My dog will raise her lips in a sneer whenever I do something she isn't comfortable with such as petting her while she is laying down, or hugging her when she isn't in the mood. She never growls and I don't know if she would bite because I back off before she gets to this point. I never hit her or yell at her when she does it, I just say NO and she'll stop usually. Or she'll just walk away if she feels bothered. Is this a response to something she doesn't like me doing - or is it a dominance thing? She doesn't exhibit any dominant tendencies in any other way. Is it better to stop what I'm doing and she'll stop - or should I do something more so she knows who's boss. If you yell at her she gets really scared, so it's not like she wants to be mean.
My dog shows her teeth sometimes, should I just back off?
Its good that you say no and she stops. Shows she does trust that you are not going to hurt her.
When was her last check up at the vet? You may want to pay attention to where you are touching her when she does this. Could be something needs to be taken care of.
Reply:you should say no and walk away. you certainly not praise her or else she might do it more often. once you say no to her in a big firm voice, walk away from her and ignore her for a while. after doing this for a while, she might start to understand that showing her teeth is a bad thing to do.
Reply:She may be hurt, but the dominance thing sounds a little interesting. My lab bared its teeth once at me and I shouted at it. It never did it again. I'd do as the previous poster said and get her a check-up and if she's okay you might want to do some obedience training. Ask your vet about some good techniques to establish your positiion as the alpha in the house.
Reply:Always correct her. You must show her that you are the boss and that you are not intimidated by her.
My 2 male rotties growled at me once...and only once. I showed them who is boss (not by beating them) and now I can even go and take a treat out of their mouths and they don;t do anything.
I once was somewhere camping and there was a boy they had JUST MET. That boy ('bout 10yrs old) took their bones (full of dear meat, not bloody -it was boiled) and walked away. My dogs simply got up and follwed him, with their tails (or stubs) wagging, waiting for him to give it back.
THey know who is boss.
Good luck
Reply:By backing off when she shows her teeth, she is winning. The more you back off and allow her to act this way, the more she'll do it and the more she'll start to guard and protect things, and eventually she'll bite someone if they don't back off..
You need to correct this behaviour before it gets out of control.
Talk to a trainer and get some professional help with the problem.
Reply:I'll second the poster that said it's good she stops when you say no and that you should take her in for a check up just to make sure she's not in pain or feeling sick. If she's ok, then I would do lots and lots of reading on becoming alpha or pack leader. Even though she doesn't seem to show dominance in other ways, you may be unaware of it. Doggy language does not come naturally to us humans :) A submissive, healthy dog would not bare their teeth or threaten their leader. Better to get things under control now before she does bite you or someone else.
Some good sources are
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/
http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm
http://www.secondchancelove.org/res_semi...
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DogWh...
Reply:You need to be a pack leader and place yourself as the dominant one. First take the dog to the vet to ensure that she is healthy and that she is not in pain or ill. After that I would definately recommend some type of training, possibly with a canine behaviourist who can help you assert your dominance and get these issues under control. Good luck!
*Plz do not try and assert your dominance without some professional assistance. For your safety and your dogs. It is a difficult thing to work thru and you want to make sure you are doing it correctly!
Reply:Watch the show Dog Whisperer, he covers this over and over again. He is fantastic and you will learn allot.
Reply:im not sure if your dog is being like my dogs or if she doesnt like what you are doing. my dogs acually smile (lift their lips up) at us when we come to see them or when we come home. if your dog is like mine, she might just be smiling because she's happy you are hugging her. im not sure, but that could be the case. if she's not doing it to smile, maybe you are in her space too much. try hugging her but not as much. maybe pet her first, then hug her. like you said "she's doing it in a sneer" it might not be a sneer. i hope this helps.
Reply:First you should take her to the vet to make sure there aren't any health problems that are causing this behavior. Once that is ruled out then you should not walk away when she does this. This is a sign of dominance. You must be alpha, which means you can do whatever you want and she must accept it. If you are afraid of your dog, then you should immediately contact a behaviorist. If you feel comfortable then you must work on establishing your alpha position. Make her earn everything by doing a trick, sit, stay etc. before she goes outside, before you feed her, even before you pay attention to her. If she shows her teeth at you, firmly say No and using one hand towards the rear of the head and the other on her shoulder put her down on her side with her belly exposed holding her there until she stops fighting it. This is putting her into a submissive position, showing her that you are boss. Be firm and consistent and in no time you will have a wonderful safe friend again. But let me reiterate if you are at all fearful or hesitant of being able to do this in a safe manner then don't contact a professional.
Reply:She's probably smiling! My last two dogs would smile when I'd do the same thing.
Reply:I dont know if it is actually her showing aggression... dogs usually also growl when they bear their teeth if it has to do with a wrning or aggression. I am suspicious that she is just "smiling" and you are reading it wrong. If it is a dominance issue, it usually escalates when the human says "no" rather than diffuses. I know when I first got my adult stray dog I was leery at first and confused because when I went to rub her belly she would growl.. now though I know its not actually growling.. she likes it so much she makes sounds. My aunts dog at first confused me too because when you would talk to her or pet her she would show her teeth.. but it wasnt aggression it was her "smiling" there is a weird difference that is hard to detect but when a dog is baring its teeth they tend to lift thier lip really high and expose their gums.... when they are smiling its a little different, the corners of the mouth seems to be pulled back, and the gums arent exposed as much. I cant say for certain unless I actually saw the dog doing what you are describing... over the years I have learned so much about how to understand dog language that now I can just see what things mean. But describing it is hard because a growl or showing of teeth does not always mean aggression... there are so many variations. You are describing a submissive dog though so I will take my guess a little further.. you say she runs away when you yell, is not at all dominant aggressive in other areas.. well there is a submissive facial expression (the smile)that also looks like a snarl, but it is not rather it is a show of submission to your authority and dominance... I cant find a picture though, but maybe if you could take a pic of what your dog looks like when she does it and post it I could say for sure.
Excerpt from Wikipedia... When dogs show their teeth or fangs, it is a sign of violence, or aggression. Dogs show their teeth right before they are about to attack or bite someone. But many dogs will "smile" showing teeth when they are expressing signs of submissiveness. A smile is a sign that the dog accepts that it is lower in hierarchy. A smile is different from a snarl in several ways. One of the main differences is how many teeth are showing. A submissive smile shows only the front teeth while aggression is shown by most of the dogs teeth. An aggressive dog will show not only their front teeth, but the back ones as well. The dog's gums could also been shown.
PS in reality I think she is not showing aggression it just doesnt seem to jive with the other things you are saying... if she rund when you yell and doesnt do anything else, coupled with the fact that when you say NO she stops or walks away.. it may very well be that she is actually trying to appease and submit to you and doesnt understand why you are getting angry and saying no. Next time dont say no, just keep petting her and talk to her.. if she wags her tail fast at the same time she is sneering its likely she is showing submission and not dominance aggression. Dominant aggressive dogs usually display their aggression in ALL areas not just one.
PSS Check out these dog facial expressions and compare.. the last one is a submissive grimace or "smile" also reading her other body language at the same time will help you discover what she is actually saying to you, such as her tail, sounds, legs body position etc all help indicate a dogs mood or intent.. http://www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpr...
http://www.wienerzeitung.at/Desktopdefau...
http://www.wagntrain.com/BodyLanguage.ht...
Wolf submissive grins.. http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/25831...
http://www.wildlifesciencecenter.org/Wol...
office stationery
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment