# dominate agressive puppy



## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

HI, I wanted to know some opinions about if there are some dogs or puppys that are so dominate and agressive that you cant break them of it. My daughter recently got a cane corso puppy, he is 9 weeks old, he is the most dominate aggressive puppy I have ever seen. We are trying to show him who is pack leader and he is fighting back with every thing he's got. He will growl snap stiffen up at get that fixed stare at you if you try to pick him up or do anything to him that he doesnt want to do. When he does this she grabs him by the scruff and gives him a shake, she has put him on his side and held him down to try to make him submit, soon as you let go he will jump back at you. Or he will walk away growling. We dont want to hurt hurt him cause he is only a baby still but if she dont get a handle on him he is going to hurt someone some day. Is there a way to stop this behavior? Its been a constant struggle since she got him. He is medically ok. He is very smart, He can be sweet at times as long as everything is going his way. It isnt anything she has done cause he came to her house and only after a day he was showing these bad signs, I'd say he isnt doing it as often as he was, but when he does its more intense. Any hope for this puppy?


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Debbie Dibble said:


> HI, I wanted to know some opinions about if there are some dogs or puppys that are so dominate and agressive that you cant break them of it. My daughter recently got a cane corso puppy, he is 9 weeks old, he is the most dominate aggressive puppy I have ever seen. We are trying to show him who is pack leader and he is fighting back with every thing he's got. He will growl snap stiffen up at get that fixed stare at you if you try to pick him up or do anything to him that he doesnt want to do. When he does this she grabs him by the scruff and gives him a shake, she has put him on his side and held him down to try to make him submit, soon as you let go he will jump back at you. Or he will walk away growling. We dont want to hurt hurt him cause he is only a baby still but if she dont get a handle on him he is going to hurt someone some day. Is there a way to stop this behavior? Its been a constant struggle since she got him. He is medically ok. He is very smart, He can be sweet at times as long as everything is going his way. It isnt anything she has done cause he came to her house and only after a day he was showing these bad signs, I'd say he isnt doing it as often as he was, but when he does its more intense. Any hope for this puppy?


Send him to me. 

You should seriously consider returning this one as it appears that your daughter is not experienced enough to handle this type of dog. I am surprised the breeder would release this dog to her, unless she misrepresented her handling skills to the breeder. It most likely will become a danger to the family by 8 months, and no one wants that.


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## Ben Colbert (Mar 9, 2010)

Hmmm....just a thought, if there was a relatively high chance that every time you touched me you were going to roll me on my side by my scruff and yell at me I'd resist too and I might be pissed enough to come after you after I get up.


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## Timothy Stacy (Jan 29, 2009)

Don't send him to Joby, he owns a junkyard and the dog will never be let off his chain.


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## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

Ben Colbert said:


> Hmmm....just a thought, if there was a relatively high chance that every time you touched me you were going to roll me on my side by my scruff and yell at me I'd resist too and I might be pissed enough to come after you after I get up.


 She doesnt put him on his side every time she touches him, just when he growls or snaps at her, to try to let him know he is not the boss. This one is just exceptionally agressive for nine weeks old. I have dealt with a few that were dominate, but he just dont want to give in. She loves the puppy, And he can be sweet when he wants to be. Cute as heck. I just have a bad feeling about him. I agree that she should send him back but my daughter isnt realizing how serious this could be. As far as the breeder he in my opinion isnt a good breeder, just out for the money.


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

sounds like that pup needs a more experienced handler/trainer its something that needs to be corrected soon before he gets to be 140 lbs.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

How old is your daughter?


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

what lines is your pup out of ????


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## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> How old is your daughter?


 My daughter is almost 30. She has been around mostly German Shephards since she has been about 3 yrs old. I think she is just having a hard time being hard enough on him cause he is so young, she is socializing him ALOT. He isnt agressive about his food or a toy or other dogs, its mainly when you try to pick him up or hold him. If its possible she would like to keep him, I told her she needs to start obedience training with him as soon as he is old enough. But right now looking for different methods to brake him of this dominate aggresive behavior.


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## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

andrew kurtowicz said:


> what lines is your pup out of ????


 I dont know his lines, she just received his papers Friday. She doesnt live with me. I know the breeder name was Jake something. His kennel is called jakes cane corsos, or something like that


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## Daryl Ehret (Apr 4, 2006)

_"not experienced enough"
"needs a more experienced handler/trainer"_

I hate to see comments like this, writing people off for their inexperience. There's a point where the handler needs to be challenged in order to _become more experienced._ If she's ready to step up to the plate for the challenges she might face, better advice can be given than that.


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## Annika Friberg (Mar 27, 2009)

isn´t this something the breeder would be able to advice your daughter about if she contacted him and/or took the pup over to him? 

Presumably his parents would have similar traits and the breeder would have handled them for a number of years.


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## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

Daryl Ehret said:


> _"not experienced enough"_
> _"needs a more experienced handler/trainer"_
> 
> I hate to see comments like this, writing people off for their inexperience. There's a point where the handler needs to be challenged in order to _become more experienced._ If she's ready to step up to the plate for the challenges she might face, better advice can be given than that.


 I agree my daughters willing to put the time and effort in but, she isn't sure what is to hard on him, and what isn't hard enough. He is just now 9 weeks old. There has to be a constructive way to handle this without ruining the puppy. How old do you think a dog should be before starting obedience with him. And what method of training would be best for him like with food or clicker training, or old fashion way pinch collor and correction?


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

I don't care the age. I do the same thing for a dog that comes at me. [-( 

*If the pup doesn't stop, it wasn't hard enough.*


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

With that said, clicker training is a good way to approach every thing else, except the handler aggression. Life is fun and good until you challenge me and then you wish you had died. Once you give, then life is fun and good again.

Alpha rolls are stupid and pointless. And dangerous.

When to start obedience depends on your school of thought. I start at 6 or 7 weeks and within a week the pup is doing whatever will be the most important thing to train as an adult. Part of that has to do with my training discipline though.

Here is an 8 week old puppy's sit stay (at the end): http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4452248539/


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

Daryl Ehret said:


> _"not experienced enough"_
> _"needs a more experienced handler/trainer"_
> 
> I hate to see comments like this, writing people off for their inexperience. There's a point where the handler needs to be challenged in order to _become more experienced._ If she's ready to step up to the plate for the challenges she might face, better advice can be given than that.


thats true but is she ready for the reprocussions when this dog is full grown and the neighbors kids try to pet him ???? i have helped multiple people with corso pups from many different lines and some owners just needed to be a little more firm in there training and some of the dogs need to be completly exhaused on a DAILY basis (minimum 2-3 hour fast paced walk). most owners couldnt deal with that commitment and placed there pups else where.She will definatly learn a lot from this dog as he grows but she needs to establish some form of leadership with the dog or it will get worse with his age


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## Daryl Ehret (Apr 4, 2006)

But you don't know this persons commitment. And the keys to firm leadership are? If we're going to give advice, we should be helping handlers develop stonger skills, not discouraging them away from this type of dog.


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

The facts are a dog that will be that big with aggression issues isn't for everyone. Put the 100% commitment into the dog now and see what happens but these dogs irresponsibily bred can be a liability.to the pups owner try and find someone in your area who has experience with aggressive bull-breeds and have them evaluate your situation


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

If he were mine, I would put on a pair of gloves if necessary and he would get picked up... a lot. He would get handled a lot with no reprocussions at first. He would not win but not beat down either at his age. You just can't let him get over on you.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Don Turnipseed said:


> If he were mine, I would put on a pair of gloves if necessary and he would get picked up... a lot. He would get handled a lot with no reprocussions at first. He would not win but not beat down either at his age. You just can't let him get over on you.


Good advice!
Control/containment without having to knock the crap out of the pup. Once they are of their feet it's just a matter of holding them till they say uncle (relax). I don't care what the breed, a 9 wk old pup is eventually going to give.
By "off their feet" I mean lifted in the air. NOT rolled!


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I figure trying to act like the leader by rolling him on his side and stuff makes you less of the leader. Picking him up whether he likes it or not puts you in control.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

100% agreement!
Physical dominance has nothing to do with leadership. Lifting off the ground is control without dominance.
I've had to many terriers that would let me know what they think about the Alpha roll. That's an invitation for a rumble. 
I would say save the crack across the head for an older pup (6-8 months) that is starting to feel his oats but even that shouldn't be needed to any extreme if the early work is done correctly.
It just ain't that hard to outsmart a dog! ;-)


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Does the dog initiate petting or crawl into your lap when you sit (you or your daughter) on the floor? 

I think Corso's, if not bred correctly, are one of the worst nerve bag breeds I have ever seen (have seen maybe 5 of them in person...awful dogs).....with that said, there are good ones out there (never seen one personally but have watched video from people I trust, but then again...video can be doctored), just have to be really careful when looking for them. IMO.....

Why did your daughter choose this breed?


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## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

Carol Boche said:


> Does the dog initiate petting or crawl into your lap when you sit (you or your daughter) on the floor?
> 
> I think Corso's, if not bred correctly, are one of the worst nerve bag breeds I have ever seen (have seen maybe 5 of them in person...awful dogs).....with that said, there are good ones out there (never seen one personally but have watched video from people I trust, but then again...video can be doctored), just have to be really careful when looking for them. IMO.....
> 
> Why did your daughter choose this breed?


 Yes, the puppy does crawl in her lap when she is on the floor. At times he can be sweet and give kisses and be friendly. She loves large breed dogs. She did do some reading about them on the internet, It seem to say they can be great protecters and are devoted to their familys. I dont know if she just happen to pick the wrong puppy out of the litter or what. Its the puppys attitude that worries me, He needs to stop the challenging. Sometimes a firm No is enough, other times the puppy is willing to take it a whole lot further. I agree with you, after seeing this puppy I would never own one, He is cute as heck but his temperment sucks. Since the disipline isnt working well, may be today I will tell her to try putting him in situations where she is in control and he feels insecure, and awarding him with food for good behavior.


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## Dave Cartier (Dec 2, 2009)

I would also incorporate a N.I.L.F with this dog. (Nothing In Life Is Free). The dog works for EVERYTHING! Google up the instructions. Most are the same basic concept. Not any training, just a way of life!

I see a lot of "companion pets" in my training business that just own the entire household. Most of these dogs are not very dominant, but in the absence of effective leadership, they fill in where the owner will not. They can be pretty snotty to their owners. 

It is disheartening when you see them drag them around on the leash, and when they hand the leash over for the start of training, the dog "transforms" into a well mannered dog when handled by someone who exhibits effective leadership skills. I hear, "sure they do it because you are a trainer".....NO, they do it cause I am an effective leader!


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Timothy Stacy said:


> Don't send him to Joby, he owns a junkyard and the dog will never be let off his chain.


I own one junky car  and have tow straps not chains...O


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## andreas broqvist (Jun 2, 2009)

Dave
And then intreduce a M.I.L.F in my life. aaaah


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Debbie...

For me it does not sound like dominance.....he is really only 9 weeks old. 

Crap, Little Ash used to growl and try to be tough when I would stop her from doing something. In fact she still does, but she is all noise really. But she is just a pup....when told NO, she knocks her crap off, but immediately does something else that is allowed. Although, when picking her up, she stops anything and turns into a mush dog......now, even just me reaching down and lifting her up with my arm supporting her chest stops most of the behavior......like wanting to terrorize the cats....a battle she usually loses but she still likes the cats....LOL

I also had a puppy that was serious from the get go and handler aggressive....that puppy was placed.....

I like the N.I.L.F. idea...and have used it. It is effective. 

Do you know in what situations he acts out in? Is it just whenever or is it when he is wound up and she is trying to stop something? Can he be picked up at times without an outburst?


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Carol Boche said:


> Debbie...
> 
> For me it does not sound like dominance.....he is really only 9 weeks old.


You can see dominance at this young age, if it is pronounced. I sounds like dominance to me, but none of us has seen the dog...so who knows. If not dominance what else might one think it is?


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Joby Becker said:


> You can see dominance at this young age, if it is pronounced. I sounds like dominance to me, but none of us has seen the dog...so who knows. If not dominance what else might one think it is?


I realize this.....but I guess the other questions I have are:

Did she know the breeder? Or did she just pick one out of the paper or something? How were the pups raised? Outside, inside? Did the breeder do anything with them...pick them up, play with them, introduce them to things? Did the breeder know his dogs/pups? Selling a dog like this without disclosing what he was actually like is not good on the breeders part IMO, but if the breeder did not know due to lack of interaction, well, that is not good either.....but it would give me something to work with..... This would definitely make some difference as well as the bloodlines and what the parents were like......

A couple here had a litter of labs, they were raised outside and lived under a shed, without a lot of human interaction....when you tried to get them or pick them up, some would act like what she is explaining here and some would just cower.....it was sad.....

So, yes, I agree it could be dominance, but if it is lack of socialization, it would be something IMO, easier to work out. And, it is hard to decide what the issue is without really seeing it.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

I think this was a poor placement choice for this dog at best, I am not ready to say a poor breeding, but think the breeder really dropped the ball on placing this pup.

Even an unsocialized 9 week old pup is not gonna show these traits if there is not a high level of dominance (the way it is described anyhow)

I agree those are all great questions to be answered, and Debbie has gotten some good advice on here, I hope it works out...


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## Michael Wise (Sep 14, 2008)

Joby Becker said:


> You can see dominance at this young age, if it is pronounced. I sounds like dominance to me, but none of us has seen the dog...so who knows. If not dominance what else might one think it is?


Maybe a video, Debbie?


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Michael Wise said:


> Maybe a video, Debbie?





Joby Becker said:


> If not dominance what else might one think it is?


Could be insecurity and lack of confidence at that age.....

A video would be awesome!!


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Carol Boche said:


> Could be insecurity and lack of confidence at that age.....
> 
> A video would be awesome!!


Yeah if is lack of confidence and insecurity, then I'd say bad breeding for sure.

Upon re-reading it, I guess I assumed it was real "forward" type aggression, like in some of the dogs I have owned in the past,..LOL 

video would be nice to see anyways...


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

I would have thought so to, but usually asking for more information helps as sometimes the way it is explained is not necassarily the way it really is. No fault to the OP at all....just the joy of the internet. LOL


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

I would get this dog into obedeince classes right away with a balanced trainer who uses reward ( food) and correction if neccsary , the dog is not to young to start, and group classes will help the owner be a better leader ( if you have a good trainer)


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## John Wiitanen (Feb 25, 2009)

=D>=D>=D> To Dave Cartier, My last competition dog I got when he(Tommy) was 3 years old sch1...I was the 4th owner the 3rd owner got put in the hospital for 2 weeks...I tried the first few mentioned methods...3 trips to the hospital later...stitches and staples every time...I used the methode Dave is talking about...its a lifestyle the problem doesnt go away...you change his way of thinking...Once i realized what i had we were able to work as a team...24 schutzhund 3's going to national events...competing at world championships....the problem never went away ..we maintained it....me and him as a team...BTW Tommy was 58lbs.....also get the dog evaluated by a professional....I dout its dominate aggressive


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## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

Carol Boche said:


> I realize this.....but I guess the other questions I have are:
> 
> Did she know the breeder? Or did she just pick one out of the paper or something? How were the pups raised? Outside, inside? Did the breeder do anything with them...pick them up, play with them, introduce them to things? Did the breeder know his dogs/pups? Selling a dog like this without disclosing what he was actually like is not good on the breeders part IMO, but if the breeder did not know due to lack of interaction, well, that is not good either.....but it would give me something to work with..... This would definitely make some difference as well as the bloodlines and what the parents were like......
> 
> ...


 No she did not know the breeder, She did see the parents and they both seemed social. I think the breeder just wanted to get rid of the pups as fast as possible, Not a reputable breeder, I think he told her the puppy was 8 weeks old, and in fact he was 6 weeks old. She just got the paper work on him on the18th. I introduced the puppy to my female gsd who is very gentle with puppys. Every thing was fine at first my dog was playing with him. Then the puppy got mad cause the female kept taking her nose and pushing him over, she was just playing, and the male puppy turned aggressive with her, he tried to tear in to her, I could tell he was serious and trying to hurt her. I was right there and grabbed a hold of my dog, cause she then got mad. If its possible I would and my daughter would like to turn this puppy around. I would hate to see him go to someone else that would beat him or something. Even though he is only 9 weeks old he is about 20 pounds. His teeth are like needles. He has broke skin on me twice already. I told my daughter today maybe try another approach with him, instead of disiplining him all day long. I told her still be stricked with him like nothing in life is free, but also start rewarding his good behavior otherwise it will be a constant battle with him all day long.


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## Debbie Dibble (Jan 12, 2010)

Michael Wise said:


> Maybe a video, Debbie?


 I will try to get a video. I really would like you guys to see this. IMO there is nothing shy or inconfident in this puppy it is just the opposite. The first day he came to the house he tried to act like he owned the place. He walks around like he is ready to kick ass and take names.


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

video will definatly be a plus. if hes walking around like he owns the joint he sounds like a very confident dominate pup


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

Leadership..........


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

Jody Butler said:


> Leadership..........


not something i worry about normally but if this dog is gonna be a pet some major changes have to be made soon


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## Dave Cartier (Dec 2, 2009)

John writes:..BTW Tommy was 58lbs.....also get the dog evaluated by a professional....I dout its dominate aggressive[/quote]
***********************************************************************************

Can you imagine a 120 lb. Cane Corso? Twice as heavy as Tommy boy!

This N.I.L.F. program has worked for me and my training customers on many different temperament dogs (and breeds) but works best with the snotty, I am in charge kinda dog. Not needed for all dogs.

In agreement to what John says, get the dog evaluated. The armchair quaterback calls are S.W.A.G. at best. By having the dog evaluated first hand you will know how to proceed with a training regiment.

Even at seven weeks there are many things you can do that are conflict free to help him along.

I would at all costs avoid conflict with this dog. Even without seeing the dog, I would suggest this.


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