BCjetta Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I know this isn't about my BC, its about our (DH's) aussie...but I figured someone may know what response we should have in this situation. Our 4yr old neutered male aussie has started growling at puppies he meets over the past year. He will do it to any dog that is very obviously a pup (so anything probably 7mos or less) and he will even start growling at them from 6 feet away. He's standing tall and stiff, hair raised over his shoulders and growls quietly and deeply. The puppy can be a hyper puppy, it can be sumbissive and giving calming signals, and still he does the same. I *think* he wants to be dominant but isn't confident so feels the need to make this big show of how tough he is when its a dog he knows will sumbit to him. With adult dogs that aren't too hyper and aren't intact males, he will approach them from the side politely, hair still raised on his shoulders, sniff them and then if its a dog that is interest, he will solicit play by barking and blocking them. If its an adolescent lab type, he will remain stiff and bark/snap and try to control where the dog goes and keep blocking it off from certain directions. Same with most intact males. If another dog snaps at him, he jumps back and backs off. Heck, he's afraid of my hamsters because one bit him when he stuck his nose too close to the bars once. The thing is, I don't want to correct him for growling at puppies because then he may stop doing it and go to the next step. I don't care that he wants to be dominant, I just don't like his displays of it (especially when he's off leash and DH yells "he's friendly" as he runs up to their puppy and then starts growling at it - pet peeve of mine!!). He's also very overbearing for lots of dogs and they get nervous or scared of him and I don't want him scaring any poor puppy that is already nervous about new dogs. For now I suggested to DH don't let him interact with a puppy and if the situation is inevitable, pick him up so he doesn't get to growl and be all tough. Does anyone have any suggestions on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrayburn Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 This isn't really a fix but I have two dogs who don't like puppies. As long as it isn't a puppy they are going to have to live with, I just don't let/make them interact with puppies. One of my dogs just thinks puppies are kind of freaky and wants to get away; the other is low man in the totem pole at home and just looking for someone she can push around. Either way, we don't meet enough puppies that I feel like they need to get over it. I just keep them onleash and focused on me until the pup is gone. If you are someone who likes to go to dog parks or things like that, I'm sure someone else will be along with more ideas soon. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 If he's offleash around pups he needs a better recall - it'll ensure that he doesn't run up to them to practice this behavior, it'll prevent people from getting annoyed/scared by your dog's rude behavior, and it'll give you and you DH something to ask him to do *instead* of interacting with pups. If he's onleash, just give him something else to do as you walk past the puppy - it's not an interaction that needs to happen and the more you take charge of the situation, the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCjetta Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I've been working on his response to me since his recall/acknowledgment of us in general is horrible if there is anything better to do. DH ends up yelling at him to come back and he just slows down, debates whether he should, and then either keeps going to meet the person/dog, or slowly turns around and stands there. DH also has issues with bringing a leash with him because "its annoying". He also never walks him on a leash because its boring and he pulls and he doesn't get to run free. I've tried telling him that he'll never get better on a leash if he never has him on one but he doesn't really care since he doesn't like walking a dog on a leash. I've started using clicker/treats and clicking him for responding to his name when I say it (I'm clicking for the head turn to me and then of course he has to come back to me to get the treat). He's definitly improving but I havent worked up to trying to distract him from other people/dogs yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 If the puppy runs up to him he has a right to discipline rude or pushy behavior. Or you can - by stepping between them and sending the puppy on his way. With strangers' pups this may be a more politically correct choice. He does not have the right to run over and do the same. He needs to call off and mind his own business. If he has no recall then he either needs to stay on leash, or he needs to have a drag line on him that you proactively use to enforce what you ask. If I (or just about any experienced dog owner I know, and a few that aren't LOl) was in a public place and he ran over and jumped one of my puppies that was minding it's own business I'd straighten him out right away, and then I'd be all over you to control your dog. We call dogs like him the "fun police". There's one in every crowd. Reminds me of a friends angry grandma the way the run about and make rules LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I call Jill the "puppy killer" because she has zero tolerance for puppies. If a pup pesters her, it's going to be told in no uncertain manner by Jill "Leave me alone." Jill's worst fault is that she won't stop once the pup gives in and tries to go away. In her case, I just keep her away from pups as much as possible to keep the peace. But I have successfully raised puppies with her around, and friends with pups do come visit, and no pup has been killed or maimed yet (though some never seem to get the message that Jill is best left alone).... Out in public, I would just prevent a roaming pup from getting in her face. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I know this isn't about my BC, its about our (DH's) aussie...but I figured someone may know what response we should have in this situation.Our 4yr old neutered male aussie has started growling at puppies he meets over the past year. He will do it to any dog that is very obviously a pup (so anything probably 7mos or less) and he will even start growling at them from 6 feet away. He's standing tall and stiff, hair raised over his shoulders and growls quietly and deeply. The puppy can be a hyper puppy, it can be sumbissive and giving calming signals, and still he does the same. I *think* he wants to be dominant but isn't confident so feels the need to make this big show of how tough he is when its a dog he knows will sumbit to him. With adult dogs that aren't too hyper and aren't intact males, he will approach them from the side politely, hair still raised on his shoulders, sniff them and then if its a dog that is interest, he will solicit play by barking and blocking them. If its an adolescent lab type, he will remain stiff and bark/snap and try to control where the dog goes and keep blocking it off from certain directions. Same with most intact males. If another dog snaps at him, he jumps back and backs off. Heck, he's afraid of my hamsters because one bit him when he stuck his nose too close to the bars once. The thing is, I don't want to correct him for growling at puppies because then he may stop doing it and go to the next step. I don't care that he wants to be dominant, I just don't like his displays of it (especially when he's off leash and DH yells "he's friendly" as he runs up to their puppy and then starts growling at it - pet peeve of mine!!). He's also very overbearing for lots of dogs and they get nervous or scared of him and I don't want him scaring any poor puppy that is already nervous about new dogs. For now I suggested to DH don't let him interact with a puppy and if the situation is inevitable, pick him up so he doesn't get to growl and be all tough. Does anyone have any suggestions on this? Is it just certain breeds that he's reacting too? I don't know too much about Aussies except in obedience class, the Aussie was clearly the leader of the pack when they had the "play time" so dominance may be the issue, or as others have explained, he just might not like puppies. I did find it interesting that some female dogs weren't puppy tolerant. Is it because they haven't had pups of their own? I'm not positive, but pretty sure Ladybug had pups before she came to us (she wasn't spayed), and she really took over the discipline -- especially in breaking up squabbles. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Your SO's not going to like it, but I have to say that his dog should be losing his offlead privileges NOW given what you've described. I don't care how friendly a dog is (and yours isn't to puppies at all), it needs to be under complete voice control before it gets off leash privileges. If this dog came running up to my Maggie, no amount of "he's friendly"s is going to make her less likely to react to him nor reduce my stress levels AT ALL. Like Lenajo I'd be pretty ticked if it happened and not just if I had a pup, just in general. I don't think DH should have a choice in the matter - it's either longline or leash until that recall improves because his lack of training is not just affecting his dog, it's affecting others who happen to be walking in the same area. Off lead dogs without owner control are the reason we're losing dog friendly spaces every day imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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