Dog Help

MeanParent

Hi,

Our small dog normally sleeps in our room but in a cage.

Last night it was very hot and panting so we let it out of the cage.

It slept on the floor until I came in to the room. It then jumped on to the bed.

When I tried to pick it up off the bed and put it on the floor it became very aggressive and growled and bit me.

It is only aggressive when on our bed.

The dog is 1 year old.

Any ideas as to why it is being aggressive and what we can do to stop it?

Thanks

shegirl

If the dog was hot and panting last night I'd assume that he may well be ill and that could cause the agression.Get him checked by a vet

MeanParent

shegirl wrote: »

If the dog was hot and panting last night I'd assume that he may well be ill and that could cause the agression.Get him checked by a vet

Thanks, but I meant hot because the central heating was on.

She is totally fine this AM, in fact full of "beans"!

It has been aggressive when on our bed at night before, which is why we now use the cage, which generally it seems to prefer.

Still concerned about last night behaviour though and have the bite marks to prove it.

krlyr

Panting can be a sign of stress as well as of being too warm - was it extraordinarily warm in your room last night?
You could invest in a puppy pen to place around the crate if you want to give some freedom to stretch her legs during the night without the chance of her climbing on the bed. Work on training a solid "off" command - don't use force but make it more rewarding for her to climb down off the bed (or off a sofa if she's allowed) than to stay there - so bribe her down with treats and praise her the minute she jumps down.
If she can't be lured down, but a houseline - it's a lightweight lead without a handle. You can then grab the end of the houseline and gently move her off the bed without having to reach for her collar, it can be left on all the time if needed (make sure it doesn't have a handle, as this could get caught on something)
Look into resource guarding, consider a behaviourist to help if you don't feel confident. Please avoid old-fashioned, physical methods as you could make the situation worse. Never ignore a growl or punish a dog for growling, it is a natural way of communication from dogs and if you punish the communication without addressing the cause, you will just teach the dog to not issue a warning - it will go straight to a bite instead.
Try the APBC website for local behaviourists who use modern, fair methods - http://www.apbc.org.uk

If you want to read about it, you could give this book a try
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mine-Practical-Guide-Resource-Guarding/dp/0970562942/

A vet check could be worthwhile to rule out something, e.g. neck pain causing her to snap when you reach for her collar.

MeanParent

krlyr wrote: »

Please avoid old-fashioned, physical methods as you could make the situation worse.

Would never hit an animal save for self defence.

The dog was not harmed last night, just lifted off the bed and placed in the cage.

She is currently cuddling up very closely to me!

Caroline_a

I won't have my dogs upstairs. Apart from the damage it can do to young bones charging up and down, it's my space. They sleep downstairs quite happily, with no guarding issues. In fact I reckon they'd probably both welcome in any burglars, point them to the tv and laptop whilst making them feel welcome!

MeanParent

Caroline_a wrote: »

p whilst making them feel welcome!

:rotfl:

Mine would bark at them. Of course she is only about the size of a couple of shoe boxes so it is all mouth and no trousers!

As soon as she realised that the barking was ineffective she would do her usual trick and roll over on her back with her legs in the air - almost demanding a tummy tickle.

Person_one

Why are you calling the dog 'it'?

My bet is old fashioned resource guarding, being on the bed is a pretty privileged position and she wanted to protect that and stay there. I agree with Krlyr, use the smelliest tastiest treats you can find to teach a strong 'off' command, and then try to avoid letting her jump on to the bed in the first place. Dogs very quickly learn what they are and aren't allowed to do if you're consistent and calm.

zaksmum

Person_one wrote: »

Why are you calling the dog 'it'?

My bet is old fashioned resource guarding, being on the bed is a pretty privileged position and she wanted to protect that and stay there. I agree with Krlyr, use the smelliest tastiest treats you can find to teach a strong 'off' command, and then try to avoid letting her jump on to the bed in the first place. Dogs very quickly learn what they are and aren't allowed to do if you're consistent and calm.

Glad you mentioned that, Person one. I found it a bit odd.

MeanParent

It

I think you are reading too much in to it!

rising_from_the_ashes

Person_one wrote: »

Why are you calling the dog 'it'?

I have to say that was the 1st thing that jumped out at me too.....

Is there any reason she can't sleep downstairs? It is usually cooler than upstairs and as others have said it's much better for the joints for them to not be going up/down stairs a lot.