jealous female - Page 1

my dad has a female that when i go visit him will not listen to anybody except me,problem is when i had my male with at the park for walks or in my back yard when ever my male would come close to me she would attack him to the point where he would eventually snap at her any ideas how i could stop this behaviour

Your puppy has a right to defend himself if the female is really provoking him; but, I wouldn't want this behavior to go on. He's so young and his perceptions of other dogs will be negatively influenced by her. It will be difficult, but I would strongly reprimand the female and stop her aggression (whether serious, or not). Your loyalty has to be to him. You don't want him feeling defensive when meeting every new dog in the future. That would lead to pure misery for you-- Dog Aggression. Put the female in her place (sternly) with a No-Nonsense-Will-Be-Tolerated attitude. Your puppy will see that you're handling the situation and, hopefully, won't feel he'll have to take charge of his own defense. If, now, he's as bad as her, you have to correct him also. I would shake him (just enough-- don't get carried away) by the scruff of the neck-- like his mother would, and say NO; or, I would put his head to the ground until he subdued. Then immediately focus his attention on a toy, praising him highly if he's being good . You are the leader, 69RS. Stop it now, primarily for his sake. ----You might want to let him interact with a couple of really dependable, sweet dogs as soon as possible,-- I'm sure others will have some really good advice. He's young and you can nip this in the bud. Good luck, L.

LMH, you have the excellent advice and I agree 100% with everything that you said. 69RS, there is absolutely no harm in allowing your puppy to witness what may become a hard correction of the dominant/possessive female if this ever happens again. After all, dogs tend to learn much more by watching each other than they learn from us, and it does re-inforce the Alpha role of the master. I certainly would not let her push your boy around. And, he does need to know that friendly dogs do exist. Bob-O

sorry i should have specified that this has not happened with the pup it was when i had a adult male i have tried to correct the problem with a stern correction and it works for a little while like 15 mintues but she constantly do it again.i just want to prevent from happening in the future

Thanks Bob-O 69RS, You will be amazed how much sterner and shriller your voice can become when you see any adult dog be aggressive to a puppy. But, lets not jump the gun. She may be fine with a puppy. Have they met yet? If not, do so on neutral ground; or, better yet, at your house--giving him the edge. I've never seen a reliable, good dog go to hurt a puppy. Usually, they will either take an astronomical amount of abuse or just walk (sometimes run) away. If warranted, a quick correction to the pup by the female is acceptable, but downright aggression---distateful. Irregardless, the female has to be made aware she's going to be in big trouble if that puppy is harmed. Therefore, touching on your role as alpha comes into play. You're the boss 69RS. Hopefully, the benevolent dictator. I find it somewhat difficult to say what I'm about to (childish egos can be hurt, bullies try and force issues with more and more reprimands and training, and the inept just make themselves and their dogs crazy), but here goes: Alpha is an attitude. People who have it naturally, don't have to prove it every 5 minutes. It's something people either have or not. Are they aware they possess this trait? Not always. An alpha personality just reacts automatically--would never think of questioning him or herself--and would never allow that puppy to be hurt. The female will instinctually know this---and never overstep. If she senses any hesitancy or weakness in you, it will always be a battle; and, it would probably be best to keep them separated until the pup has matured. As I said earlier, "he can't be influenced negatively by her", especially during the first year. Bottom line--If she acts aggressively toward the puppy because of jealousy, you're relationship with her will change---it's inevitable. In her presence, she can never feel the puppy doesn't come first with you. It's difficult. You want everyone to get along; but dog's have minds of their own. You grow, and learn with them. So you and your father can enjoy the dogs together, I hope the female takes the easier path. Again, good luck, L.