Re: Jealous Behavior II

In Reply to: Jealous Behavior II
Posted by:  craig
Posted on:  June 27, 2001 at 18:48:49

: I guess I was not real clear. It is the new JRT and I am looking for the best option on teaching her not to be jealous and go after the TFT. She does this so much he has become afraid to come for attention.

: I have a 8 year old male (neutered)Toy Fox Terrier who seems to be doing great with the new 10 week female JRT. The problem seems to be her (JRT)jealous behavior. You try to pay any attention to the male(TFT) and she(JRT) just freaks out. Any suggestions in correcting this behavior? Thanks!

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Hi, Craig,

I'm sorry. I completely misread your post. Sometimes I get lost in the sea of posts. We must have about 50 to answer.

Have you considered calling your breeder to see what they suggest? 10 weeks is really early for a terrier to be so "bossy" or dominant. The breeder may be familiar with this kind of behavior from his/her line and can offer a solution to you. I haven't met up with a puppy that young who is so dominant.

I'll offer the only suggestion I can think of. Puppies really dislike being ignored. Sometimes it's the best form of "reprimand" you can give. To say "NO" and get right up and walk away. I wonder if it might not be a good plan to tell your pup "NO" and scoop the Fox Terrier up and take him into a separate room to offer him some affection. It's really important that your pup understand the word "NO" so you can have some control when she decides to get bossy with you. It's important to teach her who the boss is really early so that things don't worsen and she knows to take you seriously. If the pup was still with her mother and showed this behavior, the mother wouldn't put up with it and would signal displeasure so the pup would know she's crossed a line she shouldn't cross.

I hope your breeder will help you. It's the responsibility of the breeder to help assure that the transition from litter to new home is a happy one. Their responsibilities don't end when you leave with your puppy.

Good luck! And my apologies again for misunderstanding the first time around!