how to get my 5month old cane corso to stop growling

[bastim]

My female cc has been shy and scared since the 2nd day we brought her home. She was 10weeks old. We started socializing her every day since. Having her meet many new people, dogs and cats. Putting her in different situations to build self confidence(stairs, dark rooms, loud places etc) At almost 12 weeks she started growling randomly at New people and people she had met before many times. I contacted breeder concerned about behavior I was told she was the most out going puppy from the litter and she hasn't had a puppy act that way. I asked her to call me when she started her training classes never got a message so I do I n d a different trainer. We have been in training for the last 7 weeks and my trainer told me she is high risk and I should return her to breeder before she bites someone. She has never growled at me or my 2 girls ages 4 and 6. She is the biggest sweetheart if it is just us. I am not ready to give up yet I am trying to find a trainer that specializes with cc. My goal is to hopefully get her to change her temperament so I can bring her anywhere and not worry if she is going to start growling and take a chance of someone getting bit. Any other tips or suggestions or since she started this behavior so young there is no chance for her to change.&nbsp;<br>

 

[broccolini]

How exactly are you socializing her around new people?

 

[musicdeb]

A puppy growling can be his normal way of talking since that's how they played and communicating with their siblings or it could mean "back off, I will bite." He has either learned that this behavior is ok or he has not been taught that this behavior is unacceptable, either way, your taking the necessary steps to rectify the behavior.

This has been happening for about 3 months, has it gotten worse? What is his body language when he does the growling? Can you explain the circumstances, i.e. number of people involved and what was going on, when the growling started? Does he show teeth when he growls?

Until you resolve the behavior, do not allow any strangers to approach him. If someone comes into your house, tell them "no look, no talk, no touch" or crate him/put into another room. Allow him to sniff them while he's on leash while they stand at the door. If he seems relaxed and ok with the people, allow them to enter but with no sudden movements.

Continue to watch his body language. If you do not know the signals before he growls, learn them.

Where do you live, maybe someone on the board knows of a trainer in your area?

Check out these links to find a trainer:

Dog Trainer Search

Search for Professionals

Hope that helps and keep us posted.

 

[bastim]

We go visit parks, friends houses car rides etc. I would have her sit when people approach her/us. Some people she would be fine then others she would crouch in a stance and start growling showing her teeth. I have the new people also give her a treat to help. When she does that I give a tug of the leash and get her to focus on e while saying no. Then after the behavior is over and she is fine with the person I give her a treat with praise. But sometimes she would start back up 5 to 10min later and it could be the same person. It can be just 1 person by her or more. Yes she has gotten worse. Her body language pretty much stays the same her temp changes on a dime but I will look slot closer to see. We live in central mn thanks for the advice I am going to look at those links to see if I can find someone who can help. If I didn't explain well enough let me know I will try to better. Thank you again.

 

[musicdeb]

Unfortunately, it could be part of his genetic make up if nothing has changed in 3 months. Sounds like you're doing everything you can do at this point.

There is a condition for dogs that their temperament changes in a second from sweet and nice to aggressive to the point of biting. We've had a couple of members who had dogs like that and they had to PTS. It's called "rage syndrome."

Rage Syndrome in Dogs - Whole Dog Journal Article

I'm not saying your pup has this syndrome but it may be worth checking out. Read the article from a logical, critical thinking stance and see if the symptoms describe your pup.

 

[broccolini]

I think you might need to go much slower with your introductions to new people. Fearful puppies need to be socialized carefully or you will make the problem worse. Correcting her for growling only teaches her not to growl. It doesn't teach her not to be afraid of people.

I have a really good book that goes into a lot of detail about different types of aggression in dogs, their root causes and how to manage it. I can look through it and find some good training exercises if you want. Or, you can look for it at your library. My dog isn't fear aggressive so I didn't read those sections in great detail but there is a lot of information about dealing with fear aggression.

Aggression in Dogs: Brenda Aloff: 9781591960737: Amazon.com: Books

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

My concern is that she has behaved this way from the moment you brought her home. Was she like this when you went to see her at the breeders? What were the other pups like? The parents? I also am concerned that they breeder says this was the most out-going pup from the litter as we have a huge issue with instability with our breed as people breeding substandard temperaments in an effort to capitalize on the increasing popularity of the breed.

 

[DennasMom]

There could be a lot of things at work here.

1. I'd find a new trainer. A trainer that says a 5 month old puppy is "done" and to return her to the breeder just doesn't get my vote. I'd look for a trainer that focuses on positive methods. We had great luck with clicker/marker training with Denna. It keeps the dog in a very positive/happy frame of mind, always looking forward... which may help for any reclusive tendencies your puppy is exhibiting right now.

2. Did you "over" socialize? I don't know of anyone ever suggesting that you can over-socialize a puppy... but... if you introduced too many new things at once and expected her to relax too fast, you may have overwhelmed her brain and now she's just "done" with meeting new stuff... maybe back up a step or two. Take a one-week break from "new" stuff, then introduce one new thing (person, place or object) and then give her a few days to absorb the experience. Try not to push her to accept things, let her explore at her own speed. Encourage and reward curiosity and acceptance, ignore any fear or avoidance.

How are her dreams? Is she very restless when she sleeps? Dreams are the puppy's methods to 're-do' the experiences of the day and put down all the different resolutions of events into memory... so letting her have plenty of time to dream undisturbed will let the new experiences settle in and be absorbed properly.

Can you get any of her reactions on video?

I would not 'punish' her growling at this point - she's warning you she's uncomfortable. If you remove the growl, she may feel a need to bite without warning. If you acknowledge the growl and respond by removing the object that makes her uncomfortable, she might be able to relax, knowing her human will take care of things, and she doesn't have to.

Take a breath, regroup, relax and see how things go.
Keep us posted!

 

[Hector]

You might want to look into this academy for dogs. They have tons of awesome videos on youtube.

Minnesota Dog Training - Neuman K-9 Academy

There is a difference between shyness and fear aggression.

 

[jersey girl]

I agree, find a new trainer, but don't focus your search on a trainer that has Corso experience, but rather guardian breed experience. I am all for the positive method and most Corsos react well to this method, by nature they want to please you, but your girl may require more firm corrections. But I would let a professional advise you.