Re: Growling

In Reply to: Growling
Posted by:  Becki
Posted on:  December 30, 2001 at 23:47:27

: My 2 year old jrt has recently started to growl whenever we distrub him sleeping on the couch and various other times. He used to growl at us only if we got too close to him when he was chewing his bone but I figured all dogs do this as it is his bone. Now it seems to be happening more often. I want to deal with this before it gets out of hand. How do you show him this is not acceptable?? Someone suggested we spray water in his face everytime he growls at us. Any suggestions???

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Hi Becki,

It sounds like your terrier is taking over the house. What you need to do is re-establish yourself as the "leader of the pack."

The only real way of establishing yourself in a leadership role is through obedience training.

Your dog shouldn't be growling at you even when he is chewing a bone. All dogs should know the "Leave it" or "drop it" command.

If your dog is not neutered I highly suggest you get him neutered. Many people end up with aggression problems with intact dogs. Spaying and neutering helps to take the "edge" off of them.

You need to make this dog start to work for everything and than includes meals. You should not allow him on the furniture if he is displaying this type of behavior. Being on the couch is a privelege not his birth-right.

I don't believe in spraying ANYTHING in a dog's face especially when you are dealing with aggression. If you need to, have him wear a leash in the house and when he gets up on the couch give him a leash correction and a verbal command "OFF" Anything that even construes out of the ordinary physical punishment with a dog with dominence and aggression issues is only going to make the matter worse.

Your dog needs to learn basic obedience commands. Once he realizes it is YOU that is calling the shots and not him, you will end up with a healthy relationship with your dog.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't make my dogs do something to "earn" their treats, meals etc. At every meal they have to "sit" and for every treat they have to perform a command. It is so easy to incorporate this into everyday life it just becomes routine. Being firm doesn't mean being harsh. Dogs crave consistency, routine and most are relieved to not have to be "leader" they get to just be a dog.

I most recently had my Brody start to destroy one of his toys to the point it was time to take it away. It was one of his beloved "Disco Spiders." You would have to know Brody to understand how much this dog loves toys. Anyway all I had to do was tell him "Brody..LEAVE IT" and he backed right off the toy and I could calmly take it away AND tell him what a good boy he is. Before obedience school this would not have been an option.

This is just a small example on one of the reasons obedience training is the most important thing you can do for your dog.

Regards.
Marie