Monday, April 20, 2009

Please help my dog just beared his teeth and growled at me....?

and he wasn%26#039;t playing. He%26#039;s a little Jack Russell, he is not your average Jack Russell, he usually doesn%26#039;t bark, and he is usually so loving, he loves to give people kisses.


However, lately a friend of mine moved into my 1 bedroom, tepmorarily until we move into our 2 bedroom flat, and she brought her cat.


Now my problem is I got up this morning and everything was fine I was petting my dog, going to get ready for work, and he crawled back under the covers with my friend, I came back into the room and he growled at me, just low growls, I told him to be quite, and when I walked closer to the bed he got out from under the sheets, and beared his teeth and started barking, when I told him to be quiet (and yes sternly) and I advanced he advanced on me, I stood my ground, and had my friend take hold of him, and then I grabbed him and put him in his cage, but I do not know what would have caused this. Could he be stressed out because of the living arrangements, or has something happened

Please help my dog just beared his teeth and growled at me....?
I am sure it is stress because of the cat. Jack Russel dogs can be naughty like this, but they are very loving. He still loves you, give him some time and space. I have brought home a stray dog and my cat litterally sent me to the hospital, but now he%26#039;s affectionate as ever.
Reply:he may have taken a liking to your friend and felt threatened, he was probably protecting your friend, just a natural action with dogs.
Reply:you pissed him off! but serious a change in environment will sometimes change a dog%26#039;s behavior. My dog changed in different ways when we changed his.





O.k then he is just pissed at you
Reply:Did u touch the cat while you were gone?Maybe he wasn%26#039;t mad at you but at the cat he smelled on you,thought the cat was trespassing his territory.
Reply:did u sneak up on him? but i would say he is probly stressed out and a different enviorment. he now has to share more so he is pissed. but i would stand up smake(not to hard tho) him and say NO, in a very sternly tone. putting him in the cage was good. it will become like a time out for him. when my dog dose somthing like that i or whoever in the family will smake(not to hard of a hit tho) her then say no and point to her couner. shell go right over as soon as we point to the time out couner (it is kinda cute)just dont let him win then he will think he is bigger then u and u will put up with his behavor!
Reply:dosnt like you anymore
Reply:Take him to a dog therapist and see whats wrong with him. Atleast if he keeps doing it.
Reply:Stress is definitely the answer! I have 2 JR%26#039;s and one does the same thing when threatened. It sounds like he was comfortable under the covers with your friend %26amp; did not want any interruption. He accepted another person ( and cat ) %26amp; now wants to be left alone! No more surprises, please!
Reply:terriers are extremely sensitive.They are great pets, but they are touchy. Your dog has had some unwelcome changes in his life. new people and pets in there space is not something they like. You have to stop this aggression as soon as possible. If you dog is not neutered, get it done. Male terriers are known to be aggressive. You have to let the dog know who the boss is. try a dog obedience class, or contact a breeder. They will know the breed better than anyone.


good luck
Reply:That had to hurt your feeling. Sounds like he has chosen the other person as his pack leader and you come in third. You are going to have to regain your position or let him know you are the leader.
Reply:Oh, that poor dog is so confused; it is likely not his fault. His perception of rank order is confused %26amp; this was an act of panic %26amp; desperation. I%26#039;ll bet if you restructure a few simple things all will be well again. You did right to give him a time out after that because always remember you are the alpha dog; you can be a loving benevolent alpha but you must be alpha or you%26#039;ll confuse the heck out of him. What to do next. At baseline, being an adoptee he is likely to have issues about abandonment %26amp; displacement. Now with the move-in of an extra human and a feline, the dog has no territory or space left within the apartment. Must think pack order here, you went from a pack of two (with an insecure dog who strives to please who%26#039;s been abandoned before) to a pack of 4 suddenly and one of them is a feline, which is asking a lot of a dog frankly. I%26#039;m surprised he%26#039;s not marking territory. You said you have a crate, which is good. When you are not home, is one or both animals crated? If the dog is crated %26amp; cat free, that tells dog he%26#039;s lower in the pack order than the cat; for right now today I%26#039;d suggest crating both the cat and the dog when you%26#039;re not home (but not the cat in the dogs crate because that%26#039;s also invading his little corner of space in the world). If the dog perceives that he is lowESTin the pack order, it also that he%26#039;s likely to get booted from the pack--extra lower-order male dogs get pushed out of the pack when a new alpha comes in. This scenario is especially likely to trigger panic %26amp; desperation in your dog. Quite naturally he will align himself with the alpha in a desperate attempt to not be booted out again. At the moment you describe (and you are dealing with a confused desperate dog) you being out of the bed %26amp; your friend being in the bed implies to the dog that person is alpha. Remember, bedroom=den %26amp; bed=core of den near the alpha. And did you say dog crawled BACK UNDER the covers ON the bed (as in had been there previously)? Whoa--must NEVER allow dogs ON the bed. You (and probably your friend) are alpha(s), and yes being allowed in the bedroom (like the wolf den) is a big honor to them. But never on the bed, or dog gets confused as to rank order. Allowing the dog on the bed is ultimately NOT a nice thing to do as confuses them. (Yes, they will sneak on the bed when you are not home, we%26#039;ll allow him that secret pleasure). If the dog doesn%26#039;t know to stay off the bed (%26amp; worse yet, is used to sleeping on the bed), maybe put the crate in the BR and crate him there at night (so he%26#039;s not booted out of the back, but rank order is made clear). And crate that cat at night too if at all possible (or at least keep the cat OUT of the bedroom). If you have the two of you in the BR with the crated dog, cat out, it is clear to dog that he is 3rd %26amp; safe. When you take him out both of you fuss %26amp; fondle praise him %26amp; he%26#039;ll soon be secure again.


So in summary, what happened is that dog at baseline is probably a lower rank order dog (based on his usual eagerness to please) %26amp; has issues about abandonment. He is now very confused as to rank order. You are leaving %26amp; he is frightened will be forced to leave. So naturally he aligns himself with the remaining alpha on the bed in the core of the den.


I hope this helps! I%26#039;ve had several strays or adoptees %26amp; they all have some issues at some point. Once I had a book about strays %26amp; pack order once (wish I%26#039;d kept it!) but they went into all the things about clearly establishing pack order so dog doesn%26#039;t get confused. Dogs NEED to know the pack order, it%26#039;s the residual wolf genes %26amp; also why they are so successful as house pets.
Reply:Bringing a new person and another pet into his home is a threat to him. He feels that you might love the cat more and he is nervous at the changes in his environment.





Give him lots of treats when he is good and lots of praising and comforting.Do not confront him like that again or it will form a pattern of agression.





If possible, I would have the cat boarded. Your dog is feeling very scared and this small time is no worth ruining his temperment.
Reply:My dog just bit my fiancie the other day. When he was acting like that he was in an unstable state of mind. When they are in that state you have to be calm and assertive. Not agressive and stern. I watched it on the Dog Whisperer. It was our fault that our dog bit him becasue when he was growling at us we were yelling at him and coming towards him. My dog was scared, that%26#039;s why he did that. I think he thought his back was against the wall, just like a woodchuck or something. What you did when he growled is exaclty correct, by grabbing and putting him away. But, next time that happens, if it does, be very calm and assertive. It really works.





You should watch the Dog Whisperer. He has a lot of good advice and lesson. He is awesome.



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