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jack russell
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help my 2year old jack russell is over protective towards me he has bitten more than once indoors other family members if they come near me, he was castrated over a year ago but problem getting worse any helpful ideas welcome
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This behaviour is unacceptable and MUST be corrected before he does someone real damage and is put to sleep.He is showing behaviour of a dominant animal,you are his pack.He should be the lowest ranking with the people and other pets coming above him.He feels it is his duty as the dominant pack member to protect you who he will see as a lower rank,he does this by biting other people who come near you. You need to get him from dominant to the lowest rank fast . To do this,everyone in the household must all do the same thing.
Feeding-in a wild pack,the dominant members ALWAYS eat first and the less dominant animals get what is left. Feed your dog at the same time every day.Do not leave food available to your dog all day. When you feed him,eat a biscuit over his bowl so it looks like you are eating his dinner first.Make him sit,put the bowl down and allow him his food.Make sure any other pets are fed first too.
Greetings-when you come in from an outing do not greet your dog straight away, DON'T stroke your dog until he is calm,when he is calm,you call him to you,by doing this you are giving him permission to greet the dominant members of the pack,wolves do the same.The same for playing,don't play with your dog just because he is shoving a toy in your hand or barking at you,you are in charge and you will play when you feel ready.
Height dominance-a dominant dog will try and get height dominance over you,especially small dogs.They will get up high on the sofa or put their paws on your shoulder,don't allow this. If you are sitting on the sofa and your dog jumps up say no then put him straight on the floor,as soon as he is on the floor say good boy and make a fuss of him.He will learn that he only gets attention whilst he is on the floor.
Every time he jumps up,repeat,no,put him on the floor and ONLY then make a fuss of him and say goodboy.
Protection-as in your case,your dog sees you as the weak member of the pack that needs his protection,this is VERY dangerous.When someone comes near you,as soon,and i mean AS SOON,as he shows ANY aggressive behaviour,say no in a very loud voice and remove him from the room,let him back in and repeat this untill he shows no agreession what so ever,as soon as he is showing no aggression make sure you praise him but only when someone can approach you safely. Also make sure that the people approaching you make no eye contact with him,this is a treat,keep their arms folded and act in a cofident way,no slow or sudden movements
Sounds like someone's ripping Jan Fennell off! You dont have to dominate your dog to live happily with it! So many people talk about the wolf pack, its so different for domestic dogs! The things Rio (and Jan Fennell) said aren't always practical. I dont eat a biscuit over my dogs bowl, they can go through the door first and dont think they're the leader! I think he needs a little time apart from you so he isn't so dependant and protective. Contact a GOOD behaviourist and talk to them.
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/I/itsmeorthedog/takepart.html
Look forward to seeing you and your little terror on channel 4 :D just kidding, it is an Idea though!
I have seven dogs and six sleep on/in my bed (the other chooses to sleep in the wardrobe!).
I would think you might be encouraging your dog to think he is entitled to be the boss and therefore needs to protect you. You could try making him sleep downstairs or in a crate in your bedroom if he won't be left (especially if he is used to going to bed with you).
I know it sounds hard, but anything you do to make him feel more (can't think of the word - 'below' you) will help.
Always eat first before you feed him, make him wait while you go through doorways, don't fuss him if he comes to you, call him for a fuss first.
It will make his position much clearer to him and he won't feel the need to be top dog so much.
Try having a water spray handy and spray him if he is naughty, then you can just say something like 'where's that spray' when you think he is going to do something bad, and he will learn that if he doesn't stop, he will get a spraying. I have one handy as I have a young male who thinks it is time to try for the top dog position over one of his older brothers. The older dog is very placid and would not fight with thim, but the youngster will leave him alone if I just say 'where's that spray' (I used to have a water pistol and said 'where's that gun', but I did it in the garden one day and the neighbours then knew for certain I was a looney).
This is a comment for "snappy" I am in constant contact with a behaviourist because of my dogs and infact she says the exact same as rio116 infact i even thought rio might be her for a minute.
I found it strange but domestic dogs are just like those in the wild especially if you have two of them. LITTLE COOJY i contacted www.barkbusters.co.uk and Kim my behaviourist is great. She also says to change the food to raw meat and veg, i thought strange at first but this has had a great effect on my two dogs, the commercial foods have too many unatural colours and flavours, its like feeding a child sweets for dinner every day.
Rio is right though! the bad behaviour must stop you are at the bottom of the food chain for defo and your dog rules your life like mine used to rule me before Kim came along.
best wishes
Lankeela sounds like she knows what she is on about too! you must always go through doors and so on before your dog. Ill tell a story my dalmation ziggy is so nervous its scary. He thought he had to protect me and my family, imagine having a bodyguard who is more scared than you! how would he protect you? but since practicing the techniques barkbusters has taught me Ziggy doesnt feel the need to protect anymore, he loves being at the bottom of the pack and he can now start enjoying his life instead of trying to protect me.
