I rubbed my dog today and he started snarling and trying to bite me, so i held him down and yelled at him until he stopped (he is very little). The entire time my mom is yelling at me "leave him alone, why are your torturing him, he just wants to sleep. Just walk away." Are you kidding me? This is exactly why he thinks it is ok to attack me. Any normal person would have done much worse than i did. I think my mom's response to my dog's behavior is total bullshit.
2007-12-24 09:49:19 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
When your dog is misbehaving, do not yell. Yelling is only going to confuse your dog. In order to effectively correct a dog, keep your cool at all times, but be firm. It is ok to hold down a dog, but you need to project the correct calm assertive energy while you are doing it. It is natural for a dog to be put on his side when he is messing around, but do not be too rough. The trick is to CALMLY but assertively hold him down until he relaxes/submits to you, then you let him go and walk away. NEVER just ignore and walk away from a dog who snarls/growls because that is what he wants you to do, so if you walk away, he wins. I do congratulate you on disciplining a little dog, though, because most people do not. Little dogs should be treated the same way as big dogs. Just because they are small does not mean they are weak and if you correct him in the correct way, you will not hurt him. You are right that he needs to be corrected, but do not let your anger take hold of you. His snarling and growling is because he is most likely never corrected for bad behavior because your mom thinks he is too "delicate and cute" just because he is small. That is bullshit. Go to www.cesarmillaninc.com on how to project calm assertive energy when correcting your dog so he understands the corrections.
2007-12-24 10:09:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
While I am not sure about your methods I do agree that what you did was bette than what your mother indicated she would have done, nothing. Regardless of what he 'wants' to do he has no right to snarl and try to bite a human like that... I train dogs to bite but I would not allow one to bite without the control I train in and basically what you did was to let him know that you don't allow it either. It is NOT okay for the dog to attack you or her, EVER, and her just walking away only encourages this behavior and it will escelate. I think your mom's response to the dog's behavior is total bullshit as well... yours might have been a little overboard but I would prefer that to allowing him to get away with it... the yelling constantly wasn't necessary -- you had him in a position where he had no option and calm forceful 'discussion' like 'you had better never do that s**t again or you are dead meat' would have sufficed until he submitted... hurting him or frightening him beyond him being capable of comprehension are not what you want to do -- he must understand that you are in control and he is to never behave like that again -- the least harmful action that gets the point across but yep, mom was totally wrong...
add: it is amazing but the 99% theory keeps holding true... tapping him on the nose or spraying water at him or that crap about 'disrespecting' your mom -- they replicate with great regularity and are everywhere... no cure for them either... and then the dog whisperer apostles show up! hahaha
2007-12-24 18:09:15 · answer #2 · answered by Nancy M 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
You probably woke the dog up from a sound sleep, and naturally it startled the dog, so he did what dogs do best, they protect themselves........don't pet or shake a dog when they are sleeping, it will only cause problems, like this time did.
it was not the dogs fault...and no it is not total BS, you should not have held the dog down, this only made things worse, you made him even more upset, so he kept trying to bite you..
and you need to get over your jealously of this dog, it sounds like you only held him down to cause more of a confrontation, and little dog or not, he wont forget it, and one day he may take a good size chunk out of you....and I really suggest you don't ever hit a dog, they don't forget....and no a normal person would not have done what you did, and would not have petted a dog in a sound sleep....you call their name, get them awake then pet or rub them...get some books and read up on dogs, they are truly amazing......
2007-12-25 00:11:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you watch a pack of dogs for any amount of time, you will see a dominant dog "discipline" another by holding the head or muzzle down. This is basically what you were doing. Good for you. I would just advize you to stay calm while doing so. Once you get the desired affect, let him go. Yelling at the dog does nothing to emphasize the discipline. Smacking the dog on the nose or ignoring the behavior can make the situation worse. Your mom's reaction is the norm for people who see their pets as "babies". There is nothing wrong with that, my dogs are my babies too, she just needs to be informed. A small dog can give a nasty bite, and the problem should be dealt with.
2007-12-24 18:13:03 · answer #4 · answered by Sarah 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
A dog should not be snarling at anyone, it's a prelude to a bite. In your dog's eyes, you asserted pack dominance,and your mom asserted alpha dominance on you, so the linear hierarchy is still established.
In the future though, if rubbing causes stress to the dog (something could be hurting the dog there) then don't do it. It doesn't pay to aggravate a health issue and make the dog hurt. Treat the area gentler, making sure there's no medical reason for him to react to you with aggression.
2007-12-24 18:06:31 · answer #5 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
It's your responsibility to be the alpha over this little snipe. Now he may have pain in the area you rubbed, but if this is normal behavior for him. get a dog crate that is big enough for him, and if he continues to show aggression, Tell him NO, BAD DOG, and put his butt in the crate. Leave him there for at least a couple of hours and ignore him. If you have to repeat this action several times a day, Leave him crated for increasing lengths of time. He will eventually figure it out.
2007-12-24 18:09:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
I agree with you. Dogs shouldn't attach owners unless the owner does bad. Try another punishment though. I spray my dog with water when he's bad.
2007-12-24 18:11:00 · answer #7 · answered by Amanda 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
With you yelling at him and your mom yelling at you, the poor thing is probably so confused. Is it your dog or your mothers? Holding him down was a good thing, yelling wasnt.
2007-12-24 18:01:44 · answer #8 · answered by Big red 5 · 2⤊ 3⤋
If the dog was asleep you probably startled it.
And, your poor mom. You sound very disrespectful.
2007-12-24 18:03:13 · answer #9 · answered by Schatzi 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
maybe your mom should have held you down and yelled at you
2007-12-24 18:18:52 · answer #10 · answered by ♥FANCYS_MAMMA♥ 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋