help, dog behavior problem!
By jairgirl
@jairgirl (2877)
United States
March 14, 2008 11:10am CST
we have a 3 1/2 yr old mutt dog from china that we bring here in US.
the thing is, after his bad experience from a friend's house (somebody stepped on his paw - that's what we are told) then he changed a lot after that, he is very cautious and protective and it is crazy at times.
when he get in US he becomes worst and only becomes loyal to one, my husband takes care of him while i am back home and our dog is very nice to him, but when i arrived he growls with anybody but me (including my husband who takes such good care of him) our dog even bit him coz my husbands wants to lay next to me and our dog just go crazy.
it is really disturbing coz i know it bothers my husband that our dog is no longer sweet with him and will only go to his side if i am showing coldness or if we are on a trip (our dog likes to lay on his lap while he is driving)
but anyway, does any of you ever experience that from your dog?
what psychological issues trigger that?
i'll be very thankful for your views.
2 people like this
3 responses
@wildcat180 (169)
• United States
14 Mar 08
Any time someone is dealing with aggression issues (and, let's be clear, that's what this is), I always recommend obedience training with a qualified instructor. So, first and foremost, that is what you should do. And have you husband be the one to go through the class with the dog.
Your dog has dominance issues. He's claiming you as his and is threatening anyone that comes near you. YOU can NOT accept this behavior. Anytime he acts up, give him a sharp and verbal correction. (Such as "no".) Be sure to show your displeasure at his behavior.
Now, I could go on to give you tips on dealing with the dominance issues in and of itself, but it's risky and someone can get hurt. If you don't have the ability to dominate the dog in a way he understands, you could make the problem worse. Please, for the sake of all involved, find a qualified trainer.
Herbal remedies are a good, but temporary fix. They will NOT fix the problem. They will only mask the symptoms.
@jairgirl (2877)
• United States
14 Mar 08
hi there,
we are aware that aggression is one of his issues and he does listen to me when i say NO he is pretty much trained and knows when he is getting on my nerves coz i ignores him completely and it seems to work for awhile but he will be so down and will just be under the bed (he dont do that unless i showed my dominance with him) and that is hard for me to do coz i hate seeing my family being sad coz of me or other reason (i guess i am really terrible on that)
we cannot afford yet to have a trainer for him coz we are tight with our budget so we are dealing with him based on what i read and see on tv (dog whisperer) his been better for this whole week but there are still small growls but im concern that he did behave this before and we thought he changed and after 2 weeks he's back to his normal 'THIS IS MY MOMMY' behavior.
btw, we have an electric collar for him and he is more behave whenever we are outside for a walk and lots of warn to those who wants to pet him (he used to love to be pet so it is sad to see him being like that now)
anyway, thanks for giving the other side for me to think about.
takecare
@jairgirl (2877)
• United States
14 Mar 08
thanks for the site info will check on that.
just like you i dont really swallow every info that he says on his show, we love our pet and we share whatever we have with him, he once said dont let the dog sleep in your bed and we do let him sleep with us since he is a puppy and it is such a sweet morning whenever you wakes up and he is sitting there silently staring at you.
i guess, we all have our different way of treating our pet, others and/or anything just like we all have our own different views.
anyway, i am looking forward to learn something new to the site you mention and hope something will work for him without us paying for a formal instructor.
@wildcat180 (169)
• United States
14 Mar 08
I don't generally support the dog whisperer, but I won't go into that here. If you watch him, you'll notice he gives dogs with dominance issues very little slack. This is one of the things you need to do.
Do not let the dog on the furniture. Do not let him in bed with you. Do not let the dog go through a doorway before you. Do not let him walk in front of you.
Do some research on the "nothing in life is free" training methods. I feel they will help you greatly.
@Carolyn63 (1403)
• United States
14 Mar 08
Okay, not wishing to start an argument about animals having phsycological issues or emotions here, but animals do remember traumatic experiences and suffer anxiety and stress. Have you ever heard of flower essences? Bach Flower Essences to be exact. One product I have used a great deal, on myself and my pets, is called Rescue Remedy. It is blend of flower essences, one being Impatiens which are for impatience. There is a book available that discusses uses for pets and even gives testimonies of the use of flower essences for such things as aggression, trauma, and stress.
I mentioned having used the Rescue Remedy on my own pets. One dog in particular was bad about digging out of the yard. One night we heard her scream and jumped from bed to find her stuck in the fencing. She couldn't move. We had to cut the fencing from around her. I grabbed the rescue remedy. She sat perfectly still and behaved while we cut the fencing from her. You can't overdose with this stuff. You only use a few drops at a time. There is tons of info online about Bach Flower Remedies. Take a peek.
@Carolyn63 (1403)
• United States
14 Mar 08
I'm glad to be able to help. I would love to hear more about the music for pets too. You do know that alternative therapies such as Reiki is good for pets too? I have even been known to use crystals with my pets. I keep clear quartz and rose quartz in their water bowels. You can even make essences with crystals as long as you know which ones are okay. Just as with anything else, be it herbs or whatever, some things are harmful to them.
@jairgirl (2877)
• United States
14 Mar 08
sounds very interesting, i have never tried (not really a fan) aroma therapies or that kind of stuff, i just know there is perfume that makes me so relax at night so i wear it before bed so i can relax (elizabeth arden green tea)
i need to read some more about it so i dont sound skeptical about it coz i do love to learn.
regarding the music for dog here is the link where i read it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080218/music_nm/newzealand_dc_1 im not allowed to paste so hope that is correct
also i just checked this site
www.bulldoginformation.com/music-for-dogs.html
might interest you as well
thanks again
@Carolyn63 (1403)
• United States
14 Mar 08
I haven't been around long enough to paste either. If I could I would show you some crystal layouts recommended for different things. I understand skepticism so don't worry about that. Anyhow, the first link mentions a tune called A Very Silent Night and says some dogs went berzerk. I guess animals have specific tastes in music also. That would be terrible. The second link sounds interesting though. Thanks sweetie.
@jairgirl (2877)
• United States
17 Mar 08
i guess we're all different and i respect you to that.
i have heard others who have the same views, specially after living in china, and it saddens me honestly coz i see how they dont care but like i said i respect the different views.
anyway, if you ask me why i still keep our "annoying" dog, my two simple reason "we love him" and he is part of "our family".
takecare
