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| Author | Topic: I need your help!!!!! |
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askater New Member  Posts: 4 |
posted 05-31-2003 10:33 AM
 
What's your opinion? I have a 7 week old cockapoo. A very beautiful dog. She's great with my two boys. (2 and 4) But on 5 occasions she's growled at me. When she growls at me...it's when she's doing something she enjoys and I go pick her up. The first few growls weren't bad just startled me. But the last growl was intense. Do you think this is "normal"? I told the vet yesterday about the first few incidence...he didn't think much of it. I called today and she said the dogs trying to show who's boss. I asked if I should return her to the owners...she said no. I asked if her growling so young is a sign she'll be an aggressive dog. She said no. It's funny she's great with the kids. My youngest yesterday was sitting on the coach and accidently dropped the remote on her head. She yelped and that was it. But with me...it like cujo dog. What should I do? Have you ever had a dog do this? What's the best advice you can give me? Thanks in advance!! IP: Logged |
Jas Moderator Posts: 536 |
posted 05-31-2003 02:08 PM
first talk to the person who bred your dog and ask if they temperament tested their litter and how your pup rated. some pups will be more self assured forward, and dominant or even "aggressive". This type of pup requires different training than a pup who is submissive, easy going and patient. In every litter you will get dogs that range along a scale. Most dogs of sound parents rate around the middle. If you do have a more assertive pup not to worry as long as training is consistent you will be able to manage this pup. Is your pup only growling when she has a toy or treat? If so she's guarding her resources for fear you are going to take them away. one of the most effective ways to halt this behavior is by hand feeding the pup meals, treats you name it. never letting her grab, but only allowing her the food when she is gentle. During meal time sit on the floor beside her and alternate between putting your hands in her bowl, picking bowl up while she's eating, and taking bowl away for a min. this lets her know that YOU control the food. also pet and praise her while she eats. This dog needs a lot of hands on. she needs to know that hands and you or anyone touching her is a good thing. this means belly rubs on her back, ear scratching, handling her paws, teeth, tail on a regular basis and taking her toys & bones away and giving back or exchanging for other toys. such a young pup is not usually a worry but you want to stop her growling behavior now. If she is growling at other times don't reinforce this behavior by fussing over her, stand up walk away, and ignore. she'll soon learn no one will play with her when she behaves this way I think alot of what she is doing is normal and can be managed. IP: Logged |
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rann unregistered |
posted 10-17-2003 07:49 AM
I also have a cockapoo puppy, a male, who is 13 weeks old. He is adorable and we love him 99% of the time. He does however growl occasionally, ie: when he is being picked up to crate him, or when we are trying to get him away from something nasty that he is doing (like sticking his head into wet and messy bushes outside). As brand new dog owners, this makes us very nervous. I spoke to the trainer that we are working with and she said that we must correct this behavior by grabbing the scruff of his neck and shaking him while saying "NO!" I've done this once but needless to say it makes me nervous. I asked her if this behavior can be trained out of him and she says that it definitely can be- she thinks he is a great puppy and that it really was just a mismatch- the breeder should not have given a "dominant" puppy to a novice dog owning family. However, at this point we are attached to him. How have things gone with your puppy? were you able to train out the growling behavior? does anyone else have any similar experiences/thoughts on this matter? thanks for the help. IP: Logged |
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Maisey Member  Posts: 1387 |
posted 10-17-2003 08:25 AM
Welcome to the board to both of you. Rann the advice Jas gave to askater would help you too, controlling the food is an excellent way of establishing whose boss in your "family pack". It carries into the rest of your relationship with your dog. You can also do things like, making your dog sit before he can go outside, get in the car, get out of his/her kennel, before he gets his food dish or a toy. Ask for "sit" using a hand signal and then "wait" is another command you can add to this. When they are pups they are impatient, sitting for very long is hard, using the word "wait" I found was a way to keep them seated, keep their attention, and later the "wait " command comes in very handy. Remember not to make them hold it too long, you want to be able to reward them, keeping it short for a while allows them to be successful. These are other ways of you showing them whose boss, they have to earn everything. Many people get hung up in trying to set aside 30 minutes a day to do a "training session", then life happens and it becomes inconsistent. Instead, try thinking of everytime you spend with your dog as a training opportunity. If your dog follows you around while you make dinner...practice "down/stay", while you work. Every contact becomes a bit of training and your dog learns to focus on you. I have two big dogs and a Poodle, alot of people with little dogs don't train them, when they jump on you for instance, it's not as big a deal as when a 65 pound dog jumps on you. It's easy to forget they need manners to. I made this mistake without really thinking about it with my Poodle, he was just an adorable huggable marshmellow to love on. I picked him up constantly, carried him everywhere. Then I got the larger dog...when I started training him my Poodle wanted in on the treats, I suddenly realized I had never taught him to sit, or lay down or anything. He was never a problem. At 7 years old, he started learning commands and was having so much fun. He is 9 now and loves when I ask him to do something. Doing the things Jas suggested above sets you up as the boss and will carry into other areas with your dog allowing you to train in a possitive way. Good luck to both of you. IP: Logged |
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rann unregistered |
posted 10-17-2003 06:40 PM
We already do many of the things that were suggested, like making our puppy sit/wait before getting fed/treats...we have worked with a trainer and frequently practice the commands (sit/stay/down..) I am really trying to establish our (mine, my husband, and kids) position as leaders of the pack. Cody (our puppy) also loves getting him belly scratched, and is constantly flipping onto his side/back as soon as you approach with your hand out. He has never growled during any kind of petting, or as the result of a toy being removed. the growling has only occured when we tried to move HIM. Other than that, he does not seem to have any aversion to being handled. Do you think that this is a behavioral issue that can be resolved through trainig? or am I going to have a dog that growls at me forever?! IP: Logged |
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nern Moderator Posts: 1591 |
posted 10-17-2003 08:38 PM
How about teaching him the "come" command? Instead of picking him up teach him to come to you. You can also teach him to go in his crate on his own. My mother has crate trained her poodle and he willingly goes into his crate on his own when she is leaving for work in the morning because he has learned that going into his crate means he gets a special treat. I have also found this site extemely helpful: http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm My toy poodle used to growl and then bite when you tried to move him or pick him up when he did'nt want you to. His behavior has greatly improved over the past year since I got him. IP: Logged |
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