Help!!! bit me
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| So sorry. It must have been scary and disappointing. I have been told that getting close to the face and particularly leaning over the dog is interpreted as aggressive, dominant behavior. Also, a low voice can be mistaken for a growl. So maybe she was feeling threatened? Seems strange, I know. Even Chummie, the sweetest lovebug in the world, emits a low growl if I lean in close over her head. For dogs, apparently a high pitch is the happy sound. I always speak in a low tone for my cat but I've adapted for my dog. So if that is the only situation in which this occurs, I would try modifying your behavior and maybe that's all she needs and it is just a misunderstanding. In particular, I would avoid leaning over her. Also, when you say she is spoiled, that can actually cause a dog to act sort of unappreciative. It is possible that some tough love would remind her who is in charge. . .
Good luck! I am sure you will get alot of good advice from others. . . |
| The fact that she is spoiled may be on of the big factors. She needs to know that you are boss. We all want to be nice and have our dogs be a member of our families but we need to remember that they are still animals and don't process things the same way that we do. There are some really good posts about alpha rolling and establishing yourself as alpha. I would check those out.
Our dogs don't understand "the good life". They can't watch Animal Cops and say, "It's a good thing that's not me. I guess I lucked out". They do much better with the 'nothing in life is free' approach. They need to work and have a purpose. They still have an innate drive to work and so to say, earn their keep. If you don't give them things to do or work on they will find something to direct their minds too and it's never a good thing. Also, the close talking is not a good thing; especially with you standing over her. That is a sign of dominance and if she does not see you as the dominant one in your relationship she may have just illustrated that. Going face to face with a dog is a challenge gesture to them. It is the main reason that strollers are not allowed at dog shows. They place a child right at a dog's eye level and it's an automatic challenge to a dog. She also has already shown you that she doesn't like when you leave and then you were in her personal space so she gave you a pretty intense sign to that effect. If you have any reservations about how to go about curbing this behavior I would consult a behaviorist or trainer. This is something that needs to be taken care of right away. Hopefully the problem will be corrected quickly, it does sound like she needs some structure and laws laid down. If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. |
| Well, she doesn't get everything for free...I always make her sit for her food and I say "stay" and then "come" as a way of making her work for her food. She used to growl when I'd feed her, but she's stopped doing that now. I always make sure I eat before her and go in and out of doors in front of her since that's what the alpha in the pack would do...I never knew she'd feel like I was threatning her if I leaned over her or talking to her in a low voice would feel the same. I'll not do that anymore. I'm still just so shocked she would act this way. I know dogs don't process the way we do or understand she's got "the good life", and this is probably silly for me to say, but I'm hurt she'd do this to me! I know I sound crazy...Thanks for your help
still upset |
veryupset wrote: She's never done anything like this before, although she has growled in the past when I've gone to say goodbye in the same scenario.
I would say there's your clue. It's not such a leap if you ignored the warning growls that the next step would be to bite. You need to rethink the goodbye process and reassert yourself. |
| Barney doesn't see me as the alpha in the family. He sees my husband as the alpha. He'll growl when I make his dinner (not at me, but he does this weird running around thing)...I do as much as I can to be alpha, but it doesn't seem like it is 100%.
Barney has growled at me a few times (once I grabbed at his collar and pulled him, and then once when I tried to remove an especially good toy (the cat's toy) from him. I know not to do those things anymore. Sometimes the dog feels threatened or the need to be protective when we can't understand why they would feel that way. If you said that the only time your dog growls or nips at you in when you do that leaning over thing, I would just stop doing it. And sometimes dogs have separation anxiety and they might associate this act before you leave as knowing you are leaving, and get anxious and react in an unpredictable way. You could try leaving without any fanfare and see if that helps the situation. I know it is frightening and upsetting when our dogs hurt us, even on accident. |
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