jealousy

Question
We have three dogs: one JR/boston t mix (oldest at 2.3 years), one spinone italiano (2 in January) and our little JR, "Dolly" who just turned a  year. Dolly came to us after we lost our first JR. I like to think I am mostly used to JR's little quirks but something has come up lately with Dolly that concerns me. If we are laying down or sitting on the couch with Dolly and one of the other dogs gets too close, Dolly goes absolutely beserk! Snarling, biting at the other dog-- you absolutely cannot get her to stop without grabbing her (while she snaps and tries to bite at you) and putting her in her own space for a while. The other dogs can certainly hold their own and Dolly does not have any other aggressive type behavior that I would consider out of line considering her breed and the pecking order. The dogs generally get along really well so, hope I am being paranoid but thought I would get some advice.

Answer
Hi Nichole,

I don't think your paranoid at all. This behavior is very unsettling. You're right, she's absolutely jealous of the other dog - and you're handling it the right way by immediately stopping and correcting the behavior. You might want to try another deterrent like a quick spray of cold water in her face to snap her out of the aggression mode.
Keep a spray bottle within quick easy reach of where you are sitting. After shocking her with the spray, give a firm NO! and make her get off the couch. You're going to have to repeat it a lot until she understands that "when I do that growling thing my mom is mad, I get cold water and my face and I have to lose my warm spot! Hmm, maybe I better not do that anymore!).  Consistency is the key, make sure you correct her every single time she shows aggression. You can try the Cesar Milan method too of making a loud PSST noise and using your hand and giving her a quick meaningful poke or squeeze on the scruff of her neck. Basically it simulates a mother dog correcting a younger dog. Again the trick is consistency and IMMEDIATE correction. Pick up the other dog and hold it while you are correcting Dolly, sending her the message that no matter what you do, this other dog is welcome up here too. I know it's hard, and we want instant results but it really does take some consistency and some time.  If all else fails, it's probably to get a professional trainer involved. You have another long 15 years with this family of dogs and obviously don't want to have to deal with this. Best of luck to you Nichole. Take care.