So this happened today... Videos

Aw, so glad he's feeling better today.

I'm interested to see him grow because I still think he looks more spaniel than lab x

I actually agree with you now. I am going to get a Wisdom Panel for him. I'm SO curious about his breed mixes. His little ears spell something different than Labrador. And as he settles in, his behavior is reminding me less and less of a Labrador.



There's some behavior here that I never had from my Labby puppies. I'm not sure that barking towards Nigredo was playful. And then the face off towards the end of the video. I've never had humping issues with my Labby guys either. He's 7 weeks and humping. And him pushing back when I tries to scoot him gently off my tablet isn't something I am used to either. Seems like he's a little dominant. Tail always up pretty stiffly and curled over the back. Locks eyes. Holds a wide "TRY ME" stance. Not of huge concern now but of slight concern.



And this is... To me... Pretty vicious for a 7 week old puppy. He is playing but still. My Labby guys NEVER EVER behaved this way. Never anything close. Seeing him fling his head around like that really was something else.

Malone is smart and he responds to his name quickly most of the time and he responds to "No" very well... But he does have some behaviors that I'm not used to in puppies and that I don't really like.

Not sure if spaniels are more "aggressive" or if I just got a bold little guy. He fears nothing and tries to bully Oreo and sometimes tries to bully Nigredo, as well.

Sorry, I don't watch with sound, but the behaviours he's showing to me seem more typical puppy and should settle down as he gets older.

He is very cute

Yeah without sound, it loses a ton. He snarled at me just a while ago when I went to remove him from the cat food bowl. He definitely isn't the easygoing labby puppy I am used to. He is dominant or passive aggressive.

I don’t think dogs do “passive aggressive” like humans do...

I don't think they behave like humans either. I just don't want to call a puppy his age aggressive. He isn't totally aggressive anyway. I have seen worse (on YouTube etc, not in person). As an example, food aggression is passive aggressiveness to me because the issues only arise if you bother the dog.

I can handle the behavior issues no problem. I don't fear him and he runs nothing. He stops annoying behavior when I insist. As he gets a little older and loses the desire to mouth things, I will see what is left to correct. I have always had a zero tolerance policy regarding aggression. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

I'm just annoyed at the stomach issues. His poop went back to totally watery for the rest of the day and into the night. He's crated at night to sleep and every one and a half to two hours it's YAP YAP, which means he needs to go. I take him, he goes... We settle back in, REPEAT. Thank the WORLD he tells me he needs to go or I would be super upset cleaning tons of NASTY accident. But even as it stands, I cannot get any sleep at all.

He seems totally fine aside from that. Good appetite and energy levels etc... but he cannot kick the diarrhea. I am waiting on his fecal results. Maybe something there will spell the issues. I'm giving him the meds as they said, but I guess it isn't helping. He only got 7 days worth so 2 days in and still the watery poop... not so good.

I will likely have to take him back up. Don't have time today at all, and they're closed tomorrow. There are many sketchy money hungry vets here who don't care about your pet and I only trust one place.

Maybe early Monday if he isn't better by then. I did realize what I might be dealing with in a new random puppy... so it's okay. I just want my little man to kick this so he can begin to grow and not have to poop every single hour or so.

Vet called this morning. Malone is positive for coccoidia. If the infestation is anything like his worm infestation, it is severe. She said it is highly likely what is causing his diarrhea. She has a different med for him. I cannnot get it until Monday but for now he is okay... Just gonna have to deal with the diarrhea for now. Make sure he stays hydrated etc.

At least you know what it is now so can fight it.

Remember to kill the the coccoidia where he toilets too. The last thing you want is for him to keep getting reinfected or for Nigredo to get it too.

So hard to clean... He poops all over the front area. Nigredo walks there too. And the poop was super liquid and just soaked down into the ground. I couldn't even pick most of it up.

Do you have any advice?

Maybe the same as treating yard for parvo, spray with a 10% bleach solution.

I looked it up earlier. 10% ammonia solution. Soak the area, leave for 30-40 minutes then pour lots of water onto the area (it said 2" but how you do that?) then let dry. Apparently the ammonia kills the bacteria

Coccidia (sp) is not a bacteria, it is a protozoan parasite. So if the ammonia solution only kills bacteria, it won't help in this situation. I will do a bit of reading about it myself. I've been trying to cover it all up but there's been rain etc

After reading a TON about the DNA kits, I actually decided to buy the Embark Breed and Health kit for him. I got the health one because he's a random puppy and it will be nice to know that info too.

Embark is considered WAY better than Wisdom Panel. There's a sale on the better kit now... But it's still nearly $200. I was able to break up the payments though.

We shall see what runny butt is mixed with. I'm excited. I really am not sure at all now. I think Labrador and Cocker Spaniel mostly but who knows?

First time on collar and leash today. He did okay... Does not like being unable to go where he wants... But he will learn.

This is resource/food guarding. It is mild here... But it definitely is there. He also snarled at me the other day when I came to remove him from a bowl of cat food. Never had this issue with any puppies. I do not think he will be a big dog, but this is definitely not cute and won't be tolerated.

He is really cute and I commend you for taking in a puppy that would likely have ended up dumped or worse.

I read a few red flags in your posts though @mjfromga and I really urge you to educate yourself on appropriate puppy behaviour. Everything you have posted/shown on video is totally normal and not a sign of aggression or dominance. A puppy as young as he is should ideally still be with their mother. They learn a ton from their dam and siblings including appropriate communication and bite inhibition etc. resource guarding in young puppies is not uncommon and can be seen in litters. Of course it's to be discouraged but the way you're going about it ( removing food items ) is a sure fire way to antagonise the situation and increase his desire to keep hold of his valuable resource. I can link you to some articles about safe and appropriate ways of discouraging this behaviour if you like? But more than likely he will grow out of it as he continues to mature and feels safe in the knowledge his food won't be messed around with.

He is a puppy. Not had the best start to life and I think you need to forget about all these theories that he's dominant or aggressive and that you need to start 'popping' him or whatever. Why not fully immerse yourself in learning how fun training can be? Clicker training and reward based training is so much fun and you will soon see your puppy is more than intelligent. Why not join a local puppy class? And use all the treats you need. There is no shame in using rewards in training and I would absolutely be using them in housetraining! Will make things so much faster and more fun. Think how much quicker you are to learn and enjoy learning something new when it's fun and upbeat rather than learning under duress.

Relax, have fun with him, and discover a new way in teaching and communicating with him

Thanks a ton. Was a great read. He's a decent little boy all in all. I have had puppies before and they were all more placid than him for the most part.

I have begin SIT training and trying to work on leash training. He is quite the smart little guy. He has a good role model in Nigredo.

I thought about puppy classes. He needs more shots before he can attend anyway. I think I want to take him. Never been before. Clickers aggravate me immensely.

I realize my thoughts on dog behavior and training methods do not align with this sites recommendations and most member opinions, but I welcome all constructive feedback.

I do enjoy and adore him already and definitely am happy to have him. I am confident that he will be a sweet and well adjusted dog like Nigredo. It will just take a tad more work as Nigredo is just naturally a low energy and placid dog and mostly always has been.

Your links and advice are welcomed as well. He's just a pet house dog but I do want and expect a well behaved dog out of him and that is what I want to work at.

The Embark test may help as well. Seeing what breeds are in him may help me alter training a little bit in his favor.

Oh and by the way... I did not take his treat nor would I take any food that I gave him. That was the first treat I have given him and I was merely testing him. This is also why I touched his tag before I touched his face. I do not fear him and he does not need to fear me. I am not overly concerned about food aggression. His is not bad and I am sure I can work it out.

This is normal puppy behavior? I don't recall any of my puppies acting this way. I've also been looking at puppy videos and whatnot and this does seem excessive but perhaps it isn't.

I do know one thing... Malone is lucky Nigredo is a patient boy. Though he never hurt puppies, my last dog would have tolerated none of this.

When Nigredo (stupidly) barked at a door opening upstairs... Malone DID bolt for cover with his tail down. So there's that.

Do you know what the mother was at all?

Here are a few good resources and articles to look at.

https://positively.com/dog-behavior/aggression/resource-guarding/

http://pamsdogtraining.com/emily-larlham-kikopup/

https://thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/balanced-dog-training/ ( kind of about shock collars towards the bottom which is irrelevant, but some good points mixed in )

https://www.dog-training-excellence.com/training-a-puppy-dog.html

Btw, I get that clickers are not for everyone but you can always use marker words instead such as 'yes'. Much easier in most cases as you always have your voice on you

Regarding breed, I've heard that some Spaniels can be particularly more prone to resource guarding as it seems something that was in a lot of lines. Of course, the more poorly bred the higher the risk, so if Spaniel is in his DNA it's definitely wise to keep teaching good, positive, food associations.

Puppy classes are fun if you find the right one. I would definitely give it a try

I would say normal, yes. I wouldn't be worried. Some puppies are super vocal and intense in their play style and having Nigredo & calmer puppies before, you will obviously notice a huge difference in his drive/general demeanour if he is more high energy. If he gets like that & you find it concerning just simply redirect him on to you with a toy. If he gets to OTT there is nothing wrong with a time out.