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10 month old bitch showing aggressive behaviour towards me/ dd

8 replies

dillite · 21/05/2015 18:29

She's a shih-tzu and in the last few weeks has started being aggressive towards myself and my daughter. When either one of us sit on the sofa/ armchairs, not always, but at times, she will jump at us barking and trying to nip- she usually gets clothes. When she does that to me I just remove her to another room until she calms down. When she does that to my daughter I get physically between them, towering over her, and then do the same removal from the room. She wags her tail the whole time she does that, so part of me thinks she sees it as a game. Before jumping/ barking she will just be asleep or just simply walking around- basically she is calm. She is very calm the rest of the time, sleeps a lot. She's walked daily for up to an hour, plus several times for a wee (no direct garden access).

Is it hormones? Play? Advice would be greatly appreciated.

OP posts:
AddictedtoGreys · 21/05/2015 21:55

has she had her first season yet? if not it could be hormonal. are you planning on getting her spayed? I would also recommend training classes as you wouldn't want this getting worse. sound like the teenage years Grin

dillite · 21/05/2015 22:14

Yes, she's had her first season. Getting spayed in July. Training classes are inaccessible to me due to not having a car and their location unfortunately. There used to be a local one but it stopped. I did think teenage years, but I don't want her to get too used to them.

OP posts:
villainousbroodmare · 21/05/2015 22:29

She sounds far too big for her boots! It sounds to me nothing whatsoever to do with hormones or indeed play. Or if it is play, then very inappropriate. Where does she sit herself? I would suggest a instant and permanent move to the floor.
Your response is perfect; how old is your daughter? Is she able to do the same? This little dog is pushing the boundaries and must never be permitted to behave in such an unpleasant way.

dillite · 21/05/2015 22:37

She always sits on the floor, I hate pets on beds. It comes across as aggressive play, as she's just so happy, and will start running off as soon as I get up and then runs back at me lunging at me and barking until removed. My daughter is 5 and gets scared by the barking/ nipping/ lunging. When the dog is calm then my daughter handles her very well.

OP posts:
villainousbroodmare · 21/05/2015 22:48

Inappropriate play, then. Stick to your method. It should work.

EasyToEatTiger · 24/05/2015 17:12

This is quite interesting.... www.mnn.com/family/pets/quiz/how-fluent-are-you-in-dog-speak#content

dillite · 24/05/2015 19:11

Thank you, thst was interesting. I got 15 out of 19, so not too bad I think. It was easier to guess though as those dogs have ears that move and hair less bodies. Unlike furball here.

OP posts:
EasyToEatTiger · 24/05/2015 20:59

Well done! I think the idea is to watch and watch and watch our animals some more. Watch the tail wagging. It could be a hint of anxiety depending on the rest of her demeanour. We have a snappy collie pup. Her parents are snappy too. Never mind. She can learn. Sorry, I'm not much help. Do get it sorted though. Finding a behaviourist is not an exact science, so interview carefully and be aware that they all work slightly differently.

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