Signs of Aggression? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

lolabella · 02-20-2007, 07:03 PM

My husband and I have just witnessed a concerning behavior from Mia. My husband had just returned from the grocery store with a bag, placed it on the couch and our cat was peeping inside. Suddenly Mia snapped at the cat from the ground, growled and bit his leg. She did not bite hard or anything, but this was not play behavior. She was plainly aggressive. I guess she thought there was something for her in the plastic bag.
This aggressive behavior concerns me because we are going to be bringing a new pup home soon, and I don't want Mia to become possessive and have problems. Has anyone witnessed a similar situation? How do I deal with this?
Mia is a very sweet girl, and it is scary to see her snap into an aggressive character without a warning.

BLowry · 02-20-2007, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolabella

My husband and I have just witnessed a concerning behavior from Mia. My husband had just returned from the grocery store with a bag, placed it on the couch and our cat was peeping inside. Suddenly Mia snapped at the cat from the ground, growled and bit his leg. She did not bite hard or anything, but this was not play behavior. She was plainly aggressive. I guess she thought there was something for her in the plastic bag.
This aggressive behavior concerns me because we are going to be bringing a new pup home soon, and I don't want Mia to become possessive and have problems. Has anyone witnessed a similar situation? How do I deal with this?
Mia is a very sweet girl, and it is scary to see her snap into an aggressive character without a warning.

How old is Mia?

Sadie (my adult) was/is a very sweet dog however she does have aggression and dominance issues. She, for no reason, will go after the cat and he is 22 LBS!!! She has no fear well, now the puppy is doing it...Sadie will also get aggressive with Lillie sometimes...especially if I am vaccuming or sweeping...I spoke with a trainer and she told me that this is something that I will probably never be able to stop...She told me that I could control it when I see it happening...I have been working with Sadie now for about 5 months and she seems to be doing better...with Lillie....not the cat. If you find a way to stop this please share!!

lolabella · 02-20-2007, 07:43 PM

Mia is 10 months. She does go after the cat playfully, but our cat is very tolerating. He is usually willing to play along as long as Mia doesn't hurt him. If the cat starts complaining we intervene immediately. We've also blocked off a room with a baby gate so that our cat can have some peace when he wants to.
What made tonight's event more concerning is that Mia seemed more aggressive than usual. The cat is good at defending himself, but I don't know how things will work out with the puppy.
I guess we will just have to watch the animals very closely, talk to our trainer, and see how things work out.
Maybe we need to work on a new training command like "stop it." Luckily Mia is a smartie and responds well to consistant training.

FirstYorkie · 02-20-2007, 11:26 PM

This best thing that could happen is for the cat to turn around and swipe at Mia. Back when we had a cat and a Siberian Husky, the Husky liked to chase the cat. After a few times of getting his nose bloodied from a swipe of Morgan's paw, he quit.

Other than that, I can't think of much advice right now, but I wish you luck!

FirstYorkie · 02-20-2007, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolabella

Maybe we need to work on a new training command like "stop it." Luckily Mia is a smartie and responds well to consistant training.

Oops! Just saw that part of your post. In that case, sure, teach her a new command. Personally, I would use something like "Leave it" which can apply to other things besides the cat. That way, you get more opportunity to practice. Good luck!

Candini · 02-20-2007, 11:50 PM

Isn't 10 months just considered puppy behaviour? I mean easier to stop at this age?

I know our 4 month old sometimes bites us too hard and we of course yell to stop and also give her a toy to bite on.

lolabella · 02-21-2007, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Candini

Isn't 10 months just considered puppy behaviour? I mean easier to stop at this age?

I sure hope so.

lolabella · 02-21-2007, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

This best thing that could happen is for the cat to turn around and swipe at Mia. Back when we had a cat and a Siberian Husky, the Husky liked to chase the cat. After a few times of getting his nose bloodied from a swipe of Morgan's paw, he quit.

Yea, actually I am afraid of something like that happening. That's why we intervene when the cat complains too much. They mostly bite each other's ears and try to sit on one another. But, I am afraid our cat will hurt Mia's eyes if he gets too pissed off, which may be irreparable. They are the same height, and the cat weighs a bit more. Our cat does attack Mia back, but the claws never come out. I kinda want to keep it that way.

Thank you for the "leave it" idea though. We'll start working on that today

roultjm · 02-22-2007, 12:28 PM

It would be a good idea to watch and make sure she is not becoming the Alpha Dog. You need to be the Alpha dog to head off injury to other pets. Usually you can tell if she is playing or it they have that look in their eye of "i'm going to get you" and then the aggression is on. Have you ever seen the dog whisper on discovery channel? you can pick up some neat ideas and things to head off before they start..

marcerella02 · 02-22-2007, 03:06 PM

we are having the same problem.. we just got back from obedience and again i am in tears... it's like layla has a limit or a certain amount of time that she is friendly .. and then a whole different dog appears... she is especailly mean around puppies... today the trainer flipped her over on her back when she got out of hand and held her there until she stopped fighting... i'm not sure if it is helpful to you or not but just know you aren't alone on this one!

roultjm · 02-23-2007, 07:47 AM

today the trainer flipped her over on her back when she got out of hand and held her there until she stopped fighting

This is just what the dog whisper does. He says it's how you show the aggressive one that YOU are the leader. And it seemed to work he had to do that a couple of times but the dog got the idea and submissed to him that is what you want. But you have to do that to your dog. Right now the dog views the trainer as the Leader and will submit to him. But you need your dog to see you that way.

FirstYorkie · 02-23-2007, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roultjm

[color="Red"]This is just what the dog whisper does. He says it's how you show the aggressive one that YOU are the leader. .

Right. Because the poor, less than 10 pound pup might confuse a 100 lb + human and a creature who says "meow" as members of his wolf pack.

bornnygurl · 02-23-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

Right. Because the poor, less than 10 pound pup might confuse a 100 lb + human and a creature who says "meow" as members of his wolf pack.

Sorry, but I don't see how that statement is helpful to the person in question.

Also, it takes more than just alpha rolls to become the leader of the pack. Sometimes depending on how dominant the dog is it takes a little time to establish yourself as so. As far is alpha rolls it really depends on the dog. One training method does not work for all dogs in one behavior problem; Just as one training method does not work for all dogs in all behavior problems.

dcelmo · 02-23-2007, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcerella02

we are having the same problem.. we just got back from obedience and again i am in tears... it's like layla has a limit or a certain amount of time that she is friendly .. and then a whole different dog appears... she is especailly mean around puppies... today the trainer flipped her over on her back when she got out of hand and held her there until she stopped fighting... i'm not sure if it is helpful to you or not but just know you aren't alone on this one!

But what do you do when you flip the dog on his back and he never stays? Chewie will never give up and relax. He stays tense and if I let go he bolts. He has major food agression problems and I have tried everything and nothing works. He jumped up on my 3 year old grandson today and took his chip out of his hand, and managed to get a piece of his finger too. Now he is afraid of the dog and I don't blame him. I have seriouly considered rehoming Chewie because of fear of him biting one of my grandkids over food? Any help?

FirstYorkie · 02-24-2007, 03:03 AM

dcelmo,

According to the trainers that I've talked to, it's highly unlikely that "alpha-rolling" Chewie is going to teach him not to guard his food. There are better ways. Here is a link to an article that outlines the procedure that I used with Joey. It's worked extremely well for us!
http://www.clickersolutions.com/arti...ctguarding.htm

02-20-2007, 07:03 PM	#1
lolabella Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: . Posts: 493	Signs of Aggression? My husband and I have just witnessed a concerning behavior from Mia. My husband had just returned from the grocery store with a bag, placed it on the couch and our cat was peeping inside. Suddenly Mia snapped at the cat from the ground, growled and bit his leg. She did not bite hard or anything, but this was not play behavior. She was plainly aggressive. I guess she thought there was something for her in the plastic bag. This aggressive behavior concerns me because we are going to be bringing a new pup home soon, and I don't want Mia to become possessive and have problems. Has anyone witnessed a similar situation? How do I deal with this? Mia is a very sweet girl, and it is scary to see her snap into an aggressive character without a warning. __________________

02-20-2007, 07:43 PM	#3
lolabella Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: . Posts: 493	Mia is 10 months. She does go after the cat playfully, but our cat is very tolerating. He is usually willing to play along as long as Mia doesn't hurt him. If the cat starts complaining we intervene immediately. We've also blocked off a room with a baby gate so that our cat can have some peace when he wants to. What made tonight's event more concerning is that Mia seemed more aggressive than usual. The cat is good at defending himself, but I don't know how things will work out with the puppy. I guess we will just have to watch the animals very closely, talk to our trainer, and see how things work out. Maybe we need to work on a new training command like "stop it." Luckily Mia is a smartie and responds well to consistant training. __________________

02-20-2007, 11:26 PM	#4
FirstYorkie YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London Posts: 1,739	This best thing that could happen is for the cat to turn around and swipe at Mia. Back when we had a cat and a Siberian Husky, the Husky liked to chase the cat. After a few times of getting his nose bloodied from a swipe of Morgan's paw, he quit. Other than that, I can't think of much advice right now, but I wish you luck! __________________ FirstYorkie We Love Clicker-Training!

02-20-2007, 11:50 PM	#6
Candini Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: San Antonio Posts: 149	Isn't 10 months just considered puppy behaviour? I mean easier to stop at this age? I know our 4 month old sometimes bites us too hard and we of course yell to stop and also give her a toy to bite on. __________________ www.myspace.com/texasmentalist

02-22-2007, 03:06 PM	#10
marcerella02 Loved by Layla Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ontario Canada...not California :( Posts: 7,468	we are having the same problem.. we just got back from obedience and again i am in tears... it's like layla has a limit or a certain amount of time that she is friendly .. and then a whole different dog appears... she is especailly mean around puppies... today the trainer flipped her over on her back when she got out of hand and held her there until she stopped fighting... i'm not sure if it is helpful to you or not but just know you aren't alone on this one! __________________ Layla 's Simon http://misscanam.blogspot.com/

02-22-2007, 12:28 PM	#9
roultjm Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 46	It would be a good idea to watch and make sure she is not becoming the Alpha Dog. You need to be the Alpha dog to head off injury to other pets. Usually you can tell if she is playing or it they have that look in their eye of "i'm going to get you" and then the aggression is on. Have you ever seen the dog whisper on discovery channel? you can pick up some neat ideas and things to head off before they start..

02-23-2007, 07:47 AM	#11
roultjm Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 46	today the trainer flipped her over on her back when she got out of hand and held her there until she stopped fighting This is just what the dog whisper does. He says it's how you show the aggressive one that YOU are the leader. And it seemed to work he had to do that a couple of times but the dog got the idea and submissed to him that is what you want. But you have to do that to your dog. Right now the dog views the trainer as the Leader and will submit to him. But you need your dog to see you that way.

02-24-2007, 03:03 AM	#15
FirstYorkie YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London Posts: 1,739	dcelmo, According to the trainers that I've talked to, it's highly unlikely that "alpha-rolling" Chewie is going to teach him not to guard his food. There are better ways. Here is a link to an article that outlines the procedure that I used with Joey. It's worked extremely well for us! http://www.clickersolutions.com/arti...ctguarding.htm __________________ FirstYorkie We Love Clicker-Training!