growling - Chihuahua Forum : Chihuahua Breed Dog Forums

rousie · #1 01-05-2012, 07:00 AM

Brax growled at ME

Hi everyone , i have 2 chi's, brothers who are about 18 weeks old. I had them both in the same crate for sleeping, but as they got bigger i brought another crate and they are side by side. They are going fantastic being seperated at bedtime however........ last night they both jumped into the same one so i went to get one out and my chi growled at me... so i scruffed him out submitted him on the floor... i think he felt horrid afterwards because he kept hugging and kissing me. I hope he isnt going to start being nasty?? Its on my mind and im very worried.. He KNOWS im boss around here. PLEASE HELP ME LOL do anybody elses chi's growl at their owner??
Thanks everyone xox

1_2_3_chi · #2 01-05-2012, 10:12 AM

Hello - I totally know where you're coming from. My eldest started growling at us at that age and unfortunately we didn't correct it at the time (inexperienced, our first dog) and now it is something we 'live with'. My friend has his brother and they dealt with it straight away by lightly pinning (they say 'no bones'!) and now their Chi understands and wouldn't growl at them ever.

Just make sure you correct it each time so that he knows it's not acceptable. Otherwise you're faced with a pup who pushes the boundaries...like ours! x

mellawson · #3 01-05-2012, 12:42 PM

Dogs can't talk so how else are they supposed to tell you they what they want or don't want? My dogs growl ,grumble, bark, yip, yap, ect all the time as long as they don't snarl or snap I don't consider it being nasty just voicing their opinion. I am they boss and as long as they do what I say they can grumble about it ain't that what kids do? Then again I'm about half crazy so maybe that's not the best advice...lol.

rousie · #4 01-05-2012, 12:56 PM

Lol!! I hear what ur saying but I don't think he should growl at me.. The naughty twit lol

Squirrelflight · #5 01-05-2012, 01:04 PM

I have 5 chis, 3 of which are 17 weeks today.

Like the above poster I do not worry over growling or grumbling as long as no teeth are showed. A dog that is not permitted to growl is more likely to bite in the long run.

I'm going to assume from how you said you handled this that you believe in the dominance theory. Personally I do not and I feel it can be damaging to a dogs sense of security to be treated in such a manner.

I would suggest in this situation that you simply grab some treats and call both dogs back out for a treat. Then you can simply get them and put them where they are supposed to be. I try to be sure that ALL of my interactions with my pups are positive and encouraging. Puppies learn a lot through example and how they are treated. I feel a dog is more likely to be aggressive if handled harshly or aggressively.

rousie · #6 01-05-2012, 01:21 PM

I wasn't handling him harshly at all. In a litter, the mother makes them submit when they do wrong. And she can also be quiet rough with them. I think giving them treats for bad behavior would be simply rewarding it and may encourage bad behavior. I guess we are all different with what we expect from our furkids but for me growling AT ME is not acceptable.
I know chi's can be especially bossy so I'm just trying to curb that out of him.. When it happened even my other chi knew his brother had done wrong. He looked at him as if to say 'Dude!!!! You just growled at mum!! Not cool!'

Squirrelflight · #7 01-05-2012, 02:07 PM

Well we can certainly just agree to disagree. You said that you 'scruffed him out and submitted him to the floor'. That IMO is harsh and aggressive in nature.

And just so you know I have a litter of 3 that are 17weeks along with the mother and father. I can assure you this is not how their mother handles them at all. She is not rough with them at all and it is not about dominating her pups. She teaches them about cooperation. Whatever she does they do. They are learning to respect each others and her space. It's a very complicated interaction and it is not harsh or dominating in any way.

They all growl at one another from time to time typically when they want their space and if the mother goes to the pup and they are sleeping/eating/playing and they growl at her to go away she simply gives them their space.

Unfortunately, much of what is said of how pups are reared by their mother is simply untrue. I spend hours each day just watching how she interacts with the litter and it is very impressive and different than what is generally put out there.

Dogs do not force other dogs to submit unless they are aggressive. Dogs voluntarily submit to other dogs as a sign of trust and to show that they are not a threat.

And this is not giving treats for bad behavior. It is creating a situation where they dog wants to do what you want the dog to do. There is no bad behavior here to correct. The pup is simply say in doggie language that it does not want to come out. Your choices at that point are to force the dog to come out anyway or to make coming out a more attractive option than staying in the crate. By controlling the circumstances and the environment you can avoid a confrontative event in which your pup may feel afraid and you gain cooperation. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

I'll leave it at that and I hope you have an awesome day.

I'm sure others here will have some advice or opinions for you that are more in line with your beliefs on dog rearing.

DKT113 · #8 01-05-2012, 04:29 PM

I am of the midset they don't always have to be happy about what is expected of them, but at the end of the day there are going to be times when they have to do something and growling or snapping because they don't want to is where I draw the line. I drew that same line with my children as well.

There were times when one of my boys went to bed fine and the other one for whatever reason didn't want to ~ I didn't call them both to the living room after making popcorn for them both to celebrate the fact that one popped off about not wanting to go bed. If I had started that it would have been a post bedtime popcorn party in the living room nightly, they would have played me like a fiddle. It was good night, sleep tight, I love you see you in the morning and to bed they went in their own beds. It wouldn't work for everyone I realize that, but it worked for us.

Rio goes totally nuts when she see white socks in motion, to the point of rough, hurtful play and growling, complete foot attacking when she does that she is told Be Nice! & gets removed from the situation immediately ~ people have the right to wear their socks without being attacked by a 4 legged piranha. It's a work in progress,and we just try and remain consistent at all times about it. She is a puppy and we love her and we realize she is learning how to live with us and we are learning how to live with her, but the bottom line is when I want to go to the kitchen in my socks I am going to go to my kitchen in my socks and not be attacked, no matter how fun she thinks it is. The same goes for bedtime, when it's time for bed it's time for bed~ we have a routine and while she might not be thrilled about it one particular night at a certain time upon occasion she needs to Crate Up & Snuggle In and go with the flow like the rest of us.

I am like mellawson 1/2 to 3/4's crazy as well so defintely take what I say with a grain of salt, salt substitute if you have a heart condition

I would try and be consistent with how you handle it when it happens. Eventually he'll make the connection when he does x and you do/ say y he realizes x wasn't as cool as he thought it was and he learns because you did/said y, x's behavior was unacceptable in those specific conditions. We're in the middle of it ourselves ~ going the consistent route and we've had a few stern Be Nice! 's but we can have those and everyone is still able to have/ maintain their dignity. One specific little buggar just has to retract their teeth from our feet to keep hers