my puppy is very aggressive with my 10 yr old

[Summertime Mommy]

I have a bullypit who is approx 6 months old (we rescued him at approx 8 weeks). He has always played a little rougher than we would like, but for the most part we have always been able to calm him down but now he is getting really aggressive with my 10 yr old. He will just jump on him out of nowhere and bite him, today I had to physically remove him because saying "no" or "down" wouldn't work, and he started growling at me and tried to bite me. Obviously this has to stop right now. We can't really afford to have a trainer come out now, but we might have to if we cn't figure out how to solve this problem very soon. I think one issue might be that he needs more exercise, so I am going to start taking him on twice daily runs on top of our walks, but what else can I do? I really need any advice I can get. Thanks!

[c'est moi]

no matter the breed, i would be VERY concerned about this in an IMMEDIATE kind of way. that kind of aggression which is now worrisome could quickly turn into a dangerous situation. for now, i would never allow the two to be alone together even for a moment. i'd maybe call around to trainers to see if they would be willing to train your dog on a trade basis. what about where you rescued the dog from? do they have any resources?

the unprovoked aggression towards a child is what is really concerns me most. i'm also concerned about his reaction towards you. it sounds like the dog is trying to assert dominance over the entire household.

[greenmagick]

6 months is very young to be exhibiting signs of aggression like this.

Silly question, are you sure it is not rough play?

If so, what are the lead ups to it...is your son running, screeching? Is the dog growling deep, hackles up, eyes hard?

Most aggression is fear based or overexcitment can also cause an aggressive reaction. It rarely (if ever) is about the dog trying to dominate the human. However, the dog does need to respect and trust humans.

Honestly, it really sounds as if you need a behaviorist. If you go with a trainer, be very careful and check credentials. Many trainers end up making aggression worse by applying alpha theory and trying to dominate the dog.

[c'est moi]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

Most aggression is fear based or overexcitment can also cause an aggressive reaction. It rarely (if ever) is about the dog trying to dominate the human. However, the dog does need to respect and trust humans.

I did not know this. Thank you for the information.

[Ola_]

I agree that hands-on help is the way to go. There's just no way to diagnose it without seeing it, as you could easily be describing "frapping" - something one of my dogs does and it sure looks and sounds fierce (baring teeth, wild eyes, lots of growls) even though it's just play. If that's the case then it may just be a matter of teaching some self-control.

Either way I would have the puppy drag a light leash around the house so you can pick it up and redirect or remove him from the situation. I'd also work on lots of training throughout the day - have puppy sit or down for everything from pets and treats to walking through a door or being let out of a crate. I don't know if I would run with a 6 month old pup unless you'll be on a soft surface like grass the whole time, their joints are not mature till 2 years or so and it can cause issues.

[Summertime Mommy]

I think i may have made it sound worse than it is, because the situation seemed to escalate so much yesterday. I honestly don't think it is really aggression as much as it is rough play. He tries to go at him like he would another dog and my ds kind of freaks out. He only does this with ds, no one else, and it can be completely unprovoked. Like ds will just be sitting down or he will walk by and the dog will get really excited and start nipping and jumping all over him. I can't get ds to calm down enough to make the dog stop, so I think the dog is starting to think it is okay now, even though I always step in.

FWIW, I did call a trainer and I am going to have her come out and do a session with us, because of this and because I need to learn a way to control him better, in general. I talked to her on the phone for about 30 minutes today, and she seems really good, she doesn't teach dominance ideas and she is all about understanding what is causing the negative behavior, but that appt. will not be till next week.

So after all that, I would still love to hear your advice.

[Ola_]

Honestly, the key to this seems to be your DS. Can you teach him to "be a tree"? Basically wrap his arms around his body and stay perfectly still? As long as he is "rewarding" the dog's behaviour (in the dog's mind anyway) it is likely to keep happening. Maybe you can get him to do that and count to 10 (or something like that) before he stops moving again? Just brainstorming here.

Good to hear about your trainer, I hope that works out well for you. Just keep in mind, training methods vary - you don't need to do anything that doesn't feel right.