Do you think a 15 week old puppy could be branded nasty?

Nasty in what way guest ? They can be annoying and still mouthing which can sometimes hurt but its a puppy thing

Can you explain why you think at 15wks old you think the puppy is nasty, most pups at that age are still mouthing and boisterous, but IMO i wouldnt say that is nasty

No, as other posters have said, at that age they are still often mouthing and puppy teeth are VERY sharp - this is the age at which, when still with their litter mates they learn NOT to use their teeth.......  When we take a puppy away from it's litter mates and expect it to live with thin skinned humans, we must take on responsibility to teach them the same way their litter mates would teach them......

However, it is perfectly possible for a puppy of this age to learn to use it's 'temper' to get what it wants if handled inappropriatly :(

I wonder if guest is talking about what John said in the post about "the truth about golden retrievers? Towards the end he mentions meeting a particularly nasty 15 week old pup, and it seems a bit of a coincidence that guest has used these exact words.
I must say i do think that at that age they can be nasty. When my dog was a pup we went to a vets puppy party. Half way through one of the terrier puppy's attacked and grabbed hold of a BC pup around the neck and locked his jaw. (Aggressively). The border collie was screaming and emptying her bowels in fright whilst the vet and two owners tried to prise the terrier off her. It seemed to take a matter of minutes. I think that if it is in the genes and the dog shows such aggression at such a young age (It certainly didn't appear to be nervous aggression) THen yes i think some pups can be inherantly nasty.

I agree that a 15 week puppy can be nasty
I have seen it myself and it is not something you would mistake for the normal puppy mouthing and rough play.
Some dogs do inherit bad temperament and it shows at an early age
mari

It is early but as L&M said, I did comment on one. It's the earliest I have ever seen a nasty puppy but this one was not playing! Some puppies can get frightened and fear aggression is something I can understand and something you can train but a puppy coming forward to have a go is a different kettle of fish. One of the few dogs to have a go at me and really get stuck in was a Labrador of around 6 months. He really meant it as well. Also the year old Polish Lowland Sheepdog (That one needed a trip to hospital!) If it sounds like I get bitten on a regular basis I would point out that this is the result of years of "Pushing my luck!" If any of the instructors get a problem I'm the mug who gets dragged in ;)

So yes, you can very rarely identify a nasty one at that age but thankfully not often.

Regards, John

Hi John
I bought a fantastic looking collie puppy  few months ago,as I wanted a collie again.and she looked exactly like my Sophie but  sadly thats where the resemblence stopped.
She appeared shy but I thought I would get her  over that as sometimes it is only being wary.
However she refused lead training and was ready to fight all the time.She growled at people and children.
I was shocked at one so young being aggressive like that
However I carried on  trying and trying never losing patience with her to no avail.
I kept her in the house to socialise her but never when the kids were here.I am afraid I had a decision to make when she was eight months old .
She attacked my baby grandson for no reason at all  he had just come in with my son , if I had not picked him up so quickly  he would have been badly hurt as the leg off his jeans was ripped as I grabbed him.
I had an autopsy done on her and the results showed she had a tumour
so it was not her fault really.

The recent nasty puppy I know of is a rottie 5 months old  growling low with a look tells you come on try me I mean business.I had him here in my kennels for a  weekend
I would hate to see him when he is one year old. he wont be coming back here.
Mari

There are a lot of possible problems in dogs. In the dogs I see at club obviously I know little about their life up to that point.

They may be the product of irresponsible breeding, puppy farming and the like.

I strongly believe there is a time, somewhere between 6 and 16 weeks old where a puppy's whole character can be ruined, a serious fright (And I mean really serious) can trigger fear aggression which will stay with the dog for life.

Poor socialisation can result in problems later.

Medical problems can affect a dog. Brain tumours are an obvious example but, as with humans, anything which pulls us down or causes us pain can make us short tempered.

Add to these, dogs, just like humans cover the full gamut of character traits, bold, timid, placid, fiery, and all points west!

I also truly believe that dogs are no more immune to mental problems than humans.

So what do we do if we get a bad one? Training can often make a dog liveable with. If the problem is medical then a trip to the vet is the way to go! I would never give up on a dog easily but if all else fails, we have a duty to other people and dogs. If our dog bites us, tough! It is our dog and we know the risks. If our dog bites a passer by then that is a different matter and if our dog bites a child then the results can be catastrophic! We also have a duty to our breed. A Rottie or GSD for example attacking people would do the breed no favours at all. No one remembers the hundreds of beautiful, friendly and loving Rotties but let just one bite and the "Lets ban the vicious devil dogs!" people have a field day!

Regards, John

No one remembers the hundreds of beautiful friendly rotties and just one bite and its ban them
That is soo true John.
Which is why sometimes decisions in the interest of the breed have to made no matter how upsetting it is for us .
None of us would ever dream of  making a decision lightly concerning a dog being pts.
but if it has to be made then we have to be brave for the sake of the breed and our responsibility to others .
Mari