what's wrong with Birdie?

[Sorienew]

Birdie doesn't like other dogs near me. She tolerates some more than others. Some she shows teeth and low growls. She's never tried to bit or fight just the teeth and growl and herds them away from me. I don't like this and want her to be nice to all dogs that we are around.

thanks for any ideas.

[Shetlander]

Sounds like resource guarding (of you) and I don't like that behavior either. I don't expect my dogs to necessarily be "nice" to other dogs but I don't tolerate snarking, face making, giving a hard eye, etc.

 

If you do a search on these boards for resource guarding or aggression or jealous or protective, you will probably find lots of information because it is a common issue in dogs. There are a few ways to go about changing the behavior -- from a clicker approach (pairing the approach of other dogs with good things, teaching alternative behaviors) to corrections or a combination of both rewarding the good behaviors with treats/attention/praise and correcting the behavior you don't like.

 

The important thing is that the dog learns resource guarding is a sure way NOT to get what he's trying to keep for himself. So a dog who tries to claim a piece of furniture is ordered onto the floor. If he tries to drive another dog away from treats being handed out, he gets no treats. With my smaller dogs, any guarding from my lap results in an abrupt transfer to the floor.

 

A lot depends on what your dog is doing and what is driving her behavior. For more serious aggression, I would want to very carefully think about how to handle it and probably consult with someone I trusted and respected as a trainer/behaviorist. What you describe sounds like it can be fairly easily handled if you make the rules very clear to Birdie that she does not get to say who you pet or talk to or play with. Period. She doesn't have to like the other dog. She doesn't have to play with the other dog. But she can mind her manners while you interact with the other dog.

 

She'll be a happier dog for having clear boundaries like that. When we are clear leaders for our pups, they can relax and take their cues from us rather than thinking they need to take charge or fight for what they want.

[mbc1963]

When I first got my dog, he really wouldn't let any dogs near me. If they came bounding toward me, he'd go to fight them. He actually did do some very scary driving off of a couple dogs before I knew what to avoid. Yeesh!

 

I think I did a bunch of very quick and loud "NO" shouts at him early on... before we had any communication going... and he let go of the "protecting me from other dogs" thing pretty quickly. To my surprise. As he got used to his new home, I also think he relaxed a lot, and got to see that the other dogs couldn't "steal" me.

 

I do recommend experienced behaviorists! Mine got me through the very challenging stuff! Good luck.

 

Mary

[Sorienew]

When I first got my dog, he really wouldn't let any dogs near me. If they came bounding toward me, he'd go to fight them. He actually did do some very scary driving off of a couple dogs before I knew what to avoid. Yeesh!

 

I think I did a bunch of very quick and loud "NO" shouts at him early on... before we had any communication going... and he let go of the "protecting me from other dogs" thing pretty quickly. To my surprise. As he got used to his new home, I also think he relaxed a lot, and got to see that the other dogs couldn't "steal" me.

 

I do recommend experienced behaviorists! Mine got me through the very challenging stuff! Good luck.

 

Mary

 

Thank you. She is very well behaved and minds really good! So maybe with work doing what you ladies suggested we will get her to stop. She does listen when I speak to her. I've never had a dog so smart. The Corgi is smart but not BC smart.

Thanks again.