Grumpy JRT only with DH though!

[TorcherQueenie]

Thought I could get a bit of advice here on this. My JRT Charlie is about 8 years old hes a rescue dog and was passed pillar to post til we took him on as his current owner wanted him PTS if no one would take him.

Hes a lovely boy he really is, worships me follows me everywhere and is very very affectionate even with DD who can be a real pain, but he doesn't like men very much. He loves my DH and even looks for him if you ask him "Wheres Daddy?"

However he can be quite grumpy with DH especially if told to do something he doesn't want to like going to his cushion or being sent downstairs. Its not growling more of a grumbling like a Mraoraorao sort of noise. I sound like a lunatic typing this I'm sure please bear with me. He tends to come upstairs to bed with me but then when DH comes upstairs to bed he starts grumbling as soon as he can hear him leading to him sitting on the edge of the bed complaining. It doesn't seem threatening in anyway and hes never snapped at any of us.

It is however starting to get on DH's nerves and as DH isn't a huge animal lover I really want them to be on the best terms with each other. I can tell they really love each other as they're soppy buggers with each other its just the grumbling and I don't want it to lead to anything worse.

Should I be concerned? Is there anything I can do to stop the grumbling bar not taking Charlie to bed with us which I am loathe to do after hes been so badly treated and I suffer with very bad depression and hes been my lifeline so often I want to give him my all back in return for his love.

Thank you in advance.

you might want to read the thread i started in this topic "snappy terrier: help please" recently.... as you'll see we have similar issues but we get snapping thrown in! terriers eh?

You need to get your DH to put the dog OFF the bed and OUT of the room you sleep in.

That dog thinks he is in charge of your Dh. Your Dh needs to disabuse him of this notion.

No your terrier really does not think he is in charge of your DH.

There may be fear involved or some kind of guarding but do not worry you dog is not out to dominant the TorcherQuennie family.

I would if possible get your OH to do everything for your dog, he feeds it, he walks it etc. Then your dog will realise that good things happen when DH is around.

Another thing he can do is when he is sitting down just to drop titbits on the floor for the terrier to pick up. Do not say anything at this stage at all.

Do you clicker train? If so get your DH to teach some tricks using the clicker.

See the bed situation from the dogs point of view. It is cold you are tired and have just got settled but every night this person comes up and puts you out of your bed and leaves you in the cold. I too would grouwl and grumble!

So decide what you are going to do - is the dog to sleep upstairs or not? I would make a really cosy comfy bed in the room that the dog can sleep in whenever he wants to. It will be so comfy and warm and feel so safe that the dog will be happy in it and your DH does not have to turf him out in the middle of the night!

Sending the dog to the cushion how about putting a treat on the cushion and then sending the dog - bet he doesn't growl then!

What Minimu said.

Use treats to 'lure' the dog to wherever you want him to go. If your DH tries to physically move him, there is always the chance the dog might feel it has to bite. The more your DH does with the dog, the more used to him he will get and be more comfortable around him.

And sorry to laugh, but your desciption and the fact that your dog is called 'Charlie' reminds me of those old adverts, 'Charlie says never to go off with strangers' although I'm sure Charlie was a cat?

My parson russell is quite vocal -- quite prone to growls in the sorts of situation you mention. And a few people made me feel too anxious about that when my dog was young by speaking of a growl as being always a sign that aggression is not too far away in the dog's mind. While a growl isn't something you should ignore, I do think that some dogs are much more vocal than others and that growls can communicate a range of grumpy states that are quite far removed from aggression.

I don't let my dog on the bed generally. I prefer to give him his own space. A place where he is really really confident of sleeping undisturbed seems important to him.

Getting your dh to do some training with your dog is a great idea.