A Very Angry Lil' Bit(ch) - Page 4

Jackie,
I'm going with the joke...LOL
Actually I think she was talking to you, and having one of those puppy moments, maybe wanting to impress you, or just some attention.
If you didn't feel threatened, laughing seems right.
 

Moons.

Funny thing is, I don't think she's threatening me at all...I mean when she was done with her show, she lay down & rolled over, showing me her belly! She always got praised for her bark & hold when we were training....could she just be attention seeking? Or showing off? She NEVER tries to bite, never ever! But she does snap her teeth at me, with every bark. Honestly, she is so sweet & gentle with my husband, & she lets me clip her toenails, & groom her. She just has these crazy moments....I dunno, I never get the sense that she's threatening me. She's very smart, is always into stuff. She doesn't like change at all. I posted a thread on PDB about her reaction to us digging up a section of the yard for rose bushes....she gathered all the dirt clumps & leaves & covered the dug up spot over again with the clumps & leaves....& then peed on it to seal the deal! How quirky is that? She's a real little character. More than being worried about her behavior, I'd like some insight into it.....why does she do these things? jackie harris

"could she just be attention seeking? Or showing off?"
^^^^THIS^^^^

I go through the same sort of thing with my 2 y.o. bitch whenever I work abnormally long days away from the house--and mine hasn't been worked on doing a hold & bark yet, so that's not even part of the equation.  I get the whole routine--the racing around inside the house, the hold & bark phase (she'll even pull this when I'm sitting down on the couch trying to just get 15 minutes to decompress before I start doing animal chores around here--you think it's bad when you're standing and they do this, I can assure it's much, much worse when you're sitting, because your ears are sooooo much closer to their mouth, and the volume of the barking is like a *knife* in the eardrum at that distance!)...And then after a few more laps around the house (first and second floors; the basement lap's missing lately because there's a baby gate blocking the steps now) and one or two more H&B sessions, it's flop onto the floor, roll onto back while snaking the head insanely, ending with a ginormous SIGH of contentment.

I'm considering ear plugs for these particular days, since I'm not eligible for retirement any time soon.  :)

Jackie,
She sounds very smart and a character.
And it sounds like very aware of her territory too.
Not bad traits at all.
Takes a lot of time together to figure out what's going on sometimes, I do think she's trying.......:)


Moons.

Hexe that is exactly what she does! And I wonder if it's because of simple changes in household routine? The first time Carl was hospitalized, & now I'm sick. Both situations have taken Carl's attention away from Lil' Bit.... Hmmmmm! Oh, & I know that sound...I call it audio-lobotomy! LOL! And Moons, she's a very special girl, whatever her issues, we love her. jackie harris

That barking and snapping, more like clapping teeth together, running around all definately sounds like "HEY HEY HEY PAY ATTENTION!!!! I need something, play with me, help me, and later I AM SO HAPPY DADDY IS UP (hence the leg kicking on the belly) and I really like you as well.  Nothing sounded like she should have been strongly corrected to me, because I don't think any of it was aggressing other than that growl and escalating then in that particular scenario would have, I think made it worse and forced a confrontation that did not need to happen.  Most of her behavior was attention seeking and built up anxiety for sure and then the crazy frenzied happiness when your Carl was up.

When my males misbahave, yes I make them listen but I do not force a confrontation that does not have to happen.  If one, for example, tries to growl at another, yes, they must stop, yes they must platz, but do I use that tense time to roll them...no way.   I pick my battles because if you do start one, you better win it with a dog like her and with her full of anxiety about Carl and the changes in her life and full of energy, she did not need to be pushed to the wall and I am glad you didn't.  I am sure your bond with her will be greater now.

I hope all of you feel much better soon and are back 100%!  She sounds like quite a bi*&^ and I mean that in a good way.  

Thanks Justice, she's a 'firecracker', always up to something! Always in the middle of whatever is going on, always making trouble, but she's so funny, it's hard to get mad at her! She's the apple of my husband's eye, & I love her too. jackie harris