How do I handle my dog who keeps growling and showing her teeth to me?

We just got a girl Siberian Husky. She's 4 and is in heat right now. We're not letting her sit on the furniture but everytime I try to get her off, she starts growling at me and showing her teeth. I've put her in her crate for about 1/2 hr. and she seems okay after that. I tried to get her away from the X-mas tree and she growled at me then too, so I got her in her crate and the door got stuck. My 11 mo. boy was near me and the dog growled and tried to nip at both of us. Is this happening just because we're all still new and she's trying to test us or what? The previous owner said this dog is great with kids, she has a 16 mo. old. What do I do? How do I discipline her?

How do I handle my dog who keeps growling and showing her teeth to me?
Talk to the vet before anything. When a dog is sick or in pain aggression is common. This may be a result of something wrong with the dog and not the dog's norm behavior.





When you rule that out...it could be her trying to establish her rank in her new home. You may just have to show her who is dominant!!





If you are not comfortable enforcing this, look into a trainer and let them walk you through it.
Reply:Dogs put their subservients in their place by flipping them on their backs, belly up, and grabbing at the throat and growling. It is a sign of dominance.





I have known humans to put their dogs into their place by flipping them on their backs, belly up, pinning them down and "growling" at them or firmly telling them "no!".





If your dog is being hostile, this might be dangerous.





Can you get her spayed so she won't go into heat? Have you taken her to a vet yet to determine what is going on?
Reply:Get in touch with a good dog trainer,aggression in dogs should not be tolerated at all!
Reply:You shouldn't crat it for punishment, it's just that it's not used to not being able to sit on the couch etc, and plus she doesn't know what the christmas tree is so she's going to be checking it out, let her smell at it for awhile, then she'll be fine! To disipline her just tell her no, if that doesn't work for you get a prong collar, it's just like you giving ur kid a little pinch when they do sumthing bad, it's not harmful like choke collars are. It works great, i used it on mine. They learn very quick for this and they're only like 10 dollars. Hope i helped~good luck=] vote best
Reply:oh boy that does not sound good .she is being the boss of the house you have to teach her you are the boss
Reply:If my own dog growled at me, it would be a bad day for the dog,,,,if it growled/snapped at my child it would be a nightmare for the dog.





Never,ever allow a dog with this attitude around your children.It really doesn't make a fat rats butt why the dog is feeling aggressive toward you and your baby. The next step is biting. It does the same damage to a child's face whether it is biting from fear,aggression,or misunderstanding. First step..get the dog away from the child, and keep it away. Second, see a trainer or behaviorist and work with the dog. This type of behavior can most likely be modified with the proper techniques, but your baby should not be around the dog until it is safe 100%. It is not worth the chance that you will be the next person on the news saying "I never thought......" or "She never bit before..only growled"





One bite is too many with a big dog vs a child.





Most dog attacks have signs beforehand that it could happen,,,,THIS IS YOUR SIGN. please heed it for the sake of your son.
Reply:Since you have an infant in the home, the ONLY responsible thing to do is contact a professional behaviorist or trainer who has experience with dog aggression. DO NOT try to train this dog yourself without professional assistance. Siberian huskies are towards the top of the list of breeds that are supposedly more likely to bite and they are large enough to seriously maim or even kill your child.





In the meantime, this dog needs to be on a NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) program. Do not let her off leash in your house. She needs to work for EVERYTHING and I do mean everything. Make her sit, down, give foot, whatever she knows (if she doesn't know anything, teach her sit and just use that) for her food. Even better if you can hand feed her and make her work for every bite. Make her work to go out the door to go outside and potty. Make her work to go back inside when she comes in from being out. Don't even give her the opportunity to get on the furniture. If you are less-than-vigilant enough and she gets up there anyway, use the leash to get her off.





If you are not willing to work with a professional, then start looking for a new home for this dog now. I don't think she's hopeless, but she can not be trusted with your child. There are several training methods that can be effectively used to change her behavior. However, ANY training method if used improperly can actually make this behavior worse. It really isn't worth the risk to your child if you are not willing to enlist the help of a professional.



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