Sunday, March 14, 2010

Springer spaniel-male puppy 18months old. My puppy is very possessive and set in his but way?

Alflie my springer pup has become very aggresive snarling and growling when any one tries to take anything away from him especially things he shouldn't have. He really curls his nose up and shows his teeth and hides in places where it is difficult to reach him, its becoming quite frightning. He wants everything on his own terms.He obeys my husband as he accepts the alpha male but not my daughter or me.But last night he went for my husband as well.


Alfie is very inteligent and learns things easily but is very stubbern and only appies himself when he feels like it. He has 2 walks aday and has a garden to play in..when he goes out he is very nervous of other dogs and people he doesn't know.


He has been neutered and has been to puppy classes but that seems to be where his problems seemed to start.


Alfie is very loving and love to be cuddled and play most of the time,BUT THE AGGRESSION HAS BECOME VERY SCARY, any advice.We really want to keep him.

Springer spaniel-male puppy 18months old. My puppy is very possessive and set in his but way?
I totally sympathise with you - we had this trouble with our working cocker spaniel (identical to a springer but just a bit smaller). They are working dogs and highly intelligent - this is good on the one hand as they learn very quickly and remember things however, they have a mind of their own and can be very fiesty. 18 months is often the troublesome age - they are basically teenagers and are rebelling! My dog used to grab things with his teeth and then run away and refuse to come to us or, start growing when you tried to take things from him. Don't be scared - this will just give him the upper hand. You need to firmly say NO and LEAVE IT. If he does not you simply go to the dog and remove the item and say NO, NAUGHTY DOG! then, put him out in the kitchen for a few minutes. Let him back into the room and ignore him until he comes to you for attention. If he grabs something else, NO NAUGHTY BOY and straight back into the kitchen. Usually by the third time, they work out that if they take something they shouldn't they get put out and separated which they will HATE. Plenty of praise when he does something good. Plenty of play with toys. Use toys as part of his training. Make him sit - when he does say GOOD BOY! play for a few minutes then repeat. He will then build up trust in you that if you take something from him, he will get it back if he is a good boy! Also, keep one or two toys in a draw - you can bring them out when you choose and put them away when you choose. Keep teaching him new commands, like lie down, flat stanley (when he goes completely flat!), give me your paw etc etc - this will keep him occupied and busy i.e working and will reinforce who is boss.





My boy is fab with my partner but used to walk all over me because I was too soft! He is now 4 years old and is absolutely adorable but, he still has the fiestiness in him so you need to constantly reinforce who is boss!. Make sure you are first to walk through doors, he can only jump up on the sofa when invited and must get down when you tell him to etc. My dog does not have the run of the whole house. He has the dining room, kitchen and back sitting room. Until recently he went to bed in the kitchen but now he is older and behaves he is allowed to sleep on the sofa! He is only allowed in the rest of the house if I say so!





Quite often the showing of teeth is not actually agression but more defensive behaviour - my dog used to show his teeth to other dogs but in the end, I just ignored it as I knew it was him just saying, leave me alone I am scared not, I am going to bite you! It's funny but the minute you start ignoring the behaviour they stop because they aren't getting any attention.





Please keep trying - honestly he will come good for you! The most common age for dogs to be put in homes is between 12 and 18 months because they are no longer cute little pups but young juniors trying to find their position in the pack. Spaniels are such lovely dogs! Good luck!
Reply:try this site good info good luck
Reply:You will have to start taking things from his mouth when he has them then give them back and tell him he is good. keep doing this - it might be "scary" at first, but he has to learn that you can take things away from his and he will get them back when you say. We got a GSD from a rescue, she wouldnt let us take anything from her - I took the bull by the horns and went for it - imagine her teeth with lips snarled! it only took 20 mins , she soon learnt. Plus you will have to be more


dominant with her too - show her no fear.





Sorry I ment him no fear
Reply:I've seen programmes on things like this.





It tends to stem from him thinking he is top dog.





The techniques they used to correct this behaviour included things like not giving the dog stuff when it wanted it, but when you wanted him to have it.





Make sure you and your family eat before he dog is fed.





Cuddle each other before giving him attention.





Make sure you walk through doors before him.





He only gets things when he is good.





They used a cannister of air to deter the dogs. They don't like it, so if he goes to the door before you, let off some air in his direction and when he backs off, you go through the door.





You all have to be united though. To treat him like a human is to encourage this behaviour.





Try looking out for dog whispering programmes on sky and stuff.
Reply:Poorly bred ESSs can have an aggression problem that is inhereted and very dangerous... if you didn't get the dog from a good, responsible breeder, which since you are asking this here instead of contacting the breeder is pretty likely, then it might very well have 'rage syndrome' that can be common to the poorly bred examples of this breed or it could be that you are just inept at properly training it and need to get yourself to an obedience class so you can learn to interact with and train the dog... puppy classes aren't going to teach you much ... but it sounds like you have a big problem and need to contact a real breeder that knows about the breed as well as a good behaviorist (not just some internet wannabe or local yokel but a real behaviorist that knows what ESSRS actually is to begin with).
Reply:he needs obediencde classes or at least talk to your trainer you may need to dominate him. roll him on his back and put one hand on his throat (just grab it but not squeezing) and one hand on his tummy below is rib cage, pretending your fingers are like teeth, alfa dogs roll pups and others on their back and bite their necks or bellies (again they dont bite to wound just enough pressure to let the other dog get the idea)





be careful when you do or if you dont feel comfortable doing this then you need to cosult with your vet. but he may try and bite you or wriggle free do not let him go till he calms down.
Reply:This breed tends to react before thinking. Take it to the pound or other adoption serves. My Spaniel attacked my four year old by the neck.
Reply:Sounds like he may need more socialization with other dogs. If he's at home alone alot then this could be why he needs more socialization. Try taking him to a dog park or setting up play dates with another dog. Make sure you let the dogs meet by smelling each other from behind. You may get a reaction when they meet if the dogs continue to stare directly at each other but don't be discouraged. If this happens or seems like it may happen just make sure to lead the dogs so they can each smell each other from behind. Also, have you tried pinning your puppy when he snarls. Usually, the puppy's mother would do this if the puppy was misbehaving? Nothing dramatic or anything but just gently hold them down on the ground and use your hand to hold them down by the neck. Don't squeeze the neck just use your hand to hold the dog down. The dog will most likely squirm and try to get up but keep him/her down until the dog stops. This might help in trying to establish your dominance over the dog again.





As far as the dog getting into places where you can't reach it, you may want to try keeping a leash on the dog so that if this happens you can lead the dog out using the leash.





Note, these are just my opinions and things that I have noticed while dealing with my dogs. I have 3 and they were all puppies from the start but I am in no sense an expert.
Reply:Your husband is NOT the alpha dog if your dog tried to nip him, and if he's not alpha, your dog believes that title belongs to him. You ALL need to be the alpha dog and make your dog understand that it's not negotiable. I recommend you watch the Dog Whisperer on A%26amp;E(I think). He does this kind of thing all the time, and is quite successful at it. Most importantly, your dog needs some special training from all of you! He needs to understand that it's not OK to bite ANYONE in the family or out. Cesar Milan has books and videos on how to accomplish this, I would highly reccomend him as a source to cure your dog of this behavior. Good luck!
Reply:Check out the book





MINE!





You can find it at


www.fearfuldogs.com/books.html along with other great training books.





Your dog is a resource guarder. It's not an unusual behavior to find in dogs. Make taking things from him, or being near him when he has something a game. Have something better and offer it to him when he has something you want. Give him the treat and then give him his stuff back. He gets rewarded twice. Eventually you don't need to give him anything or give him his stuff back cause he has learned that people coming and taking his stuff is a wonderful thing. You've changed not only his behavior but how he feels about being approached by people.





Dogs will fear issues will also behave aggressively and being in a class may have been too much for him. Dogs will use aggression to get people and other dogs to leave them alone when they are scared. Too often people don't understand this and get angry at the dog (only proving that in fact the dog had a reason to be afraid). Even scared and submissive dogs will try to protect their things and themselves. Unfortunately by forcing a dog to do something you have ended up with a dog that has learned that the only thing his humans understand is when he growls or bites. I would guess that he has tried lots of other ways in doggie language to say to you 'leave me and my stuff alone!' which didn't work.





You need help understanding your dog and understanding how to work with him. His behavior will likely get worse if you do nothing or punish him. Visit the fearfuldogs web site to learn about triggers, thresholds, counter conditioning and desensitization. Look for a trainer that used positive reinforcement methods or clicker training to help you train your dog.





Also don't focus on all this alpha rubbish. Dogs are not wolves and even wolves don't focus on it as much as people do. It's old news.





www.fearfuldogs.com has information about working with dogs like yours.
Reply:i'm very sorry about your problem.





dogs need a pack a dog needs to fall somewhere within the pack. if yourselves are not being thepack leaders and basically a dog needs disapline because that is what a pack controls. the dog is seeing that there is no disapline or control so the dog is taking responsability for the pack.





the people above mention Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, if you can get any information about his work then please do. as previously stated he has a couple of books out there we have found them invaluable.





lets start off with some basics:-


1. let all the family members walk through the door and make the dog wait outside until you as the pack are ready to let the dog enter. same with eating, you eat first then you feed the dog, on your terms.





2. when you have the dogs toy or chew, wait untill the dog has kind of got bored with you holding the toy, hopefully the dog should lay down and its head should also be down. meaning the dog is in a calm state of mind and you are the pack leader saying when they can have the toy. then give the dog the toy. then you are rewarding the dog for listening to the pack and you're teaching the dog that when it is calm and not showing it's teeth or growling it will get a reward thus changing the outlook of the dog from dominant aggressive to calm submissive.





do the same principle when the dog wants affection because the dog will jump up on it's own accord telling the rest of the pack to stroke them. get the dog down, wait untill the dog has gone calm submissive and on your terms invite the dog for affection.





if all else fails get a one to one dog trainer. hope your situation improves.....but it may take time....



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