Aggressive Newfoundland Puppy

We have a 41/2 mos old newfy, she is our 3rd newf puppy and 4th newf over the past 24 years.
She can be very aggressive toward my husband and I. When the breeder was contacted about this early on her response was "she is more like her mother than we thought" and her mother was a "challenge" but thought this was due to the fact that she was an only puppy. Our puppy is one of 10. The mom lost a lot of weight and the pups were weened early and we got her at 9 weeks instead of the normal 12 weeks. When we went to see the pups at 6 weeks we did notice that the mom never interacted with them for the 2 hours we were there. It is a reputable and well known kennel/breeder in the newf "world".

She does her basic commands well; sits, down, stay. She is not food aggressive, you can take this out of her mouth including a marrow bone with no problem. She is good with other dogs, even knowing to stay low with dogs much smaller than she is. Behaves well with strangers and will sit or lie down if we have a conversation with someone while we are out. She has never shown any aggression toward anyone else besides my husband and myself.

She doesn't know how to play, playing with her 90% of the time turns into her "attacking" us. She will jump, grab our arm often not letting go. She has drawn blood through clothes and left many bruises. There are times when you can be doing nothing but standing still and she "attacks". In the backyard same thing happens. You can be tossing a toy or ball and after 4 or 5 times she ignores the toy and charges after us. If you stop the "attack" she will stand infront of you barking and nipping at your legs. Backing her up just makes her worse.

We have tried so many things and nothing seems to work. Holding her down makes her more aggressive. Putting her in her crate and ignoring her until she calms down works but it is now getting harder to get her to go in her crate.

She is a big puppy, weighing 65lbs and is very strong and powerful. We have even wondered if there is a mental problem. We have been told there is no such thing as an aggressive puppy, she's only a puppy and will grow out of it. Articles after article we have read seem to contradict each other. One of our newf puppies was headstrong but after a few corrections the behavior stopped. This one seems to go into her own world where nothing gets through to her. We are considering returning her to the breeder as having a full grown newf that is aggressive is not acceptable.

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4 month old male
by: Anonymous

I have a 4 month old male Newfie. I wish I would have found this page before now. After reading through the comments I definitely would not have gotten him. I understand puppies do annoying things. I have had personal and foster dogs of different breeds/sizes over the years. However, I have never dealt with a puppy (with many chew toys and treats) to be so outright disobedient. He is generally fine on leash, he know sit/lay down/paw. He does fine with the other dogs, just annoys them a little because they’re older. I have been consistent with taking him outside often, he will still repeatedly potty inside. He pees more than I have ever seen a dog pee. I have taken him outside, he would pee 2-3 times, come back inside within 5-10 mins pee 2-3 more times in the floor. He has ripped up our flooring, even though he has numerous toys. He bite’s constantly, to the point I cannot pet him. I have tried redirecting him with a toy, but nope only my skin will do. I read to make a high pitched noise that they don’t like it, it worked a few times but then he ignored it. My 75 year old mother lives with me. Her skin is very thin so the "gentle giant" can’t be around her because he cannot behave for 5 mins. I’ve honestly grown to dislike him, and am returning him to the breeder on Sunday. I am out a large sum of money, but I cannot continue to fight such a stubborn huge dog.

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5 month old male Newfy playing aggressive
by: Anonymous

We got our male Newfy at 8 weeks old. He is now 5 months. He is wonderful and we love him despite some behavioral problems when in our yard. He does play bite when inside but responds well to his correction words. Outside is a different story! He started this behavior around 4 months old. He lunges and bites when in our yard. He does not act this way when we take him out on walks or are around other people. He has put holes in clothes, scratched skin and caused bruises. I don’t feel like he’s being mean, he just gets this adrenaline rush! So far we have found that yelling and anger makes it worse. Putting him inside helps but it’s not fun for him! We had a trainer out and he gave us so good tips. He is always on a short leash now when outside during this training. When he gets too aggressive we pull up and back on the leash until he sits then we drop the leash and turn away. If he stays calm we reward him with a treat if not it’s repeat until he gets it. It’s a repetitive process but hopefully it will pay off and we can all have fun playing in the yard. We also noticed that taking him for walks and playing fetch or basically anything that tires him out helps! I’m going to purchase some tug of war toys this week, I heard that helps. I feel like he is not being stimulated enough outside and is bored and harassing me is just fun!

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rattle the can and laugh
by: Anonymous

I also got a newfie pup and experienced the same.I make sure he has plenty of chew toys because they are teething and don't believe in crating. They need to learn how to behave in the house and are part of the family.I read that a guy took a pop can and rattled it to stop the biting,so I tried it. My puppy jumped and ran.It was so funny I started to laugh,he gave me a strange look.Now I only have to start to reah for the can,and say I'll get the can,and he doesn't want that and doesn't bite.He seems to be more relaxed,and accepted me as the boss not him.Finally I am getting more respect.He has always been so gentle taking food etc. He is free tojust be a puppy

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Ditto, but try this
by: Cassandra

My intact 8 month male is biting and jumping mostly on my husband. We found that putting a dab of TRICARE ointment (lrg animal/horse ointment) on our hands (gloves,sleeves etc) stops my dog immediately from biting. He actually will go find something else to do. It is great for healing. It has a pine scent, works every time!

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Aggressive 1 Year Old Newfoundland
by: Anonymous

My 1 year old boy is aggressive, pulls during our walks, tries to jump on people as we walk by them, is a barker and mouthy; chews on everything! I have had other Newfies, but keep in mind, I rescued both of them at the age of 3-4 years old so they were docile, very laid back, obedient, never barked pulled as I walked them, and never jumped on people, in fact they ignored everybody especially my second boy. I sure hope he grows out of it soon! At times, it's difficult to deal with since he's over 100 pounds and super strong! He won't let me brush him, clean his ears, etc. He bites; not to try to hurt me, but very frisky, playful I believe. I plan to enroll him in training, and get him neutered as advised. I believe it will definitely make a difference and letting him just grow out of it..

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9 month Newfie
by: Anonymous

Our 9 month old Newfie started getting aggressive with our other male dog (he is 35# and neutered). It just started about a week ago but there have been 3-4 fights this week. Will neutering him help with this? We have two spayed females in the house (they have 3 acres fenced to run) and he never bothers them. I signed a contract not to neuter him before 18 months but thinking I may have to do it ASAP.

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17 month boy 14 month girl
by: Anonymous

well I am happy to tell you all they do grow out of it...my 17 month ole boy is finally getting out of it...he was very mouthy not trying to bite you but wants your hand in his mouth. that is now settling down, he has had dominate behavior as well that is calming down honestly I started controlling his food bowl I put it down when he can eat and pick it up when its over this has helped I also walk into him until he moves out of my way and sits this has helped. To the people walking away dont walk away make or wait for them to walk away if you walk away they win. rolled up newspaper hitting the counter top is the only thing I have found that will get my boys attention

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10 month old Newfie-aggressive
by: Anonymous

So my Newfie is just about 10 months old and he is sweet but very possessive with his bones. Will growl and snap at my hand and honestly my kids face if anyone gets near his bone. It’s scares me as one of my kids has special needs. I was under the impression Newfoundland’s were great with special needs.

I get very frustrated and at times regret having him because he outweighs me and at times scares me with how much he’s been staring to snap and growl at me. I try to correct him and it takes all my night to redirect him into the house if he’s lost his mind barking at anyone walking past the fence. I would not dare to ever take him to a dog park out of fear for how he’d act around other dogs. Will this get better? Am I doing everything wrong and creating a mean dog?

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Seriously!?
by: Anonymous

99% of puppies cannot bite in anger. Puppies don’t bite with aggression until at least 10 months old. I can almost guarantee the dog is playing rough and with such a big pup it feels aggressive. Newfies are gentle dogs. I would like to know what the owners are doing to cause the rough play. Get your dog trained by a professional or choose a smaller dog.

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Male Newfoundland
by: Anonymous

I have a 12 month old male newfoundland. He is not neutered but will be in two weeks. He is wonderful but to say he has been a challenge would be an understatement. What people are describing here we absolutely experienced, but only really directed at my husband. The barking and lunging, biting on his lead, he would never bite but for sure put his mouth on you and because of their size many times left bruises. The ONLY thing that has worked for us is doggy play-care, training, and social interaction with other dogs and people. If you can find a facility that offers play-care it is your solution. The breed has to be stimulated. They are working dogs and if left in a cage or even just in a home with little mental stimulation they are nightmares. I keep telling my husband the play-care is temporary! As they age they don't require the same type of activity.

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Out of control
by: Anonymous

So glad I found this page... our newfie is 3 months old and he's a complete monster. Always nipping and biting. If we try and correct him he barks and growels at us. He is completely dominant over our other dog even though we let the older one correct him he just attacks him... iv never come across this in any dogs we have had... Is it a weaning problem as we got him just shy of 7 weeks old? There are days I just want to give up and give him back... when he's good he's great. He sits gives the paw and lies down. Feeding isn't a problem. He's just very head strong. I think maybe neutering him could help.

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Pup
by: Doris

I got a 5 month old newfy as the people didn't want her anymore. A rescue. She was agreessive at first. In the month I have had her she has calmed down and listens so much better. Working on her jumping now. I yelled at her once for jumping and she started to bark at me too. I turned around to walk away from her and she tried to bite at my butt. I walked away from her and she calmed down. Then later she tried again and I walked away. Now she doesn't do it. She is learning fast. She plays with my almost 3 year old newfy. She is starting to be very loving. They can change. They crated her all day and all night. She has full run now at my house. Doing very well in her new home

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HE WILL outgrow it
by: Anonymous

I have a 17 month old newfie who was exhibiting the same type of behavior and was so bad I was also afraid of him! But he began to calm down around 15 months occassionally I will see the chewing on my arm but its usually to get my undivided attention. I feel your anguish but I promise he will outgrow it!

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Aggressive Newfie Puppy ( 4 months)
by: Anonymous

Our Newfie puppy is now 4 months old and has always been fairly aggressive since we got her at 8 weeks old. Out in the garden she will bark loudly in my face ( or anyone else who has taken her out). If we turns our backs she will quickly run to face us and make a point of aggressively barking and then growling. She bites at her lead and has destroyed one completely. Our last newfie was the most sweetest dog ever but this one is a complete monster. In fact, she is one of the worst dogs I've ever had. I'm being to realise from researching the issue that the the newfoundland can be a challange in terms of aggression and dominance rather than the myth of the 'gentle giant'. I am spending a lot of time training her as I do all my other puppies and dogs but I don't think any bond or trust will form between her and other family members if this continues.

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Follow-up
by: Anonymous

Hello. Stumbled upon this page in search of aggression in a newfoundland puppy and your posting mirrors my situation exactly. Only difference is my puppy is 3.5. months old. Just curious how everything is going - did you manage to find something that works or did your puppy grow out of it.?

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Aggressive newfie
by: Anonymous

Just read a post about an aggressive Newfie that could be describing my 10month old Newfie! He bites on your arms legs butt feet anything. He has destroyed so many things around my home. You can't pet him without him trying to bite in your arm. Then he barks loudly at you right in your face. To be honest he starting to scare me. He is far from the gentle giant I was expecting. He doesn't behave all that well on the first 10 minutes of walking it's a chore just to get the leash on him. The more research I do the more I am reading about others having the same problems. Praying somebody will tell me he will outgrow this behavior

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Nothing In Life Is Free
by: Adam G. Katz

Employ the "Nothing In Life Is Free" approach, so that your dog starts to view you as the "pack leader." If your dog doesn't see you as the leader, then your corrections will be meaningless. So, if you're doing subtle things (inadvertently) to undermine your leadership role around the house-- it will be counter-productive.

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