# What should we do?



## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

O'kay I really think we need help... and I want to know what avenue we should take. Yesterday Geddy & Sawyer met my brother's new 12 week old pup. My brother saw me waiting in the house and called me out. Little Duke is a real sweetheart. I started walking him to the house where Geddy & Sawyer were waiting and just as we reach the steps I realize this is a problem. Geddy started really growling at Sawyer and wanted to take a piece off of him. So hubby got them seperated. I kinda figured it was because she hates being held back from what she wants, she gets growly. So I brought the pup in the house and she immediately starts in on the pup. a 12 week old pup  SHe should KNOW he's a puppy and no threat so WTH  I'm so friggan bothered right now I could barely sleep. THings didn't improve and at one point we put her in the back yard. Duke and Sawyer were sniffing each other and got up to the window and she was acting like cujo (sp?)... like she was a rabid beast on the other side of the door... barking and lunging at him. We decided to take them for a walk together, to see if that would help. Outside she was great, let him come up, she went over to him for a sniff. I was walking Sawyer and let him get over to the pup and she started growling again a smidge. Got home kept everyone on a leash (wanted brother to let Duke walk around, but he was too nervous)... so hubby let Geddy walk around and we watched her closely. Things were going good until the other pup (they were pup sitting came over to me and I reached down to it... he's 8 weeks old). Then Geddy started getting growly. So they picked him right up and put both pups in a crate for a nap. Later they tried letting Duke out again, but again... not good.

I don't know if it's

a) THe pup looks a bit like a rotweiller and they have always been bad to her (in her experiences)

b) She's jeallous of me

c) She's jeallous of Sawyer

After it all started I had a hard time keeping my heart rate calm... I'll admit it got me worked up. So I'm sure that didn't help. 

Oh, and on our walk we met a little bichon pup (6 months) and she was great with it?????

Please give me some advice


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Lexi does not like puppies...and no, she doesnt give a rat's behind if they are 8 weeks or 12 weeks - threat or none....she doesnt like the way the move...they way they smell...they way they play - The cuteness factor means nothing to her.....

Then the 'cute' smelly things come into her yard, house and near her food or her favorites....I DONT THINK SO!! If they get too close or look at her the wrong way she will make it very clear that they are not to do it again...more then once she intimidated & scared Trace when he was young and had offended her...he survived just fine and more importantly learned....not all dogs are to be approached just becuase Im curious....he has become very good at reading other dogs - becuase he has been forced to do so -or else face her wrath....

With Lexi, it does seem to change when any pup reaches about 5-6 months....I think their faces change and are easier to read...and their movements/behavior becomes more 'adult like' also easierfor her to read...

We very closely controlled/monitored all of the Lexi/Trace interactions and to some degree let Lexi push him around. Trace respects her space, her toys, her food.....Today, they play and wrestle and are good/safe together - but they _needed_ to get along so we put in the work...

I do not make such an effort with all puppies that she meets...
I avoid her interactions with puppies.....not everyone would apprecaiate their young puppy yelping/screaming while being ferociously barked at and chased off..

IMO - I think your brother was right to not push the issue and keep the pup separated from Geddy even if she was on leash - they can move so darn fast and if you dont know if she will offer up a bloody attack or simply intimidate...dont take the chance...

The excitement/nervousness/frustration at the door and taking it out of Saywer is normal...
She certainly could have a breed/look predjudice....
Dont think she is jealous of you, but certainly considering you a resource that she needs to guard...
This is one of those times where having eyeballs on the situation would really be helpful....is she all noise/commotion/intimidation or would she shed blood...


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

I am so sorry this happened to you. I know how you are feeling. It's like your heart is breaking and you are so disappointed. I was telling a friend who doesn't have a dog about my experience and she says it must be like getting a call from the school principal telling you your kid has been very bad!!! 

I've been through this with Pippa and my brother's Golden. Cooper is a very boisterous, "Mr. Congeniality" Golden and Pippa is more calm, laid back, sometimes a bit shy going into a new situation and wants to stick close to me whereas Cooper wants to say "HI I AM HERE...LETS PARTY!!!!! On numerous occasions the two of them have gotten into a scrap but it's always been at my parents house where Cooper grew up since 8 weeks old and still spends at least 2-3 days per week while my brother works long days. We've had them together at my brother's home (Coopers home now but not where he grew up) and they were fine. I think Cooper's being territorial and protecting his home where he's spoiled rotten. It's also the fact that Pippa doesn't like a dog running at her 50 mph to greet her. Cooper has also started a scrap with Pippa when she's touched his toys at my parents place. I really don't have any suggestions on how to fix the issue and have asked for suggestions in the past myself. Hopefully one of the trainers can help. 

Again, so sorry this happened to your guys.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I think dogs sometimes just come across certain dogs that they don't like, just like with people sometimes meet people that we just don't like.

Brady loves ALL animals he has come across, except one day when we were at a National Park with loads of families and their dogs, he came across two dogs being walked by their owner, and it was the first time and only time I ever heard him growl at another dog. He played with everybody else he met that day.

I could not identify the breed of these two dogs, possibly pit bull or boxer mix.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Maggie *HATES* puppies... she has nothing to do with them and when IM fostering she lets them know right off the bat she if off limits. If they come in her space she will growl and snap at them. And god forbid if one touches her or climbs on her. For the most part after a few Maggie snaps the puppies learn to stay away from her. The bad thing is when the puppies come in here guess who they love and want to always be with....yep Maggie.


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## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

Thanks for sharing your stories guys!!! Goldilocks... you got it! I am sooo darn proud of Geddy when she's playing with little children... she's a model golden and just a sweet little girl. And too with most other dogs.  But lately she seems to be having some issues. And it does break my heart. 

This weekend, when we met up with Tucker she started out in the exact same way, growling and frustrated. We *think* she doesn't like to be held back... but this is no way to behave. After she was allowed off leash in the back yard and allowed to just meet Tucker and play she was fine. 

I think what frustrates me is that our current trainer doesn't seem to be equiped to help us. I don't want this to become a serious or permanent problem. She needs to learn patience when meeting other dogs. So I'm going to look around and see if I can't find someone else who can help us. Sadly, in our area, our current trainer is the one most widely recommended.

Anyways... thanks everyone for sharing your experiences... it's helps to know that we are not alone.

oh, and btw... we went for another walk with Duke (my brothers 12 week old pup) and no problems whatsoever. We had Geddy on a 20' lead, where she could have some ability to sniff around. She did go over to Duke a few times, but generally wasn't much interested in him. However, she was not bad to him again either... so hopefully it's progress. I'd like to see her work out her issues, so they can be friends... they are afterall cousins


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Shadow gets very growly and in Bailey's face when he comes to stay. I'm lucky though, it only lasts a few minutes and because Bailey is like, "Yeah, okay Shad." It has never gotten bad and it's over by the time they run out of the house and out the back door together. I hate the first few minutes of Bailey's arrival, but the rest of the time is wonderful. 

It is very upsetting to have to watch, listen, and try to correct the behavior. I did notice the last time, after Bailey was with us for more than a week and everything was fine, the minute I put his collar on because he was being picked up to go home, Shadow was NOT happy. All he did was bark, but the behavior certainly caught my attention.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I totally relate to how you and Goldilocks feel! The first time Gunner really acted like Cujo to a strange dog was at a GRRIN event. Talk about embarrassing! People not only look at you like you must have done something to this beautiful golden retriever to make him act so bad but also like you're a terrible golden parent!

I hope Geddy's problem is an issue you can resolve easily.

Gunner has alot of anxiety and his dog aggression seems to be fear based. He is wonderful with dogs he knows and the perfect golden personality with children.
He is well trained and behaves under our commands but nothing is going to change his anxiety issue. I could never trust him to approach a strange dog or viceversa. I don't know what will happen if in the future we get another dog. I am currently leaving that alone as I have no idea what the future holds.

I wish you the best with Geddy and hope this is a solitary issue.


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

Sandra, I'm surprised you didn't get a whole lot more responses than you did because it always seemed the GRF had so many outspoken 'trainers' and 'behaviorists' arguing about dog training issues in the past... perhaps you should have put Cesar Millan in the thread's title  that would have drawn a lot of attention to this thread I'll bet.

Don't get angry with me but I believe Geddy's behavior is actually 'dissing' you as the boss. If it were me, I'd be taking Geddy to task about it ASAP. First of all everyone needs to shed their apprehensions and fear around her and the puppy. Be right next to Geddy every second and watch her like a hawk and at the first sign of anything more that a mere passing interest at the puppy, physically blocker her with your body and MAKE her snap out of it by jabbing her in the neck with your fingers until she breaks her fixation on the pup... and be very stern and dead serious in your demeanor. At first you may have to do it 5 or 6 maybe even 10 times in rapid succession, especially if she has been 'disrespecting' you for some time now, but soon she will try avoidance (turning away from the puppy's advances), that's when you know you've gotten your message across. However, you need to work on getting her respect... Geddy is asserting herself because she believes she can... you need to correct that notion right now. It's not being mean for you to take control of the situation but you must be consistent for her to eventually relax and trust your judgment. She's about 2 now (which means she is approaching mental maturity) and I suspect/believe it is the time many dogs attempt to push the limits in an effort to get a clear picture of their place/role in the pack order as new adults. Every dog I've ever owned I've had to put them in their place at some point... yes, even sweet tolerant Sidney... and it is that very reason he is sooooo tolerant with other ill mannered dogs today. He merely endures but looks at me and trusts me to handle the situation.... and I never let him down... I always handle the situation. Geddy is getting pushy because she's testing in these situations and you need to make it clear from the outset that you are the one controlling the situation... and she can either tolerate the puppy or ignore the puppy but under no circumstances will she intimidate or hurt the puppy. It appears to be just about greeting a puppy in your home today but if handled properly now you will never have to see it escalate to other dogs outside the home, etc. However you MUST intervene at the very first sign of Geddy showing anything other than tolerance or a mild interest in the puppy. It's very important you be able to 'read' Geddy's intentions prior to taking any action on her part and you must immediately respond appropriately at that very first sign and not let up until you get a neutral response from her or disinterest or even avoidance of the puppy... any of those responses is acceptable.

I hope you don't take this the wrong way as too often owners make excuses for their dog's disrespectful behaviors in an attempt to preserve their own version of the relationship and this only leads to having to make more excuses as these behaviors slowly begin to escalate and become more encompassing over time. Geddy's a sweet natured dog and so it shouldn't be hard to turn this all around but you must begin now to prevent further problems in the future.


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## arcane (Sep 18, 2007)

Lego&Jacub said:


> After it all started I had a hard time keeping my heart rate calm... I'll admit it got me worked up. So I'm sure that didn't help.


this is one thing that is very important ...your energy is going right down that lead to Geddy...If you are approaching other dogs with the fear or anxiety that this shall happen, it most likely will...you have to keep yourself positive and focused and as monomer said correct all negative behavior instantly! Oh and stay away from Ceasar!!! :


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## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

Update: This past weekend we were down to visit my mom again, and we met my brother and his now 5 month old pup Duke for a walk. Geddy's first reaction was to growl a bit at first when she saw him get out of the car. We went for a good long walk and on many opportunities they were brought close together to sniff and say hi. No problems at all. The walk went flawlessly. Later that night my brother brought Duke over to my mom's place, we took them all for a very quick walk... then brought them back to the house to see how they'd do. I'll admit I was a wee bit nervous. I held onto Sawyer so that Geddy could have a chance with Duke. I heard lots of growling... but it didn't sound like viscious growling. Look over to them and the two of them are having a fab. little bitey-face session. Geddy was play bowing and then they'd both be up on their hind legs with arms entwined. Sawyer wanted to play soo badly so I let him in a bit too. Kindof a Sawyer-Duke play session, then a Geddy-Duke session. All went really well and I could not have been more pleased. At one point both Duke and Geddy shared a water bowl.

Next day we took them back to the same place as the first walk (which might I add... what a wonderful place!!!!)... and Geddy & Sawyer were let loose for a good ol' splash in the water and run. Duke would have loved to be included also... but my brother was just too nervous to let him run. So we gave him our leashes to extend his and the kids were able to play with Duke too a bit.

I really think that what happened the first time must be what happens when you don't properly introduce dogs in neutral territory... like everyone always says to do. 

Anywho... I am just thrilled beyond words that all went well.


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

Thats such great news!!! She just needs a little time to get used to a new dog it seems, she sounds like a wonderful playmate for a doggy to have!!!


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## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

that's the thing... she really is such a sweet little girl... with an immense heart. But she is also a nervous girl... who just needs time to feel comfortable. I'm just amazed tho at how much more vocal she's become with age lol!!!

I forgot to add that on that same walk we met this humongous rottie as well. And she was a perfect little girl to him... just sniffs and happiness!!!!


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

Lego&Jacub said:


> that's the thing... she really is such a sweet little girl... with an immense heart. But she is also a nervous girl... who just needs time to feel comfortable.


Thats exactly how it is with Harry, it is all to do with how nervous he is around strange dogs...if he meets more than one at a time he is ridiculously submissive, he actually crawls on his belly towards them (for about 20ft!) then instantly rolls to his back before squealing to get to the nearest person for a reassuring fuss...he loves people far more than dogs!! 

If he knows the other dog and is happy that they won't leap on him he is an angel and will happily go on 2 hour walks with them without the slightest problem.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I am so glad Geddy is doing better with the other dogs and hopefully from now on when meeting new dogs you will know what to do to ease her into it.

Unfortunately, I don't see any new dog friends in Gunner's future unless major tranquilizers are involved.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Rigby hates puppies too. There is the rare exception he takes to... the ones that do not get in his face, licky licky, and stupid acting... but most of them he hates.


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

That is great Sandra!


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## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

Thanks Marsha!!!


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## Blaireli (Jun 3, 2008)

I'm so glad that Geddy was more relaxed around Duke this time!  Luke doesn't like puppies, either. He gets very annoyed if they try to play with him. He will give me a look like, are you serious?! Then he'll go to the nearest corner and try to hide there to get away from the puppy.

Big hugs to Geddy for being such a good girl!


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