looking for dog help

[Thomas Macaluso]

Just yesterday we had our mother adapt a dog from a rescue group as a companion as we lost my father a about a year ago and we thought that she would benefit having a dog as company . The dog seems to a mix a maybe King Charles spaniel and maybe Springer. She is fixed and less than two years old . We were told that the dog was kid and dog friendly which was an important consideration as al of us kids have dogs and there is nine grandchildren . The dog seems to bonded with my mother which is great in less than a day . However we have noticed some odd behavior . When the dog is sitting in my mother

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I ain't no expert and I IM'd you a response over on the other board. Unc will be able to explain it better than me. It is a dominance issue that needs to be corrected ASAP!! The new dog is trying to establish its position in the pack and until it realizes that it is not the alpha (among both humans and other dogs), the problem will persist......and get worse!! I have my own challenges with Cobey. He is over 65lbs and 5 months old and is trying his dangdest to be the pack leader. I have him under control but the wife and daughter are having more of a problem. He pushes them around pretty good. Good luck.



TOXIC

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

It's really hard to diagnose and offer advice without seeing what's going on. But, it just sounds to me that the new dog is being HIGHLY protective of your Mom and his new cave (house)..

It seems obvious to me she's overly protective toward your Mom because she's snarling and such when anyone approaches but is Mrs. Nice doggy when called. I know she hasn't been protection trained so basically it's the close bonding she's had with your Mom.

If you bought the dog for your Mom you may have to put up with some of this behavior.

Your Mom LIKES the new dog on her lap but that is what causes a lot of the protection issues. That behavior can be corrected by not letting the dog on the furniture, in your Mom's lap or in bed with Mom either but how about when you all are gone and Mom's alone?

A good trainer could teach your Mom how to invite or not invite the new dog onto the furniture, into her bed or in her lap but I seriously doubt if your Mom would want to do it? It's very hard, especially for women, to have a live-in best friend and companion suddenly have to be demoted to a lower class pack member when company comes to visit!

Remember, if the Dog and your Mom are the only two in the house living together, THAT is the pack, period...You, your siblings, your dog and even the grandchildren will NEVER be members of that pack!

As for the new dog being extremely aggressive toward your dog when in the house it seems to me that again she is telling your dog that this is HER area now and to watch out! Was your dog anywhere near the new dogs food or even where she is fed or near toys or anything? That too could explain the aggression toward your dog. Also remember, I don't care how small, sweet, or chicken your dog is, I have seen numerous times when dogs just as you explained started the problems. It could only take a look to set off the new dog.

If you were at your mom's with your dog much before the new dog was adopted, your dog just with his eyes and certain behavioral traits could be saying "hey, this is my grandmother's house and I'll do what I want here" and the new dog retorts "you can visit all you want and we can have a lot of fun together but I live here now and this is my place so behave yourself around my stuff and when you're here we'll get along!"



I don't think you really have much to be concerned about though you really haven't said what your Mom, you or anyone else involved wants? And this is for Toxic too. All of my dogs, when laying beside me will instantly alert when anyone approaches me except my wife. That is because I have established myself as pack leader and have shown and expressed Nancy, my wife, as my mate and is to be listened to and not trifled with.

That's what you have to do Scott. Cobey has to see that though he is a pack member, he is the low member in the pack and to do that your daughter and/or wife should be with you when you do any training and also involve them in the training. Let them command Cobey to do something and if he doesn't do it, YOU have to correct him.



As for "new dog" I haven't heard any real aggression issues? Has anyone been bitten? When she roughhouses with other dogs do you hear any yelps or squeals or see actual fights?

Most of these kind of issues are 'dogs being dogs' and they'll work it out. If they really get out of hand and one dog is beating the hell out of the other then you should seek some help. And I don't mean taking the new dog to any of the pet stores ie; PetSmart, PetCo., that simply aren't any good. Get a Pro who will actually come to the house to meet your Mom, you, the new dog and probably your dog and will figure out a training plan all of you are comfortable with and that you WILL promise to follow!!

One other small piece of advice is to listen to a dog trainer and not listen in haste to people who aren't. Toxic has read enough of the really good training books and has used them with success on his dogs in the past that you can count on him not giving you bad advice. If he doesn't know something he'll tell you where to look.. Do not listen to the majority of people on the other website you posted this question on. While some of them really try to help they just don't have the knowledge and others on that board will tell you things that they have made up from in the air somewhere just to be posting.



I hope this helps..You have my e-mail if you want or need more info or ask for my phone number.. I don't mind.



Uncle Billy

 

[Thomas Macaluso]

thanks Guys for the help .The dog has snapped at my mother a couple of times in the past 24 hours to the point that she is afraid of the dog . We are bringing the dog back to the shelter this afternoon .

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Too bad for the dog. I understand that you have perimeters and the dog has exceeded them. That is the problem with the noble gesture of adopting from the pound, normally there are some behavior issues that need to be addressed. Most if not all can be overcome but it takes time and training. I was afraid that the dominace issue was going to extend to your mom at some time as well. You would have better luck getting a pup from a reputable breeder so that you can start from scratch with the training and not have to deal with correcting bad behaviors that are already established. All of the books I have read state that it is much easier to train than to correct. That being said, training a pup is just as much a responsibility and takes time, patience and most of all consistency. If you go this route I would suggest the Monks of New Skeete books, "How to be Your Dog's Best Friend" and "The Art of Raising a Puppy" I know I sound like a broken record but these books are eye openers on how to communicate with your dog. Especially the puppy book. It tells you how to recognize the personality of a pup before you even bring it home. I used their techniques to choose Cobey and I got just what the book said I would...a dominant male. There are reasons I chose him, I want him to be more to the agressive side so that when I am often out of town he can do his job around the house. It's just like Cesar Millan says, "I rehabilitate dogs, I train humans". It always is a combination of the 2. I have no problem training Cobey but I am having more of a problem training my wife and daughter on how to handle him by not inadvertantly being "submissive" around him. He picks up on those cues instantly and it is tough getting him back in line just to have them reinforce it again. It's a work in progress, we are still getting out of the puppy stage and all of the wacky behaviors that go with that. He is making wonderful progress.



TOXIC

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Darn I'm sorry to hear that and I was praying I didn't get an e-mail or see a post here that said he was getting aggressive with your Mom.. Darn shame for the dog..

I have to disagree with Toxic a bit in regard to the type of dog you can find at your local Animal Control. I don't know about Jersey but down here in Maryland we have Animal Control which is in charge of taking in strays and runaways and will euthanize the animal

in so many days if they are not adopted. Then we have the A.S.P.C.A. that takes in dogs by referral from people who are going through a divorce and neither will surrender the dog, or someone dies and the mate don't want it or a baby is born and is allergic. And do you believe it, those people keep the baby and get rid of the dog? What's with that??:unsure::huh: The A.S.P.C.A. never euthanizes an animal and when you go there to adopt you must take every member of the family with you, go through an interview to see if YOU are good enough for the dog and then you sign a contract to get the dog fixed if necessary and also to get the dog trained. They get a lot of great dogs!!

Another place to look is dog rescue organizations.. I sometimes work with a group called

G.R.R.E.A.T., Golden Retriever Rescue Education and Training! If a Golden Retriever or even a mix Golden is picked up just about anywhere, the people who picked the dog(s) up know to call GRREAT and they will go pick up the dog. It then is evaluated by certified trainers before going into a foster home where it gets even more evaluation. If you wish to adopt one of those dogs you have to fill out an Adoption Application and then someone

(like me) would come to your home to see if you knew what you wanted and were good enough. Then you would get the Golden that you see on-line or at an 'Adoption Day'.

They get some really GRREAT dogs turned into them. (Pun Intended)..

If you go to a "pound" or Animal Control you can still get a really good dog but if you don't know what to look for or how to evaluate aggression, find the dog you're interested in and then hire a professional trainer to go with you to check it out.

The best way to insure bonding etc., is to buy a puppy and start training right after it's last shot. But puppies are a lot of trouble too. The books that Toxic suggested are about the best you'll find. Another I would like to recommend is "Leader of the Pack", Amazon.com has it.. It's a fun to read book as each chapter starts out with a shot vignette of how a wolf pack works and why they do what they do and how you should apply that to what and how you train your dog.

And Tox, just wait until Cobey finishes his puppy, wacky behavior days and turns into a teenager.:huh: At 8 months I had Sandy trained PERFECTLY in everything except protection. About two weeks later I caught her talking on the phone all the time and when I would tell her to 'heel' of 'to come' she would just look at me and then want the keys to the car?:huh: It was almost like starting the training all over again. Obviously I'm kidding about a couple of things but she did start to balk at what I wanted her to do. I'm glad he's making progress Tox.



http://www.grreat.org/



Uncle Billy




http://www.grreat.org/

 

[Thomas Macaluso]

Thanks for all your help guys . I felt terrible bringing the dog back and my mom was a basket case . If I could I would have taken the dog but mine who is going to be 12 this May would have been upset . I have had dogs all my life from 190 pound great dane to a little 10 pound mutt that I inherited from my grandmother when she passed away .( Nasty little sucker ,the dog not my Grandmother LOL!!) The dog really was a sweet dog when I came into my mom

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

You're more than welcome Tom and I'm very sorry it didn't work out.. I wasn't thinking straight when I told you about GRREAT because they are not in New Jersey.. But the link I have provided in this post shows a Golden rescue group that does cover New Jersey..

There are others I imagine and an on-line search should turn something up in your area or even a phone call to the site I have mentioned here should lead you somewhere. I wouldn't just dismiss a Golden out of hand if I were you! My 'Top Dog' Golden is only 55 to 60 lbs. while 'Buddy", a Golden I rescued some seven years ago weighs in at a slightly trim 120 lbs. and he's in great shape. So, as you can see they come in all sizes.

A lab or a golden mix would be prefect as she has a large fenced yard but I think they maybe slightly to large for my mom at this stage of her life

I've heard that same thing on far more than one occasion! I don't really know what "too large" means? A Golden will fit in most every house I've ever seen.:lol: Just kidding.. I have the two Golden's I've mentioned and a 75 lb. Chocolate Lab (yea I know I'm nuts) in a pretty small house and they are no trouble at all. You do have to be careful of the Labs' tail because of the wagging but otherwise they are all great in a house setting and the Golden's have plenty of fur to pet when they're laying there beside you in the evening.. And trust me Tom, a Golden would be far more suitable than some small, hyper ball of fury like a Jack Russell.

Oh well, give it a thought but I do not think you'd be disappointed at all, especially with a senior Golden! Good Luck Tom..



Uncle Billy
http://www.dvgrr.org/

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Uncle Billy - I resemble your remark about the "small, hyper ball of fury like a Jack Russell". Next time you come to the house I am going to have our Rudy bite you in the ankle and then jump up and bite your nose. He can do a four foot vertical leap from a stand-still. You are right, though, JRTs can be hyper. We are very lucky with our Rudy. While hyper for about 2 minues when someone comes by he is the ultimate lap dog and rotates between Martie's lap and mine during the evening while we are watching TV. He is curled up on my lap now as I key this message. He never met a person or another dog that he didn't like. We were fortunate but watch your comments about JRTs! LOL

 

[Tim Koepp]

As long as some dog hair is not a problem or allergies, a mid aged Golden is perhaps the most "settled" dog you'll find (I'm sure you know! I;m just bored today and adding my 2 cents of agreement).



I thought my border collies were "Active" until I sat for a short time for a friend's JR. I should have known when they named him "Speedy (Gonzalez) after the cartoon character. Still, it was a ball.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Rudy hyper?.....naaaaaah:lol::lol: He's like a ping pong ball in a glass box!! If you go to Bill's house the first thing you will notice is that there are no tree rats in his yard!! And that goes for mice or anything else that has fur!! :lol:



TOXIC

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

OK Bill, Ok!!!! I'll watch it. I've met 'Rudy' twice and though I can't ever remember his name I remember him jumping in my lap and being a great dog! They know who likes them and who doesn't..I'd love to see Rudy again..



Uncle Billy