Re: Strange behaviour

In Reply to: Strange behaviour
Category:   Behavior Problems
Posted by:  Paul
Posted on:  November 05, 2002 at 09:42:06

: Our 2 year old neutered male is showing more often strange behaviour.
: When he is laying with me on a chair and I put him up or tell him to go, he softly growlns, also when he is laying in his basket or crate and I try to touch him, he suddenly softly growlns.
: Immediately after he has growlned he rolls over on his back and starts looking very guilty.
: What do I have to do ? Ignore it and go on touching him (he stops grownling when I do this). or tell him NO and walk away. I'm pretty sure that it's not his intention to bite. Thanks in advance

Response:

Dear Paul,

Sudden changes in a dog's behavior are most often caused by a medical problem or by a break in household routine/dynamics. I recommend that you first take your terrier to the vet to rule out any physical cause for his "discomfort" when you touch him. If he is healthy, then you should consider what has changed in the household that's making him uncomfortable/unsure about what is going on.

Since your terrier stops growling when you continue to touch him (especially if he rolls over), I am inclined to recommend that you continue this response while you are determining exactly what the problem is. If his behavior is related to a physical problem, the more you touch him, the more likely you are to find an abnormality.