Question about dogs

[goin2disneyagain]

I have a small dog. She's 1.5yrs old. We just took the 1st trip that she wasn't allowed to go on. Up to this point she has always gone with us. We picked her up Thursday night (she was staying at someone else's house) and brought her home with us. Well today she snapped at someone twice. That is unusual for her and I don't know where it's coming from. The people she stayed with have 4 other dogs which she didn't want anything to do with. One of those dogs kept trying to play with her and she would snap back (not aggressively but like a warning to leave her alone). Not sure if this recent behavior is still remembering being bothered by this other dog and being defensive or angry at us for leaving her or re-testing the boundaries with us or what. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I don't want it to get out of hand so I want to nip it in the bud now.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

today she snapped at someone twice.

Under what circumstances?

 

[goin2disneyagain]

Under what circumstances?

When someone was trying to move her out of the way so they could get out the door.

 

[Disney Doll]

Probably a little left over anxiety from being around the bigger dog who kept annoying her, and maybe a little retesting of boundaries.

I'd nip it in the bud quickly. Make sure she knows in no uncertain terms that snapping is not allowed. She's looking to be alpha dog, so stop it quickly.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

Probably a little left over anxiety from being around the bigger dog who kept annoying her, and maybe a little retesting of boundaries.

I'd nip it in the bud quickly. Make sure she knows in no uncertain terms that snapping is not allowed. She's looking to be alpha dog, so stop it quickly.

It wasn't a bigger dog, it was actually about her size but an extremely playful dog. Is scolding her with a firm NO better or popping her on the nose? Hopefully it won't happen again but I want to be prepared in case it does.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It probably is something she learned at the other house - because it worked.

If you have a trainer you use, you might want to consult him or her about this. If you don't have one, it'll take a while to find one, but you need to act in the meantime.

First off, no freebies for dog. Dog works for everything. With you in charge. Time for doggie pushups. Want to eat? You eat when I say. Make her wait a good long time. Is she used to coming up to you for affection and you giving it right away? No more. First, she must do as you say, lay down, stay, etc, and then you'll pat - on your terms. You need to establish your leadership once again, and convey that this type of behavior is not allowed.

With all that said, I'd probably be sensitive to the fact that she may have felt traumatized being left in a house where you were gone and she was bothered/afraid of other dogs, which may have elicited a fear response. Your job now will be to re-establish normal routines and expectations. For the next week or two, don't put her in situations that will elicit a fear or protective response again, then once routines are re-established, begin to re-introduce normalcy into her life again. But keep up your leadership demands - in a friendly but firm way.

(Not saying that you would, but) please don't hit the dog. It'll just bring on more of a defensive response from her, and possibly complicate the problem. Just show her that type of behavior is not allowed by using your dominance in voice and body language. Dogs innately understand this.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

Thanks for the advise. I am going to keep a close eye on her. I was home all weekend with her and she didn't snap at all. I returned to work today (we were at Disney last week) and this happened while I was gone. She is very attached to her family so I think she was a little traumatized. The person that watched her told me she snapped at the other dog more as a warning but not in an aggressive manner. I am going to let her know who is boss. Don't worry, I would never "hit" her but she does get popped on the nose when she doesn't behave. I wasn't sure that was the right response to this type of behavior though. I will try scolding her with a firm voice if it happens again.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I would never "hit" her but she does get popped on the nose when she doesn't behave. I wasn't sure that was the right response to this type of behavior though. I will try scolding her with a firm voice if it happens again.

You call it a pop, I call it a hit. Semantics.

I think you should seriously reconsider popping her on the nose if you want to cure this problem. Think about what brought on the response in the first place. She's getting older now, and she just learned that biting is an effective way to control what she doesn't like. You can do it without; why not just use your voice all the time? It really gives you the upper hand. You can be across the room and get her to do what you want; or stop her with your voice if she's running in the street, etc. Think about it. And good luck.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

She doesn't get popped often. Most of the time she is very well behaved which is why this is so out of character for her. Luckily she hasn't actually bit, just snapped. I do feel a stern voice in this situation is better though. I will closely monitor her over the next couple of weeks and see if it continues. Thanks for your help.

 

[Disney Doll]

On occasion when Ted was getting a little out of hand, I would hold him by both sides of his head, holding onto his collar, and really get his attention. That worked pretty well.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[goin2disneyagain]

The only time my Papillion ever snapped was when he was injured, and snapped when he was moved. Believe it or not it is very easy for a large dog to really hurt a little one, even when just playing around. I'd muzzle the animal and poke around to see if anything hurts.

It was a small dog, not a large one. She's not hurt. They never even played because she wouldn't play with the other dog at all. I called a dog trainer today and they told me that it sounds like she suffered from separtion anxiety. The guy said his own dog does that when his wife is away but settles down after a week when things are back to normal. She hasn't done it today.