Hi, please i need some advice, i've got a tiny 8wk old yorkie puppy whom when i try to brush is already growling at me, according to the unhelpful books i've read he's aggresive and this needs professional help, is this true? any advice on how i can stop this behaviour myself, i'm very worried!!!

Hello, can I ask, does he growl at any other times? When you brush him, do you try to distract him? Oscar would rather not be brushed but I always give him a special chew when he's being groomed, having ears cleaned etc.

If he's 8 weeks old, he's not agressive, he's probably just adjusting to being brushed, and the whole concept. Puppies are most impressionable between birth and 12 weeks, so really keep trying him with the brush and he will soon get used to it.

Giving him a little chew or a toy is a good way, like Sophie suggested.

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id start with a soft brush, and keep giving small amounts of treats when you touch him with the brush, say some cooked chicken.
then when he growls dont give him anything.
so he learns ok this dont hurt and if i growl i dont get the nice chicken.

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thanks for that advice, i'l give it a try. lisa x

My Rocky growls at times too but his tail wags at the same time so I know he's just playing (like when I chase him round the garden) - Rocky doesn't like the brush either but he just tries to run awy!! I think I need to start with a softer brush too!

Hi, ive been thinking about alfie's growling behaviour prompted by sophiex asking if he growls at any other time and the answer has to be yes! He growls at my daughters 8 month old yorkie cross. if they are running around playing together ( always supervised ) and the older pup becomes a bit boisterous alfie growls and snaps at him, is this normal? i'm quite new to this puppy business and i would have thought it was the older one that would be the more dominant but it seems to be the 3 inch terror, advice please. lisa.

hi there,
can i just say that a wagging a tail isnt always positive, a growling dog with wagging tail could be dominant aggressive.

dogs show eachother boundaries, thats normal. A younger dog can also be the dominant one.

can your dog relax when you lay him on the back? can you stroke your dog over the back without him growling, or does he just growl when you brush him?

Hi, he's really soft in most ways, i can lay him on his back on my knee for hours and he dosent mind anybody stroking his back, it just growls when he feels the brush, i'm working on that though with the rewards for no growling.