how do i stop?

Question

my mums pomerainem (sp?) from growling etc. my son went to crawl past him and he growled at him. he has also biten my daugther because she went near his food. my mum wont do anything about it and says well just move the kids away from the dog this dog even growled at her when she went to tell him off for biting. i live with my mum so i cant just not go there and she wont get rid of him is there anyway to correct this dogs behavouir?????

the dog is 3yrs old she only got him a couple of months ago from a shelter.

ok for starters anti frezze not an option.
second my mum will not part with this dog she treats him like a baby (human)

Answer 1

First of all to treat a dog like they are human is not doing the dog any good what so ever and the dog knows it's not human. So what ever your mom is doing to treat this dog as a human is not gratifying for the dog what so ever in the dogs mind. What has happened is your mom has let this dog think that it is the dominant leader of the pack. (Alpha). Thus the reason for the growling and snapping at everyone which includes your mom. The next time the dog exibits this behavior you or your mother need to correct him by grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and without hurting him force him to the floor. This may sound harsh to some people but it is something that the dog will instinctivly understand. It is what is refured to as an Alpha roll and it is what the dominant pack member does when another member of the pack exibits an unexceptable behavior. It doesn't hurt the dog but it will eventually imprint on the dogs mind that he is not the dominant member of the pack and that exibiting improper behavior will not be tollerated. When you do this you need to hold him in this possition until he submits. You will know when he does because his body will relax and he will go limp. He most likely will try to struggle a little and will become alittle vocal when you first put him to the floor. Just keep constant presure on him without hurting him and give a "NO"! in a low toned voice. This is like a growl to the dog and will re-enforce to him that you mean buisness. It's like dog language. Ya see? After a few seconds he will submit to you and he will relax. After he has relaxed and is calm loosen your hold on him slowly and give a few soft strokes on side of his neck and give "Good boy" in a soft tone. At that point you can let him begin to get back to his feet. Again give the Good boy and stroke him gently. If he starts to exibit the same behavior again repeat the alpha roll again using the same steps as described above. Don't worry this is by no means a cruel or abusive thing to do to your dog. But instead is something that the dog instinctively understands because of the natural pack instincts that all dogs have no matter what breed they are or how much they have been pampered. In fact pampering your pet to the extent that the dog believes it self to be the pack leader is a dangerous thing. This is why he bites at everyone he incounters because he thinks it is his job to deligate within the pack structure. By taking the the dominant roll from him you make the dog believe that he no longer needs to do this job as pack leader and that it is someone elses job and he will relize that it is no longer his place. I have been training dogs for 12 yrs for police work and for obiediance and the easiest way to get your dog to understand what you want out of him and where he needs to be in the sceam of things is by using their natural instincts to teach them. Good luck to you,

Answer 2

Many small dogs, especially Pomeranians, can be very, very nasty. Why? They think they are bigger than they are. If this dog came from a shelter, its likely it has been abused in it's lifetime. Consider that first.

Second, this dog is establishing himself as the leader of the house. In order to do this, he has to intimidate any and all who live there. The worst thing you can do when your own dog growls at you is back up. Never, ever, ever back down from your own dog. This can be risky, but in order to break his psychology of being pack leader, he has to be taken off his pedestal.

When my rescued dog first came home, the second day, he bit me. And I was a semi-pro trainer and professional pet sitter. I've given this advice to my clients many times. Ok back to the biting. The first time, I was so shocked I backed away. It reeeealy hurt. I knew better but was still shocked. The second time he went to bite me, I screamed NO WAY PAL and put him down on the ground by the back of his neck, and held him there until I was done growling visciously at him. He got up, quite quaintly, and crawled into my lap, never biting anyone again. He has been a kitten ever since.

This method may need to be repeated - I got lucky with once.

There are books in your local library about training - and they're free. Read read read. You don't have to pay a lot of money to a trainer. Also, PetSmart has dog obedience classes that are reasonable. Remember, you're starting off with a problem child, yours is an uphill battle. Read and educate yourself and you will win. You have to - or face the consequences.

Good luck. You can do it.

Answer 3

Children should never be near a dog of any breed for any reason alone. You may not be able to correct the behavior but it is my opinion that in order to try you should seek professional local help. Anything over the Internet like this won't be much help for a volatile situation like this. The dog shouldn't be "put to sleep" or anything like that. Kids are destructive, hurtful little brats and dogs know that which is why they are afraid of them. Most kids hit dogs at some point when the parents aren't looking which is probably what happened at some point in this dogs life. Contact your local breed or kennel club for advice on a good trainer.
Edit: I don't think it has to do with "alpha". Being a shelter dog this individual probably suffered at the hands of a child. Like I said, kids are cruel.
Edit:2.0 Whoever said antifreeze, you have been reported.

Answer 4

the problem is that the dog thinks it's the alpha dog. because your mother does nothing to stop the behavior it only encourages the growling. does your mother treat the dog like a human? because that contributes to the behavior problems too. dog need to be treated as dogs and as part of a pack.
good luck, i know it's hard to get through to people when it comes to their dogs, but with some work you can get the dog happy and well adjusted.
check out
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 5

What is your mum going to do if the dog bites bad enough to need stitches? With children in the house i would contact the shelter and see if they know of a good trainer who can help.

Answer 6

Don't take advice from someone who has you punish this dog for making the sound. You need to find out why the dog is doing it, and condition the dog to FEEL differently at these moments, whether it's relieving pain/fear of pain, or changing an overly intense play reaction, or whatever is the real issue.

Answer 7

Dogs only respect strength. It's the pack mentality. Your mom's dog thinks it's the pack leader so it has dominate the young. You or your mother has to be assertive or the dog will continue to act like this. Remember that the dog is not human.

Answer 8

sense he's from a shelter he was probably abused and don't trust people around him when he's eating or resting. my grandmother had a dog like that. they had to "get rid of it". he became very dangerous. he would even bite his owner. the hand that fed him.
i would get rid of the dog. especially senses your kids are around.

Answer 9

This is an aggressive dog and you need to get rid of him for your kids sake. It is hard to break an aggressive type dog. Many times an aggressive dog needs to be put to sleep. You might try dog training but with kids around the dog...your dog needs to leave.

Answer 10

I would knock the **** out of any dog for growling and or biting at my child especially an infant. if it was my dog and it wasnt resovled quickly i would have the dog put down.