10 week old puppy growling at my son - need to deal with ASAP

blue_monkey_2

Yes, this is what we were told to do sarabe - reprimanding with a vocal noise. My friend also been given the same advice by her (different) trainer. Stroking has to be on our terms and not on theirs - affection is earned with good behaviour and not just given.

Likewise, if the dogs are not behaving they are not allowed in with us, they have to be calm submissive.

blue_monkey_2

Aso to add, she is not uncomfortable with the stroking in the slightest, she has never growled or snapped while doing this, she will come and sit by us and be calm while she is getting stroked, if she had issues with it then I'd be questioning it. I am questioning, will a dog that is of this nature (for whatever reason) be 'taught' not to do it or are these issues always going to be there. We cannot spend our lives tiptoeing around the dog scared to move her from the place she should not be (ie, on the chair we have just got out of) for fear she will turn and growl or snap at us. This is why I am paying a lot of money for a trainer - it would be easy enough for me to say 'sorry, go to a new home' but I want to work with her.

sarabe

blue_monkey wrote: »

Aso to add, she is not uncomfortable with the stroking in the slightest, she has never growled or snapped while doing this, she will come and sit by us and be calm while she is getting stroked, if she had issues with it then I'd be questioning it. I am questioning, will a dog that is of this nature (for whatever reason) be 'taught' not to do it or are these issues always going to be there. We cannot spend our lives tiptoeing around the dog scared to move her from the place she should not be (ie, on the chair we have just got out of) for fear she will turn and growl or snap at us. This is why I am paying a lot of money for a trainer - it would be easy enough for me to say 'sorry, go to a new home' but I want to work with her.

But you said....

we have to take her and stroke her many times in the day which I do - she has growled at me many a time when doing this but I just reprimand her for it and carry on.

which is what I was responding to.

When you reprimand a dog for growling they will eventually stop growling and just bite you instead. If you ignore a dog for growling and carry on doing whatever made them growl they will escalate to biting.

If a dog is biting you need to try and look at things from the dog's point of view.

Why do you feel the need to bite? What is the problem? How can I help you feel better?

Youdontseeme

blue_monkey wrote: »

Yes, this is what we were told to do sarabe - reprimanding with a vocal noise. My friend also been given the same advice by her (different) trainer. Stroking has to be on our terms and not on theirs - affection is earnedwith good behaviour and not just given.

Likewise, if the dogs are not behaving they are not allowed in with us, they have to be calm submissive.

Are trainers really still using terms like this????? :eek:

Why would you continue to stroke a dog if they are not enjoying it?

I'm sure you would get a*sey too if someone was annoying you, why do you expect a dog to be different?

YDSM

sarabe

blue_monkey wrote: »

Yes, this is what we were told to do sarabe - reprimanding with a vocal noise. My friend also been given the same advice by her (different) trainer. Stroking has to be on our terms and not on theirs - affection is earned with good behaviour and not just given.

Likewise, if the dogs are not behaving they are not allowed in with us, they have to be calm submissive.

You will have a dog that is oppressed, depressed, supressed and any other pressed you can think of.

The more control you use the more your dog will resist control. It might work for some dogs but it certainly doesn't work for all as you have discovered.

blue_monkey_2

Well it is is him that I am paying to train her and help me and he is one of the most sought after trainers in the area, I simply wanted advice on the question that was - will she always be like this?

And yes, she has to be calm before she gets any affection, as does my other dog. Sorry if no one else likes what I am paying for but as you are not local to me to come and stand in my house and offer the advice for a 45lb dog that insists on jumping in your face when you get home, I'll take what I am paying for. Which has worked and the crazyness has reduced, we can have her in the living room when we have visitors now which we could not have even dreamed of before.

There is no point in asking anything else is there as you all obviosuly disagree with what I am paying for. I'll just get him round again and see what he suggests, but short of her spending her life in her crate - which in itself will be miserable, I'll continue to do the work I've been told to do.

She has never growled at me for pulling her in for stroke and she would happily be stroked all day so maybe the cursor moved and I did not realise and I caried on typing. I totally agree that there would be little point in me doing that and yes, I agree, it would be totally dangerous and I would not do it. I would not even have a dog in the house that did not like being stroked if I am honest - she would have been long gone. She growls when I stop her doing things she does not want to do. So, if for example she is trying to play with the kids toys and I take it off her, or if she wants to sit on me and I am working if I will not have her on my lap she will growl, she will growl if she gets onto the sofa and I get her down - so when she cannot get her own way over things (much like kids do). I am trying to think of examples, there are not that many but one time is too many as far as I can see as it only takes one time for something to happen and this is what I want to avoid.

blue_monkey_2

sarabe wrote: »

But you said....

which is what I was responding to.

When you reprimand a dog for growling they will eventually stop growling and just bite you instead. If you ignore a dog for growling and carry on doing whatever made them growl they will escalate to biting.

If a dog is biting you need to try and look at things from the dog's point of view.

Why do you feel the need to bite? What is the problem? How can I help you feel better?

I cannot even see the post I put this otherwise I could probably put what I was trying to say. I usually read back to check after posting (it's why i always have edits as my fingers work faster than my brain) but I cannot see it. Was it today/yesterday?

No, she doesn't growl in fact she would be happy to spend the entire day on our laps being held stroked and cuddled, in fact, it's when we cannot do this or give her undicivded attention (say I am working, I work from home) that she gets the hump and grouchy.

If I come in from being out, the 2 dogs start squabbling for attention. I have to admit that it is seems to be they are fighting over me, my husband has the morning sorted and they do not fight when he comes down to go to work. I am here with them all day, pretty much 7 days a week and i walk them too.

catlou

blue_monkey wrote: »

It's a good thought. She has always had Iams - but I've ordered Burns after being recommended it by the trainer, delivery should be here today so their food will be changing. I am putting them both on it. I think that there are so many different ones to choose from it is very confusing on what to give them as there are so many choices.

Going to give the Burns a try and see if it makes any difference to teir behaviour though.

Hiya!

Burns was the food that I changed my dog onto that made his behaviour SO much better which was what I was going to recommend!

I suggested it to "Emptypockets" on here who was having problems with one of her dogs and she found it helped a lot too.

I think that with some dogs maybe the food doesn't "suit" then which then has a negative effect on their behaviour. With my dog the difference was noticeable all round in a couple of weeks, he went from being wound up, snarling, trying to bite a lot to being so much more settled and calmer - this then made it much easier to manage and train him. Out of all the training, even neutering him etc. changing his food made the most difference to his behaviour by far.

My only regret was not changing it sooner as he was 10 months by I realised. He is now 2 and overall very well behaved and I still feed him burns.

I REALLY hope it helps your dog too.:)

cannyscot_2

Blue monkey we have a SBT and it growled at first at my DD she was made by a trainer (she was in tears at first) to eye the dog down into submission till it rolled on the floor. She never had any trouble again and the dog will go to her first now -after operation, during firworks etc when he wants comfort. They have a great relationship and both get a lot out of each other.

The best advice we got was that it is a dog! We have children and they must always come before the dog. I tell my children no and so I tell the dog no . Everybody needs boundaries. The dog is well fed, well cares for and well loved but it fits into our family and not the other way round.

sarabe

blue_monkey wrote: »

Well it is is him that I am paying to train her and help me and he is one of the most sought after trainers in the area, I simply wanted advice on the question that was - will she always be like this?

And yes, she has to be calm before she gets any affection, as does my other dog. Sorry if no one else likes what I am paying for but as you are not local to me to come and stand in my house and offer the advice for a 45lb dog that insists on jumping in your face when you get home, I'll take what I am paying for. Which has worked and the crazyness has reduced, we can have her in the living room when we have visitors now which we could not have even dreamed of before.

There is no point in asking anything else is there as you all obviosuly disagree with what I am paying for. I'll just get him round again and see what he suggests, but short of her spending her life in her crate - which in itself will be miserable, I'll continue to do the work I've been told to do.

She has never growled at me for pulling her in for stroke and she would happily be stroked all day so maybe the cursor moved and I did not realise and I caried on typing. I totally agree that there would be little point in me doing that and yes, I agree, it would be totally dangerous and I would not do it. I would not even have a dog in the house that did not like being stroked if I am honest - she would have been long gone. She growls when I stop her doing things she does not want to do. So, if for example she is trying to play with the kids toys and I take it off her, or if she wants to sit on me and I am working if I will not have her on my lap she will growl, she will growl if she gets onto the sofa and I get her down - so when she cannot get her own way over things (much like kids do). I am trying to think of examples, there are not that many but one time is too many as far as I can see as it only takes one time for something to happen and this is what I want to avoid.

It was the other thread you started 'Are dog runs and muzzles cruel or a necessity' that I took the quote from.

I just wondered what other people thought about this please. Last year we never even considered it, our older dog is a very hyper but is very tolerant with the children, the newer one not so much. She loves people and wants to be stroked but only on her terms and when she feels like it otherwise grrrr, leave me alone. our trainer told us we have to take her and stroke her many times in the day which I do - she has growled at me many a time when doing this but I just reprimand her for it and carry on. But.... it only takes the once for the kids to run too fast or scream too loud when she is having an off day and 'snap'. And then it might be too late. I just want to do the responsible thing.

but you are right of course. He is the one you are paying. I'll butt out now.