New rescue - growling

CyprusRescueDog · 2024-09-29T14:45:01+00:00

As per user name, we have a new rescue, arrived 2 weeks ago from Cyprus. He generally a happy, confident little thing (half jrt, half wire daxie the vet thinks) and about a year old. No idea of background as was found wandering. He is great on walks, good with other dogs and friendly with people. Clearly we are still in the settling phase, but one thing is worrying me. When my sons come into a room he barks and growls at them. They stay calm and get down to his level, wait til he's calm then stroke him, but he does it every time they move around. And the other night he was on the sofa, my son stood up to show me something and the dog really growled and lunged at him. He wasn't asleep. We have a trainer coming on Friday but just wondered if anyone had any advice/tips? Aldi he's completely attached to me and hates me leaving. I think he might be resource guarding me.

DustyLee123 · 29/09/2024 15:47

If he lunged at your DS you need to separate him from the kids. Does the rescue you got him from offer any help?

Original poster

CyprusRescueDog · 29/09/2024 15:50

Kids are big teens, so not worried and used to dogs (we also have another dog, and had a Jack Russell previously). Trainer coming is recommended by the rescue.

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Ylvamoon · 29/09/2024 16:22

When my sons come into a room he barks and growls at them
And the other night he was on the sofa, my son stood up to show me something and the dog really growled and lunged at him

Send him straight off to his own bed away from you: EVERY SINGLE TIME!
It's showing him, that you don't tolerate such behaviour.

shizukana · 29/09/2024 16:31

Ylvamoon · 29/09/2024 16:22

When my sons come into a room he barks and growls at them
And the other night he was on the sofa, my son stood up to show me something and the dog really growled and lunged at him

Send him straight off to his own bed away from you: EVERY SINGLE TIME!
It's showing him, that you don't tolerate such behaviour.

Yes you have to put him out of the room immediately. If you have a baby gated kitchen for example, that would work. It has to be immediately upon first growl without fail.

Pumpkintopf · 29/09/2024 16:42

Please op -

Have a look at the Facebook page Dog Training Advice and Support.

Good advice from qualified behaviourists and they can check the trainer you have coming too / have a list of force free positive reinforcement trainers.

I think they may say it's very early days for your rescue who is decompressing and growls are a gift as he's letting you know he's uncomfortable without going straight for the bite.

sunsetsandboardwalks · 29/09/2024 16:56

Growling is just a dogs' way of saying "I'm not comfortable with this, please stop" - it is not a bad thing and should never be something a dog is punished or told off for. If you teach him that growling = being punished or isolated, he won't learn that growling is bad, he'll just learn to stop growling (to avoid punishment) and will potentially escalate straight to a bite next time he's in the same situation.

Instead, you need to set him up for success - for now, that probably means keeping him well away from your sons until he's had more of a chance to settle in, and personally, I'd keep it that way until the trainer has come out and seen you all in person, just to be safe. Set him up with a safe, secure room or area of the house where he won't be disturbed and let him decompress.

What you're describing could be resource guarding but honestly, it's far too soon to tell given that he's only been in your home for two weeks. It takes a minimum of three months for rescues to settle, and for many, it takes much, much longer.

Killingoffmyflowersonebyone · 29/09/2024 16:56

New dogs (puppies and rescues) do not go on furniture. They should be confined to only a few rooms and at ground level. This is even more important for small breed dogs that are predisposed to undesirable behaviours and also to stop them jumping off (it can do serious injury if it is continually done).So you need to stop that at once. No more furniture.

The rest need to be addressed in person by a good trainer (not some randomer the frankly crap charity have advised you use) but a recommended trainer.

HoppityBun · 29/09/2024 16:57

I suggest that the best thing would be for your sons completely to ignore him

ThatMakesSense · 29/09/2024 17:00

sunsetsandboardwalks · 29/09/2024 16:56

Growling is just a dogs' way of saying "I'm not comfortable with this, please stop" - it is not a bad thing and should never be something a dog is punished or told off for. If you teach him that growling = being punished or isolated, he won't learn that growling is bad, he'll just learn to stop growling (to avoid punishment) and will potentially escalate straight to a bite next time he's in the same situation.

Instead, you need to set him up for success - for now, that probably means keeping him well away from your sons until he's had more of a chance to settle in, and personally, I'd keep it that way until the trainer has come out and seen you all in person, just to be safe. Set him up with a safe, secure room or area of the house where he won't be disturbed and let him decompress.

What you're describing could be resource guarding but honestly, it's far too soon to tell given that he's only been in your home for two weeks. It takes a minimum of three months for rescues to settle, and for many, it takes much, much longer.

This! It's a warning and will end in biting if his warning is ignored or punished.

Original poster

CyprusRescueDog · 29/09/2024 17:06

Thanks for all input. Taking it all on board.

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Newuser75 · 29/09/2024 17:07

I'm glad you are getting a trainer but please make sure that they are actually a qualified behaviourist rather than just a dog trainer as they are very different things.
With regards as to what to do, I'd advise waiting for the (hopefully) behaviourist and going from there as they will be best placed after seeing the dog to advise.
Any advice on here that is the wrong advice could make this problem much worse so in the meantime don't let the dog on the sofa and maybe use a house line to be able to hold the dog when your sons come in to keep everyone safe.
Good luck.

21ZIGGY · 29/09/2024 19:11

Ylvamoon · 29/09/2024 16:22

When my sons come into a room he barks and growls at them
And the other night he was on the sofa, my son stood up to show me something and the dog really growled and lunged at him

Send him straight off to his own bed away from you: EVERY SINGLE TIME!
It's showing him, that you don't tolerate such behaviour.

Dont do this. Terrible advice.

Keep them apart for now until you get a good trainer, preferably one with experience of streetdog rescues.

Your son getting down to his level isnt agood idea. Accept the growl as the warning it is that the dog is unhappy

tabulahrasa · 29/09/2024 19:42

My foreign rescue was like that with my DS

I got him to have a pocket full of food - if he entered the room he threw food over to the other side of the room so the dog had to move away from him, repeating as necessary depending on room layout

if sitting then again threw food away so the dog would move away first then stood up

took a few weeks but after that was fine with him, took a lot longer to get him ok with my DP, because he wouldn’t do that and I sister on persuading the dog to interact

PennyApril54 · 29/09/2024 19:46

I've been in a similar situation with our rescue. If you are his main caregiver try handing over those duties to the boys: they walk, put food out for dog, do everything for him basically etc . He's guarding you because of the main role you have in his life. I think the longer you leave it the harder it is to reverse. See what the trainer says too but try this in the meantime if you can. Good luck. Thank you for rescuing !

HoppityBun · 29/09/2024 19:50

II’m sure others have given you the 3-3-3 guide:

3 days to decompress

3 weeks to learn your routine

3 months to begin to believe this is going to be his home for good.

It is extra hard when there isn’t a dog there already for him to copy. He’s completely on his own and has no idea who you are or why he is where he is. Leave him alone as much as possible and let him sort himself out. Do not let your children get on their hands and knees and put their faces near his. He has no idea who they are or what they’re doing and for them to do that is literally asking for trouble- and they might easily get bitten and he’ll be PTS.

Get a dog trainer with genuine experience of rescue dogs and on the meantime, respect his space and respect his uncertainty.

Unforgettablefire · 29/09/2024 19:51

sunsetsandboardwalks · 29/09/2024 16:56

Growling is just a dogs' way of saying "I'm not comfortable with this, please stop" - it is not a bad thing and should never be something a dog is punished or told off for. If you teach him that growling = being punished or isolated, he won't learn that growling is bad, he'll just learn to stop growling (to avoid punishment) and will potentially escalate straight to a bite next time he's in the same situation.

Instead, you need to set him up for success - for now, that probably means keeping him well away from your sons until he's had more of a chance to settle in, and personally, I'd keep it that way until the trainer has come out and seen you all in person, just to be safe. Set him up with a safe, secure room or area of the house where he won't be disturbed and let him decompress.

What you're describing could be resource guarding but honestly, it's far too soon to tell given that he's only been in your home for two weeks. It takes a minimum of three months for rescues to settle, and for many, it takes much, much longer.

This. Definitely sounds like resource guarding but the behaviourist will know better.
I wouldn't let your son get down to his level atm, the dog is letting you know he's not comfortable and you don't want to push it and risk escalation but see what the behaviourist comes up with.

Good luck and well done on rescuing the little soul I'd love to know how you get on.

Original poster

CyprusRescueDog · 24/10/2024 17:44

Thought I'd give an update! So - the trainer advised that he was scared of the boys and so they should come in the room and randomly throw treats and be very quiet, then when he was comfortable if he approached them, they could fuss him. This has worked well. He doesn't growl at them now. She also gave us some tips and tricks to learn so they could bond with him, and they have done this (a bit).
We are now nearly 6 weeks in and he is settling well. His recall is getting really good and he plays amazingly well with other dogs. He has also stopped chasing the cats and is being much more respectful. He still sleeps on our bed which isn't ideal and toilet training is a bit hit and miss, but we love him dearly and he's a great new member of the family.

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