My puppy growls and bites when touched. Is it aggression or dominance?

Question

I have a 16 week old male foster puppy who is becoming increasingly aggressive/dominant and growls/bites when he doesn’t want to be touched or picked up. He will stand his ground, bark louder/snarl and stare you straight in the eyes when you say no or try to assert yourself. I’ve had him since he was 6 weeks old, he is already neutered. Is this typical puppy dominance or something more serious? He is a mixed breed Amstaff/Shepherd/Malamute mix. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 3 months and 20 days old | 34 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

What you are describing may be normal puppy behavior for Bear because some puppies respond very poorly to dominance type of behavioral training. However, I would be concerned with the behaviors that you are describing. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian or the foster organization for a recommendation on a trainer to work with to have someone else observe Bear's behavior to help you decide where to go from here. The longer this behavior continues, the more serious it will be become, so this needs to be dealt with immediately. In the meantime, I would not reprimand or challenge Bear since that seems to escalate the situation. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My puppy growls and bites when touched. Is it aggression or dominance?

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