Hello everyone,
I'm writing here because I've had an Australian Shepherd puppy at home for just over a month now.
My partner and I got him at 2 months (and about a week) old.
For a little while now, he's been completely kicking off at me whenever I tell him off:
Jumping on the sofa and being told no — for example.
At first he'd just bark at me from the floor, but now he's started snapping.
He just goes completely out of control. He jumps at me, barks in my face, growls, and snaps.
I've been seeing a dog trainer and we've been having lessons with her. During one session, she put some food at my feet and told me to pinch him if he went for it. When I did, he kicked off. When she saw that, she told me "that calls for immediate submission" — basically, when he reacts like that, I need to hold him by the scruff of his neck until he submits (without pressing, just holding). So I've been trying to apply that, but it honestly feels like it's getting worse. It can easily go on for a whole hour before he gives in.
Yesterday I let out a firm, deep "NO" — the puppy immediately went into submission, wagging his tail, and came back to me belly to the ground... with a little bark at the end, mind you.
Today the big authoritative "NO" barely works anymore and he still rebels.
I feel like a terrible owner when I have to hold him into submission, but in those moments he just doesn't listen to me at all. Nothing works.
I did raise my concerns with the trainer, saying I was worried about making him aggressive, but she reassured me that it just puts him back in his place.
Tonight and tomorrow I'm looking after a friend's Border Collie at mine alongside him, and he's been aggressive towards him too at times. I've already managed to head off 2 fights by calming them both down and telling them off, but I'm feeling a bit disheartened right now.
Worth mentioning that with my partner, he never kicks off anywhere near as badly — he might bark, but if my partner stands up or raises his voice, he submits straight away.
So clearly the problem is coming from me — at the start I used to pick him up a lot and let him on the sofa when he'd sit and wait for the "come on then", so I've probably given him too much freedom in the house and he's stopped respecting me. But the more I make him submit, the more I worry I'm going to lose his trust completely. He even growls at me when I come near him while he's chewing a bone now. Although weirdly, with his food bowl I can tell him to stop and he will.
Any advice would be massively appreciated.
I've also tried time-outs instead of the submission hold when he kicks off, but even if he comes back calm, he's straight back to it the next time I tell him off.
#getting bullied by a puppy basically 🤣
