make him search for food but nothing works. I play lots with him until he becomes too savage he’s just so unpredictable. Even after a nice walk this evening he was still thrashing around with unprovoked attacks. During these episodes all toilet training disappears and he just pees and poops everywhere. I’m spending my whole night in tears, we can’t have friends or family here because if his behaviour. Any ideas? Even taking him to the vet Monday to check he’s not in pain. He’s on Barking Heads puppy food which he loves. Thank you


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

To be honest he's a typical puppy. Most puppy owners look like they have been self harming after a few weeks due to new puppy. 

If he's 11 weeks, you have had him 3 weeks. 3 weeks is nothing in the big scheme of things to teach him an appropriate behaviour when he's over aroused. Walking away, out the room works. However it takes time and a lot of patience. You are up and down like a yo yo, I get it been there done that but it gives clear signals all play stops. However training during times of excitement like this takes time. 

You say you are play with him, walking him, stimulating him but what are you doing to help him to know it's actually OK to be calm? Has he got free access to a variety of different chew toys? Are you using Kongs to your full advantage? Are you rewarding for calm behaviour at all, giving clear signals to say hey its OK to be calm to give a balance. Yes puppies sleep a lot. They need it, but they also need to be taught just because you are awake doesn't mean it should be go go go.. Life isn't like that.

Evenings always seem to be worse for everyone. Everyone wants to relax but puppies tend to be most active. Often they have similar activity levels in the morning but we seem to not notice this as we are often more awake, on the go and it can fit more in with us. It's really going back to what dogs are, and naturally dusk, and Dawn would naturally be active times for dogs. It's the time before they sleep deeply. You will notice in the day, most dogs although a sleep can quickly rise because they don't as a rule sleep that deeply. Making it great for us as we can schedule walks, playtime, training, mealtimes any time we want with our routines and dogs are only too happy to oblige.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

As above, and he’s not being aggressive


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## tabelmabel (Oct 18, 2013)

The problem:



Tiggsy72 said:


> I play lots with him until he becomes too savage he's just so unpredictable


The solution:



lullabydream said:


> what are you doing to help him to know it's actually OK to be calm?


Your pup is not savage. He is over stimulated and immature.

Like small, over tired children pups just dont know how to settle themselves. You need to teach them that. A good place to start is by chew toy training.

Put something tasty in a kong. Not too difficult to get out as pups are not patient. Put some primula in the top and hold it in your hand and get your pup working on it.

The more you stimulate your pup with games and exercise, the more of this bitey behaviour you will see. You pup's day needs structured rest periods in it. I would suggest stroking your pup to sleep on your lap after 2 hrs awake time at this age (wear gloves!)

Calm and quiet - if you have raised children, think of the toddler stage and how much better toddlers are with proper nap times in their days. Pups are much the same.


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## Tiggsy72 (Aug 23, 2019)

lullabydream said:


> To be honest he's a typical puppy. Most puppy owners look like they have been self harming after a few weeks due to new puppy.
> 
> If he's 11 weeks, you have had him 3 weeks. 3 weeks is nothing in the big scheme of things to teach him an appropriate behaviour when he's over aroused. Walking away, out the room works. However it takes time and a lot of patience. You are up and down like a yo yo, I get it been there done that but it gives clear signals all play stops. However training during times of excitement like this takes time.
> 
> ...


Hi he has toys where he has to work to search for treats and a lick pad both of which he enjoys. For some reason he doesn't enjoy or show any interest in a Kong? Yesterday we were playing in the garden just throwing a ball etc and he suddenly just turned and snapped and bit my hand, tried to get up and walk away but then he was hanging off the back of my calf! He is terrible for eating stones so have to watch him carefully but if I try to remove him from the situation he just loses all control even if I have treats. It sounds awful but I'm actually scared of him sometimes.
He's lying with me now so just encouraging him to relax. We will persevere I just want him to be happy and he always seems so stressed. Thank you


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## tabelmabel (Oct 18, 2013)

Tiggsy72 said:


> For some reason he doesn't enjoy or show any interest in a Kong?


You have to teach him.



Tiggsy72 said:


> Yesterday we were playing in the garden just throwing a ball et


Another stimulating game. It is too much.

I have to go out very soon so havent time to explain further now. Either someone else will or i will pop on here tonight and explain further.


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## Boxer123 (Jul 29, 2017)

There is a thread on here that says exactly the same when my pup was younger. He terrorised myself and my older dog in the evenings I dreaded them. He has grown out of it. Kongs are your friend. A good routine where it gets calm towards the end of the evening.


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## tabelmabel (Oct 18, 2013)

Young pups have fleeting attention. So, an older dog will persist with a kong until he is absolutely knackered, but a young pup will give up in a second.

The trick is to give ALL your pup's food in kongs. None in bowls. I had about 6 kongs i think. I fed kibble, so just filled the kong dry kibble for meals and of course pup soon learns to paw that over and out comes the kibble.

You refill it til he has had the meal allowance and if you are crate training, give kongs in the crate.

So that is just to get him familiar with kongs. My pups never got bowls til 6 or 8 months of age.

Then you can do additional tricky treat kongs to help him wind down as i suggested above. You want something smelly like cooked liver in the wee hole, then maybe some treats and top with primula/nut butter.

You can hold the kong (treat ones dont need to be given in the crate) you can hide them under a cloth. You can hold out of reach til he focuses on it (and practise sit at the same time)

Anything to rev up the value.


When our Tilly was very young, one evening she was not settling and we popped her in her bedtime crate - she just needed that time out as she fell asleep for many hours.

She is 2.5yrs now. From that day to this, she goes to bed in her crate at 7pmish and we never hear a pip from her til morning. She is a busy daytime dog but crashes at night.

I am not suggesting you try this at all - it is just what works for us and i mention it only to illustrate the fact that a routine really works.

Because tilly always goes to bed at 7, she actually loves it. If we are late in popping her in, she now goes herself!


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## DanWalkersmum (Mar 21, 2019)

tabelmabel said:


> Young pups have fleeting attention. So, an older dog will persist with a kong until he is absolutely knackered, but a young pup will give up in a second.
> 
> The trick is to give ALL your pup's food in kongs. None in bowls. I had about 6 kongs i think. I fed kibble, so just filled the kong dry kibble for meals and of course pup soon learns to paw that over and out comes the kibble.
> 
> ...


Good advice, as usual tabelmabel . I think most of us have been through the bitey stage and the feeing that it will not get better, it helps to hear how others have coped - thumbs up to you - thanks.


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

Amazing advice above. It sounds like he is way over stimulated. Ball throwing is a VERY stimulating game and causes high arousal. People think it tires dogs out but really it keeps them hyped up a lot of the time. It's also not the best game to play with young dogs as it's very hard on their joints and can cause issues later in life. My dog loves to play ball but we don't do it very often, sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month.

I agree with the teaching calm, everytime your pup is calm reward it (in a calm way!). Teach him to use kongs as advised above. Make sure you have other things to put in his mouth if he goes to bite you, or remove either yourself or him from the room when he does get to bitey. Don't let a game get too hyped up so he 'turns savage'.

Walks can also be quite stimulating - I'm sure lots of people on here will have had a dog that goes mad for 10 minutes when it gets back from a walk - all those sights, sounds, smells are very interesting and exciting! This is where your kong can come in, go for a walk and then give a nice calming activity when you get home.

As has been said, he's not aggressive just a pup. My family have whippets and they are lovely lovely pets, he will grow out of it!


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## Tiggsy72 (Aug 23, 2019)

Teddy-dog said:


> Amazing advice above. It sounds like he is way over stimulated. Ball throwing is a VERY stimulating game and causes high arousal. People think it tires dogs out but really it keeps them hyped up a lot of the time. It's also not the best game to play with young dogs as it's very hard on their joints and can cause issues later in life. My dog loves to play ball but we don't do it very often, sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month.
> 
> I agree with the teaching calm, everytime your pup is calm reward it (in a calm way!). Teach him to use kongs as advised above. Make sure you have other things to put in his mouth if he goes to bite you, or remove either yourself or him from the room when he does get to bitey. Don't let a game get too hyped up so he 'turns savage'.
> 
> ...


Thank you


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## Tiggsy72 (Aug 23, 2019)

Thank you guys - we realised that the ball activiites were a no go! And we managed to get him to use a small Kong with some paste in it which on Saturday and last night helped to calm him. The crate worked wonders as well - I hadn’t wanted to use it as I thought he would see it as a punishment but think he understood it’s a good place to be calm. We have a long way to go but hopefully we are learning his ways.

I will try the king for feeding as trying to get a regular eating pattern with him is a nightmare


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## Tiggsy72 (Aug 23, 2019)

tabelmabel said:


> You have to teach him.
> 
> Another stimulating game. It is too much.
> 
> I have to go out very soon so havent time to explain further now. Either someone else will or i will pop on here tonight and explain further.


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## Tiggsy72 (Aug 23, 2019)

Thank you


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

When my twin pups got over-tired and bitey, they'd be put straight into their crates and left in a darkened room to sleep it off. An hour or 2 later, they'd be all sweetness again.
Getting a pup to have a sleep before it gets to the obnoxious stage is best, if you can see it coming. As this pup starts at 4pm, I'd have it in bed for a nap by 3.30.


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