Growling Help

[Bonniesmummy]

So I thought long and hard about posting this as I wasn't sure to let it go but the worrier in me couldn't let it be!!!

To give you the you the full picture I'll tell you the events leading up to my issue...

Sunday - I find a wee rabbit nd bring it home
Monday - buh bye rabbit, Bonnie has busted the lock on the door and scared it to death (I THINK)
Tuesday - she remembers she can open the doors now and busts the bathroom door open and ransacks the place (but not too bad, just eaten the toothpaste )
Wednesday - Busts the lock on the living room door again and this time another lamp bites the dust (Bonnie hates lamp shades and will eat them at everey opportunity )

Wednesday Night - Its walkie time so we head out in the pouring rain, she doesnt mind the rain, in fact it sends her a bit loopy we have a nice walk and she has her madness 45mins playing in the trees and ferns. Get home and straight into bathroom to get dried, now when I get the towel out to dry her she thinks its a game and bites my hands through the towel, I manage to get her dried and she is all hyped up from both the walk and the drying!!!
Time to leave the bathroom and she heads straight for the bedroom and jumps on my bed, she is allowed on it so thats no problem, when we want her off we tell her off, as we do with the sofa etc and she mostly does so 1st time... sometimes a wee correction is needed. So anyway as she is wet-ish I tell her 'off' and I get a blank look, so I give the correction 'uh uh, off' and she just ignores me, so I go to hold her collar and guide her off and the lil bitch growled at me!!! I gave her a stern 'dont you DARE' and get her off the bed, she starts running around the room and landing, back up on the bed, off again all hyped up!

I was sooooo mad that she growled at me and a bit bewildered too, she has never done this before but could well have been a play growl, she does do these growls when playing with dogs??

Another thing that she does is when the kids are playing, like play fighting or if me and the kids or their dad and them play fight Bonnie barks, I have never really did anything about it before now as its more an excited noise and wants to get involved kinda thing, so I've thought. We went to the beach a while back and a dad was playing chases and catching his daughter and Bonnie got upset about it... barking! so Ive made more of an effort to get her to stop this behaviour..... anyway, this morning I was waiting for the bathroom to become free and laying on the bed with Bonnie having a play, my son comes in the room and lays down with us... I playfully pretend I'm pushing him off the bed and each time my hand goes near him Bonnie growls at me again

What is up with her this week I wonder.... could it be the death of Clyde that's upset her?????

Help

Originally Posted by Bonniesmummy

So I thought long and hard about posting this as I wasn't sure to let it go but the worrier in me couldn't let it be!!!

To give you the you the full picture I'll tell you the events leading up to my issue...

Sunday - I find a wee rabbit nd bring it home
Monday - buh bye rabbit, Bonnie has busted the lock on the door and scared it to death (I THINK)
Tuesday - she remembers she can open the doors now and busts the bathroom door open and ransacks the place (but not too bad, just eaten the toothpaste )
Wednesday - Busts the lock on the living room door again and this time another lamp bites the dust (Bonnie hates lamp shades and will eat them at everey opportunity )

Wednesday Night - Its walkie time so we head out in the pouring rain, she doesnt mind the rain, in fact it sends her a bit loopy we have a nice walk and she has her madness 45mins playing in the trees and ferns. Get home and straight into bathroom to get dried, now when I get the towel out to dry her she thinks its a game and bites my hands through the towel, I manage to get her dried and she is all hyped up from both the walk and the drying!!!
Time to leave the bathroom and she heads straight for the bedroom and jumps on my bed, she is allowed on it so thats no problem, when we want her off we tell her off, as we do with the sofa etc and she mostly does so 1st time... sometimes a wee correction is needed. So anyway as she is wet-ish I tell her 'off' and I get a blank look, so I give the correction 'uh uh, off' and she just ignores me, so I go to hold her collar and guide her off and the lil bitch growled at me!!! I gave her a stern 'dont you DARE' and get her off the bed, she starts running around the room and landing, back up on the bed, off again all hyped up!

I was sooooo mad that she growled at me and a bit bewildered too, she has never done this before but could well have been a play growl, she does do these growls when playing with dogs??

Another thing that she does is when the kids are playing, like play fighting or if me and the kids or their dad and them play fight Bonnie barks, I have never really did anything about it before now as its more an excited noise and wants to get involved kinda thing, so I've thought. We went to the beach a while back and a dad was playing chases and catching his daughter and Bonnie got upset about it... barking! so Ive made more of an effort to get her to stop this behaviour..... anyway, this morning I was waiting for the bathroom to become free and laying on the bed with Bonnie having a play, my son comes in the room and lays down with us... I playfully pretend I'm pushing him off the bed and each time my hand goes near him Bonnie growls at me again

What is up with her this week I wonder.... could it be the death of Clyde that's upset her?????

Help

Auds she's testing you!
She is wanting to take control because she feels there is a place to fill.
Give her boundaries and dont allow her on the bed, she needs rules Hunni and strict ones.

Linda xxx

[Stuart]

I am not sure what started all this,.. but I would like to comment on two things,..I know that you place your hand on the collar to guide Bonny off,.. but personaly I think that is one of the worst things you can do,.. I would have instructed her to get down

If she didnt [ this is the second thing ] I would have warked out, shut the door behind me, and not played her game, that would have stopped her.

...but Audrey, I am not sure what started it all, clearly the fact that she can now open doors is a new thing and is going to happen a few times yet before you can stop it, how you will stop it I dont know,... but the growling [ if not a play growl ] is a bit worrying for you

You did enforce what you wanted though,..so maybe thats the last of it,..you were challenged and you won,... hopfully

[Bonniesmummy]

Originally Posted by LUTGARD

Auds she's testing you!
She is wanting to take control because she feels there is a place to fill.
Give her boundaries and dont allow her on the bed, she needs rules Hunni and strict ones.

Linda xxx

Ya think? The bed thing has never bothered us, as with the sofa as she has always been really good and gets off when told... by any of us, even the kids. She used to jump in the bed when OH left for work but now she sleeps ALL of the time in her bed and only comes up for a cuddle or if no-one is upstairs and she goes up to bed before us, I find her on it.

With the rules I struggle to know what and where I'm going wrong, for example if she is given a command and doesnt do it then she gets 'ah ah', repeat command...... but then what am I supposed to do if she doesnt do it

Originally Posted by Stuart

I am not sure what started all this,.. but I would like to comment on two things,..I know that you place your hand on the collar to guide Bonny off,.. but personaly I think that is one of the worst things you can do,.. I would have instructed her to get down

If she didnt [ this is the second thing ] I would have warked out, shut the door behind me, and not played her game, that would have stopped her.

...but Audrey, I am not sure what started it all, clearly the fact that she can now open doors is a new thing and is going to happen a few times yet before you can stop it, how you will stop it I dont know,... but the growling [ if not a play growl ] is a bit worrying for you

You did enforce what you wanted though,..so maybe thats the last of it,..you were challenged and you won,... hopfully

Stuart your right, I shouldnt have reached for the collar, for one thing I know she doesnt like it!! But at the time I didn't think and reacted to her being cheeky!!

The doors thing... well we used to shut the doors and she learned how to open them so we got locks but they are only small cabin hooks so any amount of pressure from her and she could get them no problem. We always knew when she had tried to get into a room as it would be ever so slightly ajar but the hook staying in place and must have stopped her from trying again as the doors remained locked and hooks in place. The next step is stronger locks I think!!!


The growling has really worried me TBH as I fear the worst I know someone with a bull mastif looking dog (its not one but I cant remember the name of it) well anyway this dog bit someone the other day he is a such a good boy from what Ive seen of him but he was in his back garden and apparently 'protecting' it - its a communal garden shared by 6 flats, some kids ran out, saw the dog and ran back... the dog chased and the mother swiped her hand at him = dog bite!!!

This scares me

Originally Posted by Bonniesmummy

Ya think? The bed thing has never bothered us, as with the sofa as she has always been really good and gets off when told... by any of us, even the kids. She used to jump in the bed when OH left for work but now she sleeps ALL of the time in her bed and only comes up for a cuddle or if no-one is upstairs and she goes up to bed before us, I find her on it.

With the rules I struggle to know what and where I'm going wrong, for example if she is given a command and doesnt do it then she gets 'ah ah', repeat command...... but then what am I supposed to do if she doesnt do it

Yes I do Auds
I think as she's maturing she is testing you.
Seeing how far she can go
With the rules if mine dont do (what I know they can do) I make them, so if they dont sit first time I put them in a sit.
If they dont come back when recalled I get them and put them on lead, I dont stand there shouting them over and over.
They are old enough now to know what commands mean.
Im a strict Mummy I have to be or they will do my job for me.
If Link jumps up at something I say 'off' whilst taking her off when she knows the command I expect her not to do it but if she does (when she knows she shouldnt) I would physically take her off.

I would not have backed away from your situation as I believe that only reinforces authority
JMO
Linda xxx

Stuart your right, I shouldnt have reached for the collar, for one thing I know she doesnt like it!! But at the time I didn't think and reacted to her being cheeky!!

The doors thing... well we used to shut the doors and she learned how to open them so we got locks but they are only small cabin hooks so any amount of pressure from her and she could get them no problem. We always knew when she had tried to get into a room as it would be ever so slightly ajar but the hook staying in place and must have stopped her from trying again as the doors remained locked and hooks in place. The next step is stronger locks I think!!!


The growling has really worried me TBH as I fear the worst I know someone with a bull mastif looking dog (its not one but I cant remember the name of it) well anyway this dog bit someone the other day he is a such a good boy from what Ive seen of him but he was in his back garden and apparently 'protecting' it - its a communal garden shared by 6 flats, some kids ran out, saw the dog and ran back... the dog chased and the mother swiped her hand at him = dog bite!!!

This scares me

Hope things get better Auds x

[kita]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I am not sure what started all this,.. but I would like to comment on two things,..I know that you place your hand on the collar to guide Bonny off,.. but personaly I think that is one of the worst things you can do,.. I would have instructed her to get down

If she didnt [ this is the second thing ] I would have warked out, shut the door behind me, and not played her game, that would have stopped her.

I would agree with that.

All my dogs have always got on the beds/furniture and I have never had a problem with it (enjoyed the cuddles to be honest!), and you cannot get more 'dominant' than a male Anatolian!

Re the growling, its hard to tell without actually seeing it, dogs communicate many ways through different 'growls', for some it is a natural part of playing (as you have already observed) and the fact that she was hyper at the time indicates that she was just playing and over excited. It does not sound as if it was a threatening or warning growl, and she definitely was not telling you she was uncomfortable.

Just a thought - you mention she ate a tube of toothpaste? I am sure there is an ingredient in human toothpaste that is not good for dogs, I wonder if that could have upset her/made her hyper?

Has she been normal in every other way?

Sue

Hi Audrey,

I'm sorry I'm not able to suggest much on the growling, only to add that my nans dog tends to growl when she's over excited but it's a play growl so could be that?

When Ciara was about 4months we left her for about an hour to do shopping and when we got home she had opened the door between the kitchen and living room and trashed loads of stuff. My dad then swapped the door handle for a door knob that you twist and she has never been able to open it, it's not needed now as we generally leave her in the living room when out but when we got the kitten it was good for peace of mind in the first few days of having her.

I'm not sure if there's just one door Bonnie is breaking through but it could be worth a try, not sure how hard it is to do or anything as my dad did it for us

xxx

[Bonniesmummy]

Originally Posted by mcquilla

Hi Audrey,

I'm sorry I'm not able to suggest much on the growling, only to add that my nans dog tends to growl when she's over excited but it's a play growl so could be that?

When Ciara was about 4months we left her for about an hour to do shopping and when we got home she had opened the door between the kitchen and living room and trashed loads of stuff. My dad then swapped the door handle for a door knob that you twist and she has never been able to open it, it's not needed now as we generally leave her in the living room when out but when we got the kitten it was good for peace of mind in the first few days of having her.

I'm not sure if there's just one door Bonnie is breaking through but it could be worth a try, not sure how hard it is to do or anything as my dad did it for us

xxx

Thank's hunni, I think it may have been a play growl but it's the uncertainty that has unsettled me, espcially after hearing about that guys dog who bit someone

Its a very good idea about the handles, I'll look into that!! When we go out we close all the doors except the kitchen and my bedroom... I can't leave her in the living room because of her hatred of lamps lol.... I have gone through sooooo many lampshades its not even funny
xxx

[charlie]

Shes pushing it with u and imo u should be able to grab her collar and take her off the bed these sequences i do with my clients/dogs when they have unruley dogs that bounce around there home the problem is if u take her off the bed when ur pissed off then ur gonna get a pissed off reaction u get me so always be the one that remains calm!!
I only have dogs up on furniture when there invited then these probelms dont exist
Start to be firm but fair in all situations and remember the hyper stages she excibits are the ones to ignore so try and get ur kids to keep things low key

[Bonniesmummy]

Originally Posted by kita

I would agree with that.

All my dogs have always got on the beds/furniture and I have never had a problem with it (enjoyed the cuddles to be honest!), and you cannot get more 'dominant' than a male Anatolian!

Re the growling, its hard to tell without actually seeing it, dogs communicate many ways through different 'growls', for some it is a natural part of playing (as you have already observed) and the fact that she was hyper at the time indicates that she was just playing and over excited. It does not sound as if it was a threatening or warning growl, and she definitely was not telling you she was uncomfortable.

Just a thought - you mention she ate a tube of toothpaste? I am sure there is an ingredient in human toothpaste that is not good for dogs, I wonder if that could have upset her/made her hyper?

Has she been normal in every other way?

Sue

Thats an interesting thought abut the toothpaste.....

She has been normal in every otherway, it was Monday that she wasnt herself... very quiet and out of sorts. She is eating/pooing normal too and after she calmed down that evening she was her usual self and has been ever since.... so maybe it was just a play growl and I'm reading to much into it It just unsettled me a bit after hearing about that dog bitting someone around the same time