Entitled/needy rescue

[Morello339]

Hi everyone. I rescued a 2 year old terrier a few months ago. He's house trained and on the whole well behaved...however, he has no understanding of personal space. He will force himself onto your lap etc, and push against you when you are physically in his way.

He needs to be by my side whenever possible and is never entertained.

He gets 2 off lead walks a day, and runs non stop at the park during that time.

It just seems like he has no independence.

Toys and other enrichment last minutes then he is back to himself.

Sometimes he will just sit in front of me and bark at me until I give him my undivided attention.

Please someone help me teach him that he isn't the centre of the universe. Ignoring doesn't work, distraction hasn't work.

Take him to a dog training school. They will show you how to enforce the idea that you are the top dog. I know terriers can be a bit needy and high energy.

That makes sense. At first I thought it was just attention seeking but he is showing he's the boss. I'll get on top of that now. Thank you!

Ok please don't go in for all that top dog stuff. It's very outdated.

There's an excellent FB group called Dog Training Advice and Support that has load of brilliant force free/pain free training resources and will also give individual advice. They've got an article on exactly the thing you are talking about with your dogs behaviour so worth checking out.

We have a rescue 2 yr old terrier and he is the same. Always needs to be with one of us if it's not me it's my DH or the kids. His was from an abused house previously so we were told it's normal once they feel safe to want to be with you.

I think you should look for more insight into this rather than the PP's outdated view about dominance. He sounds like an anxious dog whose needs aren't being met - despite your efforts. Does he sleep well for at least 16 hours a day? Are you mentally tiring him or just trying to exhaust him on his walks with ball throwing, etc?

I'm not there yet with one of my previously abused rescues, but am learning. MK9 Plus and other modern dog trainers have useful advice.

Rescue dogs take time to settle in to !earn your routines and boundaries. He wants your attention and he's looking for direction, he wants to please to you, all dogs do, some are better at it than others. Perhaps try a calming spray around the house ( not those horrible plug ins ) and some calming supplements to help him relax and settle down.

Of course ignoring will work. You just have to ignore him completely for very long. If you give in after a while he will try harder next time obviously.
You need to be more persistent than the dog which can be very hard at the beginning. But it will be worth it.

Rescues are usually very traumatised and very clingy. I'm surprised the centre didn't tell you this and you didn't do the research about the behaviours to expect. If you're not prepared to put up with a dog that's 'entitled' (i.e. terrified and has clearly severe separation anxiety) then you shouldn't have taken on a rescue.

'Top dog' rubbish that the first poster quoted has been universally debunked. Ignoring him won't work.

There's no quick fix for this. He needs attention, time and to know how to settle.

It’s nothing to do with being top dog he just thinks you are the best thing in his life and he wants to be with you , it will likely improve as he settles in and gains confidence . Try frozen kings and licky mats to distract him a bit and you could also scatter kibble in teh garden for him to hunt for and build / get him a sand pit and bury gravy bones or similar for him to unearth .

Rescues can be very clingy, especially in the early days. Remember he's lost everything he knows- at least twice!
I agree with the poster about enrolment in dog training classes.
Good citizen dog scheme from the Kennel Club is good, or try a dog sports anything from dance to agility.
Remember he doesn't need to be KC registered to participate in KC run classes. Just contact your local dog club and see what they have on offer.

And please forget about the top dog stuff, you want a partnership not a dictatorship!!

Exactly, all this alpha dog advice is very outdated.

Read up on separation anxiety, OP. It seems to me that your dog is "reliving" his puppy years - which is to be expected with a rescue. Treat him like a puppy, train him accordingly (there are lots of good training resources).

He's a rescue dog. He's had a terrible start. He needs to be the centre of your universe for a while. If you think that's entitled, and that he needs to be taught otherwise, he might not be the right dog for you - and perhaps no dog might be right for you. Please, please, don't buy into this awful abusive nonsense about top dog or him wanting to be boss. He wants connection and attention because he needs you.