[jenncarrera]

Hi,

I have a male beagle who is 3 months tomorrow. Yesterday for the first time he barked at me, like trying to get my attention. I look at him suprised & thought maybe he needed to go potty so I took him out and all he did was sit on the steps for like 15 minutes. Didn't have to go potty. He also started to growling at me when I put him back in the crate. Today He barked at me until I looked over at him and thought again..Hmm potty ? So I take him out , almost 15-20 min then he went to the bathroom. Anyhow back into the crate and he just growled & growled at me /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif . Is that normal ? Then he started to dig at his doggy bed. Also today he seemed 100 times hyper today then usual. I had a hard time getting his leash on 3 times today. He just darts away. I am thinking about getting him to puppy training class, will this help ? Or do any of you guys have some great tips for me ?
HELP!

 

[Murphys Dad]

It sounds like he is deleveloping a personality and testing how far he can push you. You should correct the growling behavior now. Say No and gently push his muzzle to his chest. Some people use the "just ignore him" technique, others use a spray bottle. There is also shaking coins in a can trick. Which ever way you choose, don't let him win.

And obedience classes are ALWAYS recommended.

 

[jassy]

Obedience classes were a huge help to me. Maggie has graduated from beginning and intermediate and I hope to do the advanced this summer. The classes helped Maggie to focus and helped me see which behaviors were just puppy and which I needed to correct. Maggie went though a period of kind of agressive biting at my daughter and I, as well as jumping up and grabbing our sleeves. We tried lots of things and finally used a spray bottle. We only used it for biting behavior because I was afraid my daughter might overuse it. I think it only took two times before she got the idea. Good luck.

 

[K & G]

I agree that you need to start correcting this now. For the barking, if I were you, I'd ignore himuntil he quieted down, then call him over. You don't want to set up a situation where he thinks you're at his beck and call. I'm not saying to ignore his needs, of course, though. For growling, I'd either put him in the bathroom as sort of a time out, or gently hold his muzzle, look at him, and say "no!" in a low firm voice. If he's hyper, he might need to get some more exercise.

 

[conniew]

Polly growls when she wants to play--very odd. But we hate it, since of course it sounds menacing... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

 

[Spencer's Mum]

Spencer & Sydney growl all the time but it is just playing. Spencer has growled seriously at me twice back when we were trying to sell our house and we were crating them when we left. He would hide in the closet in behind the clothes and when I would go to get him, he would growl at me. I just told him to stop it and I would grab him and put him in his crate. (just a note, that is not a good way to work on crating but we have crate issues with Spencer, he has separation anxiety and freaks if he is confined anywhere).

To me it sounds like your pup is testing you and if you don't get a handle on it now, you are going to have a harder time breaking it later. I highly suggest the training classes. It not only teaches the dog but it also teaches you. I usually send mine back for a refresher every couple years.

 

[RhodaTse]

Oh dear, didn't I just posted the growling problem of Charlie too!
Yesterday he almost bit my daughter, again he is on the couch(mind you he was not sleeping), but he just put up a "do not disturb" attitude. Right away I gave him the big "NO" so did my daughter. Somehow it is the couch, he possesed it already. As far as saying NO, I do not have any idea too.
But for your pup, yes definately a puppy training.
I might go down to Petsmart to see if I can ask the trainer what I should do about it.
Murphy's dad idea of a spray bottle is good too, have it handy at all times. Because by the time you try fetching it, he might forget what he has just done.

 

[K & G]

Charlie Mom, if I were you, Charlie'd lose the right to be on the couch. Gage was like that as a puppy. The trainer we took him to said it's a huge red flag when a dog growls if he's touched. According to the trainers, if you don't back off when the dog growls, his next step could be a snap or bite to "correct" you. And of course, it's not a good situation when the dog thinks he should be giving out corrections.

If you don't have a trainer, I'd get one ASAP. Gage got to the point of biting before it was all over. I'd hate to see anyone else have to go through that.

 

[Spencer's Mum]

I agree CM, I would not be letting Charlie on the couch anymore. It seems that he has forgotten who the leader is in your family and needs to be reminded of it. If he is growling while he is completely awake then you need to be correcting it right away.

I would only let him on the couch when you invite him up. You should also do a google search on Resource Guarding, you should find some great solutions on that. I will see if I can find anything useful.

 

[Tammy]

My girls growl, bark and howl at each other all the time and basically have since they were brought home in Feb. They also play/fight 90% of their waking hours. I wonder how they are still alive sometimes with the rough play they dish out to each other. I thought this was all normal?

 

[Spencer's Mum]

that is normal for them to growl when playing, that it totally different. You need to worry if they are growling because you are trying to take somethign from them.

I found this article, may be worth a read.

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_ResourceGuarding.html

 

[Tammy]

Great article! Thanks for posting.

 

[Spencer's Mum]

i am a firm believer in turning everything bad into a good. Like i the dog is guarding the couch, you lure them off with a treat using the "off" command. Once they are off then you would reward the dog with the treat. Always try to distract them with something else.

I will often go up to my dogs when they are eating or chewing a toy or whatever and take it form them. I want them to be used to having to give things up. They usually just sit there wagging waiting to get it back. LOL I praise them for a good reaction and return the food/toy to them. The only time they protect things is when the other tries to get it. They always want what the other one has. They are just like kids.

 

[RhodaTse]

Thank you Spencer mom, right away the couch is off limit. I have all kinds of junk on it so no body can even sit on it unless remove the junk. I'm not expecting guest any time soon.
He knows that is a off limit limit already. I'll try the treats method if he goes back on it.
Charlie been through the puppy training, he knows the "leave it" "drop it" command and is working well. I can easily get things out from his mouth. My husband would say"see I told you so!" It was "I" who spoil him with the couch, now I'm tasting the consequences of it.
Thanks again.

 

[K & G]

Quote:Originally posted by Spencer's Mum:

I will often go up to my dogs when they are eating or chewing a toy or whatever and take it form them. I want them to be used to having to give things up.

This is a great thing to do. You never know when your dog might have something dangerous, and you don't want to have to fight him for it. We also trade things with Gage sometimes. We'll take the toy or bone, and give him a treat, then give the toy or bone back. We also go up to his food bowl, and drop good treats in, or sometimes take a little food out, then put it back.