Hello

[Luna2212]

I'm new to this page, we have 2 pugs and 1 Jack Russell.
I was hoping someone could give me some advice with our Jack Russell...my partner and his jack Russell (Cassie) moved in with me and my 2 pugs 4 years ago now.
Cassie HATES me, she growls, bites and doesn't listen to anything I tell her. If I give her a treat, she will eat the treat and then growl at me and walk off! If I ask her to go outside to do her business she will growl and snap at me, whereas the other 2 dogs will just trot out the door, but if my partner asks her she will just go with no fuss!
She gets treated exactly the same as the 2 pugs, who are well behaved and listen to what they are told.
She snaps and growls at the other 2 dogs also, which gets worse when there is food around.
I really hope someone has a suggestion on what could be causing this or how it can be dealt with.
I thought maybe it could be a jealously thing (not really sure), but how can it be resolved?!

 

[JudyN]

Has this been carrying on ever since your partner moved in, or is it more recent? Or is it gradually getting worse?

Your relationship with her might improve if you avoid asking her to do anything. If you want to give her a treat, throw it away from you, so she doesn't need to move closer to you to get it. If you want her to go into another room, throw a treat in there. If you want her to go into the garden, maybe entice her with a treat, or a game, or whatever will make it seem like a really good idea - but the first step is to take all pressure off, and avoid all confrontation.

As for getting on with the other dogs - that could be tougher. How do they react to her - is this causing them anxiety? Do you think she might actually harm them? You need to keep food out of the equation, so they are always fed separately - this might even involve when and where you treat them. And you might also need to control who goes where in the house and when - certainly make sure there are more beds than dogs, so they always have options.

Sometimes, whatever you do, dogs simply don't get along, and this can deteriorate to the point when one gets seriously injured or worse. You might need to at least consider trying to rehome one or more, maybe to a family member or friend.

 

[Luna2212]

Has this been carrying on ever since your partner moved in, or is it more recent? Or is it gradually getting worse?

Your relationship with her might improve if you avoid asking her to do anything. If you want to give her a treat, throw it away from you, so she doesn't need to move closer to you to get it. If you want her to go into another room, throw a treat in there. If you want her to go into the garden, maybe entice her with a treat, or a game, or whatever will make it seem like a really good idea - but the first step is to take all pressure off, and avoid all confrontation.

As for getting on with the other dogs - that could be tougher. How do they react to her - is this causing them anxiety? Do you think she might actually harm them? You need to keep food out of the equation, so they are always fed separately - this might even involve when and where you treat them. And you might also need to control who goes where in the house and when - certainly make sure there are more beds than dogs, so they always have options.

Sometimes, whatever you do, dogs simply don't get along, and this can deteriorate to the point when one gets seriously injured or worse. You might need to at least consider trying to rehome one or more, maybe to a family member or friend.

 

[Luna2212]

[QUOTE="JudyN, post: 1214827, member: 90634"
Thank you for the reply
This has been happening since the start.
The other 2 dogs just leave her alone if she snaps at them, and they are really not overly bothered by her behaviour, I think it upsets me more than them lol.
I don't think she would actually harm them.
When I said she is worse when food is around, I meant human food (the dog food is given at opposite ends of the kitchen and is not a problem), but when there is food cooking, being eaten (even if not in same room) she snaps, whines begs etc and turns into a nightmare
In regards to the beds situation, they actually sleep fine, they have their own beds in the kitchen and there is not a problem in the nights.

 

[JudyN]

Could you try giving her a recreational bone, frozen Kong or snuffle mat to keep her occupied while you're cooking or eating? If she's in the same room as you, could she be confined to another room with a long-lasting treat/treat dispenser? Your partner might be able to teach her a good 'settle' so she knows this is time to settle down on her bed with whatever you give her (if you think this might help, there's a good video here:

).

Also, does she ever get 'rewarded' for her behaviour round food, e.g. getting the occasional treat? This only has to happen once in a blue moon to reinforce the behaviour.

 

[Luna2212]

We have been trying to reinforce the good behaviour, however it it so few and far between it's difficult.
Also if I'm giving her treats every time I want her to go pee, move to another room and every time someone has food/cooks....that's alot of treats lol.
And it seems a little unfair to the other dogs that she is getting all these treats when the other dogs are behaving and she is not.
Will definitely try a few of the tips you have given me though, so thank you for that Ive never had to deal with a dog behaving like this before, I've always had them from puppies so trained them myself, so never really had any issues before.