Why is he doing this? I just posted this in the agility and obedience section but after I did, I realized it might be better to put it here.... Tobie has started doing something that I need to fix but I'm not really sure why he's doing it so I thought I would see what you guys say. 98% of the time Tobie gets along wonderfully with the other dogs but every once in awhile he will start a random fight. For example, I was sitting on the couch holding Tobie and DH let our Cocker Spaniel in from outside. Tobie started barking and making a low growling sound. I said to DH, "Omgosh, his heart is beating so fast." I put him down on the ground and there he went after the CS. DH had to pick him up to stop him. Or... I came home from work one morning (I had been there for about 5 minutes) and noticed that Tobie was growling at Charlie (our chihuahua mix) so I told him to stop and went to pick him up. Right as I did he went after Charlie. I can't figure out why he is doing this. It always happens infront of me for some reason. He never gets into a fight in the other room or just when DH is in the room so it might have something to do with me? We are getting ready to have him neutered (should have done this a long time ago but I just have such anxiety about it) so I'm hoping that will calm him down. Also, he is the only one that sleeps in our bed with us...we didn't plan it that way... just none of the other dogs like to sleep in the bed so I'm wondering if that makes him feel like the king of the house. We are planning to buy kennels for all of them and start training them to sleep in their kennels. This is going to be sooo hard for Tobie and for me! LOL. I love cuddling up with my baby at night but it needs to be done. So those are my plans to help correct this behavior but other suggestions are welcome (PS: When he does this we remove him from the room and put him in the bathroom for a little bit. Not sure if that's getting the point across though ) |
Maybe Tobie thinks he has to protect you. My dog is very protective of me. My neighbor came over last week and played with Sammy in the kitchen. As soon as I picked Sammy up he started to growl and bark at my neighbor. If I'm holding him he will growl at anyone who gets too close to me (except for my sons). |
He should have been neutered earlier, but...I understand. However, I don't see why you are removing him from your bed? Is that intended to stop the aggressiveness? I don't think they are related. It will take a long time for the hormones to go down after the neuter, so do give it some time - perhaps months. |
There are a couple of reasons but as far as the behavior issue, I thought he might feel like the king of the household because he is the only one who sleeps with mommy and daddy. I'm sure he doesn't understand that they are allowed to sleep with us, they just don't want to. If we don't allow any of them in the bed then it might show that no one is more special than the other, KWIM? |
Does he guard the bed? If not, I don't see any reason to remove him from the bed. It sounds to me like YOU are his 'resource' and what he is protecting or guarding. Think of it this way... he is growling, you are picking him up (aka: a reward) so he thinks he's doing the right thing and doing what you want, and when you proceed to place him on the ground, he finishes out what he started, thinking he's protecting or pleasing you. I would no longer pick him up. It sounds like that's what starts everything. Growling is a form of communication between dogs and while it's not necessarily acceptable behavior, it's also not something you want to "take away" from him. Because if they learn to no longer growl, there will be no warning signs, and it will lead directly to a bite. I would teach the 'leave it' or 'watch me' command. Whenever you see him growling, or looks like he's about to attack, say 'watch me' or whatever command you teach him, and give him a treat for focusing on you and not the other dog. I don't believe dogs necessarily understand 'timeouts' like putting him in the bathroom. They're not kids, they don't go in there and think about what they've done wrong, LOL. They're probably just sitting in there like 'okay, when are they gonna come get me out?!'. And yes, neutering earlier would have most likely prevented this problem. But getting it done now should help too. How old is Tobie? |
LOL. That's a good point about the timeout... and you're right he comes out like nothing happened. I have started being able to tell when he's about to do it though and can usually redirect his attention. He will tense up and just stare at the other dog so I've started having him look at me and get his attention on something else. He does know the "leave it" command but he just gets so focused that I have to do something bigger to get his attention... like squeak one of his toys. LOL. I just don't understand why I would be his resource though. DH isn't working right now and is here more often than me. He feeds the dogs more often than I do, plays with them as much as I do, loves on them (almost) as much as I do. LOL. We have had a closer bond though since he was a puppy and I've taught him all his commands and I brush and bathe him. I dunno, I think he just looks at me as HIS mommy and doesn't like to share! |
Oh Britster, I forgot to answer your question... Tobie will be 2 on December 9th. |
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