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My puppy is 7 weeks old and sparatically goes into a fit of rage where he'll attack, bite, maul anything in front of him....then it just goes away and he's normal again.
At first I thought it was rabies.....little did I know.
Now I think it was because he was attacked by him Mom (at the breeder) twice when he was around 4 weeks old. His jaw was broken, his eye is messed up, was bleeding from the head, and his ear will forever point forward, I guess it was torn as well. I'm thinking it's how he deals with pain.
But I just read something about rage syndrome? I know it's mostly in spaniels but they said it can be in other breeds? what are they? do I just need to call Cesar?
Uhm, mothers don't usually attack their puppies to the extent that they break their jaws, gouge their eyes, etc. I have a feeling that someone at the breeders was abusing the puppy and blaming the mother for it.
That said, I would treat your pup as one that has been seriously abused [by a human] as a puppy. I do not know anything about rage syndrome; I would consult with a vet about puppy Prozac or other alternatives, at least until you can get him to the point where he is so reassured that his fits are infrequent. However, you have a seriously traumatized pup on your hands and it is going to take a lot of love and patience to get him to a good place.
That said, I would consult with your vet re: medications. I would also allow him his fits, and look for warning signs so that you can give him his space when he needs it. This isn't a problem now but it is going to be more difficult to handle as he gets older.
Wrt training, the Cesar method is the one that you need to avoid at all costs with this pup as this is not a dominance issue. Do not EVER hit this dog or use any other kind of punishment (smacking, flicking, etc.) that even remotely reminds him of his abuse. This pup needs LOTS of reassurance, petting, soothing and love.
This might be a neurological issue. Does he seem aware of what he's doing when he's having these 'fits'? I wonder if they aren't a seizure-like activity? Has he been to a vet for this?
dielawn - your pup has had a rough beginning....and I'm not dismissing there could be neurological reasons for his behavior....BUT - he is a 7 week old puppy - of a breed that is a working dog...and it's quite likely he's just being a bratty puppy, learning his way in this big old world he is in.
If he were mine - I'd work really hard to treat him as I would if you didn't know of the reported attack on him by his mother. I'd read up on his breed, I'd learn all I could on proper puppy rearing, to include being a fair and benevolent leader to him. I'd focus on proper socialization around people of all sizes/ages, and dogs and other animals as well. I'd get on board with positive reinforcement training and start NOW on leash manners and basic commands that a puppy brain with the attention span of knat can learn. I'd find a puppy socialization class that we could sign up for and I'd go to several 6 week sessions with him once he's old enough and had the proper vaccinations.
He's a BABY.....and he might be a baby with a high spirit and some sass....if so - YOU will be key in teaching him how to have emotional control and YOU will give him proper ways to 'blow off steam' - like lots of good physical exercise that is age appropriate and mental stimulation that will challenge his growing mind in ways that help him be a successful canine companion to you.
Try not to fall into all that 'hype' on rage syndromes and Cesar Milan training techniques - this is a BABY.....he is only now learning the ways of the world - and he needs YOU to help him learn all that properly! You will have plenty of time in the coming weeks and months, to determine if your new pup has any 'residual' mental/physical concerns that could affect his ability to be a safe pet to you and your family. Right now - keep him properly vetted for his age (puppy shots, etc.), feed him a good quality food, provide him with proper items to chew/destroy, teach him how to be housetrained, give him outlets of exercise that will tire him out and enhance his learning curve....teach him basic obedience, good leash manners, and SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE this pup.....in time - you will see all your efforts pay off - when folks start asking you where you got your dog and 'who' trained him!!! Please note that properly raising a puppy is W-O-R-K and takes months and months of your consistent, fair, patient, leadership........keep in mind - we give our human children 1 year to learn to walk - we give them 2 years to learn to pee in the toilet.....puppies are like raising children - all things in due time - he will NOT learn to be a good dog, if left to do his own raising.
Many puppies throw temper tantrums (for lack of a better human term) - the larger/stronger the breed, the more impressive these outbursts can seem......one reason a small pup throws a 'fit' can be related to them being overly tired and not having a proper quiet place to 'rest'. If you aren't using a crate with him - I would highly recommend using one - but ONLY as a safe quiet place to rest - NEVER as punishment. It also aids in housetraining and provides your pup with a safe place if you can't supervise him or are away from the house.
Last edited by Rottnboys; 04-03-2010 at 12:08 PM..
Ever seen "28 days later"? I'd put that puppy down or else he's going to spread the virus to you and soon mankind will be nothing but rage infested bloody thirsty zombies.
My puppy is 7 weeks old and sparatically goes into a fit of rage where he'll attack, bite, maul anything in front of him....then it just goes away and he's normal again.
At first I thought it was rabies.....little did I know.
Now I think it was because he was attacked by him Mom (at the breeder) twice when he was around 4 weeks old. His jaw was broken, his eye is messed up, was bleeding from the head, and his ear will forever point forward, I guess it was torn as well. I'm thinking it's how he deals with pain.
But I just read something about rage syndrome? I know it's mostly in spaniels but they said it can be in other breeds? what are they? do I just need to call Cesar?
Seven weeks is pretty young...the breeder sounds sketchy, but hey, better the puppy is with you than the breeder.
If you think he's doing it to deal with the pain, get him to the vet ASAP!
Is this your first puppy? Is there a chance he's just playing? Sometimes they will get spurts of energy, play intensely until worn out, then stop.
Whatever it is, I think you should try to record him doing it and take him (and the recording) to the vet.
Have you raised a puppy before? Some are just high spirited and bratty.At 7 weeks that may be the case.Puppies "attack" things in play as that is how they play with their siblings and learn things like bite inhabitation. My big worry would be your puppy is too young to be away from its litter mates so is missing out on important socialization .
Is it that he walks by something and attackes it for a few moments then walks away or suddenly stops and moves on to something else to do? To me that is what young puppies do which is why with people often complain that the puppy "attacked" their young child while to the puppy it was more about play and exploring and not a vicious attack. You have to remember they do not have hands so will use their mouth to explore and learn even more so then human babies that put stuff in their mouths as a way to learn about things.
Jazz was a super bratty puppy,very smart, high energy and way too much attitude. She was 12 weeks when I got her and she would play attack everything and anything. My old dog and my cat thought she has crazy.Well I did too at times.If you told her no especially if you pointed a finger at her when doing so she would go balastic and sounded like an angry bumble bee as she would launch an attack at you. Shake a can of coins at her and that escalated her attack level. My friend would bring her young kids who had been around dogs since birth over and they would soon be on my couch with pillows to block puppy attacks.
I actually did play rough with her when she pulled her " attacks" on me. If she bit too hard I yelped and stopped playing.Unlike alot of people I did let her use a gentle mouth on my hands and still do in play and she has incredible bite inhabition. She is a fear aggressive dog .When she has acted out and gotten in fights with other dogs it looks bad but she has never injured or even left a tooth mark on another dog because of that great bite inhabition.
I never felt that she had any rage syndrome and just saw it as a bratty puppy with lots of attitude and she turned into a wonderful sweet dog, great with kids but she does still have an attitude ( she will be 14 next month) if I tell her something she does not agree with she will do what I ask but argues with me the whole time with " Wooos and aroooos" very funny. People at an agility show years ago told me they had never seen a dog with so much attitude
If you are still really concerned that you have some rage type issue then have someone that works with dogs and knows alot about behavior come watch the puppy and get their opinion as without seeing it it sounds like puppy play and is probably so intense as he does not have his litter mates to play with at an age that he should still have them.I know alot of peopel that will see two puppies playing and get upset and say " oh no they are attacking each other" when all they are doing is play fighting. They are after all dogs not humans.
Strongly urge that you get the pup to the vet for a neurological exam. It sounds like it could very well be seizures (aka canine rage syndrome) I've rescued a dog with this issue and it is not pretty. The prognosis is NOT good if that is what it is. Do you have a video camera? Have it handy and video the behaviour & take it to the vet with you. Especially note whether the dogs eyes are dialated after the episode. I hope that your vet can find a different underlying cause. Unfortunately, if it is rage syndrome, you may have to have the dog PTS. As horrifying as that seems, treatment of this disorder has not been very successful and the dog will be very dangerous when it gets larger. There are no known triggers to watch out for. It just happens suddenly and viciously when an episode occurs. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
I have only ever had border collies but we NEVER bring them home before 8-12 weeks because they need to socialize with litter mates. Otherwise they end up with serious socialization issues.
Have you had huskies before? I know that they can be a tough minded dog and may not do well without a husky savvy person.
Final question I promise, when he "bites" you and you make a pained noise does he stop? One of the things they learn from their siblings is you are playing too hard if someone yelps. Try yelping next time and see if he stops. If not it may support the idea that its neurological (unless he was taken from the litter too early).
I've seen Rage Syndrome, and wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it- a four-year-old Springer Spaniel. It looked very neurologic. I had him for three months. He had to be put down after he genuinely tried to kill me. It's not a nip or a hissy fit, it's Cujo out of the blue. I'd certainly take the dog to the vet and ask about it. Be careful.
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Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Please note that properly raising a puppy is W-O-R-K and takes months and months of your consistent, fair, patient, leadership........keep in mind - we give our human children 1 year to learn to walk - we give them 2 years to learn to pee in the toilet.....puppies are like raising children - all things in due time - he will NOT learn to be a good dog, if left to do his own raising.
