Puppy development stages: The testing dominance vs. children, CRAP!

[bluskygirl]

OK, so this weekend, Bella changed! I know that it's a defined puppy stage, where they begin to determine who is goign to be alpha. So, I am well versed in this stage, except for that Bella is reacting more to my kids than anything else. This afternoon, my 8 year old walked up behind her- didn't touch her or anything- and she whipped around and bit him on his stomach.  The night before I had the same exact thing happen with my 4 year old. Both instances were completely unprovoked.  I ALWAYS supervise them together and my boys have never done anything to make Bella feel threatened in any way. She has always had a resource guarding problem, which is something else that I worry about becuase she will not let the boys near her when she's got something of high value. We've practiced giving her treats while she's got something so she gets the idea that when the boys come over, she gets something of higher value, but it so far hasn't solved the problem.  I'm freaking out because I know how to establish my own dominance, but how do I resolve this with the boys?  They take turns feeding her, practicing obedience commands, etc.  I don't know what else to do. When she bit Ethan tonight, I scolded her and put her in her crate so that she would make the connection of biting = no attention or family time, but at this point I'm stumped as to how to establish her as the lowest on the totem pole.  Bella's in obedience and we work with NILIF, so I know that I am probably missing some key element here.  ANyone have any thoughts or suggestions for me?  Up until this weekend, she has always been wonderful with them- follows them everywhere, cuddles with them, loves to get hugs, etc.  I am just scared about this!
 

[shangrila]

Well my advice was going to be to have your kids do NILIF obedience training with Bella, but I see that you are already doing that.

How old is bella again?

[bluskygirl]

She's 16 weeks today.  Right at the time they say they are tryign to establish pack order. It just happened again... I was fixing her dinner, and it was my 4 year old's turn to feed her. Upon entering the kitchen she bit him twice trying to keep him away from where her food was being prepared. (I usually start becuase my little one can't reach the kibble, but he finishes).  I was so mad that I put her to the ground and held her there because it was again totally unprovoked. THey've fed her many time before so I've never seen her behave this way. 

[Lyn]

Resource guarding and dominance is a scary thing..

I was going to suggest NILIF and obedience also.. but since you are already doing that, I would suggest looking into a behaviourist since she's actually biting/nipping.

Was Bella by chance the dominant pup in the litter?

This doesn't sound like a normal 'stage' to me. Bubba and Lola were both pushy and defiant, but never just outright aggressive. She doesn't give any warning at all? 

[bluskygirl]

I didn't observe anything to suggest that she was the dominant pup when I viewed the entire litter.  When I brought her home, she ate with such vigor, I suspected that she must have been on the lower end and felt she had to eat fast to prevent her food from getting stolen. One thing that has occurred to me is that the breeder has a two year old toddler, who may have taken things away from her a lot?  I am not sure where this is coming from. It's a sudden change.  The woman that is teaching my obedience class is the owner of the company and a behaviorist, so I will speak with her tomorrow before class. It worries me too, becuase I cannot understand why it's happened so suddenly... and it's not typical for the breed, ya know?  THanks for you comments. I will hope that Kari (trainer) has some insight for me and some hints. 

[Imani's Mom]

Almost sounds like she could be in pain- maybe a vet consult is in order? And/or the thyroid hormones

[bluskygirl]

I have thought about that also. It was an abrupt change. She seems better today. I have been wondering if this last set of shots she got maybe bothered her more than the other sets and she just hasn't been feeling well. The first three sets she got seemed not to bother her at all, but her last set (which included rabies) was only a few days ago. It is possible that she's just grumpy becuase she feels like crap. I was so upset by her reactions last night that I didn't really think about the shots she got. 

[LuvmyMal]

Check her joints, she could be experiencing "growing" pains. Nala would get a little cranky when she was growing and when my nieces someone that she did not want to deal with would come over she would happily go into her crate and lie down until she felt like coming out. I know that is not a good behavoir for her to exhibit, but there could be something underlying that could be bothering her. Keep us posted.