Challenging Me
Hi another question sorry
Arrow has hit 6 months and started to what i would say is challenging behaviour towards me.
He growls , doesnt show teeth, around his food or fave toy. When he does it i tell him no and to go into his crate and he does and he stays in there till i let him out (the door is open all this time). He only does this to me, not my partner. He is my dog, i feed him spend all the time with him etc yet never displays this behaviour to partner.
Other than keep doing this is there anything else to add and is this normal behaviour?
Comments
But big barker or not, they all usually have a very extensive range of sounds they make. Some of which SOUND like growling, while the dog is not truly making an aggressive noise in reality.
Our former dog Fancy used to duck and make a humming sound that also reminded of growling when being approached by men she did not know, because she was afraid of strange male persons. But she would never attack them or so. She just expressed that she felt uneasy, but there was no aggression involved.
I "allow" my dog to express her feelings. And if that means that she needs to "tell" me that she is feeling uncomfortable in a certain situation by making a noise that sounds similar to a growl, we just stop and figure things out together.
Of course, it is not tolerable if it's the case that the puppy tries to force its will by actual growling/ showing aggression. But it can take a closer listen to figure out, if that is indeed the situation in place.
The way you describe your encounters somehow causes me to doubt that.
In any case, if you think you may be encountering possessive behavior, try to make "giving things" away a good experience for your dog by making this a frequently played training game.
Later try that with items that are more important to the dog. Allow him the learning experience that giving things away to you is a bargain for him, because he gets something in exchange. First that's treat's. But you will see that sooner or later also a hug will do one or the other time, although I would not skip the "real" rewards altogether.
If you feel that you are encountering possessive behavior right now with some items, practice this training with less interesting items and just put away the ones that cause problems for now. Give them back to the dog once you've reached the point in your training when you want to switch back to the more interesting items and try if things have changed.
Despite training there may always be things your dog remains being hesitant to give them away. But after a thorough time of learning and building the trust, it will probably only take a little longer for him to give one or the other item up for you, but it will no longer trigger aggression towards you.
If it still does, one step back to less interesting items ... and so on. It may take some time. All dogs have their own learning pace.
Also it would be possible to listen closely to the sound and judge, if it indeed is a growl or maybe something else. Also the dog's and your body language and the way both of you act, your own voice etc. would possibly reveal a lot.
Maybe you get the chance to have one member of your family take a video of the situation. And then subsequently watch and analyze it together. Or if you want, post it and ask others for their opinion.
With the information present so far, it is just impossible to tell, if you are really dealing with, say, a lack of respect, aggression or quite the opposite or even just one way of your dog to communicate or play.
All I know for sure is that aggression or challenging you - as you interpret it - is only ONE of MANY POSSIBLE explanations. And even IF it is aggression, many times that results from insecurities and not the wish to challenge you. In my opinion aggression is one of those behaviors in dogs that is most often misinterpreted by people. Because - even in young dogs - only in the fewer cases dominance or misconduct are the true reason behind it.