lol thanks for the happy birthday another year closer to 40 though.....lol

I wouldnt have seen your post as cheeky lol, if we cant help each other on here, what a rotten lot we would be.

You must go to a dog training class.

Only on quickly...soory to be brief.

LB if you are that convinced this was pain related...have you been to the vet since it happened???

Labradork you have misunderstood how I was using the word 'stress' I mean stress in this situation as heightened adrenalin levels/excitement...

You won't seem a big horrible scarey thing to him honest you won't, you will gain more of his respect. I specifically said you should not raise your voice or shout, but use your normal voice, but in a shorter, sharp command tone, just a normal voice, and hopefully, if he's been taught the word, he'll obey.

If Zena doesn't obey me first time around, I walk away, turn my back, and that's good enough to make her do what I wanted in the first place. OR, I find an alternative, I'll go off, call her in my silly, happy voice, she comes and we do something else, it's all forgotten..... then I work on why she didn't do what I asked!

At the moment, I'm having terrible trouble getting her back indoors when I let her out in the garden, coz of the snow , and my normal call is doing nothing sometimes, not all the time, she just sits down at the bottom staring at me! I've had to think on this one, I tried shutting her out there for 5 mins (no change!), I don't want her to know it's ok that she isn't listening, I don't want to go out there and drag her in coz that would turn into a game so I had to think one step ahead, I know how much she adores "daddy", so now I say "daddy's home" which brings her galloping in at a rate of knots, only to find daddy isn't home!!!! I feel awful having lied, but for me, whatever works, then I use it, and this one works everytime!

With old Georgie it's another matter, sometimes he just totally ignores me and gives me that look, just because he doesn't want to move, and he sometimes looks at me as if to say "just you dare try and move me", but seeing as how I know him inside and out (which you will one day with Jake!) I know I could pull him, push him, whatever, but I don't, he just gets his name said again in my very low, loud gruff voice, and he budges, job done! Lol! Eventually, yes, I'm sure they do understand strung out sentences, coz sometimes, when Georgie plonks himself down in the middle of the kitchen where I don't want him, I just say to him "no, come on Georgie, go and curl up in your corner please" and he just does it, he somehow KNOWS! LIke I said Lauren, it's all time, time with one dog, time with lots of dogs, you just get to think dog like Wys has said on so many occasions!!!

I may be wrong in which case i'd be pleased and of course, it's not so easy over the net, but I think somewhere somehow, Jake was worried and I would guess that is due to human interactions. One big thing important for all dogs is predictability - all the family must sing from the same hymn sheet
No, they'd read body language etc too. That old word again, "context"

It would be interesting to see his body language..
Does he look kind of sheepish? as if so that may indicate him being worried. I think we need a video!

Again, hard to tell via the net but dogs can get worried by this and if they are confused a bit ... and then unwell too...they can get risen stress levels and lower tolerance...

If only we could ask him!
If he usually loves his walk andis ready for it, something was different and if it was, there was a reason in his mind for that. I do think it's to do with the bed/couch and confusion. Second would be the comfort thing. Unless he is a real couch potato and prefers sleeping to walks.

Ok
Again tis hard to tell over the net - at the moment he is fairly inhibited when biting. I too think he was scared more than anything.

...

That will certainly be a much better reaction, well done . However, what would your parents do? It's important that they don't tell him off (forgot to ask but does your mum know about this?)

No probs - I know if I am ever defensive, I'm not open to discussion so try to not make others defensive! I've tried to give honest thoughts but be fair, hope that came across. Sorry to hear you have low self esteem - you are dong fine, all you need to do really is to kind of, learn more about dogs and I am sure you will do that

Sounds good really but some dogs will as I say need lots of consistency and even a raised voice can cause concern - also, most dogs are better trained than "told off" however nicely, because it lessens stress.Dr Ian Dunbar, good dog trainer, used to say a well trained, excellent Sit would cur emost problems, and he was right!

No probs. I know you love him muchly so check out his health again and think about training/behaviour help.

Wys
x

The very fact he has attacked you twice ! And does not listen to you.

I understand its emotional, we would all be as upset in the same circumstances, and I am sorry, if you feel I am being harsh, but Lozzi, it seems you are simple not seeing the severity of the situation, you need help, we can give as much as we can here, but you need someoen to see you/jake and your family, and hopefully set you on the good regime with him


By taking him back to the vet, the vet will tell you if the condition is clear or just incubated.

What do your parents think of the situation out of curiosity, Lozzi?

Also, as everyone else has said, you need to be completely consistent with regard to him being on the furniture. Dogs don't generalize well, which is why a dog will act like a perfect angel in the garden when obedience training but won't necessarily do the same when out in public. It is the same with being on the furniture. A bed is a bed to a dog and a sofa is a sofa. It doesn't matter where they are, they all look the same. Being aloud on one sofa or one bed and not being allowed on another is just confusing. You either need to keep him off all furniture (which will not be easy to break unfortunately, again he won't understand), let him on all furniture or be pro-active and keep him out of the rooms with furniture you don't want him to go on. That way you will avoid this type of confrontation.

The day Jake growled at your niece when he had a bone in his mouth....Was it a real bone (as in food item) or a toy bone?

I have to say either way, this worries me a little. Dogs are clever enough to realise that children are quite vulnerable, small in size compared to an adult etc and I think letting any child near a dog who is settled with a possession is risky.

None of my dogs resource guard, they will even let me take their food from in front of them without fuss (not that I do this only maybe sometimes when Flynn is eating too fast and I want to remove his bowl so he gives himself time to swallow before the next mouthful!). However, when my niece and nephews visit, under no circumstances are they allowed near the dogs when they have "personal" items which they could get protective over. Why put dog and child in that situation?

I think sometimes people create circumstances without realising it and then wonder why things turn out the way they do.

With regards to Jake biting you, I think everybody else has said everything there is to say so I wont add my 2p worth. I just wanted to comment on the episode with your niece.

I've just sat for over two hours or so and read this whole thread.

Lozzi, sorry you are having issues with Jake. Loads of good advice here, please take it on board and think it through.

Hope his health is improving now with the treatment.

Assessing his health and going to good training classes are definitely necessary. Or even a good trainer who will do home visits if you can't make classes.

I don't have anything else to add apart from that I think you should find somewhere safe for him to have an offlead run to loosen himself up a bit....and where you can also practice recall with him.

I agree with Labradork in that he needs regular free running exercise, as well as mental stimulation. Of course, the daily onlead walks can continue as well.

Also maybe look at his diet, that may be part of his issues, combined with other things, although it does just sound like he's a confused teenage dog who is getting mixed signals all the time, leading to the behaviour he has displayed that has been discussed on this post.

What do you feed him?

Good luck, Lozzi, I'm sure with patience, care and a better depth of understanding you will get there in the end.