i have a dog that took over my coach what do i do ???

Question

now every time i try to get him off he snarles and barks at me so i end up siting on the floor he doesnt even want his tail to wag when it does he bites it.

Answer 1

my basset does the same and everytime she growls we dont want to touch her so we have been using a water bottleand everytime we see her on it we squirt her and say of while pointing to the ground

Answer 2

Assuming your dog is an otherwise healthy, young adult dog, then I have to say you have a "who's the boss" issue on your hands.
Your dog sees you as an equal member of his pack. This is not a good thing. If dogs are not given clear boundries, rules and an understanding of who is in control then they will step into the role themselves. Dogs, like young children, need and want boundries.
Do yourself and your dog a favor and begin some positive re-enforcement training immediately. You should be successful using methods that are used with very young dogs if he has had no training at all. If he responds to treats, it will make the task that much easier. If not, then I hope he is satiated by praise alone.
This situation will only escalate if you don't do something about it now. Depending on the size of the dog, it can become dangerous at worst and quite annoying at best.
I would recommend that you seek assistance in some basic training techniques initially. Try Petsmart, they offer affordable one-on-one training and I've seen great results with dogs of all ages. It is important that you listen to what the trainer is telling you and that you practice with your dog for 2-3 short sessions on a daily basis.
You will likely see immediate results if you simply walk your dog twice a day for a minimum of thirty minutes each time. This may reduce or eliminate the tail chasing altogether.
Also--do not allow him on the furniture any longer, EVER. Tell him "off" when he jumps on the couch and reward him with a treat or a special toy when he responds accordingly.
I've seen people get quick results by leashing the dog indoors and tethering him to a solid chair or table near the sofa. Give him a blanket that is his alone, to lay on and a toy that holds a treat to keep him busy. Kongs are great for this. Make sure he knows that you 'own' the kong and if he is good you will reward him by letting him chew on it. He must let you take the kong from him without him growling or posturing in a threatening manner. Do not tease or torture him. Just help him understand that you are the pack leader and he does not have to be.
If you show calm control, he will likely be glad to relinquish the leadership role to you.
Please understand that the behavior you describe is nearly always in the background of a dog that bites aggressively. It doesn't always lead to such behavior but usually exists in the history of a dog that injures someone by biting them.
Your dog more than likely can become your loyal, predictable and trusted companion with gentle, but firm and consistent training. And I cannot stress this enough, CONSISTENCY is the key to success. He has to know what to expect from and what you expect from him.
Good luck.

Answer 3

I have used a combination of things to get my "moose" off of my furniture. First, I use a coffee can full of marbles. (A shock collar would work, but, they are really expensive and you aren't always going to be available to correct the behavior. You can buy marbles at the dollar store.) Every time he starts to climb onto the sofa, shake the can vigorously and say , NO! When you aren't in the room leave the can on the sofa. When he climbs up the can will tip and make noise.This should work pretty well, and soon he'll associate the noise with the behavior and not want to be near the furniture. Secondly, because I can't be home 24/7, I place metal folding chairs across the seats whenever I leave. These are too bumpy and hard for him to lay on, so he's not sneaking a nap while I'm not there. Any hard, uneven objects will do.

Answer 4

Is your dog senile, that he is biting his own tail for wagging? If he is senile I would be more sympathetic to him than if he is young. I would get him an orthopedic dog bed (such as one with "egg carton" foam inside) and put it on the floor. Whether he is senile or not, I would not put up with him taking over the couch. And if he's not senile, I wouldn't put up with any snarling. That leads to biting. Put a leish on him and make him get off the couch. Tell him he's a good dog when he's off. To keep him off the couch, blow up some balloons and tape them to the couch. Or take a soda can and put 10 pennies in it and tape it shut. Place some of these precariously balanced on the couch so they fall and make noise when he gets on. Or put anything on the couch so he can't get on it. It's probably best, in your case, to make him understand he's not allowed on the couch. Then he at least won't think YOU are the trespasser when you want to sit there. Take an obedience class with him.

Answer 5

Everytime he jumps on your coach push him off and stay there with him in front of you. If he trys to get up make a noise like "ch" and dont let him up. If he snarls then i think it is time to take him to training and consult a trainer about the problem. If he is already up on the coach and he is snarling then he might have a territorial and agression problem and dont try to handle him.

Answer 6

Your dog thinks he is in charge!!First of all don't let him on the couch in the first place because he is higher than you and that is bad.Have you gone through obedience school,if not do so right away.It also sound like you dog has a behavior problem called tail chasing that sometimes requires medicine to curb it.Please get your dog under control before he hurts you,because that is next.

Answer 7

Clean the couch really good with some odor remover you can get at a pet store (like PetSmart).
Then buy some bitter apple/pepper spray stuff and sray the couch...it should deter him.

If not I would try retraining him by popping him or putting him in a crate/kennel when he does get on the couch, or when he bites at you when you try to move him.

The only other thing I can think of is to go to Goodwill and buy an old chair for him....make it just his. (I did this for my dog and it saved my couch and bed)

hope this helps.

Answer 8

Took over your COACH? Is he a college mascot? Don't you mean your Couch??. Also, if somebody was trying to "get me off", I'd probably snarl too!

Answer 9

If this monster can feed himself, then you are out of a job and a couch. Should he depend on you for substance, then you should be able to control the situation. feed him else where and then lock him out.

Or you could get a thick leather belt and wear his a** out. Most get the message after a few whacks.

Answer 10

You are no longer the alpha in your house, you need to teach him the rules all over again, I recommend this training technique called NILF (nothing in life is free) it is very effective in regaining control over your dog who is clearly showing signs of dominance aggression.... Excerpt from NILF training technique...

Nothing In Life Is Free

Does your dog: Get on the furniture and refuse to get off? Nudge your hand, insisting on being petted or played with? Refuse to come when called? Defend its food bowl or toys from you? “Nothing in life is free” can help. “ Nothing in life is free” is not a magic pill that will solve a specific behavior problem; rather it’s a way of living with your dog that will help it behave better because it trusts and accepts you as its leader and is confident knowing its
place in your family.

Go here to learn how to practice NILF... http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dog_nilf.htm


Excerpt from a lesson in becoming alpha...

"My dog just tried to bite me! All I did was tell him to move over so I could sit on the couch next to him."
" My dog got into the trash can and when I scolded her, she growled at me. What's wrong with her? I thought she loved me!"
" Our dog is very affectionate most of the time but when we try to make him do something he doesn't want to do, he snaps at us."
What do these three dogs have in common? Are they nasty or downright vicious? No - they're "alpha". They've taken over the leadership of the families that love them. Instead of taking orders from their people, these dogs are giving orders! Your dog can love you very much and still try to dominate you or other members of your family.

Go here for the full lesson... http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-alphadog.htm

Answer 11

You had better show him he is not the Alpha or you could get hurt. How did you let it get that bad? I'd have kicked his butt off my couch the first time he tried to take it over.