This is a placeholder text
Group text
by GSDPACK on 12 October 2012 - 18:10
Your wife will have to have a nice little "talk" with this dog. It seems to me he takes her as the low bitch in the pack and truthfully, I am not sure about your dog's temperament and personality. Telling you to use combo of treats and corrections is gonna work would be me assuming your wife has more of a ranking conflict with a dog that is getting mixed signals rather than a complete ranking switch due to the dog maturing. I Don;t know and trust me NO ONE knows till they see the dog and the body language.
I would suggest you to find someone who knows how do deal with this and potentially be prepared that in might get worse before it gets better. Or it might be a complete clash and your wife might not be able to gain control ever without physical "fight". I have a feeling that this dog is maturing mentally and starting to think he can take her out also physically and is taking her for a ride!
Good luck and start looking for the right trainer.
I would suggest you to find someone who knows how do deal with this and potentially be prepared that in might get worse before it gets better. Or it might be a complete clash and your wife might not be able to gain control ever without physical "fight". I have a feeling that this dog is maturing mentally and starting to think he can take her out also physically and is taking her for a ride!
Good luck and start looking for the right trainer.
by joanro on 12 October 2012 - 18:10
Whether it is ranking switch or just plain disrespect, there is a storm brewing and professional help is paramount. Your wife better not start something she can't finish...
by rob juanez on 12 October 2012 - 18:10
Two Moons,
The dog has just started marking in the house a few weeks ago. He only does this when he is home with my wife. I have never caught him doing this. My wife gives him firm "no" when she catches him in the act. For training corrections the dog receives verbal and prong correction in tandem. For behavior correction dog receives verbal correction and when not practical to use either verbal or prong we infrequently use ecollar to correct behavior such as excited jumpin g and barking while underway on our boat, which can be royal pain in the ass, as well as unsafe. This is a soft dog who takes mild corrections well and is very eager to please. Even when high in prey dog will respond to corrections clearly without alot of resistance or hesitation.
This dog is 50/50 outside/house dog. He has 3 fenced acres when we are not home to roam but spendes majority of time on the porch waiting for us to return. When inside the dog has excellent house manners and is crated most nights except during the winter months when I fear him being trapped in the event of a chimney or stove fire.
I am still not 100% sure what the dogs hair up and growling where for. I assume it was at my wife for her correcting him. I was returning home and walked in on my wife correcting dog for marking wood pile. He was growling and pacing with his hair on his back up. I walked in on this and the dog immediatley assumes submissive stance ie, ears back , hair down and runs up to me and tries to nudge me as if he was very unsure of himself and had been caught. i am unsure what would of happened if I didnt enter the room. This is the absolute first time the dog has ever showed any aggression or dominance.
I can honestly say that I have no fear of this dog whatsoever. He has always been a great dog to me and is very submissive and gentle. Io have had serious dominant/aggressive shepherd before and this guy is a pushover compared to him. I cannot speak for my wife though. I do think that she was more surprised at this than she was scared, IMO.
We have done alot of obedience training with this dog and have used as needed a blend of positive reinforcing and corrections when and where neccessary.
I am wondering if this dog could be going thru a new developmental stage as he has been alot slower to mature than my previous dogs.
The dog has just started marking in the house a few weeks ago. He only does this when he is home with my wife. I have never caught him doing this. My wife gives him firm "no" when she catches him in the act. For training corrections the dog receives verbal and prong correction in tandem. For behavior correction dog receives verbal correction and when not practical to use either verbal or prong we infrequently use ecollar to correct behavior such as excited jumpin g and barking while underway on our boat, which can be royal pain in the ass, as well as unsafe. This is a soft dog who takes mild corrections well and is very eager to please. Even when high in prey dog will respond to corrections clearly without alot of resistance or hesitation.
This dog is 50/50 outside/house dog. He has 3 fenced acres when we are not home to roam but spendes majority of time on the porch waiting for us to return. When inside the dog has excellent house manners and is crated most nights except during the winter months when I fear him being trapped in the event of a chimney or stove fire.
I am still not 100% sure what the dogs hair up and growling where for. I assume it was at my wife for her correcting him. I was returning home and walked in on my wife correcting dog for marking wood pile. He was growling and pacing with his hair on his back up. I walked in on this and the dog immediatley assumes submissive stance ie, ears back , hair down and runs up to me and tries to nudge me as if he was very unsure of himself and had been caught. i am unsure what would of happened if I didnt enter the room. This is the absolute first time the dog has ever showed any aggression or dominance.
I can honestly say that I have no fear of this dog whatsoever. He has always been a great dog to me and is very submissive and gentle. Io have had serious dominant/aggressive shepherd before and this guy is a pushover compared to him. I cannot speak for my wife though. I do think that she was more surprised at this than she was scared, IMO.
We have done alot of obedience training with this dog and have used as needed a blend of positive reinforcing and corrections when and where neccessary.
I am wondering if this dog could be going thru a new developmental stage as he has been alot slower to mature than my previous dogs.
by Keith Grossman on 12 October 2012 - 19:10
I would start by getting the dog a complete physical to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with him. If he checks out physically, I wouldl reiterate what many others here are saying...you need to enlist the help of a professional. I will go one step further than a simple trainer and recommend you have the dog assessed by a certified behaviorist. Based on everything you've posted so far and the age of the dog, you may be dealing with a dominance/impulse aggression issue. If that's the case, it is rooted in anxiety and over-correcting the dog will escalate the behavior. You really need to have a correct diagnosis before knowing how to proceed.
Are you finding that these episodes typically happen later in the day as opposed to earlier in the morning?
Are you finding that these episodes typically happen later in the day as opposed to earlier in the morning?
by Two Moons on 12 October 2012 - 19:10
rob,
all dogs mature at different rates, some slower than others, some not.
I suspect he has reached a stage of maturity at this point and is marking territory and in a way attempting to defend it, learning to be an adult, no longer the puppy.
First, be very discreet and careful using an e-collar, please.
Second, I would place something he has marked outside in a place he may mark freely, and the next time this happens indoors immediately remove him from the house and place him at the spot where you have placed the marked object with a verbal correction.
Leave him out long enough to make it clear this was not a reward.
You may think this odd, but if you mark his object and other spots around a parameter he will match your marks and learn, you will have expanded his territory and he will not feel like he's backed into a corner as may happen in the house.
This is in his nature and he should not be punished harshly for it, rather teach him that the house is not his specific territory with the marked object and a new range for him to claim.
I don't feel that his growling was a sign of aggression towards your wife at this point, this is new to him and he's trying to figure it out, your teaching him new territory and removal from the house should cure his marking indoors.
If possible leave him out over night to drive your point home, give him something substantial to think about.
Be consistant and promt if it continues to be a problem or risk confusing him with mixed signals.
Moons.
P.S.
Point of fact, if he growls again in a different situation you have a different problem to address.
all dogs mature at different rates, some slower than others, some not.
I suspect he has reached a stage of maturity at this point and is marking territory and in a way attempting to defend it, learning to be an adult, no longer the puppy.
First, be very discreet and careful using an e-collar, please.
Second, I would place something he has marked outside in a place he may mark freely, and the next time this happens indoors immediately remove him from the house and place him at the spot where you have placed the marked object with a verbal correction.
Leave him out long enough to make it clear this was not a reward.
You may think this odd, but if you mark his object and other spots around a parameter he will match your marks and learn, you will have expanded his territory and he will not feel like he's backed into a corner as may happen in the house.
This is in his nature and he should not be punished harshly for it, rather teach him that the house is not his specific territory with the marked object and a new range for him to claim.
I don't feel that his growling was a sign of aggression towards your wife at this point, this is new to him and he's trying to figure it out, your teaching him new territory and removal from the house should cure his marking indoors.
If possible leave him out over night to drive your point home, give him something substantial to think about.
Be consistant and promt if it continues to be a problem or risk confusing him with mixed signals.
Moons.
P.S.
Point of fact, if he growls again in a different situation you have a different problem to address.
by rob juanez on 12 October 2012 - 21:10
Two Moons,
Very interesting. I will follow yout advice as I think you make some good points. The marking is a natural behavior. Thanks for your input
Very interesting. I will follow yout advice as I think you make some good points. The marking is a natural behavior. Thanks for your input
by Bhaugh on 13 October 2012 - 00:10
by kitkat3478 on 13 October 2012 - 14:10
I know several will disagree with me, and without beating around any bush or sugar-coating the "resolve", IF that were my dog,that Ihave had since being a pup, about the time that dog challenged me with his hackles up, I would have grabbed onto him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him right to the ground and ask while he is down there,"are you freakin kidding me?" Yes, the dog is trying to declare dominance over the wife, and IF he is allowed to do so, he will.
by Ctidmore on 13 October 2012 - 15:10
This maybe a REALLY dumb question but I am going to ask it anyway. The wood that he was marking had it recently been brought into the house? Since he is a 50/50 inside outside dog it could have had some smell that needed correcting to be his territory. Also sometimes things can hide in your wood piles, and I am just curious if there was something in the wood that had him upset and as you walked in he then dismissed it and was ready to be with you. As stated maybe dumb, but I have seen dogs go after wood piles because creatures small do hide in them. Not saying you don't have a problem but from the way you have described the dog he sounds well adjusted up to this incident. Just a thought.
by Keith Grossman on 13 October 2012 - 16:10
Do that with a strong dog, kitkat, and you're going to get mauled.
Contact information Disclaimer Privacy Statement Copyright Information Terms of Service Cookie policy ↑ Back to top