My dog sometimes turns "evil"... can anyone help?

Question

My dog... is a puppy about 6 months old. She had a hard time understanding who was boss at first beucase my sister gave her to much freedom in the downstairs of our house. Now she is confined to the kitchen and only out sometimes to be with me at night for an hour... sometimes when she gets something she isnt suppost to have (ex.pen) when you try to get near her to take it... and then again when you do finally take it or if you corner her, she turns evil. She snarls and shows her teech and gets really nasty... almost like an attack dog. She ONLY does this when she gets something she cant have and she knows you want it back. I am not sure how to stop this behavior. SHe hadn't done it in weeks even when she had something she wasn't supposed to. My sister was in charge of her the past two days when i wasnt home and now all of a sudden she did it again and worse then normal.
I do not know what to do. ANy help would be appreciated.
Any questions please let me no..
THANK U FOR ANY HELP!

FYI.... she does get a lot of exercise... there are days where she could get more, but sometimes i cannot be home all day.
I am trying to get her into a rutine with running at the park near our house, but she is still learning how to walk on the leash...
I do give her lots of attention and love... it's just so hard to keep control of her...
I (until now) have always had outdoor dogs that didnt have free roam of the house when they came in at night and such...
I really think part of the problems in that i work with her on doing tricks for food and toys and such... but then when my sister and her boyfriend are around they disregard my "rules" about foing tricks for rewards... i think this might be confusing the dog...
thanks again...

I am thankful for all your thoughts...

I do socialize her... we live in a complex with a lot of neighbors and neighbor hood dogs... If someone walks by and startles her she barks... but she is getting better at just warning them and then watching them instead of barking constantly...

I bring her all around the neighborhood where she meets new people and pets and sometimes i bring her to the vet office just to get her used to the car and the building... i also bring her running at the park near my palce and she always sees new people and pets...

Answer 1

Dogs are not meant to be locked up in small spaces all the time. Sounds like she is
1) bored out of her mind and not exercised mentally or physically.
2) becoming anti social because she is not being properly socialized.
3) she is possessive because she feels threatened by you, (not in a good way)
Here are some things you can do to resolve the problem
*first off never hit your dog. always use positive reinforcement as it works much better than discipline
* dogs need mental exercises, she needs a job to do and she needs to know that she is doing something right (this is how she builds her confidence and builds her relationship with you), start teaching her basic obedience either at home or take her to classes.
* she needs physical exercise. dogs that don't have a constructive way to let out their energy will often become destructive
*she needs to be socialized, take her everywhere you can with you. the more people she meets now and the more situations she experiences the easier the rest of her life will be. Otherwise you will have a skittish dog that is afraid of everything (sometimes they become shy, sometimes their apprehension turn into aggression)
*teach her to surrender things to you. Teach her drop it command. when she has something in her mouth that you want, get a treat and let her smell it, as soon as she starts dropping whatever is in her mouth and going for a treat tell her drop it. than tell her good girl! and give her the treat
other ways to correct possessive behavior. Hand feed her, and as she eats pat her gently and tell her what a good girl she is.
*Establish yourself as the alpha. Make her work for everything. Make her sit down before patting her, before giving her food, before showing any type of attention. Do not free fee your dog (leave food out). Have a set schedule when you feed her. Alpha always controls resources. Walk through doors first, make sure she follows. There are a lot of other thing you can do, search online.

and remember your dog is NOT evil, she just doesn't know any better.

good luck!


**Edit**
sounds like you are doing a lot of the right things.
just try the other couple of suggestions if you haven't already, teaching her to give her things up to you for a treat, etc. and have a long talk with your sister. yes contradicting training techniques will confuse the dog. she needs to follow the same set of rules you do. explain to her that dogs actually like structure and rules. they make the dog feel safer and more secure, which in turn makes them better behaved and less agressive.
good luck!

Answer 2

Hi--this is not EVIL behavior from a DOG but territorial. Your dog does not have a real leader a pack leader so it thinks its in charge. Also you have frustration from a dog that is locked in a small space. Dogs need exercise, discipline, affection, play time, a good leader and their own toys and play time. Listen I help lots of people with dogs and cats and have re trained many. It is as important to know what you are doing with a dog as it is with a child. Even more so because Dogs don't communicate as people do. Have you studied any books or been to any classes or watched Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel? He also has books and DVDs of his shows. I would suggest you get them. He can teach you a lot. There are 2 other good books called--The Dog Listener by Jan Fennel and " the Loved Dog"--I will look up the author. You can write me with questions. I am glad to help

Answer 3

1. First of all, please make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise as a bored puppy is a bad puppy. Confining it to one area of the house is ok as long as it gets lots of attention and play time also.
2. Buy a spray bottle. When the dog picks up something it's not supposed to, squirt it with water and loudly say "drop it." When she drops it, praise and pet her.
3. Regarding the aggression, that is a huge problem that needs to be stopped now. If it is serious, consult a dog behaviorist ASAP.
4. Start using the "Nothing In Life Is Free" technique. You are the pack leader and the dog gets nothing without your permission. When you feed her, make her do a trick and make her wait to eat until you say ok. When she wants attention or petted, tell her to sit or something and then pet her. If you want to let her on the furniture, use a command to give her permission. She can't get up there without you saying ok. Anything she wants, she has to do something for you. When going on a walk, you walk out the door first, she sits and waits until you say ok. During the walk, hold the leash so that you are walking in front of her. She should not be walking you. You should not be mean, just calmly assert that you are the leader and you decide what happens. If she is growling or biting or being obnoxious, ignore her until she calms down and then praise her.
5. With the help of a dog trainer, start working on the "drop it" command. Practice giving her toys and then saying drop it and taking it away. When she gives it up, lots of praise and then she gets the toy back. Have her on a leash so she can't run off with it and squirt her if she won't give it up.

Answer 4

When she growls at you, you "growl" back at her by saying "nooooooooooo" or whatever word you use in a deep powerful voice and as has been suggested, spray water on her face from a spray bottle. If she likes water, get a newspaper and slap it hard INTO YOUR HAND (instead of the water) so as to make a loud noise which she will not like. A six month old pup should not be to difficult to handle as opposed to a fully grown dog, which would need a different method. When she releases the item, praise, praise and more praise with possibly a treat.

Repeat as necessary.

Answer 5

Take her to an obedience school...problem will only get worse unless you take action now. Dogs need to know who the "alpha" leader is or they will attempt to dominate on their own. There are methods involving grabbing the muzzle of the dog and holding your face close to it or even biting it to show dominance like another dog would do but you should leave those methods up to someone that has experience.

Answer 6

Papi. Do you speak Spanish? I'm guessing yes because it looks like Agent just did. That is my favorite. Say something.♥

Answer 7

I'd get rid of your sister and then get the dog into obedience training.

Answer 8

Take her to dog school.