Jack Russel dog 7 years old.My dog is continually growling especially at my wife.?

Question

We have been together since before he was born but in recent years he has become more cantankerous.We have children and grand children so it can be quite chaotic(That's an understatement).Normaly he just get's out of the way by lying under my chair(The only way I can guarantee a seat) a place he can be found often.The problem is he has started to become uneasy with the people he grew up with to the point he is scaring my wife.He is very much my dog going crazy When he sees me.What can I do to stop him growling?.

All the kids treat him with respect with no chance of abuse or him letting them abuse him. strangely enough he adores babies and whines with excitement when she comes in(Ella-11 months) but the other kids as they've got older(Teenage) he has turned against them,the adults (20 upwards) tell him to shut up and ignore him.

I don't have a problem with "Miles" apart from the fact he gets on the furnature when I go to bed.
In this case I am the male,there are three words said in our house on a regular basis Miles,Dad and getunder!.

He's not ill physically just bloody minded.

Answer 1

First of all, Ignore the idiots who tell you to get rid of him.
This is simply a behaviour issue which can easily be rectified.
Your dog thinks he is superior in the pack order, and is attempting to assert his dominance.

To correct this behaviour, you need to adopt a bit of doggy psychology.

Firstly, when he starts to act aggressively, make eye contact with him while at the same time, making yourself as large and overwhelming to him as possible.
DO NOT BREAK THIS EYE CONTACT.
It is imperative that you maintain this eye contact until he breaks it first.
This is one of the key ways in which dogs establish dominance in a pack environment.

Secondly, every time he gets aggressive and growls, pin him down to the floor.
If he snaps at you when you go in to do it, don't worry. He won't hurt you. It's just his way of trying to warn you that he's boss, and it's a sure fire sign that you have allowed things to go too far.
Now, the way you pin him down is very important, and it's vital that you get this bit right.

Pin him down on his side, with your hand on his shoulder. Not so hard that it hurts him. Just enough to restrain him and stop him from wriggling free.
He will struggle. You need to hold him until he stops struggling, all the while maintaining constant eye contact.
Once he stops struggling, hold him for a few seconds longer before releasing him. Then ignore him completely for 10 minutes or so.

This is how his behaviour would be dealt with in the wild by other dogs.
This is the language he will understand best.
And I guarantee you almost instant results.

Answer 2

To be honest, I don't know what all is available in the UK. I also know that not every dog that does well on one kind of food will do well on another. I work in a petstore and usually recommend people check the ingredients labels. The first ingredient should always be meat. Be it Chicken, Lamb, Venison, Salmon, or something else. It doesn't matter. Stay away for vague meat referrences like meat and bone meal or meat by-product. If you can't know for sure what type of meat it is, chances are, the company is using the cheapest meat they can find. Meal is dried meat and bone mixture. There are different levels of protein quality of the meal since the majority of it is the remnant after the breasts were cut from the chicken or the steaks from the cow. I know Timberwolf Organics use meals with high protein content and low ash (which comes from the bones). You want to stay away from foods with a lot of corn, wheat, and soy in their top ingredients. Also, keep an eye out for foods that split grains (i.e. lists multiple same grain products). Personally, I'm not a big fan of by-products, but that's a whole big debate. By-products are parts of an animal that are not generally eaten by humans. I personally am not against eating hearts and livers (great for protein), but I worry about kidneys, intestines, and other organs considering the functions they play in the body. Stay away from artificial preservatives (BHT, BHA, ethyoxiquin). Find a food that uses mixed tocopherols. I saw a food earlier that had lard as it's 2nd or 3rd ingredient. Is that much lard healthy for us? We are not that different from our dogs and cats. Fruits and veggies in food is good (or just add the left over veggies your kids didn't eat at dinner to your dogs bowl, that's what I do). Be aware that too much protein or fat can be problems for older animals (imo 7 for a JRT isn't old, it's middle aged). Have an organ screen done at your vet at least every other year (every year is better) to just monitor the function levels of your dog's organs. Glucostamine, Condroitin (sp), and L-Carnitine are great supplements (usually already in high quality foods). The Glucostamine and Chondroitin help with keeping the cartiledge supple for a JRT's happy jumping. L-Carnitine helps keep from putting on too much weight. Hope this is helpful.

Answer 3

There are NO breeds that go crazy when they get older. My old jack russell was 18 when he popped his clogs.
Something has changed. It can only be something in the environment, or something about your dog.
I'm very sorry to say that its common for someone to tease or bully the dog, or handle it roughly, when the owner is not around. Thats the first thing to consider. The fact is that if the dog is the same with you, its less likely to be illness. If it were illness causing his behaviour, he would also be growling at you. I think you need to see a behaviourist and a vet, and you need to get to the bottom of this.

If he feels safe with you it may be the chaotic atmosphere he dislikes. If you're the calm one he may trust you and be learning to mistrust the noisy chaotic people.
Safest to shut him away in a quiet room when there are lots of people around, and make it clear that room is out of bounds. No on is allowed in there but oyu. Then make sure oyu enforce that rule. If anyone tries to break it, even 'as a joke', don't trust them around your dog.
Good luck.

Answer 4

your dog is trying to be top dog, but understands that you are top dog, so each time he growls, that is his way of protecting the alpha male (you) in HIS pack. when you enter a room or come back home after leaving your dog. IGNOR him, go and talk to your wife, make a cuppa tea, whatever you want so long as your dog is not the focus of your attention until he has left you alone. then YOU call him to you and make a small amount of fuss of him. let your wife feed him, (after the family has been fed) ( he MUST always eat last) you and your wife should try to take the food bowl from the dog, to show that he can only eat when you says so. loads of praise if he allows you to do this, DO NOT HIT THE DOG EVER. scold him with a sharp NO if he growls, and continue to take his food away. maybe start with using a broom/stick to move his bowl away first.( you can repalce brooms, but not fingers) your wife should take him for little walks. maybe you start off with the dog and lead, with your wife walking beside you, when the dog is quite happily walking along, give the lead to your wife, then start walking a pace or two behind her, until your dog and wife are walking togther. your wife must show her dominance over your dog. as must the grand/chidren.. GOOD LUCK

Answer 5

I was told this by a trainer who specialised in Jack Russells, it does work! They are bread to herd cattle and work for one master - you! your wife and others may be seen by the dog as needing to be herded, the dog ids trying to please you. The only answer is that each time this happens you, the master, must force your index finger up the dogs bottom. Yes I know but it works. It takes the dogs mind off the herding instinct and after a number of times they will stop. It also works to do same if they are biting someone or another dog. Wash hands carefully after each occasion.

Answer 6

You need to make sure that you and your wife are dominant over your dog, not the other way round. If he is dominant over you, this can often result in growling and aggresion towards outsiders.One of the ways to regain your dominence is by lying him down on his side and placing your hands on his side. A helpfull book for this situation is the doglopedia. This will tell you more things like this and much more usefull info

Answer 7

Hi we had a jack russel who was fine when he was a young dog but became very cantankerous as he got older he Evan would not let the vet look at him he would try to bite every body even my grand children the vet finally managed to examine him to find he had cancer He had to be put down he was 12 years old you cannot trust these dogs with children

Answer 8

Jack russels are vey territorial dogs. You wouldn't think but they are. He is getting older and grumpier likes dogs tend to do sometimes. But if it's to this point it's scaring your wife and you have grandchildren and your own around you should give your dog up. Sorry about your situation I hope it works out for you. I don't know what I'd do without my Baby girl Jack. Good luck to you , do what's best for you and your family.

Answer 9

i've got a puppy jack russel and he growls at everyhting he goes up and down the stairs growling at every step i think it's just a trait, i go up to stroke him and he growls at me but doesn't do me any harm as he runs into my arms as he does it, whimpering is a trait dogs picked up to let humans no they r in trouble before that they used to growl mayb its just the jack russle hasn't got the hang of the wimpering.

Answer 10

I'm sorry but I can't advise but to say your not alone, we used to have the same problem "Holly" was my dog but if my wife came near me for a cuddle she went bezerk.
In the morning she would jump on the bed between us to keep us apart and would go for my wife if she tried to push her off.
As she got older she got worse we tried re-training her with a dog phsycologist but he told us it was pointless as JR's are renowned for their loyalty to one person and aggression to others. At the end of the day they are a terrier.

We managed to keep her until she died a ripe old age of 14 but it sad to say it was a relief for us at the end of the day.

We now have 2 border terriers and a chocolate labrador and guess whats happening?...