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my dog sleeps with me and is on the sofa with me..... and there is NO DOUBT in her mind that **I** am pack leader..........
I would have to say my situation is the same. There are no other obedience issues other than this.
For the longest time he would not want to have anything to do with the sofa or places that are high up. My other dog is currently like that. Then all of a sudden one day this changed.
i wish i could offer some sage advice, but i've never had an issue like you are describing...... but if he's not challenging your authority in other areas, i have to wonder if this is really such a "challenge" thing for him all of the sudden.
the poster who mentioned possible arthritis had a good point.......
So he became more clingy and then started growling when you tried to move him? It could very well be a behavioral issue, but I would advise ruling out a physical problem first.
He would always growl if I slid him away. This is not a new behavior.
He will let me touch him, scratch his tummy, pet him, do whatever but SLIDE him... oh no. He's not having it.
He has crept closer to me, sprawling out sideways laying down with his legs stretched out. In fact he's doing that right now under my desk where I am sitting. I have to sit sideways on the chair so I don't step on him. MAybe he is just tired from playing in the heat. He has sat closer to me in the middle of the sofa. This is a bit of an inconvenience when I want to lay down myself.
Someone on another forum suggested that most dogs don't like to be pushed. MAybe he is just reacting to that?!
There seems to be a dominance issue. You are allowing your dog to dominate you when you allow it to lean and touch you. Also, you might interpert "scratch his tummy, pet him" as showing love to your dog, but your dog is viewing it as another form of dominance, since dogs see grooming as dominance. He is showing aggression when you push him away, because you are challenging his dominance over you, which you have given him the role as alpha dog, atleast on the sofa.
Either you stop allowing your dog to sit on the sofa or you can teach your dog it is only allowed on when you command it, but make sure you teach it the "off" command as well. I would suggest having a leash on your dog for awhile so if it doesn't listen to your first command you can physically pull it off. Don't use human emotion when dealing with your dog, because they don't. Your dog isn't growling or snaping at you because it is mad at you.
If you want to test and see if you are the alpha dog, try walking into your dog, when he is laying down, and see if he will move out of your way.
Here's what I've started doing. I'm letting him on the sofa. If he moves into the center or starts sprawling out, I slide him over to his side. When/if he growls, I make him get down and about 30 seconds later I invite him back. Rinse & repeat.
He seems to be getting it. I think he's growling because he doesn't want to move from that spot and somewhere along the line, he must have growled and he was left alone. So it worked. And now I am going to try teaching him that growling does not work. Growling ends you up on the floor. And I'm betting it will also teach him that he has to stay on his cushion.
Any thoughts on this technique? I know that the overwhelming solution is to just keep him off the sofa but that doesn't really solve the growling problem.
NOT ALL DOGS will want nor be dominance, when it comes to sleeping with the people they live with or furniture sitting.
It depends on the dogs personality.
here both dogs are ruffly same age...........different personality's
example: My first dog's personality would nor does show any signs of dominance at all, or unsureness of who he is.....He sleeps on bed sits of furniture lays pretty much where ever He pleases, I could move him push him anything I please and he's a lump and allows such......not an issue.
Second dog thinks He's something He's not, Yeh thinks, if for some reason he's as confy as a clam....and I wish to move him in the past or etc....from where he was laying did not matter where it was He would growl at me.....I said you just not do what I think you did? little bugger, and not showing him fear I would remove him from whereever it was, and place him where I wanted him to relax.......Yeh you could see he was so insulted not sure what to do............when his behavour is getting a little better I allow him to come lay on the bed or furniture, once he starts acting up again.......I place him in spots I want him to be in........He's getting the jest of it slowly ...however I must tell you...I feel certain dogs just have it in their blood to take on whatever role they want to place themselves in........and this dog will always test the waters..no matter what.... I also know this is not outa what we call dominance, but more of the dog is UNSURE of himself what place of the rank he's in, which makes him insecure...which makes him confused, and such dogs will do such.
I say place your DOG BACK where you want your dog to go..........teaching takes so long...you decide when you want dog on sofa place him there..take him off etc You decide when and where and at what times you care to have your dog lay with you. and anywhere else you want him to lay, YOU place him there. NOT him placing himself in those spots
once he starts acting up again.......I place him in spots I want him to be in........He's getting the jest of it slowly
Maybe I'm not understanding. Are you putting him where he's supposed to be as punishment for growling? Because that may be sending mixed messages.
For example I want my foot warmer back on the sofa and I've been practicing this with him on and off all day. I invite him aboard the sofa with the finger tap. When he creeps, I push him to his cushion. If he growls, instantly he's told to get on the floor. If he doesn't growl, he gets to stay happily curled up on cushion #3.
So he should associate growling with ending up on the floor. That is why the split second he growls, he's told to get down.
If he growled and I put him on cushion #3, that wouldn't work.
Sorry did not explain properly,
Say for instance He wants to lay on the sofa when I'm on it and jumps up, I did not invite him, therefor I place him where I want him to lay, He is a smaller dog so I have not prob removing him.
Then when I feel like it I will call him over to the sofa as he jumps up and before he chooses his location of the sofa, I place him where I want him to lay , NOT HIM choosing which area he wants.
same for bed, if He all of a sudden jumps up cause he feels like it, and if I'm wanting him to be on it, same thing I choose his spot, not him choosing it etc...hope this is making sense I don't nesassarly place him right away on the floor, I place him where I want him, seeing at times I like to lay on the floor/carpet too.
why can't typing words be easier, we should have voice recorders on here..lol
shagbark .... sounds like you are heading in the right direction..... let us know how it works over the next week or 2......
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let us know how it works over the next week or 2......
