Terrified Of My Cavalier

MOST OF YOU WILL PROBABLY LAUGH WEN I TELL YOU THIS BUT IT IS TRUE, WEN I FIRST GOT MY CAVALIER PUUPY ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO I WAS TERRIFIED OF HIM, HE WOULD ALWAYS SIT ON MY KNEE AND ONE DAY WHEN HE WAS SITTING ON MY KNEE I TRIED TO PICK HIM UP SO I COULD GO TO GET A DRINK AND HE JUST STARTED GROWLING AND GROWLING AT ME I WAS TERRIFIED, SO I JUST SAT STILL AND THOUGHT HE WAS IN PAIN OR SOMETHING, SO I LEFT IT FOR ABOUT 10 MINS AND THEN TRIED AGAIN, AND THIS TIME HE SNAPPED AT ME... AND IN SHEER SHOCK I JUMPED UP AND HE FELL, AFTER THAT HE CONTINUED TO DO IT, I WAS TERRIFIED SO I TOLD MY MAM, SO THE NEXT TIME HE SAT ON MY KNEE I TOLD MY MAM TO WATCH, WEN I TRIED TO PICK HIM UP AGAIN HE SNAPPED AT ME... SO SHE JUMPED UP AND SMACKED HIM ACCROSS THE BUM WITH A NEWSPAPER AND SAID ' NO NIKITTO THAT IS BAD NOW STOP IT' HE HAS NEVER DONE IT SINCE! SO... THATS ALL I HAD TO DO, BUT FOR THEM 2 WEEKS I WAS ABSOLOUTLY TERRIFIED OF A 10 WEEK OLD PUPPY HAVE ANY OFF YOU EVER EXPERIENCED SOMETHING LIKE THIS? IF YOU HAVE PLEASE LET ME NO SO THAT IM NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!

Hi Hannah,

Could you turn your Caps lock off please its considered as shouting.

Thanks

You were scared of a cavalier puppy and yet your profile says you owned a pitbull?

Hannah,

I think the responses you have got are because people don't really want to say what they think.. in that hitting a 10 week old puppy with a newspaper is absolutely unacceptable.

In response to your question - yes, my sister was terrified of my puppy who was a nippy dalmatian and actually used to launch herself at us and bite us (in play). She's still afraid of her and I'm having to work with her to give her more confidence. Takara knows she is afraid so uses it to her advantage and snaps at her if my sister tries to get her off the furniture. She's getting better with her now and now that my sister knows that really, Takara won't hurt her, she's able to handle her easier and Takara's realised that there's no messing with her.

However - I would be very concerned if a 10 week old puppy was showing aggression (if it really was aggression) and a vet trip should've been the first call - not a newspaper.
Sorry, just my opinion.

it wasnt a hit it was a clip across its bum, and i wasnt shouting im just used to writing in caps sorry. and wen i had my pit bull i was 9 and she was6 years old and very good and just slept all the time as she was getting old. and my cavalier grew out of his aggression, yes he still trys to play with you by biting but that is because my neice lets him bite her clothes and towels out of the bathroom even tho i repeatedly tell her not to let him!

Actually what is completely unacceptable is not the fact that a 10 week old pup got smacked across the bum - if the mother of the pup had been around to see such unruly behavior he would have probably been nipped, which would have been significantly more painful than that newspaper.

No, what is completely unacceptable is that a ten week old pup should be growling at you like that, and that you should be afraid of a ten week old cavalier, well that's not something to laugh at - it's something that needs to be resolved.

A smack across the bum and a firm no solved the problem? I'm happy for you. The best thing though would be to watch carefully for signs of the problem starting up again - I'm certain that such signs were there, but just not everyone can see them.

If the problem arises again, it may be a veterinarian which may help you solve the problem, but I would say you are more likely to get a more lasting solution from a behaviorist.

In any case - good luck!

I wasn't having a go Hannah, but if you knew the amount of dogs who have been 'clipped' by a newspaper and suddenly anybody with a newspaper is their arch enemy, it'd make you rethink any sort of physical contact with a newspaper - or any other object.

Takara grew out of her nippiness, and to be fair few pups that age are aggressive so it's more likely that he was doing what all pups do and using their mouths and needle like teeth a little bit too much - they just need to learn what's acceptable.

However, I had a puppy with huge potential and yes, she's turned into a lovely dog but thanks to my dad hitting her (or tapping her, as he calls it) across her nose for bad behaviour, she became handshy and training was made harder. I can't trust her around small children because she's afraid that others will hit her as well so may go for their hands when they wave them about. That's why I've got opinions on physical contact with puppies.

My point about the veterinarian was more that aggression can be caused by physical pain - not that a veterinarian could help with a behavioural issue.

Before seeking a behaviourist's help, it is always advisable to see a vet to make sure there is no physiological issue rather than behavioural that may be causing the aggression.

What concerns me really is - was it actually an aggressive growl? a 10 week old pup knows about feeding, sleeping and play. During play with littermates and toys, they growl, don;t they? I don't think this means aggression. It is a play growl not a snarl. Maybe the sound he made when you tried to take him off your knee, where he was warm and comfortable, was a groan rather than a growl. I might be wrong but I think all possibilities should be considered. If it happens again, try growling back - you might find that works better than anything.

tanks for all of that information form everyone my cav is shy but i think that is down to my 3 year old nephew who dragged me cav across the sitting room by his back legs and kicked him in the stomach, my nephew was told of for this 'i made sure of it' i would never let anyone hurt my cav as he is my baby and i absolutely adore him, my nephew has tried it once again and now is not aloud to touch the dog at all, obviously i do let him stroke him but only if he is under supervision! thanks for your help