I Snapped at Rover (page 2)

AGuest

He'll forget, dear CoCo (peace to you!)... as soon as you love him up, again. Unlike human who "keep account of the injury" animals don't... unless the injury WAS intentional (there was a saying in law, a quote from some famous judge, "Even a dog knows the difference between being kicked... and tripped over"). Tell him you're sorry (look him in the eye), love him up to let him know you mean it... and then don't do it again. (Shelby dusts off hands).

The male dogs I've had have always been hard-headed, dear cameo-d (peace to you!)... which is why I didn't want another. Until I got my Louie, a 6-pound smooth bronze (Taco Bell) chihuahua... who thinks he's a rottweiler. He's the aggressor... and even tries to duke it out with me on occasion (like when he slips out the house and decides to take his own little butt for a walk down the street - when I catch up with him, he growls and snarls viciously like, "Look, lady, I'm going for walk whether you like it or not, so bring it if you think you can!"). I just snatch his little butt up and DARE him to bite me. He snarls... but he ain't stupid.

My "girl"... Liah... (his 10-pound daughter) is a sweetheart. I even call her "Sphinx-y sweet" because of how she poses. Does whatever you tell her to... when you tell her to. And a GREAT alarm dog.

You've got to be more defiant than your dog. You MUST let him know you're the boss. It's not mean - he NEEDS to know. Dogs are pack minded and need an "alpha." If you have a husband/man of the house, then that is the alpha (male)... and you are the alpha (female). If you DON'T have an alpha MAN... then your dog will TAKE that place if YOU don't let him know that YOU are the alpha (but just female), since he depends on YOU for his food. His position, in that case, is BETA (male)... and he needs to know it. If there is a man, then that man MUST let the dog know that HE (the man) is the alpha male... that YOU are the alpha female... and that the dog is the beta male. He will only accept that from the alpha male, if there is one... but the alpha female, if there isn't.

But if you don't let him know... and there's no other alpha (human or dog) to let him know... then he's only doing what is NATURAL to him, as a dog: stepping into the alpha position. And so, it's really not HIS fault.

Don't be afraid of him. If you are, don't even LET him know it. It's not FOR him to know. All HE needs to know is that HE is BETA (or lesser, if there are other dogs that preceded him in the household).

Help him find his "place" in the household. And make sure he stays there. If you do, you will find that you have a very loving and loyal companion.

I hope this helps, both.

Again, peace to you!

SA, on her own...

smiddy

CoCo

Nobody......,but.... NOBODY loves you like a dog. Enjoy your relationship with them while you can.I still feel guilty when I was cross with my toy poodle because I didn`t understand what she was trying to convey to me,and I scolded her at times.After 16.5 yrs when I had to put her down I sobbed my heart out. Cherish your relationship with your animals. ( Maybe God should have stopped creating after the animals and forgot about humans)

smiddy

cameo-d

CoCo...

You gotta check this out! It looks like an air freshener...but it's not. It puts out some kind of chemicals to stone your dog. It's being advertised for "behaviorial problems" to calm them down!

Can you imagine the implications here??? What if "they" have been using mind altering chemicals for humans in benign products like this? Just curious....do they use plug in air fresheners at the KH?

Here's a video about it. (You have to watch a commercial first)

http://www.videojug.com/film/dap-dog-appeasing-pheromone-for-separation-anxiety

watersprout

he rolls over on his back as soon as I approach, and nothing...NOTHING can get him off his back to make him stand up again.

When we had our dog [she was 6 and had been abused] she was awful. Had no social skills and every time either Carrot or I went near her she went over on her back with her paws in the air. Didn't matter if we had food or her lead, over she went! She was scared of everything...Whenever i used the broom she used to pee herself... It took two years for her to even come near me...I heard that when a dog goes over on their back and refuses to get up its a sign that they are frightened...Just show your dog plenty of love and your dog will come round...Its a long slow process but very rewarding...Our dog is 15 years old now and still going strong...

She was kept in a cage in a garden by an asian family and has a big dent in her back where the repeated beatings have damaged her back...even now if she see's an asian person she goes in for the attack...I always end up chasing her and apologising to the person...She hasn't accepted that rascism is not acceptable in our house!

Peace and light

cameo-d

watersprout: "I heard that when a dog goes over on their back and refuses to get up its a sign that they are frightened."

Thanks watersprout. It's helpful to understand the reasons behind the behavior. It took him a few weeks to even look at me. He always kept his head turned and would not make eye contact. What does that mean?

watersprout

When your dog looks away it's a sign of submission...Good manners on the dog's part.

Hope that helps.

Peace

troubled mind

We love our little handful ,Baxter,see picture above .

He knows my husband is Alpha -male ,but he likes to challenge my role sometimes . He is very bossy over any other animals he meets . We have a new kitten and they are finally playing together until food is around ,then Baxter will chase the cat out of the room .

One thing this dog does ,that we have never had any other dog do ,is that he peers into your eyes with intensity . It is like he is trying to read your mind or send us a telepathic message from his . He will jump up near us and get real close to your face and just stare into your eyes .( I admit sometimes it is because we have ignored a signal that he wants something )

Snoozy

I watch my daughters dogs a lot. They are two Leonburgers..and weigh about 150 each. The only complaint I have is that when I watch them I stay in the spare bedroom upstairs..

I come down about 7 to let them out and feed them and they meet me at the foot of the stairs all excited.That I can stand, what gets me is that they poke their sharp noses up my bun!!I ended up smacking one of them on the nose once and felt like a child abuser.I have tried to find out why they do this and can only find that they are greeting you..

It is not only me, they do it to anyone.And it hurts...lol

I read that you should turn your back on them when they do this..why would I want to do that?Give them a better shot?

I think it is a I'm the boss thing..but how to break them of it without breaking their nose?

It is very embarrasing for me and any visitors that they decide to "Probe"...

Snoozy..

ps. Funny that without any training putting the leash on the friskiest one seems to settle him down immediately!

He is a also puppy mill rescue dog and scares easily..(except yelling about the probe thing...)

Another thing I have noticed he is doing is nipping at hands..he is obsessed with them. You have to hole lthem up or cover them when he is in the mood to nip.

compound complex

He may forget what I said, but he'll never forget how I made him feel.

Lduh:

Thanks for your post. I was being ironical in my paraphrase of a famous writer's words, given that my little true "tail" above has accorded my canine pals some human characteristics.

Thank you all for the great posts. Will read them in more depth after work today.

Gratefully,

CoCo

I Snapped at Rover

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