BELLAAAA or anyone in the know, please help, i feel really upset <sad>

[loopylou6]

Have also put this in chat.

Had a very strange couple of days with my dogs,

I have a blue mearle collie dog, very gentle, very good temperament, but yesterday my son complained she was growling at him, i hid on the stairs and watched, and she was indeed growling (he hadnt done anything to her by the way) i went down to her and gave her a smack and told her off, then she bared her teeth at me and sort of went for me, DH came home, i told him about it and he went to her and she did the same thing, very surprising as he is her master.

Then tonight i gave my 6 month old GSD his tea, i was putting his food in the bowl and he was sat beside me waiting, dh walked in and stood next to me and my GSD growled, again amazingly surprising as he has NEVER had any issues with people being near him when he is eating, and certainly not with me, (i made a point of putting my fingers in his bowl when he was a pup) DH then isisted that he wanted to give the dog his food, he put the bowl on the floor, the dog went to eat it, DH tried to stroke him whilst he was eating, and he growled
i tried it being 100% sure he wouldnt growl at me, but he did, quite badly

I now feel heartbroken as i have had a major bond with that dog from when i got him at 4 and a half weeks, i am his master and i love him to bits, i feel really upset that he would turn on me like this, i used to be able to move his bowl when he was eating if he was in the way etc, or stroke him and there was never a problem, am i over reacting, or does this mean hes not gonna be the gentle dog i thought he was?

Thanks guys, I am sure once I find the key to training her that shee will be fine, its just finding the tone that doesnt make her jump all over the top of me and pant in my face.

Yup. My lab would gladly tear round the living room chasing all my cats while I am trying to watch Springwatch tonight but I will tell him to settle and he will lie down then fall fast asleep.

You've got a highly excitable dog with a very keen intellect and she will happily keep going at 90 miles an hour all day unless you teach her not to.

Big raw knuckle bones are fab too

How dare you impart your wisdom too, King!

Thanks guys. I have googled teaching a dog to settle andd they suggest holding them in a lying position. Is the leash a better idea??

imho it's better to put the dog into down, then use the lead as a gentle restraint if they try to get up. Would never hold a dog down.

King?

Okay. thank you so much I am going to pracctice that one tonight. Fingers crossed. this time next week I could have a different dog. . I mean differently behaved, not a different dog.

I agree, holding a dog down makes them vunerable, scared and frustrated. None of which are condusive to learning a new behaviour IMO.

What bella said, just use the leash as a variation on the system above (for down-stay).

Whilst they are learning remember to keep repeating the command and treating. Don;t expect it all in one go, little and often gets through best.

Brilliant./ Can I have you two come and live with me and help me train her??? Thanks guys

Where are you? If you are somewhere sunny and warm with a pool and you can fly us out in the next week I may be able to be persauded - Bella has a puppy arriving in about 10 days so we would have to be back by then

Nah fraid not, cold, windy concretey scotland Im afraid. Never mind.

You are on your own then, sorry

Hope it goes well, just remember, calm, calm, calm!

Have just found out King is also phobic scared of fish, as am I, so am fighting the dawning realisation that we are actually one and the same person.

do do do do do do do do

I am not you Bella, I am not getting a Dobe pup soon