Adorable dog snarling!

[Milo12345]

Hi everyone,, I have the most adorable 15 month old male Spoodle..(springer x mini poodle) he's so cute! he's absolutely fab with kids and other dogs also so loving to people.. problem is I put him in the kitchen when I'm going to work and he's started turning on me,, usual routine is a god run 1st thing, get home have a bit of a play then I put his food down and try and coax him in the kitchen. he's got wise to this now and won't enter the kitchen when he knows I'm going. first his lip starts curling then he growls & snarls - its only a matter of time before he bites

He's done this about 4-5 times but this morning was him at his very worst.. I eventually got him in the kitchen just closed the door and left him until lunchtime. when he does this I just ignore him and leave the room.

He was completely different when I got back from work at dinner time.. excited to see me and trying his very best to win me round.. licking me and laying at my feet

I'm worried this is escalating into a serious situation where he actually bites me

I was going to breed him but I'm thinking I need him to get him neutered.. can anyone advise me please I'm dreading going through the same thing in the morning :0(

 

[goldenbear2013]

Oh dear!

First off, yes get him neutered. It's best for the dog as a whole; health and behaviour.

Biting is never a good thing, and you do not want this behaviour to continue as he may end up biting someone else, and this is could lead to him being destroyed!

However, my personal opinion is it sounds like he is suffering from separation anxiety. As your routine is the same every day he knows when you are going out and him snarling is a way of showing he is scared, and clearly acting out like a teenager, as that is exactly the stage that he is at right now.

Try feeding him before you go out and then get a kong or a toy you can stuff with wet food for him to play with. This will distract him from the fact that you are going out.

try this first by giving him the kong or whatever you chose and just going out of the room and then coming back. Build this time out of the room slowly.

Then go to going upstairs, and then shutting doors, and so on.

This is going to take time, and clearly you have a job so will be hard, but try this when you are at home in the evening.

Anoter idea maybe crate training him?

He will associate this with his bed and you can give him his stuffed kong in his bed, which is his safe place and he wont associate this with you going out straight away.

You then close the door whilst he is starting to lick his kong and lock the door without him biting you (theoretically speaking). He is safe and secure and you are bite free... hopefully!

If you have the time as well, I would hire a dog trainerpsychologist to see if there is anything else that they can assist you with to kick this bad habit before something really bad happens.

I wish you the best of luck!

Sophie x

 

[Milo12345]

Hi Sophie thanks for your reply.. I did have a large crate but he never really got the hang of it (or maybe I didn't perceiver long enough) I've just bought a kong today and he loves it so I'm hoping tomorrow will be a lot more stress free :- )

you're right when you say you say he's got teenager tendencies,, he's certainly trying to rule the roost at the moment .. I'll do as you say tomorrow and let you know how it goes.. I'm a bit gutted as I knew he's learning his behaviour from me.. I'm thinking too many treats and too spoilt!!

He did go to a 6 week training class as a puppy but he didn't really learn anything new as he was so advanced back then.. great to walk (although he has recently started pulling on the lead but he's better with the harness on), great in the car, sits and returns on command and overall he's a beautiful dog it's just this aggression thing,,

He used to bark when I left him alone but I think that's stopped now

Another thing he does though is bark for my attention.. especially when I'm on the phone .. he's recently started staying a couple of nights with my partner and I'm wondering if this could be effecting him? He follows me around the house but I've noticed he's getting a bit braver when were out and about, he's wandering of that little bit further .. getting a bit too confident

He's an absolute pleasure to have around at other times but this is really worrying

 

[eingana]

Hi

Yes, it sounds like an expression of separation anxiety rather than straightforward aggression. Have you thought of going through the desensitising program for separation anxiety?

He clearly associates being fed with being left, so I think that you need to break it all up so that he loses that association. One day feed him but stay in the kitchen with him, then the next feed him somewhere else, then feed him with a Kong, then feed him in the garden, then start changing around your routine for leaving him. Don't say goodbye to him, don't pick up your bag and coat, don't change your shoes, pick up your back and coat then put them down again and start reading a book instead, as many different ways as you can think of changing everything around so that he stops associating getting his food with being shut in the kitchen and being alone.

Is he stressed when he's left generally? You could also practice leaving him for 30 seconds, then a minute, then two, then 5, until he's a little more confident that you will return when you leave him.

It sounds like you're giving him plenty of exercise, so it's not likely to be that, but he may be mentally under-challenged (with him being a clever boy and all) so maybe you could think about ways to mentally challenge him? Interactive toys, starting scenting practice, the starting practice for agility (which he'll be old enough to start in a couple of months) or similar, would all be ways that you could engage his brain and make him fret less.

You're forgetting a big rule here BTW- you ask for help but didn't cough up with the photos! Come on, play the game