debm Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 One of the things I love the most about Baxter, my BC mix (there is some lab in there too), is that he is very protective of my family and of our home. The only time this is a problem is at night. As of late he has been growling at my husband when he tries to get in bed. Perhaps it was a bad idea to let him sleep with us in the first place but now we need to trouble shoot the situation. I have the option of putting him in another room all together or in a crate in our room. Anyone have any ideas about this situation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Starting today- he has no more bed privileges. Put his crate in an area away from your bed, or if you are comfortable, in another room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljrphoto Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 We tried allowing Meg, our red and white border collie sleep with us and it was just too much of an issue. She would come up snarling and barking off the bed at the slightest noise, if someone crowded her she would snap at the closest person, etc. She just can't let her guard down unless she's in her crate for the night. So, as much as I enjoy having dogs in my bed it just didn't work for us. Our dogs crate in a separate room from everyone's bedrooms and it works out well. And I agree with Kelpiegirl, you just can't allow that behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Crate him. That way he can be in the room with you, but not on the bed which he seems to think he is in charge of. I would be careful of encouraging too much "protective" behavior. Sometimes it is the dog resource guarding and thinking he's running the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Based on what you describe, I would crate him at night for the time being. My choice would be to have the crate in the bedroom, but that's totally a personal preference thing. In the meantime, I would teach the dog to get on and off the bed on cue during the day as a separate behavior. I would also teach the dog to lie down and stay on a mat on cue - I do this anyway for many other purposes. Once the dog had "on" and "off" or "up" and "off" or whatever you would want the cues to be, I would cue the dog off the bed at night and onto his mat, and then invite the dog up after the humans are settled. My goal would be to teach the dog that bed space is a privilege to be earned, and for many dogs that can be a very powerful means to modifying undesired behavior. Growling= crate (not as a punishment, but as a simple consequence). No growling = night on the bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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