Little tyrant...help!

Hi all,

I wonder if you can help. I have a 7 yr old Cairn and a Boston Terrier who is just over a yr old. Hamish the cairn has no problem with other dogs, he can be a bit vocal when approaching but its a 'i want to meet you' whine and unless attacked he has never caused any upset.

Now for Miss Betty........! she is quite small for her age but small and mighty! If dogs Approach her calmly she tends to be calm but if they are excitable she can growl and even snap, some of it is due to her excitability and once they have met she calms down but I really don't want any growling at all! I wonder if it is because she is so small she has always had to have the loudest voice to make herself heard?

I do all I can to correct this behaviour straight away, the problem is that Betty reacts only in the moment. For example, if I come home and she has taken all the shoes off the rack she will look suitably chastised but the minute I walk away she bounds and skips along beside me and all is forgotten, no matter how long I try to maintain that I am unhappy with her behaviour!

When out walking no matter how much I say 'No!' And move her away from the other dog she just lives in that moment and doesn't react to me at all. Because she is so small (& quite quite adorable) people say 'oh, it doesn't matter' and they would let her get away with it. I always point out that if she was a Staffie people would be telling me to put a muzzle on her!

She is a good girl at home and knows all the basics, leave, no, sit, etc. she has been impolite with Hamish but is now learning some manners with him (we've had her for about ten months now), but I just don't like this growling. She can be a dominant little pooch and has the biggest of dogs showing her their belly!

It is a continued effort with her so any advice would be gratefully received! Advice on the 'zoning out' from my commands when out walking would be fab.

Many thanks in advance
Mel xx

Hi Mel May I make a few observations which might help but we don't really have all the relevant details....

.. is Betty on or off the lead when this happens.
There could be a number of reasons for Betty's behaviour.
All dogs 'live in the moment' and Betty will have no recollection that she did something you didn't want her to do earlier in the day. Your trying to maintain that you are unhappy with her will just confuse her.
Dogs usually 'look chastised' because they are reacting to the owners body language not because they are aware they have done something wrong.
Re the shoes better to move them or Betty so they can't be reached.


You say..''I do all I can to correct this behaviour straight away'' in what way do you do this
Saying no often doesn't do much because unless a dog has learnt to associate the word with an action it will just be a noise that based on previous experience they may associate with an owners displeasure.
Better to teach Betty what you do want her to do and reward the behaviour.

Maybe teach her to focus on you with 'watch me' or a toy when meeting other dogs. Practice this by going where other dogs can observed from a safe distance and reward her for ignoring them may help .

Teaching 'watch me' and some other posts you may find helpful...
Advice needed when walking a sometimes aggressive dog

Agree with Mini

Dogs do live in the moment pretty much and they don't really think the way we do - it's up to us to learn how to "think dog"

If you can get a copy, read John Fisher's "Think dog". It does have some outdated thinking in it, such as pack leadership, but the overall messages about understanding and thinking like a dog are first rate

You may also enjoy Pat McConnells' dog books about dogs and emotions or Jean Donaldson's The Culture Clash

xx

Be careful what you wish for. Growling is a perfectly acceptable form of communication between dogs. If excitable dogs are in her face, she has every right to tell them to move away. An air snap often follows when a dog has ignored the growl. She is communicating she is feeling uncomfortable or simply telling a rude dog to give her some space.

She sounds like she has a lot of restraint as she is warning not biting.

I personally would not be unhappy with this behaviour but maybe teach her to go behind you when dogs approach and acknowledge that she is uncomfortable and that you are there to protect her from rude or excitable dogs. I certainly would NOT correct the behaviour as that is a bit unfair on her.

Hi all and many thanks for your constructive replies. Yes she is on the lead when out walking, but even off the lead with other dogs she can be the same. I don't ever stop her from growling when she is voicing her anxiety, for example, she doesn't like other dogs sniffing around her rear end (she is a proper lady after all! ) and will growl at that and I never stop her as its her prerogative to say "back off mister"

However, its the growling and snapping (running forward, chasing the other dog and snapping, not just the one air snap) that I want to put a stop to as its not pleasant for anyone. As I say, because she is teeny people allow for so much more but I think snapping and growling for no good reason is not acceptable, whatever the size of the pooch.

I shall look up some of the books you have kindly suggested and keep at it.

Many thanks again xxx