Possession Aggression - Page 1

I am fostering a dog for the SPCA that is an older female poodle. I have had her here for about 3 days now. My older male Shepherd essentiall ignores her, but after she found her spot on the couch and he would come around, she would run to the edge of the couch and would not like him near her bed. I corrected her and made her go lay back down. Then, I noticed when my male was near me and she would come around, she would run up to his face not wanting him near. She has not tried to bite him, but Im not sure what she would do if I didnt step in. I am lucky my male doesnt take offense to this and just ignores her. How can I correct this? She would be a nice little dog for a senior perhaps, someone with no other pets, but if she fails her SPCA evaluation, she will be PTS. Any suggestions?

She is taking over the the house without bringing in the paycheck. I would get her off the couch, that is your seat. Can you take things from her, how is she around food. I would immed begin working her, showing her everything belongs to you and the male also belongs to you, if you want to pet the male she has to wait for her turn.  One excerise that is helpful with the food if she is not already aggresive towards it, You sit in a chair with the food bowl and take the food with your hand out  of the bowl and hand feed her for a few days, then when she is eating see if you can put your hand in the dish, if not go back to hand feeding untl she is comfortable around food and you. She needs some very strict rules right now, you can not let her win one battle or you have to start all over. Will she allow you to pick up a toy from the floor that she thinks belongs to her, even if she does you need to continue to work with her on that also. You can not allow anything to belong to her, everything is yours and you only share when you want to. Do you walk her, get some of that engery level down, and walking her does not mean letting her lead you. They need mental stimaulation, sometimes more than physical. So on a walk make her heal, no sniffing, so she has to use her mind along with excerise. Mental exhustion is more tiring than physical. Sounds to me like was a spolied brat, the spolied is ok on your terms, the Brat is not Ok. When she is adopted out, the new owners have to be taught or she will revert right back to being the boss and a witchy one at that. By the way, if you think her attitude will be just with other dogs, you are sadly mistaken, she is very capable of trying to rule the humans also, and that is how you get bit by doing something she does not like. Seniors have grandkids, you need to work this dog and put her in her palce.

Hi AIR,its difficult with a dog that you probably dont know to much of her past but you can certainly start by doing as the previous poster said which is basically lay down some rules and let her know that you are the boss and you get the couch NOT her.You may try to also feed her by hand but only after your GSD is fed so that she learns that he is above her in the pecking order.The no furniture rule is just so you establish that you are the boss.I know that I will probably hear it from my schutzhund friends but this is where Cesar Milan  comes in handy.You know that alot of what he preaches does work ,example the NO TOUCH,NO TALK,NO EYE CONTACT Rule.Would you be willing to try some of his tecniques if it could help.This kind of stuff might help you to save her life.Good luck and I hope that it works out for you both.Its nice to see that someone cares enough to do what you are doing.Again,all the best to you.

Thanks everyone. I do not know her history. All I know is that she was found in someones shed, probably hit by a car with her legs shredded to the bone already covered in maggots. She stayed at the clinic I work at for 2 weeks and everyone got attached to her. We didnt want to see her stuck in the SPCA, so I said I would foster her until she gets adopted. Her one leg is still dislocated and splinted, both legs sutured up, so walking her is too difficult yet for her. Hopefully once she is healed I can attend a training class or something. She also has fear issues with men, so that is another thing we will have to work on.

This breaks my heart that she in injuried, as I am sure you feel sorry for her also. That still does not give her any rights. You can not let your sympathy get in the way of her "mental" well being while you correct her "phyiscal" well being. Bless you for taking her in.