Hi
I have one aggressive puppy in a litter of six.They are 5 weeks old.She has been this way since the pups started communicating.She likes attention from me and can then become ferocious with me.She walks around the puppy area being like this with the others and they are frightened of her.The others play fight and it sounds hectic at times but i know this is normal whereas i am a bit worried about this one.I wonder if she just has a big personality! Also,she is the smallest and when she was very little had the most handling trying to encourage her to feed.It would be a help if anyone could help or put my mind at rest about her.
Thankyou

I've just been saying today that in my next litter the pup like what you describe will be what I keep! The cocky, confident one that to some may look aggressive -but isn't, as it's just a baby. It's so much easier  deal with an over cocky pup than a nervous or timid one and I love strong personalities. You usually do get one per litter that is like that -and yes, often the smallest. Strong personality that probably will need an experienced owner and a lot of training. Depending on the breed, the pup that would be great for agility, obedience, working trials, but would often not do as a pet for the novice owner.

I kept 'that' pup from my litter and yes, they are personality plus and yes, defiantely a experienced owner (mine a large working breed).
I love mine to bits but somedays you do want to throttle them!!!!

i know how you feel mudmops i'm sure that my dogs think there names are "you little bugger" etc some days but then they do something really sweet and we forgive them everything.

On the other hand with her having problems early on I would be worrying about brain damage at birth.

Crikey,brain damage,i hope not.She was the first of the litter to walk around and to try to interact with the others,so fingers X she's not.I did read on another thread ,while  i was lookg into this tht dogs aggression can be catching.I dont want the other pups to become aggressve because of her attacking them.They will all be together for another three weeks at least.

How does the mother deal with her when she is like this to her siblings?  My own girls would be on such an uppity ones case, whereas they would indulge and encourage a quieter one to play rough with her.

Wow that sounds like my Wukee & his sister Daisy-Mae they were a pair of thugs & Wukee would trample over all the others when they were asleep to force them to play with him. He also used to ambush other puppies sometimes with Daisy-Mae & sometimes on his own. He's not aggressive at all, nothing fazes him & he still loves to play rough with his older full sister Jessie. He is very bold & clever & in your face-exactly my type of BC

Well actually i have been wondering about my bitches behaviour with them.She doesn't spend much time with them in their area but if she's there she doesn't do much.When i have them all out on the sitting room floor most evenings for a bit,she does seem more interactive and pushes ,rolls them over in an intense way.Last night i got worried,she suddenly picked on a very mellow one that had not been a problem and i thought she was going to attack it.She was standing over it and displaying exactly the same behaviour as she does when she is about to attack a dog (she has fear based aggression due to my older dog attacking her when she was brought home at 11 weeks).She doesn't seem to tell off the aggressive pup though.

Are you sure the pup isn't just playing innapropriately? Is it the bitches first litter? just like us, they don't always know what to do at first, and I was suprised by the way my bitch parented her pups, it wasn't what I expected at all, but she was a good Mum. An excellent one in fact.

I would probably just assume that the pup had got 'above her station' due to the extra handling she got when younger.

I am not sure if I am allowed to post a link to my bitch playing with one of her pups? I am happy to if allowed, as it might help you out a bit. It does looka bit alarming if you're not used ot it, but it was only play!

From the Op's post she says the others play fight and quite heatedly, but this seems different.  I have never had pups in my litters bully each other so that any showed fear of the others, though they certainly could be real thugs pulling each other around.

Wukee & Daisy-Mae used to bully the others mercilessly Their breeder was well pleased when they left(although they both cried as we left)the other puppies could then play in a more civilized way.

My youngest Bearded Collie (bitch) was such a bossy boots that the breeder wouldn't let her feed with the other bitches.  She was put with the male pups to eat seperately to the ladylike girls.  When I brought her home and introduced her to my other Beardie (who was a dream to train), the older bitch would literally run and hide behind the settee!  It didn't last though, and she was soon put in her place, and accepted it too.  My Border Collie boy tends to ignore her showing off, and only answers back when she gets too big for her boots.  I am sure that at some point her dam will tell her what for.

Thankyou all for your replies and help.It's very good to hear that other people have had bossy pups that turned out well.They are all very beautiful and a joy,but blimey i didn't think pups would be this time consuming and such a worry.Never again! In the meantime though,i love having them.

I've never bred a litter and probably never will so I expect I'll be jumped on for asking this, is there a reason you've bred from a fear aggressive dog?

I agree Karen1 - tbh, I cannot imagine buying a pup from a bitch who is agressive whatever the cause.  Surely temperament is paramount?

She is not an aggressive dog by temperament.Her aggression is fear based due to her rough reception from my other dog when i brought her home as a pup.

Even if the genetics are ok, the bitches temperament can still affect the pups by how she brings them up and how she reacts in front of them. If a bitch is nervous by nature or nurture it still means that the pups can be nervous.

She is a lovely gentle and unnnervous dog by nature and at home and the pups won't witness her fear with other dogs.I wouldn't have bred with her if she displayed a nervous nature,she's been a lovely relaxed mum.I was worried when she told a pup off at first because i am new to this and didn't know what to expect Now i have watched her and learnt more, i realise she is being a normal mum.

While it is true that a lot of cases of fear aggression can be caused by rough treatment from another dog I would seriously question the soundness of temperament in a dog that is affected that way, certainly from the point of breeding from them.  Many dogs/pups are attacked / treated roughly but have sound enough temperaments for it not to have any long lasting effects.   Just my opinion, although I am aware that many puppies are being born from parents with less than perfect temperaments, even show dogs, but to me sound temperament (and that includes being sound enough to cope with some less than pleasant experiences) is paramount when breeding.  I wish you and the pups well though, and it does sound like you have a little bold one there too

She was standing over it and displaying exactly the same behaviour as she does when she is about to attack a dog (she has fear based aggression due to my older dog attacking her when she was brought home at 11 weeks)

I am sorry, but I dont understand why you bred a fear based aggressive dog??

That was the soul purpose of me not breeding my bitch, I was not prepared to pass any of her insecurities or nervousness on to her pups.

read
my other post.She is a fab mum.Her way of dealing with her pups is great,i needed to learn how normal it is for the mum to be sometimes quite forceful with the pups.She is great and also displays no insecurities and the pups have very solid temprements.I felt very sure this would be the case before i bred with her.Like you,i am a very responsible dog owner.Sorry to hear your dog isn't as stable as mine.

I have one aggressive puppy in a litter of six.They are 5 weeks old.

and the pups have very solid temprements

You state you where worried over the temperament of one puppy,    then you say they all have solid temperaments????

At 5wks old you will not be able to tell which if any of these pups will grow up to have the same temperament of the dam.

That alone is reason enough for not breeding your girl.... you could be passing a  puppy on with temperament problems to unsuspecting new owners like me!!!  which wont materialize till later in the dogs life.

Nature V Nurture...nature can override nurture, and for the novice owner,(which I am not )   can cause  problems they dont know how  to deal with, and more importantly  may feel unable to  keep the dog...are you happy that one/some of your pups will end up in rescue...or will you take them back, if any develop  their mums temperament.

My girl  is very stable , thank you,  I know her faults ,(she is an over confident  nervous dog, if that makes sense) I did not turn a blind eye to them,  she is a wonderful loving /giving girl...but I know she lacks confidence in certain situations,(with dogs) and will act first, she is never given the opportunity, I have spent yrs working on her,    BUT , I would never rave taken even a 1000 th of a chance she may pass some of that nervousness on to her offsprings.

My girls troubles where in her youth , she is now 5 yrs old,  she is a different dog, I have put yrs into getting her to what she is today.

Last night i got worried suddenly picked on a very mellow one that had not been a problem and i thought she was going to attack it. She was standing over it and displaying exactly the same behaviour as she does when she is about to attack a dog

By your statement, you still excect your girl has a iffy temperament.

Sorry you may feel am going over the top,  but this is one of my pet hates, irresponsible breeding , of aggressive dogs.... I have been on the receiving end of it.

I understand and expect, that Nurture is important in bringing our dogs up, I have done it for as long as I can remember.  but sometimes you have Nature   against you...and it makes the job doubly difficult, and too many people will not  have the dedication  to rehabilitate these dogs.

I hope you are going to inform you new owners of the Dams temperament. 

Hers a story..

When I took my girl to ring craft, their was a young puppy there, of a certain breed,  by the time it reached 6 mths old,  it had attacked a couple of dogs and go for a few people,  the owner was experienced in the breed, and the last time she brought it to ringcraft, it took, both  of the men who ran ringcrft to hold him...otherwise he would have attacked any dog he could get to.

That was the last time we saw her,  .... she was approached by  someone who wanted to take him to use as a guard dog!!!!!  she was not prepared to all ow her boy to end up in the wrong hands so took the heartbreaking decision to have him PTS. her dog , her responsibility.

We heard form a friend of hers, who also had the same breed..... that the sire is well know for aggression,  even been know in his time to  snap at a judge.....  but he was a Champion....   so they would use him, and worse other breeders still used him on their Dams.

Result, unsuspecting owners,  have to deal with the fall out.

I know this is an extreme case, but   it tells why aggressive dogs should never be bred from.

Type / Health/ Temperament..... all three or not at all

Type / Health/ Temperament..... all three or not at all

Now there's an excellent quote !! Must remember this one.