Skip to content

Okay, deep growling..when moving Tobias?

Behavioral Issues
  • Well you are all braver than me. I dont have anyone in bed but humans:D

  • My friend Jean Skaggs says with resource guarding, the human should leave the room each time the negative behavior occurs.
    But if the dog is sleeping, I am not sure that it will work.
    I do know it works when one dog is guarding YOU from the other dogs, when your on the couch.

  • @sharronhurlbut:

    My friend Jean Skaggs says with resource guarding, the human should leave the room each time the negative behavior occurs.
    But if the dog is sleeping, I am not sure that it will work.
    I do know it works when one dog is guarding YOU from the other dogs, when your on the couch.

    Yep, that is the best technique when you are the resource being guarded…dog quickly learns that the thing they want to keep is distanced when they act that way.

    Guarding a sleeping spot is more difficult, unless you can pull the couch/bed out from underneath the dog. Even then...with some dogs that will turn into an escalation of MINE! and that can be dangerous. Much better to change the association of the request to move from negative to positive.

  • Ok, so I am clear…cause this is important to learn, you think bribing the b to get down is the key? I am not being smart or bitch*, just want to know what your saying.

    With other rescues, we had "throws" on the couch, so when a dog was showing bad manners and growling, the dog quickly found himself on the ground as the throw was moved out from underneath him.
    Once he was on the ground, he had to be "invited" by me to get back up...
    If I can learn something new, please, clarify a new way to get this dog down.

  • Calling the dog off the couch or sleeping spot is not necessarily bribing. I often reward my dogs for good behavior and use treats as part of training but they are not "bribes", the treat is not shown nor offered until the dog has done the task asked. I do believe in rewarding good behavior since when dogs are rewarded for good behavior they are more likely to offer it in the future.

  • I don't call it bribing…but some do. In the beginning you use a treat to lure the dog off the furniture while saying "off". Then you switch to using the command "off" without showing the treat, but rewarding with a treat as soon as the dog responds (actually I use a clicker to mark the behavior because it makes the training faster, then I treat). Then continue to reward the behavior most of the time until it is SOLID, really solid...then you can start to alternate rewards.

    People who don't like positive reinforcement training call it (mistakenly) bribing the dog.

    It certainly is effective to startle the dog to the ground, but if the dog is growling in fear it certainly won't fix the problem.

    I have said before that with my own dogs, in which I know their bite thresholds, if I get a complaint about moving, I just move them...done. But if I felt like I was dealing with a dog that would escalate the confrontation to the point of biting, I certainly wouldn't want to make the situation any worse. At that point I would train the dog to get off the furniture on request, with their cooperation...not force.

  • @lvoss:

    Calling the dog off the couch or sleeping spot is not necessarily bribing. I often reward my dogs for good behavior and use treats as part of training but they are not "bribes", the treat is not shown nor offered until the dog has done the task asked. I do believe in rewarding good behavior since when dogs are rewarded for good behavior they are more likely to offer it in the future.

    Right, once the dog understands what you want, you should not need to show the treat. And that should happen VERY quickly. At first, you might need to show the treat to get them down…but often you can just use a happy voice, or some other attraction to get their interest.

  • <>
    This isn't really a new way....it is really, really basic positive reinforcement techniques. Reward behavior you want to see more of, don't reward behaviors you don't want to see more of...keep behaviors you don't like from being able to occur, and train incompatible behaviors to those undesirable behaviors (i.e. sitting while greeting is incompatible with jumping while greeting)

  • @Quercus:

    Right, once the dog understands what you want, you should not need to show the treat. And that should happen VERY quickly. At first, you might need to show the treat to get them down…but often you can just use a happy voice, or some other attraction to get their interest.

    I should clarify that I teach hand targeting to my dogs as one of the first things they learn after name response and then use that instead of luring but it is the same technique. I just really like the utility of being able to direct my dogs with a finger and it is very handy in agility when I need get them to me.

  • @lvoss:

    I should clarify that I teach hand targeting to my dogs as one of the first things they learn after name response and then use that instead of luring but it is the same technique. I just really like the utility of being able to direct my dogs with a finger and it is very handy in agility when I need get them to me.

    Yes, that is a great way to do it. That is one thing I LOVE about positive training, you can find a whole number of ways to attain the same end goal.

    And you bring up a good point, Lisa. If the dog has even a little basic obedience, like here, or come, or a even just history of being rewarded for compliance, it makes dealing with a situation like resource guarding a) less likely to happen and b) easier to change.

  • I do know it works when one dog is guarding YOU from the other dogs, when your on the couch.

    I have always found that this behavior is one basenji not wanting to give up the power seat that is touching mom. I have wathed many times the dogs try to push the other one away from that close spot. I never get the impression that they are guarding me.

    Interesting.

  • It isn't guarding like…I am worried about mom, so I'd better protect her. It is guarding as in...this is MINE...my resource...I want to place myself closest to the primary resource....so I would say that your assessment was right on. But in my way of thinking, it isn't about power. It is about a preferential status place next to the resource....which I suppose is semantics. But power is really a human construct....but in the end, power in humans IS about controling resources.

  • Ah I see, Mr Miyagi….:D

  • Jojo will do that when she is in her bad and I move it with my hands but if I just scoot it with my foot (hard wood floor) she is fine…I just chalked it up as Jojo being a B...

  • Jojo will do that when she is in her bed and I move it with my hands but if I just scoot it with my foot (hard wood floor) she is fine…I just chalked it up as Jojo being a B...

Suggested Topics

  • Recent Growling at Dogs During Walk

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    5k Views
    FlashF
    Unfortunately we have the same problem with our boy (9) and girl (10). Off leash they play well - 95% of the time. The other 5% can be a disaster especially with small frightened dogs. My guys have gone after such animals and even bitten them - once drawing a small amount of blood. This behaviour seems quite instinctive and regrettably I have not been able to curb it. I do hope your pleasant little fellow doesn’t go this far. But we are talking about a very primitive breed.
  • Growling at bedtime

    Behavioral Issues
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    5k Views
    CrazySenjiC
    This is a very common basenji issue! They get comfortable and don't want to be bothered. My brindle dog only does it when he's still delirious from sleep and "snaps out of it" when he realizes what's going on. Teaching a dog "OFF!" is very important! Do it when they are happy and awake and then move to sleepy and grumpy. On the couch, say OFF! and treat them when they get it right. It becomes a game. Both of my dogs know what "OFF!" means and listen to it. One of them will continue to grumble until he's fully awake and then he's back to his happy self. I agree with Pat and the treats for crate time. When I leave for work I say "Who wants a treat?" and off they run to their kennels! I break out the good stuff for going to work time. At night I say night-night and in they go. This didn't happen overnight! It took my red boy months to like his crate. Lots of sleepless nights with a screaming puppy. I actually had to buy him a new one because I discovered he was scared of the all enclosed plastic crates. Now his perfect in his crate and goes in on his own to relax.
  • Deep voice after spaying

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Oh good! Glad she's fine!
  • Growling at the dog park

    Behavioral Issues
    22
    0 Votes
    22 Posts
    7k Views
    torchsongT
    The treat issues haven't been too horrible. Most of the time the people who bring them quickly learn the downside of it and don't do it again. :) She's been doing a lot better, and I've been determining when it's okay to discipline and when not. If she's doing a "give me space" where three or four dogs are sniffing her at once, I hold back, but occasionally she's gone after just one dog and I put her down for that. Next thing you know she's just playing with the dog, chasing or whatever. So it seems to be working. She's gotten a lot better at coming on command as well, even from across the park. It's tough to break that ADD that most 'Senji's have :), but of late she's gotten really good at breaking away from what she's doing if I call her. Who knows…we may make a dog out of this "cat-dog" yet! :)
  • Basenji Growling & Aggression

    Pinned Behavioral Issues
    89
    0 Votes
    89 Posts
    109k Views
    O
    Hello, Im new here and have a question in regards to growling. We just rescued an older male Basenji that was just neutered. We have had him a week. He doesn't play with toys. Seems to like any dog he comes across. Tolerates small children and seems to want attention from any person that comes along. He doesn't seem to be food aggressive and is perfectly happy to sit by me most of the day when I'm home. I even come home for lunch to walk him every day. My question is that when we first got him he had no issues getting into his crate, but now he has started growling and getting his back hair up when I tell him to get into his house. Hes too new for me to want to allow him to wander the house with the cats alone. I tried giving him treats when he went in to make it a positive experience but he doesn't seem very happy and now growls every time I ask him to go in. Any suggestions to help with this issue?
  • Growling Now???!!!

    Behavioral Issues
    29
    0 Votes
    29 Posts
    8k Views
    tanzaT
    @Vanessa626: Here is an update on the little growler. Since the post I have tried a few different things and the best thing that seems to work is getting down and dirty :) (figure of speech) I have been mixing the food with my hands and hand feeding him. It has been working and after doing that for a few minutes I give him the bowl and sit next to him telling him that he is a good boy. So far so good. He is definitely trying to show that he is becoming a teenager but what he doesn't realize..I am more stubborn than him and wont give in :) He is now sleeping on the floor. No more sleeping with us. I now make sure I am first to walk out any door and he must follow. These little things are helping. Thanks everyone for offering suggestions!!! That is great…. and glad that Chance is getting the message... It has always amazed me how quickly they get these ideas into their heads...