Let's be friends

Hello there, I'm after some advice please.

I have a six-month-old Golden Retriever and a four-year-old Chihuahua- Jack Russell cross. But I just can't seem to get them to get a long.

My retriever just wants to play but my other dog is just not interested and gets snappy with her. It even appears that it's bringing out a sign of aggression of my retriever, as they got in an argument over a plastic duck yesterday and ended to fighting. My retriever didn't mark my other dog but she bit my retriever’s ear and made it bleed.

Tessa (my retriever) has started to get funny about possessions of hers and even growls at me if I try and take something away from her that's not hers. Any advice would be much appreciated!

I have an 18 month old boy so want to have an aggressive dog around him. This only happens at home. If we are walking together there's no sign of aggression whatsoever.

Many thanks,

Kathleen, Cambridge

Karen Wild, behaviourist, advises…

It sounds like there are a few issues here so I will try to unpick them a little.

Older dogs often do not want to play with a puppy. I like to give them a bit of time apart so the older dog can settle down rather than have to try to discipline a younger dog who really needs to learn a few manners. If the older dog is smaller than the pup, this can create other issues since the smaller dog cannot easily prevent the puppy from doing things and this might explain why she bit the retriever’s ear. Definitely give your older dog some space and time to herself and encourage your puppy to play and learn from other older dogs elsewhere, which will help.

It also sounds like there are issues to do with possessiveness and this is something I would consult a professional about, without delay. You can find an APBC member near you on www.apbc.org.uk - this is particularly important as you have a young child, who is probably not likely to notice any warning signals, as kids simply don’t spot these things. A registered behaviourist will be able to advise you on the signals to look out for, the possible risks and other ways to manage and prevent this behaviour long before it escalates.

Catch off guard

Hello,

I would really appreciate any advice you could give on my Patterdale Terrier.

His name is Gizmo, he's four years old. We got him as a rescue dog and we are his fourth owners. Before we got him we have heard he was owned by drug/alcohol addicts and has been beaten. Gizmo is scared of everything from wheels, walking sticks, people, noises etc.

He has always guarded his possessions but lately this seems to have increased, he guards anything he likes the look of; is there a way I can stop him from doing this? The other and worst thing he does, is biting people, mainly my mum who he has bitten around 5 times, however this is usually when my mum has been drinking alcohol, I was wondering if it stems from his old owners getting drunk and beating him? Gizmo was 10 months old when we got him and at first he seemed to improve but now seems to be getting naughty again, he only really listens to me and that's only 90% of the time.

I've tried writing a list of 'Gizmo' rules for my mum to follow to help Gizmo understand that she is also a pack leader along with me, ie. not to feed him off her plate or not to let Gizmo on her bed.

The reason I am so desperate for advice is because my mum says she has had enough and that she is going to take Gizmo to be put to sleep this week, I really can't bear this happening as I love him so much and I think he's a good dog he just needs the right guidance.
I know I could get a dog behaviourist but they are so expensive and I'm on minimum wage, plus as Gizmo doesn't do the bad behaviours constantly it would be hard to show the trainer the behaviours.

Please help, any advice greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Hayley, by email

On guard

Hi

I'm pretty desperate for some help with my 20 month Golden Retriever.

He is a friendly dog who is very loving.... 99% of the time

However, he has a problem with resource guarding that is getting worse.

He is fine with his food bowl (I've worked with him on this, adding treats etc to it, so he loves it when I approach him!). We've never had a problem with beds, toys etc

He does display very strong guarding behaviour towards "food based" items such as Kongs. As a result I avoid giving him anything like that, which on reflection I realise may not have been the best way to deal with things.

Where the behaviour is really worrying is where I can't predict it - I've known him to guard pebbles, holes he has dug in the garden etc. These are things that I can't understand why he sees them as "high value". It's almost as though he gets fixated on an item or activity and is determined no one is going to spoil his fun.

We consulted a APBC behaviourist in the past, who recommend that we work on the "drop" and "leave it" command. He knows these and will perform the behaviour fine in a "no pressure" situation, but not when there is something better on offer!

We have got used to managing his behaviour within the family, but he has been staying with a dog sitter (who was made aware of the problem beforehand) and there have been a couple of problems there.

I clearly need to stop sticking my head in the sand and deal with this. I'm petrified that something really bad is going to happen.

Can anyone recommend a good behaviourist / trainer who has had success with this problem in the past? Does anyone else have a dog with the same problem who has been successfully treated?

I urgently need help from someone who can work with us on an ongoing basis. I feel really desperate at the moment, so any help would be much appreciated

Thanks in advance

Nicky, south Northants