# Dog keeps growling at husband!



## Mollykins (Feb 5, 2011)

First post so hope this ends up in correct place! 

We have a delightful year old Jack Russell cross Bishon Frise - cannot fault her behaviour or personality as she seems to just love everyone - BUT she does growl at my husband! - this is usually when she is in her bed or sat with me - if he approaches her she starts to snarl - he will try and get the upper hand which usually involves shouting and grabing her around the snout - but to be honest this only seems to make the situation worse - he gets completely baffled and infuriated by it and my concern is if it continues that he'll really lash out at her - he loves her to bits and I know he hates it when it happens but surely there must be another way of tackling other than physically grabbing her! - afterwards she is always very sheppish (almost remorseful!) and wont leave him alone - jumping up at him for cuddles - which he gladly gives! so she never seems to hold it against him yet the growls continue! - it's such a shame as she is so good in every other way - but it's really starting to worry me and I feel nervous everytime he goes to stroke her! any advice would be really appreciated! thanks


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Mollykins said:


> First post so hope this ends up in correct place!
> 
> We have a delightful year old Jack Russell cross Bishon Frise - cannot fault her behaviour or personality as she seems to just love everyone - BUT she does growl at my husband! - this is usually when she is in her bed or sat with me - if he approaches her she starts to snarl - he will try and get the upper hand which usually involves shouting and grabing her around the snout - but to be honest this only seems to make the situation worse - he gets completely baffled and infuriated by it and my concern is if it continues that he'll really lash out at her - he loves her to bits and I know he hates it when it happens but surely there must be another way of tackling other than physically grabbing her! - afterwards she is always very sheppish (almost remorseful!) and wont leave him alone - jumping up at him for cuddles - which he gladly gives! so she never seems to hold it against him yet the growls continue! - it's such a shame as she is so good in every other way - but it's really starting to worry me and I feel nervous everytime he goes to stroke her! any advice would be really appreciated! thanks


Is it just our husband that she growls and snaps at? Dogs can pick up on emotions and our body language, so any stress animosity, or anger we are feeling they can and sometimes will react to it. Is it everytime he approaches her or just sometimes. If its sometimes, then is it times when he is stressed out or tense and/or angry at something? If its all the time then it could well be because of the shouting and the grabbing her, she is now wary and anxious when he approaches. The other clue why she might be doing it is
the "when she is with you" and "I feel nervous every time he goes to stroke her" I think she may be picking up on your nervousness and anticipation, because you are nervous its convincing her that there is something to be nervous and worried about, and because it happens with "him" about then
I think shes reacting with the growling as a nervous defensive behaviour hence the growling and snarling.

I also think that the sheepish behaviour (Is it head bowed, tail low,low no eye contact looking away?) and then going up to him and jumping up for cuddles (does she try to lick his face?) I think is an appeasement behaviour
trying to take the heat out the situation in case the shouting and grabbing her snout happens again. All pure guesswork of course, and I only have your post to go on.

Dogs learn by association. It can be good association like when training and they do something you ask like sit, she gets a tasty treat, and you smile and tell her shes a good girl so its a reward, so she knows doing the sit makes nice things happen. It can also be a fearful or unhappy association, that causes consequences that are unpleasant in which case she then has a limited response. Dogs cant say your scaring me or I dont like it like humans can. All they can do is flight (Run away) Fight (Snarl and snap and hope they look scary enough so "it" will go away) Avoidence (Submissive behaviour and appeasement, No looking in the eye head and body in a submissive position and puppy type behaviour jumping up licking and looking for your approval (Petting).

I think the way to go is to stop the shouting and grabbing. You will need to stop getting nervous when your OH approaches her sending the message that he is something to be nervous and wary of. Finally making sure she only associates him with calm, rewarding good association. Your OH can do this by doing some training with her praising and giving treats when she does sit etc. When he goes up to her in her bed dont go straight up move slowly and have treats speak to her softly and stop a few feet away show her the treat and call her to him, only if she approaches with no snapping and snarling then praise and give the treat. At the moment when she is in her bed and he approaches she has no method of escape if she is unsure,so thats why probably she reverts to the defence snap and growl.

No guarantees of course, and as I said this is pure guesswork on what might be happening from what you have posted, but I hope this might give you some ideas why it might be and ways to change it.


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## tripod (Feb 14, 2010)

Hi there and welcome to the forum 

Some questions: How old is she? Has she bitten him or anyone else? Is it only your husband that this sort of behaviour is directed toward? When was the last time she had a full physical examination (including bloods, urine dip etc.)?

First off, *husband training urgently required*: NO MORE PHYSICALLY REPRIMANDING THE DOG in fact no more reprimanding the dog at all.

Growling in dogs is a relatively polite distance increasing signal. Your dog doesn't want your husband near her in specific situations. She has probably been asking with more subtle, polite doggie-speak but this has gone un-heeded so her signaling has escalated to something more obvious hence she is now growling.

This is also likely to continue to escalte especially as your husband is giving her even more reason to want distance from him 

First off lets look at the situations that this has happened in; you list when she's lying in her bed or when close to you.
This is likely to be linked with resource guarding and right now is apparently occurring in specific situations which makes it easier to modify.

The idea is for right now and just at the beginning to avoid situations in which this occurs so that there is a cooling off period - she needs to have at least a week during which this doesn't occur.

During this time, you are will need to do some work with her. When she is lying in her bed, approach her (no eye contact, no talking to her) toss a couple of high value yummies and immediately walk away. Repeat often, several times a day several times in a row.

The idea here is to teach her that a person approaching her in her bed means good things so there is no reason for any distance increasing signaling.
We are starting with a 'safe' person as this will be easiest for her and help her to get the game.

Providing she has had a 'clean' week your husband can then begin to participate.
He should approach her while in her bed and toss several really really really tasty treats and move away immediately.

It is vital to watch her signaling while practicing this exercise. As you, your husband or anyone else approaches if she shows ANY protracted warning or distance increasing signaling at all, immediately stop, take a step back and toss treats from there. Retreat and repeat to that safe distance only.

Her discomfort may be displayed as freezing (she goes still and stiffens), lip licking, averted gaze, yawning, chin down, whale eye (whites of the eye showing), growling etc.
Reward her politeness with what she wants (distance) and move away. Toss treats from a distance that does not cause her to react.

As you progress with this one, you will notice that she becomes more comfortable with you approaching providing you are respecting her signaling. When she sees you approach and looks expectantly for her tossed treats you can begin to GRADUALLY reduce the distance.

The same process is involved when it comes to her growling when lying close to you. Practice this after husband has worked on the above exercise a little so that she is developing a level of comfort in close proximity to him.

On your point that she is 'remorseful' after these incidents. I guess in antropomorphic terms you could say that dogs are apologetic. When an aversive is introduced animals stop all behaviour as it is not safe to offer behaviour. After that initial freezing, social animals like dogs offer a lot of appeasement behaviours - note that they don't appear to 'correct' their wrong doing they offer signaling that reinforces the notion that they are no threat to the applier of aversives.
People often think that this means the dog 'has learned her lesson' but sadly this is not so...all you are really doing is breaking down your relationship with her


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## Mollykins (Feb 5, 2011)

Thanks to both Sled dog Hotel and Tripod - sound advice which I (we!) will certainly be taking. 

Tripod - she is just a year old and has never bitten anyone (including husband!) before - she has growled at my 19 year old son before - again when in her bed - but myself and my daughter can both approach her when in her bed with no growling at all! - she was spayed just before Christmas so had all the necessary checks then.

We may be turning a corner though as my husband has just taken her out for a walk on his own which is progress - I think I probably need to take a step back and let him do more for her - she is almost too attached to me! Anyway thanks again for sensible advise - I'm really pleased that my husband is willing to take on board advise too!


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Hope things start to, and continue to settle down, keep us posted on how you are doing.


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