Guest Anonymous Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 I am in it deep. We took on a new dog into our house last night. We were told he was an alpha male and would help with our stubborn puppy. Which was great. Plus he is the dog my husband always wanted.... The new dog is a purebred golden retriever 2 yrs old....the one we already have is a 1/3golden retriever&2/3chow mix 1 year old (a real pussy cat). Now the 2 yr old (my husbands new dog) is growling at MY dog whenever he comes near me or I attempt to go near him and he comes between us and puts his chin on the back of my dogs neck and growls low, pushing my dogs head down a bit.....my dog surrenders of course....because he is such a puppy - literally and figuratively speaking...however, I am concerned this could turn violent at any moment although I have been assured this new dog is not going to open his mouth...Im not sure what to do...he is only showing these moods towards my dog if I show my dog any affection including brushing him or generally touching him at all - EVEN IF I am touching them both at the same time. This isnt even MY dog - it's supposed to be my husbands.....any suggestions or comments would be appreciated...at this point I am not sure what to do - I love both dogs and each has their pros and cons....so if I have to choose it will be virtually impossible, Im hoping someone else knows why this happening and how to stop it if I can so I can keep both animals. Incidentally, the new dog DID open his mouth and 'wet' my dogs ear in a scuffle over me (or so it appears)...I couldn't call him off, but when my husband raised his voice the new dog backed off and sat immediately. We were told he is a man's dog....which is one reason we got him...for my husband....someone say SOMETHING!!!!! BTW we were told he is being the alpha male and 'training' my dog that he is the head of the pack and that he is taking a father role to my dog....and yes, they have played with each other - in fact, everything is perfectly fine, as long as I dont touch my own dog..... EBBY[b][/b] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corgilady Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 :o oh dear! well it IS a new dog, so perhaps let them settle in a bit? And I definitely would put the dog in its place.... YOU are alpha, not doggie. Don't let him growl! I had the same problem with Toby. He hates Koda. I finally shook Toby by his scruff, telling him NOOOOOO. He got the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmcbyrd Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 i dont know if my advice is great advice or not but ill try to help. it turns out that i had exactly the same problem. we had a red healer that was 16 months at the time we got a blue healer. the red female named mckenzie is a very dominant dog. the blue healer named bruiser was 9 weeks when we got him. you wouldnt think that there would be much of a problem but after he started growing very quickly we started seeing a change in kenzies attitude. i think she started seeing him as a threat. when he was about 4 months old he was the same size as her so i think she seen him as a threat to her alpha rank. we left one day to come home to a little bruiser that needed 22 staples. long story short, she kicked his a$$ pretty good. now he is about 7 months old and 55 lbs. she is only about 33 lbs. so she doesnt mess with him very much anymore. i had to explain that to you so i could say my advice comes from a little experience. im by no means an expert. with that said, my advice to you would be to start showing your dominance with the new dog. speak up with him and be forceful with your voice. i dont know if this is right but i think that the new dog sees you as his bitch in the pack. there is 3 males and one female in the group and he is just establishing himself in the pack. thats just what it seems like to me. again i have barely any idea what im talking about. you have to show him that you are the boss. my wife had the same problem with both our dogs. they always listen to me but test her. since then we went to a friend of mine who is a k-9 cop instructed us how to properly train him so we have taken care of that problem. i have rambled a lot. i guess i should say this takes some time. just let him establish himself and dont forget to establish yourself too. this advice probably isnt what you are looking for but if you need good advice then you should talk to......well just about everyone on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadyLady Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 Well said usmcbyrd I would suggest you put the older dog on a lead and do some obedience like sit ect just to reinforce that you are alpha over him and that he has to respect you My husband has the same problem with our dogs they will do as I ask but wont listen to him I know its your husbands dog but you have to gain some respect as well Hope this helps and good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 Yep, USMC you are right. This Golden is viewing Ebby as a lower member of the pack. Ebby, even though he is your husbands dog, you must establish that YOU are not lower than he is. Don't let him establish dominance over you or it will be nightmare. Let this big boy know that you are HIS boss and definately reclaim your ALPHA status with him --- or he'll be "marking" you as his own! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 Thanks all...but unfortunately my problem is being solved for me....anyone looking for a BEAUTIFUL and wonderful tempered chow/retriever cross? He's the best dog in the whole wide world....:cry: While I was at work this afternoon my husband let him out back where he barked non-stop and wouldn't listen to him....even when brought in the house he barked continuously and wouldnt do what my husband asked. So he put him back outside thinking maybe he needed out - where he barked more, and more. Two neighbours on the backside of us came over and complained that he was getting all the other dogs in the neighbourhood going and they were going to call the city....as a result we have decided that the best thing for my baby is for him to go to an acerage where he can bark all day and no one will care.... :cry: today is a sad sad day in our household.... EBBY :cry: :cry: :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 [quote name='EBBY']Thanks all...but unfortunately my problem is being solved for me....anyone looking for a BEAUTIFUL and wonderful tempered chow/retriever cross? He's the best dog in the whole wide world....:cry: While I was at work this afternoon my husband let him out back where he barked non-stop and wouldn't listen to him....even when brought in the house he barked continuously and wouldnt do what my husband asked. So he put him back outside thinking maybe he needed out - where he barked more, and more. Two neighbours on the backside of us came over and complained that he was getting all the other dogs in the neighbourhood going and they were going to call the city....as a result we have decided that the best thing for my baby is for him to go to an acerage where he can bark all day and no one will care.... :cry: today is a sad sad day in our household.... EBBY :cry: :cry: :cry:[/quote] I will be blasted for this --- I don't care. You know Ebby, it's people like you that really pi$$ me off. Instead of behaviour modification, you just throw the dog away. Is the new Golden the one that you want to make some money back on by breeding? His temperment is surely nothing that a GOOD breeder would want to pass on to the offspring. Only back yard Breeders DO! I'm preaching now, so enough of that. People WITH ACREAGE [b]DO CARE [/b]if a dog BARKS NONSTOP because the bark carries! We can hear dogs barking....NONSTOP....that are miles away and they get our dogs barking and it just aggravates the HE!! out of me. If everytime I DEMANDED, because my ego was hurt, that my spouse *THROW AWAY* one of our dogs because they wouldn't mind me OR vice versa ----- I'D BE DOGLESS. I just spend more time with the dog reintroducing my views on being alpha. Geez, the LACK of sleep is showing today.....must have been the freaking dogs from the next section of land that barked ALL NIGHT LONG and caused my dogs to bark ---- and kept me up trying to make sure everything was okay outside.......in the rain......in the mud......NO SLEEP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmcbyrd Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 hobbit you dont know what the HE!! you are talking about. just kidding, i thought it would be funny to screw with you since you thought you were going to get blasted. anyway i agree with you totally. there is no reason to get rid of the dog without first giving him a fighting chance to correct himself. keep the dog for at least a month or 2 and see how he is then. while the whole time you have him work with him constantly. just let him have breaks while you work with him. dont just throw him to the side because he is trying to protect you and your husbands wellbeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 OKAY.... To set matters straight - I have owned MY dog for over a year and he has NEVER stopped barking. We moved into this new house four months ago and he wont let up. YES I have tried the collars - 3 of them! They dont work with him! We bought 4 different types of muzzles and every one he got off or 'stretched' so he could bark with them on - even when the so called experts put them on him to 'prove' that we weren't doing it right. We have tried EVERY SINGLE SUGGESTION that EVERY OBEDIENCE SCHOOL AND DOG OWNER AROUND HERE WOULD GIVE US with no luck at all! Sure I could understand how "people like me" would tick you all off, but you aren't the ones being yelled at by the neighbours - you aren't the ones that have tried TIRELESSLY to get him to stop with no luck - you aren't the ones who have to get up for work at 5 in the morning to drive a school bus after your DOG kept you up all night - I should have been more specific in my post by saying that for my husband and my neighbourhood yesterday was the last straw....on top of which - I CANT AFFORD ONE MORE FINE!!! I am EXTREMELY dissapointed with the reaction I have gotten from you....in case you missed it, I AM A MESS. I LOVE MY DOG AND DONT WANT HIM TO GO ANYWHERE! I HAVE DONE [u][b]NOTHING [/b][/u]BUT WORK TO CORRECT [b]EVERY POSSIBLE DOG PROBLEM [/b]WITH THIS DOG. SOME WITH AMAZING SUCCESS.....BUT MY NEIGHBOURS ARE YELLING AT ME....AND WE JUST MOVED HERE....THE CITY KEEPS GIVING ME FINES AND WARNING ME NOT TO LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN....the sad part of all this is that this is breaking my heart into a million pieces and when I look to this site for some support I get the responses I just read. I am happy for you that your dogs are all perfect, just know that my puppy is the most wonderful dog on the planet (TO ME) and this is tearing me up - but THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. :mad: There, I feel a bit better now. Oh yeah, and HOBBIT, I think you know where you can stick your [b]unfounded[/b] opinions....you didn't even bother to ask for the WHOLE story before you ran off at the mouth. EBBY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 [quote name='usmcbyrd']there is no reason to get rid of the dog without first giving him a fighting chance to correct himself. keep the dog for at least a month or 2 and see how he is then. while the whole time you have him work with him constantly. just let him have breaks while you work with him. dont just throw him to the side because he is trying to protect you and your husbands wellbeing.[/quote] I appreciate your comments - really I do. Firstly, this dog has been given a [b]year [/b]of a fighting chance....against everyone else's advice I have struggled with him. Everyone said because of his chow side he wouldnt do this or that - and now he does with some of those things. I had nine months of that year off work where I worked with him and the second my back was turned he would revert. AND LASTLY if I am doing anything at all - it is NOT throwing him aside. I told my husband no matter how long it took whoever takes him has to have some sort of experience training dogs...he needs someone who knows more than I do - I have reached the end of my road of expertise. I am not simply giving him away. Wherever he goes the person who is adopting him has to meet certain requirements so that I am assured he is going to BETTER off. Some additional information y'all dont know - I rescued him when he was 6 weeks old from a 'puppy mill' type situation. He has been my baby since the second I laid eyes on him and always will be - no matter where he is. It is because of my love for him and that of my family that I have made this decision and anyone who thinks this is easy for me is delusional. :cry: EBBY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 [i][b]"Oh yeah, and HOBBIT, I think you know where you can stick your unfounded opinions....you didn't even bother to ask for the WHOLE story before you ran off at the mouth". [/b][/i] And YOU didn't bother to post it, did you? What was I supposed to think? If YOU don't tell me.....then I WON'T know, will I? I will HAVE to fill in the PARTS that YOU left OUT! NO where in any of your posts have you EVER stated that your dog barks NON-STOP, or I missed it somewhere. Yes, you are right -- I was off base here. Why? Because I didn't KNOW the whole story. [b]I do appologize [/b]for not knowing YOUR story. IF I had of known, I would not have posted what I did. Unfortunately, some dogs are a lost cause. I never even eluded to the fact that my dogs are perfect....they aren't, I admit it and deal with it accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 [quote name='Mei-Mei']In addition, folks are reacting to the fact that though you can't keep one dog, you are considering breeding your Golden. That raises the hackles. If your neighbors can't tolerate barking how are they going to react to puppies yipping all day and all night? If you are determined to get rid of the dog then contact a rescue in the area who can find him a nice home. By the way, has the dog been to obedience school? Is his high energy directed toward a job? How long must he stay alone in the backyard? Would keeping him inside help?[/quote] Our golden is a male so we wouldnt have to worry about puppies. He doesnt bark - not even when someone comes to the door. He is a marshmallow. I havent had a chance to say this yet, but I did find my baby a nice home last night - and its with someone we know so I know he will be well cared for and this man's son breaks horses and trains animals for a living....without breaking their spirit. he is very good at what he does. They are aware fully of my dogs shortcomings and want him regardless - we are all in love with him...he is an amazing animal. On their farm he will be trained and will never be left alone.... Yes we did obedience school and a lot of things worked. He learned a lot of things....except how not to bark and how to calm down which is part and parcel with his age (remember he is only a year - so hes still a puppy). He doesnt go in the backyard except to do his business, he is mostly in the house but he freaks out at any sound...and not a protective thing either....he could care less who comes in the yard worst he'd do is slobber them with kisses - stranger or not, he just barks when he hears anything.... I realise I didnt divulge the whole story, since I was looking for support when I was upset about having to lose my dog, and wasnt asking for advice on how to curb his barking habit, I didnt think it was necessary at the time. EBBY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 [quote name='Hobbit'][And YOU didn't bother to post it, did you? What was I supposed to think? If YOU don't tell me.....then I WON'T know, will I? I will HAVE to fill in the PARTS that YOU left OUT! NO where in any of your posts have you EVER stated that your dog barks NON-STOP, or I missed it somewhere. Yes, you are right -- I was off base here. Why? Because I didn't KNOW the whole story. [b]I do appologize [/b]for not knowing YOUR story. IF I had of known, I would not have posted what I did. Unfortunately, some dogs are a lost cause. I never even eluded to the fact that my dogs are perfect....they aren't, I admit it and deal with it accordingly.[/quote] I am touchy today and I am sorry Hobbit. I have been in tears and agonising over this decision...he is sooooo bloody intelligent - why cant he just STOP BARKING. But I also feel I have failed him in his training...and the best thing for him now (while he is young and there is a chance) is to go to someone who can do right for him. I am not trading him for the new dog (although the new dog is sooo easy to deal with and I forgot what that feels like - it is nice not to have to follow him everywhere and monitor his every move). I am overcome with guilt over this decision and to feel like I am having people criticise me when I really AM trying to do the right thing by EVERYONE here set me off... it wont happen again... :oops: EBBY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 Nevermind... I'm lost now. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 [quote name='Horsefeathers!']Nevermind... I'm lost now. :-?[/quote] ^^^This was in response to having just spent 20 minutes typing a post and posting it, only to find that about four most posts had appeared and that what I typed was in relation to what I had first read which has changed significantly each time I look, so I pulled my long post..... In other words, nevermind. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 Sounds like he's a fear barker. Too much responsibility for him to protect everything, because he's still young and has no self confidence, just doesn't quite know what to do...so he barks. Alrighty, off to take a nap since I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmcbyrd Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 alright let me get this straight. the golden is the new dog that doesnt bark and the dog you are getting rid of is the dog YOU have had for a year or so. your dog is the one with the barking problem, not the one you just got. i thought you were getting rid of the dog you just got, thats why i said give him a fighting chance. sorry for the confusion. i am sure that i speak for everyone when i say if you want our advice you have to clear up your story and tell us all the info. please give us some names so we know who we are referring to. i am sorry for your loss. i am sure its tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggrolyn1223 Posted November 3, 2002 Share Posted November 3, 2002 Ok...that's exactly the opposite of my problem...you want to give the dog away, but the other people are telling you not to....I DON'T want to give Duck away, but they're telling me to do that... :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted November 3, 2002 Share Posted November 3, 2002 [quote name='sashagirl']Egg, your problem is COMPLETELY different!!!!!!!! :x[/quote] Oh, let me add to that --- 100%, COMPLETELY, totally, not even in the same ball park, NOT even remotely anywhere near --- the same problem. If it needs to be simple, I can do that, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.