Question
Gypsy and George
We have an 18 month old pure bred male lab. His dad is a black lab and his mom is a yellow lab. We adopted him from his "birth" family because their daughter had a medical condition and they couldn't take good enough care of him while tending to their daughter. We have had him about 3 months. His name is George. We also have a female 3 year old lab/chow/husky mix, her name is Gypsy. George is a very well behaved dog, follows commands and is loving, during the day. When it gets to be around 7 pm he starts getting moody. He will growl at my husband and has snapped at him on several occasions and all my husband has done is pet him. He has snapped at my stepson when my stepson had tried to kiss him goodnight. He also snapped at my stepdaughter, I do not know what she was doing at the time. He has never growled or snarled at me. YEsterday he laid his head on my friend's lap and she was petting his head and all of a sudden he snapped at her.
George and Gyspy get along very well. They play together all the time. They are both fixed.
We have a large fenced in yard in which he is free to run and gets plenty of exercise.
The dogs get fed 3 times a day, morning, afternoon and evening.
It appears that the snapping is getting worse. My husband and I do not know what to do. Do you have any idea why George may be behainvg like this and what we can do to stop it?
Thank you.
AnswerGet George to a vet and be sure he's healthy and not hurting anywhere. If this is truly a new behavior, it could be medical. I suspect, though, that you're seeing the real reason why the dog was given up.
Do NOT allow your children to put their faces next to the dog's face. Dogs don't like to be kissed - it's an invasion of their personal space and very rude behavior to a dog. Dogs don't like to be hugged either, so instruct the kids on how to interact with the dog correctly - petting under the chin or on the chest area (not on top of the head) and only when the dog is ready for that type of interaction.
Since you know the time of day that this happens, change your routine so that George is not put in a situation that will elicit the growling and snapping. Have a safe place that George can be that he can be alone and not be bothered. Usually this is a crate or an out-of-the-way place that he can have a soft bed or blanket. The crate or bed area is off limits to kids.
Implement a "work to earn" program so that George understands that the humans in the household are to be respected as leaders and he must "say please" if he wants something - food, play time, walks, etc. Here's a link to a good article describing this leadership program: http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm
Keep George off the furniture.
When dogs growl and snap they are communicating to humans that they are not comfortable with the present situation. Whatever you do, do NOT punish this warning system. Don't scold or physically rebuke the dog. If you eliminate these warnings, all the dog has left to do is bite. Watch for signs that the dog is uncomfortable - yawning, licking lips, turning head away, freezing, seeing the whites of his eyes while his head remains very still. If you know what to look for, you'll see these signs before the first growl.
Since you have children in the home, I highly recommend you have a consulation with a professional trainer or behaviorist in your area. You have a dog that's a potential bite risk and that's a serious matter.
Here's a reference list of professionals that may be near you:
http://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer
http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx
http://iaabc.org/consultants
Let me know if you have any questions or follow up comments. Good luck.
Barb
7 yr old Samoed seriously regressing in toilet training
Question
My wife and "Kid"
7 yr old male samo
housetraining
QuestionQUESTION: We have a 10 week old retriever/colli
Dog aggression
Question
The 3 of them
I have 3 spayed female do
scratching carpet
QuestionQUESTION: Why has our 4 year-old female red hee
5 yr old lab fetch problem!
Question
handshake
Hello.I am Rameez from India
