# Growling help needed NOW!



## Boom Boom's Mom (Jul 27, 2004)

Boom is about a year an two months now and has developed an interesting attitude.

If you touch his harness around his neck or his bandana around his neck he will bare teeth and growl. I'm half afraid he'll bite sometimes.

If he has a treat in his mouth he'll growl at me if i get too close to it. The same with a new toy.

He's been gettin into things, and its frusterating.

Many have suggested that he's being dominant, but I can not take all his toys up, or feed him by hand, I dont like the first idea and he doesnt eat often enough hand feed. 

I need help, I really want him to chill. I don't want a mean dog, and eventually we want to have kids and I dont want him biting a kid cuz he has a treat or whatever.

What can I do?


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## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

thats scary. i've never had that problem. cesar millan (the dog whisperer) would get a dog tired (loooong walk) and then put a lead around the dog and just keep touching the dog where he doesnt like it. 

gruffi growled at my sis once. and all she did was say "shut up" and continued doing what she was doing. he wasnt being aggressive though. and it sounds like boom boom is being aggressive.


i totally hope someone can help you. 

cathy


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

You have to establish yourself as alpha. Until you do, these incidents will happen. Especially if you're going to eventually have a baby in the house, you really need to get control over him. I posted this before but here it is again. This is from my experience doing it the wrong way when I had Rosebud, my first Maltese and then learning the right way and seeing such a difference in the way my babies behave toward me.

These are things I have gleaned from books, MO, SM, various Web sites, and the like to help establish yourself as alpha:

l. Do not let your dog go through narrow doorways first... make sure you are the first through the door.

2. Feed your dog after you eat. Let him know that you are eating first.

3. When he is eating, put your hands in his food bowl and mess with his food. Make sure he lets you do this... don't let him growl or get possessive with his food.

4. Some people say to keep them off the bed, etc. but I can't do that!! 

5. Every once in a while when she has a toy or bone in her mouth, take it away from her. She should not growl when you take toys, bones, etc. out of her mouth.

6. "Her" toys are "your" toys... in other words don't leave the toys lying around for her to take them as she wishes. Keep them in a box or something and then take them out and give them to her... that way she knows, they are yours.... 

7. Make him earn everything.... ask him to sit before giving him a treat, giving him food, petting him, etc.

Some dogs are naturally submissive and you may not have to do all this for them to respect you... however, if you have a dominant dog you may find that you have to be really strict in following these recommendations in order to be alpha. 

However, don't forget that if there is no alpha, even a submissive dog will have to assume the role because a dog knows that there has to be an alpha.


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## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

people might disagree with me----but if he does growl when you take things from him say "no" sternly and take the toy. if he doesnt growl, praise him with a pat on the head and say 'good boy' and give the toy back. and your'e totally right, you definitely want to fix this. my brother has an aggressive chinese shar-pei and thought that his dog would NEVER bite the kids (eventhough he made the maid bleed and his mother in law bleed)....but guess what happened 4 weeks ago his 3 yr old daughter got bit. and the dog is 5 yrs old. and this dog has had the same attitude for 5 YEARS! you cant touch his butt, you cant pull his collar, and you cant try to carry or lift him. he snaps. but my brother wont put the dog to sleep. 



and you wonthave to go to that extreme ifyou teach the dog that you can do WHATEVER you want to him....and he's not allowed to bite. try saying "no" and "bad dog" and take whatever he wnated away from him and see if that works in a week. 


good luck


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## Lilly521 (May 29, 2004)

All i can say is do what Kallie/Catcher's Mom said even if it might seem mean or weird...i had a dog who got like that and i didnt do anything i thought was mean well he did bit a kid and i did have to get rid of him and i dont want you to have to do that so do this now before you have to do something more drastic


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Lilly521_@Dec 18 2004, 10:11 PM
> *All i can say is do what Kallie/Catcher's Mom said even if it might seem mean or weird...i had a dog who got like that and i didnt do anything i thought was mean well he did bit a kid and i did have to get rid of him and i dont want you to have to do that so do this now before you have to do something more drastic
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=24226*


[/QUOTE]

Hi, I promise you none of these things is mean.







In fact, you don't even have to do them all... you just have to do what is necessary for them to see you as alpha. There are a lot of things on the list that I don't do. Going out of narrow doorways first, messing with his food while eating and being in control of the toys and taking beloved toys or bones away (I give them right back) have been the main ones I do. 

Catcher has alpha tendencies and I see how he acts with Kallie... he is her alpha. He'll snarl and snap at her if she gets on his spot in bed, etc..... just how an alpha dog will act with his owner if he thinks he is alpha to her/him. He used to snap at me and I wore leather gloves to handle him so I could present confidence around him. 

Once I started doing some of the things on the list, there was a complete turnaround.... He will wait at doorways in the house for me to go out first (a sign he sees me as alpha). I can take any food or Greenie away from him easily. I can groom him without being bitten. I can open his mouth if he has a beloved piece of Kleenex in there and take it out without any snapping, etc. In fact, he'll often just drop whatever it is when he sees me coming. He has turned in to such a good boy and I think just these few subtle things have done it.

By the way, with a child in the house, you'll have to watch the dog carefully because even if he considers you his alpha, he may not see a toddler that way. There have been posts (not sure if it was here or MO) about dogs snapping at children in the household when they take the dog's toys, etc. The child will have to feed the dog and do things so that the dog sees it as alpha, too....


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## sheila2182 (Nov 28, 2004)

I agree with Kallie/Catchers Mommie,try some of the things on her list ,You HAVE to nip this in the bud.


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## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

Are you supposed to turn them on their back and then say 
"no"? Because their belly to you is a submissive position?


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## Boom Boom's Mom (Jul 27, 2004)

I can take things out of his mouth and stuff like that. What gets me is that he'll growl and I'll tell him (rather sternly) not to and he'll quit an hop up to give me kisses.

he got a nap after yesterdays episode an he was fine then.

I think his collar was gettin a bit snug for him, so I've left his harness on.. He usually only wears the harness for walks, the collar around the house an short bathroom trips.

He could care less if I mess with his food when he's eating. I'm gonna try the door thing and go back to making him sit before I touch him.. Used to do this, but got outta the habit.

I'm taking him to my aunts house to visit family this christmas, she has three dogs and my sisters kids will be there. I'm gonna hafta watch him like a hawk.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Boom Boom's Mom_@Dec 19 2004, 03:30 PM
> *I can take things out of his mouth and stuff like that.  What gets me is that he'll growl and I'll tell him (rather sternly) not to and he'll quit an hop up to give me kisses.
> 
> he got a nap after yesterdays episode an he was fine then.
> ...


[/QUOTE]

Well, it sounds like he isn't really all that "bad". I'm thinking maybe he is testing you to be sure you're happy being alpha!


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

http://doityourself.com/pets/whosboss.htm


> _Originally posted by Kodie_@Dec 19 2004, 03:28 PM
> *Are you supposed to turn them on their back and then say
> "no"?  Because their belly to you is a submissive position?
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=24267*


[/QUOTE]

Hi Kodie, You have probably heard this because there was a time when it was recommended a lot by dog trainers, etc. It is called an alpha roll, but according to what I've seen on the internet lately, it is not in favor any more. I have not seen anyone recommend it in quite a while. Below are some links for further info.

http://dogs.about.com/cs/basictraining/a/alpha_roll.htm

http://doityourself.com/pets/whosboss.htm

tp://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.p...S=1&SourceID=60

http://bullmastiffinfo.tripod.com/alpha.htm


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Read through the things C/K's Mom mentioned. 

You have two choices, you can let him be the boss or you can enforce some order for a while. It might not be fun to add restrictions, but you tend to results fast and the changes in how you interact will make your life a whole lot more pleasant. 

I recommend Susan Garrett's book Ruff Love. 

I'd take up all the toys but leave a few boring chews down (like plain nylabones). You take a toy out to play. You have to start the game and you have to end the game. 

Hand feeding is great, but if you can't do it, throw yummy things in his bowl and put your hands in his bowl while he eats. 

I wouldn't continue doing things he reacts to, but instead I would slowly desensitize him to it. Touch his back where he won't react, give him a treat. Slowly progress over a few weeks to touch and pet his harness, mess with his harness, touch his collar. Always touch then treat. If he reacts, you are moving too fast and need to back up.

I would also get into an obedience class with him that uses positive methods (clicker training).


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## ButterCloudandNoriko (Aug 26, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Boom Boom's Mom_@Dec 18 2004, 07:26 PM
> *If he has a treat in his mouth he'll growl at me if i get too close to it.  The same with a new toy.
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=24211*


[/QUOTE]
Man, let me tell you about Cloud! When he has Greenies in his mouth, he is NOT my Cloud. He would growl at anyone that's near him while he's chewing on it. Everytime I give him one I'd let him chew it and then get real close to him and he growls. But he's weird. Friday, he was chewing on it and I got on the ground close to him and he growled. While growling, he came and sat closer to me.







He's weird. I'm trying to figure it out. I would get face to face with him while he's chewing his greenies and he'd growl and show his teeth. I tried touching his face to see if he'd bite me but he doesnt/hasnt(lol). I'd take it away from him and then give it back and then kiss him, put my face all up in his face, make him stop to kiss me. He still growls. Don't know if he'll ever stop. It just seems so natural and he can't help it. I just gotta keep annoying the crap outta him. This story seems long and pointless LOL. sorry


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## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by ButterCloudandNoriko+Dec 20 2004, 01:14 AM-->
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Man, let me tell you about Cloud! When he has Greenies in his mouth, he is NOT my Cloud. He would growl at anyone that's near him while he's chewing on it. Everytime I give him one I'd let him chew it and then get real close to him and he growls. But he's weird. Friday, he was chewing on it and I got on the ground close to him and he growled. While growling, he came and sat closer to me.







He's weird. I'm trying to figure it out. I would get face to face with him while he's chewing his greenies and he'd growl and show his teeth. I tried touching his face to see if he'd bite me but he doesnt/hasnt(lol). I'd take it away from him and then give it back and then kiss him, put my face all up in his face, make him stop to kiss me. He still growls. Don't know if he'll ever stop. It just seems so natural and he can't help it. I just gotta keep annoying the crap outta him. This story seems long and pointless LOL. sorry
<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=24346
[/B][/QUOTE]
GREENIES ARE EVIL!! They bring out the devil KODIE!


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## Elegant (Jul 17, 2004)

Interesting topic. Chanel tried growling at me a few times when she was chewing on a bone or something. My hand was going towards her chew toy and she stopped chewing and made slow "inner" growl, I said "NO!" loudly and took the toy away. I thne gave it back to her a minute later and let her chew on it for about 30 seconds, put my hand near it and I took it away, no growl this time. I do this frequently with her every week or whatever, just to maintain my dominance over her treat and food supply! I tell her, "I'm your MASTER!"









Also, I always walk through any dorrways first, and she will wait. Sometimes she will try to run ahead of me, so I stop and wait for her to come back, then I start walking again. If she tries to get ahead of me, I start the whole process again. She learns quick. When I feed my dogs, I make them wait, make them stare at my hand for a few seconds, and then I move my hand down to the bowl and tell them "Get it!", and then they eat. I move the food int he bowl, I make her stop eating the food for a bit and then tell her she can eat the rest. I try my best to make her know that I am the boss!!!









I also put her on her back alot and play with her. When I first got her she hated being on her back...now she's used to it. But I try to make it known that I am dominant.

Good luck, I hope it works out. I think changing your behavior slowly will make a huge difference. Also, I agree, health issues, ear infections, may also upset dogs and their behavior changes. But if this has been happening for some time now, and there hasn't been any health issues, I would start proving my dominance with the techniques that Kallie/Cathcher's Mom suggested!










~Elegant


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## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

Lacey growled at me twice when she was younger. I nipped that as fast as I could. What worked for me was I would put her on her back, look her in the eyes and tell her no. I would not look away until she did first. 

The other day Lacey was being really sassy with the cats. My one cat, Spoozie had enough. He jumped on Lacey, rolled her on her back, put his front paws on her chest and meowed at her. Didn't hurt her. Lacey hasn't chased Spoozie as much since then. I had read somewhere that animals in the wild do that. Something about showing who is the boss.

I still take Lacey's bones and toys away from her to show her who is the boss...me.

Good luck.


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## Mystify79 (Apr 6, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Kodie_@Dec 20 2004, 08:29 AM
> *GREENIES ARE EVIL!!  They bring out the devil KODIE!
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=24376*


[/QUOTE]
LOL! I'm just now being able to break Tuffy of the growling greenie habit. He almost bit me a few times but I just kept pulling it out of his mouth, making him sit and then giving it back to him. I think it has finally dawned on him that mommy is the keeper of the greenies. :lol:


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