Dogs Love School

Puppy won’t leave older dog’s dinner alone.

Q. I have an 8-year-old Vizsla and a 10-week-old Vizsla puppy. The puppy won’t leave the older dog’s food alone. The older one is very docile, eats slowly, and just leaves her bowl when the puppy nudges her away. Right now I’m keeping the puppy away physically and have attempted treats and sit-stays, but I would like to not have to stand guard while the older dog eats. How can I get the puppy to stay away from the older dog’s food?

A. Feed your puppy in his crate, an indoor pen, or a baby-gated room. This will:

• Eliminate the problem by preventing its occurrence and keep your pup from practicing overly bossy behavior and developing it as a permanent habit.
• Allow your older dog to relax and eat calmly and leisurely.
• Release you from having to referee meals.
• Form a positive association for your pup about confinement.

It’s not cruel to confine a puppy to his own private eating area while he learns good manners around food. In fact, all puppies should learn calm, non-competitive eating habits. Managing the eating environment in a multi-dog household is important, so each dog feels safe at mealtimes and bossier dogs can’t bully others away from their bowls. Good management at mealtime helps teach puppies to be more relaxed and less competitive around food, which makes them safer and more pleasant to live with.

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Dog Growls When Tired
A Shih Tzu puppy growls and bares her teeth when picked up.

Q. When we pick up our 11-week-old Yorkshire Terrier-Shih Tzu mix puppy she frequently growls and shows her teeth. I think she does this mostly when she's tired. What can we do to curb this behavior?

A. If she only does this when she's tired, she's probably just feeling cranky, so be especially gentle with her at those times. At 11 weeks, she's also teething, and that can make a puppy more irritable than usual. If she growls when you pick her up, stay calm and don't make an issue of it. Pause for a moment, take a breath and let her relax, then calmly continue what you were doing and finish picking her up.

Sometimes dogs resist being picked up because it's uncomfortable for them. Here's a way to lift a puppy that's secure and comfortable:

• Tell the dog you're going to pick her up before you do it - don't suddenly swoop her up in your arms. Using both hands, support her securely under her rear end and chest.
• Keep her spine fairly level, parallel to the ground, as you lift her.
• Pull her in to your stomach and chest as you lift, so she can lean into the support of your body.

 

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Golden Retriever Puppy Bites When Handled
Resistance to being touched or picked up may be a sign of pain.

Q. My 11-week-old Golden Retriever puppy growls and bites when she doesn't want us to do something, like pet and pick her up. I didn't think it was normal for Goldens to be so aggressive.  I've read a lot of websites and books. Some say this behavior is very bad, but others say it just means she's tired or wants something, such as food or water. Her growling and biting is so bad, I think it may be a temperament issue, and not something that can be fixed in puppy obedience classes.

I've had Labradors all my life, and they never acted like this. It's so bad that we're thinking of selling the pup or giving her away. Otherwise, she's very smart and has already learned so much for only being 11 weeks old. Her aggression also seems to have decreased since I’ve started training her.  She knows her name, Sit, Lie down, Stand, Speak, Shake, and Wait. She isn’t aggressive all the time, even when I take away her food and water. So from what I’ve been reading, she isn’t source guarding.

A. Resistance to being touched or picked up is sometimes a dog's way of telling us she's in pain, so you should have the veterinarian check your pup carefully to make sure she's OK. At around three to four months, many large breed pups start resisting being picked up, because as they get bigger, it’s harder for us to pick them up without making them uncomfortable. Unless you really need to pick up your Golden, let her walk. When you do need to pick her up, keep her horizontal and support her under both her chest and back end so she feels secure and stable in your arms.

If your pup's breeder is experienced with Goldens, be sure to bring this behavior to his attention and ask if any of your pup's siblings are showing this kind of irritable, aggressive behavior. If several pups in the litter act like that, it may be a temperament issue. In most cases, fortunately, this grumpy resistance to being fiddled with is a training matter and just a phase to be worked through. From what you’ve said, it sounds like the training you've been doing is improving your pup's behavior and attitude, so keep it up!

 

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Dog Growls at Young Child
A Labrador Retriever growls at a child who plays too rough.

Q. I have a male 1.5-year-old Labrador Retriever who has always been very nice and docile. Last week a 3-year-old girl visited and my dog growled at her three times and moved toward her in an angry manner, right in front of me and once on leash. The girl has been here twice before and she can be aggressive with dogs pulling tails, trying to ride them, etc. I'm not sure if my dog would have bitten her, but he did growl and move toward her. I just got back from the vet, and he suggested we get rid of our dog. What is your opinion?

A. The girl probably hurt your Lab when she pulled his tail and jumped on him. Even the sweetest dog has limits. Worried this child would hurt him again, he told her in dog language to get away. He didn't bite, even though he had the opportunity. He didn't even touch her. What he did was normal canine communication — dramatic, but not violent. It would be terribly unfair for him to lose his home over this.

Someone needs to teach this little girl to be gentler with animals, or some dog less docile than yours might really bite her. When she visits, put your Lab in a closed room with his bed and chew-bone, and keep the child away from him. To prevent his experience with this girl from generalizing to all children, invite friends with gentle kids to visit. Confine your dog in an adjacent room with a doorway gate, so he can watch the kids play and see that they're not rough. When he relaxes, let the kids toss treats to him through the gate. Later, leash him and take him into the room, but have the kids ignore him except to toss treats. After a while, when he's calm and interested in the kids, you might allow them to hand-feed him treats. After several pleasant visits, your dog may be ready to be petted, one child at a time. Don't rush this — let your dog's relaxed attitude be your guide.

Dog Lunges and Snaps at Guests
Take your dog to a vet, and try obedience class.

Q. I have a 4-year-old Beagle who is aggressive with guests in our home. We’ve had her since she was six weeks old, and she started this about a year and a half ago. When we’re right there she is fine. But if we turn our backs and she doesn’t see us, she’ll lunge and try to bite guests if they try to pet her. She’s such a sweet dog otherwise, and she’s my pride and joy. She has been babied because we do not have kids, but I cannot deal with her acting this way. She also doesn’t like other dogs. Any ideas?

A. Two suggestions immediately come to mind. First, take your Beagle to the veterinarian for a physical exam and a full health workup, including blood tests to check the function of her thyroid, liver, and kidneys. Sometimes a dog can have an otherwise un-noticed health problem that will cause an onset of aggression. You need to have her thoroughly checked so any “invisible” illness that might affect her personality can be ruled out or treated with medication.

Second, once any health problems have been ruled out or dealt with, enroll your Beagle in a reward-based obedience and manners class. If you had human kids, I’m sure you’d see to it they got a good education and learned acceptable social behavior around others. Your dog-kid deserves that too. Taking part in a group class will not only teach her better manners around people and dogs, it will help you learn how to control her if she acts grumpy or snippy toward guests in your home. Taking a positive reward-based training class with your dog is a great way to improve your bond of mutual respect and will also be fun for both of you.

 

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One dog’s behavior is causing stress on owners' marriage and their other dog.

Q. My Pit Bull Braun is 4 years old. I socialized him as a puppy and was very consistent with training. He was very friendly, except when people wore black or hats, and he loved other animals. Now things are starting to change. We brought Mercedes, a 6-month-old female Pit Bull, into our home when Braun was about 2. Braun was very good to her, raised her in his way, but now they’ve started fighting horribly. We have to keep them separated most of the time. Braun is now growling at strangers who are nice to him. He approaches them very timidly and low, which seems unlike him. He tried to attack our neighbor’s dog -- he just isn’t himself.

Braun is also very jealous of my husband, who came home a few months ago after being in Iraq. Braun sleeps between me and my husband, and won’t let us be next to each other. He will lay on me and takes up most of the bed. Braun is 100 pounds and a momma’s boy. I raised him. Now I think Braun is having jealousy issues.

My husband and I fight a lot and both dogs are affected. Braun barks and tries to get between us. Mercedes shakes, and is afraid of everything. I feel awful about this, and I want to help Braun and Mercedes. I know our fighting is horribly affecting these animals. What do I do to correct the problem we created?

A. Yikes! This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. For the sake of both your dogs and your marriage, you and your husband have some serious cooperative changes to make in how your household is run. You have a lot of work to do, so get busy with it.

*Braun needs to get off your bed and sleep in a different room -- effective immediately. You and your husband have enough to deal with, without having a jealous Pit Bull sleeping between you. Give Braun and Mercedes each a comfy bed or sleeping crate in the other room, and close your bedroom door, so you and your husband can have some privacy at night.

*As you know, Pit Bulls were originally bred to fight with other dogs. As a youngster, Braun could play with other dogs, but now that he’s matured and is starting fights, he must not be allowed to run loose where there might be other dogs, even when you’re watching him. You’re legally responsible for any harm he might do, so don’t risk it.

*Enroll both dogs in a positive, gentle, reward-based obedience class, with an instructor who is both familiar with Pit Bulls and likes the breed. If no classes like that are available locally, or if your dogs are too people-fearful or dog-aggressive to work well in a group class, get a course of private lessons with an experienced trainer. You and your husband should each handle one of the dogs in class. My recommendation would be for your husband to work Braun in the classes while you handle Mercedes. Both of you should do your daily training practice at home with both dogs. This way both Braun and Mercedes can form a positive relationship with your husband, yet not feel they’ve like lost their bond with you. As both dogs get used to listening better and working near one another, it may help smooth out their relationship with each other.

*I’m sure you already know that it’s of the highest importance for you and your husband to stop fighting and start cooperating. That’s easier said than done, of course, but everything will hinge on improving your relationship. Coming home and re-entering family life, after living in a war zone, is an extremely difficult adjustment to make. Getting used to living with someone who’s recently experienced the dangers and emotional stress of war is also difficult. Both of you should look into getting personal counseling and marriage counseling, to help you adjust to these challenging changes.

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