Grumbling-Growls At The Kitties (And Rarely, But Sometimes, Us) While

[Guest katethegreyt]

(Title was supposed to include Grumbling-Growls "While Lounging" but I guess it was too long, oops!)

So we've had our new girl and first grey, Aoife, for about a month now, and she has overall been the easiest dog. She's quite obedient for what she knows (actual obedience class starts next week, very excited!) - can sit some of the time, is learning to go lay down in her bed, will "wait" at doors, will go "out" away from the kitchen or food if asked, will wait patiently until released for food, will hop off the furniture if I say "off", hasn't flicked so much as an ear at the zooming kitties, etc. She's lovely on the leash and absolutely adores meeting new people of every shape and size (men, women, tall, short, young, old, kids, adults, etc). Overall, she's a dream.

 

One of her issues: when she's lounging (but not just when she's fast asleep and has been startled), whether on the couch, our bed, or one of her beds, she will get a little "grumbly" if one of the cats gets closer than she likes. I say "grumbly" because it is a very low and not very emphatic growl that sounds like a short warning rumble. She has only lifted her lips once that I've seen, and doesn't even move an inch from her lounging position - no snap, no head snap. She never has any interest in the cats the rest of the time, and often doesn't mind if they sleep near her for the most part or come up and take a sniff - it's a bit sporadic. She doesn't mind if they get a little too close while she's eating (though I scold them for that because I feel like it's just asking for trouble), and she has never even flicked an ear at them when they zoom around the house.

 

She has grumble growled at us maybe 3 times total, and it was usually when she was actually asleep and a bit startled from the looks of it.

 

My response thus far is a firm "NO" and to hustle her off whichever furniture she's on into another room where we are not. I've considered using a squirt bottle for when she's on one of her beds and she does this - would that be a reasonable course of action? I've also started severely limiting furniture time and having her stay on her own bed instead (I'm also trying to work with the kitties not to be so curious and let "sleeping dogs lie" as they say). She quickly decided our bed was no fun when we're in it because we move too much (no grumbles, just hopped off in a disgusted fashion, haha), so she pretty much stays on her own bed by preference when we're there.

 

***So what are your thoughts on this part of the growling grumbles?

 

One other issue that has cropped up: I'm pretty careful about monitoring other dogs and gauging their energy levels and how attentive their handlers are. We often don't go in the small dog run close by because 1) The little dog owners refuse to stick to their side, ugh, and 2) It's a relatively small area if any of the dogs are ill behaved. Aoife is not a fan of overly energetic greeters. She gets interested in playful dogs from afar, but within closer confines, she will avoid them by choice and doesn't engage. If she feels a dog is being a little too energetic (usually jumping up in front of her face trying to play), she will give her grumble/growl warning, at which point I've always been around to diffuse the situation. Her first grumble is not overly emphatic or aggressive from what I can tell of her body language (though a novice, I'm decent at that sort of thing with most animals but still have loads to learn). She's only had a chance to do it a couple of times (once on leash once off) because I've been actively trying to keep her away from those sorts of situations. Yesterday she was out with a standard poodle and a largish terrier and was perfectly fine (good attentive owners and good dogs).

 

My fiance was out with her one time (he's a little less animal savvy but is working hard to learn), and let her go in the dog park with a couple of dogs who were probably a little too rambunctious for her taste. He said she gave her grumble, so he put her on the leash and took her out - as they were walking out, the other dog did not get the hint and kept following while sniffing and jumping - the owner completely oblivious. She definitely snapped at him but couldn't get anything because my fiance had her on a tight hold. So she will snap when she feels it's warranted, and honestly, with certain dogs, I can't really blame her, so I'm not sure what the appropriate response is besides removing her from the situation - I don't know her well enough to know if/how she will escalate, and don't really want to give her that opportunity.

 

Since then, I only let her in the dog run if there are a small number of dogs and they all seem to be quiet and well behaved - she has no problems with this and will interact a bit before going off on her own to sniff. Usually there aren't other dogs in the run, so we don't have a problem. I don't have a backyard and live downtown, so it is her one chance to be off leash. She doesn't seem to need it (rarely goes off for zoomies and usually trots back up to me to go home after a few good minutes of sniffing and trotting around or maybe running/chasing with me if she feels like it, haha), so I don't mind skipping it and just walking longer if there are other dogs in there. I also usually just tell other people with excited dogs on leash that just HAVE to meet every dog (no, your dog really does NOT need to say hello to absolutely every dog it passes) that she's not overly friendly to new dogs.

 

***I guess I'm just wondering if this is not a big deal or if it's the beginnings of a big deal. I've started enlisting dog friends with quiet easy dogs to have happy play dates and that goes well. Another point, we would like to bring her on trips with us but often stay with friends that have dogs. Most of our dog owning friends that we would stay with are pretty dog savvy, so I think they'd be willing to work with us a bit. And they have relatively good dogs. We will wait until we know her better before putting her in that sort of situation, but I'd like to hear some thoughts on this behavior and suggestions on working with her on this issue - can she learn to tolerate bouncy dogs better?

 

Wow, that was longer than I intended!

Edited February 7, 2011 by katethegreyt

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

I don't think her grumbling at the kitties is necessarily a bad sign. By your post it seems she really does it to say "leave me be" when she's resting and the kitties get too close. In time she may be used to them enough to allow it, but as it's been only a month, I can't blame her for not wanting them to get too close. She doesn't yet know for sure that they won't hurt her. Most cats are smart enough to heed a warning growl.

 

As for her grumbling at you guys, I would start pairing your approach with something good. Randomly give her a treat as you pass near her resting place. We had to do that with our gal as she was somewhat defensive toward my DH for a while, especially if she was on a blanket. Now, she goes belly up and wiggles on her back when he comes up to pet her when she's on the couch.

 

 

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

As far as her interaction with other dogs, sounds perfectly normal to me. Why do you feel the need to "work" with her behavior to admittedly rude dogs? Greyhounds are unlike any other dog in that they communicate the way dogs are designed to communicate. We as humans mess this up when we raise them in our house to be pets. A dog can communicate in a few ways, one of which is a growl. We as humans don't like this and curb this behavior. So what happens then, you have a hound that has one less method of communication and should you miss the early signs (such as yawning, lip smacking, tail tuck, or numerous other subtle signals), they only have the last option which is the mouth. When other dogs jump up in my dogs faces, I tell the dogs OWNER to take care of their hound, otherwise MY hound will correct them, and thats all it is, a correction. When your dog growls, snarls and eventually gets to the point where they "air snap" (very different than an attack) it is not your dogs fault, or even wrong of your dog to do this. The other dog needs to understand that the behavior is unacceptable. Unfortunately nearly everyone with small dogs thinks their dogs are "just saying hello", whereas in dog language this is puppy behavior that the momma dog usually takes care of (again, a problem with humans raising dogs to be pets and not allowing dogs to learn how to be dogs).

You should take heed with the low growl that is barely audible, that coupled with the raising of the lip to bear the teeth is a prelude to a bite. I would use a squirt bottle on your cats to keep them away from your hound.

I do believe your method of removing your hound from furniture and such when growling is very appropriate. Personally I don't give any new hound furniture privileges until about 6 months or so anyways.

Your hound will have a constant change of personality over the next months and even years. Enjoy and keep asking questions here.

 

Chad

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

I would use a squirt bottle on your cats to keep them away from your hound.

 

Hehehe. If they don't seem to understand her growls, this would be a good solution. Don't punish her for warning the cats to stay away. That could lead to the cat getting bit.

[Guest katethegreyt]

I don't think her grumbling at the kitties is necessarily a bad sign. By your post it seems she really does it to say "leave me be" when she's resting and the kitties get too close. In time she may be used to them enough to allow it, but as it's been only a month, I can't blame her for not wanting them to get too close. She doesn't yet know for sure that they won't hurt her. Most cats are smart enough to heed a warning growl.

 

As for her grumbling at you guys, I would start pairing your approach with something good. Randomly give her a treat as you pass near her resting place. We had to do that with our gal as she was somewhat defensive toward my DH for a while, especially if she was on a blanket. Now, she goes belly up and wiggles on her back when he comes up to pet her when she's on the couch.

 

 

 

She didn't do the grumbling at the cats until this last week (even when they were sleeping close or sneaking in to sniff her toes), so maybe it is just a process of her settling in. Unfortunately my cats, who were very leery of her to begin with, now think she's the most interesting thing in the house and do not seem to get it that the grumble means get lost, weirdos...

 

As for the grumblies at us, she's 99% of the time super happy to sit by us on the couch or for us to come up and give her tummy rubs and ear scritches while she's lounging or shift her a bit in order for us to all fit (she does the dead man sprawl at that point and her 73 lbs is felt fully) - she's been good to share the couch with me moving all over the place even though she gave up on the bed almost immediately, haha. She's also comfortable enough to roach very frequently while we share the couch. I always try to give her advanced warning if I'm coming over from elsewhere in case she is asleep so we don't startle her. As far as I can tell, the limited times her grumblies have been towards us, she's feeling put out by us moving (for example, she did it last night to the fiance when he stuck a leg out in a way that shifted her slightly). I think she may also have been half asleep so slightly startled. Again, it's a bit sporadic, so it's hard to pinpoint exactly what made the moving different this time than the other times we did it and she didn't mind a bit, haha. Maybe she's moody like me = )

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

Maybe she's moody like me = )

 

Hehe, sounds about like that. It doesn't sound like she's being space aggressive, which is good. She may have just gotten pinched or poked and it annoyed her enough that she was telling you guys to knock it off.

 

I would just keep doing what you're doing and keep vigilant, especially where the kitties are concerned. My cats don't approach my grey unless she just happens to be between them and my lap. If they get near she generally ignores them, but if she thinks they might step on her, she'll grumble. But once, one cat jumped onto the arm of he couch and was standing over her face and she just looked at him.

[TheFullHouse]

Sounds like you're handling things very well. I agree, I wouldn't squirt her, I'd squirt the kitties until they learn to leave her alone. She's still adjusting to home life so those little growls are her only way to let you know she's not comfortable. Making her get off the furniture if she grumbles at you is good. She needs to learn that if she shares it great, if not, she has to get down. It's just a little issue with space and she has to learn to share her space. She hasn't had to up to this point, she's always had her own crate and that was her personal space and no one else was allowed in it. Keep doing what you're doing and watch the kitties carefully because if they don't listen, she will correct them.

 

Dog parks, mine don't go because mine also have issues with overly zealous puppies jumping up in their face and any owner of a small dog that doesn't keep their small dog in the small dog area is just asking for trouble in my opinion. I'd try to find a time of day when there are only a couple of dogs in the large dog run and let her play then. They can be overwhelmed with a lot of new dogs all at one time and since I don't suggest muzzling her because she won't be able to protect herself if necessary, I'd pick and choose the times to take her and if she doesn't get to go on some days, I'd just give her a longer walk to get her exercise in.

 

You're doing a great job!

[Guest katethegreyt]

Sounds like you're handling things very well. I agree, I wouldn't squirt her, I'd squirt the kitties until they learn to leave her alone. She's still adjusting to home life so those little growls are her only way to let you know she's not comfortable. Making her get off the furniture if she grumbles at you is good. She needs to learn that if she shares it great, if not, she has to get down. It's just a little issue with space and she has to learn to share her space. She hasn't had to up to this point, she's always had her own crate and that was her personal space and no one else was allowed in it. Keep doing what you're doing and watch the kitties carefully because if they don't listen, she will correct them.

 

Dog parks, mine don't go because mine also have issues with overly zealous puppies jumping up in their face and any owner of a small dog that doesn't keep their small dog in the small dog area is just asking for trouble in my opinion. I'd try to find a time of day when there are only a couple of dogs in the large dog run and let her play then. They can be overwhelmed with a lot of new dogs all at one time and since I don't suggest muzzling her because she won't be able to protect herself if necessary, I'd pick and choose the times to take her and if she doesn't get to go on some days, I'd just give her a longer walk to get her exercise in.

 

You're doing a great job!

 

Luckily most people seem to use the dog park a little earlier than I do (in the morning and after work), so we can usually have alone time, which is good. I have been trying to keep an eye out for friendly regulars though so we can have some quality dog on dog time = ) She doesn't run around much in it (she will sometimes give a quick spurt if I run away from her, but only on days she chooses), so a longer walk is usually about the same to her. She seems pretty ambivalent about the whole off leash thing, except that she really does seem to love being able to go poo in her favorite corner without the prying eyes of the city on her and mom directly at her shoulder, haha.

 

As for the squirting, my kitties respond quite well to it, as I've used it a bit to keep them away from the dog while eating (they really like the way her Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream smells), and I used it pre-dog when they were being naughty. I think that probably is a good reinforcer to keep a safe distance from the pupster. I'd love for them to be one big happy furball family eventually (*dreams of adorable photo ops*), but I think they may need to have a lesson in dog behavior first, haha. Hello silly kitties, growling means step off! Not keep sniffing and see where that curious rumbling is coming from...

[3greys2cats]

As far as her interaction with other dogs, sounds perfectly normal to me. Why do you feel the need to "work" with her behavior to admittedly rude dogs? Greyhounds are unlike any other dog in that they communicate the way dogs are designed to communicate. We as humans mess this up when we raise them in our house to be pets. A dog can communicate in a few ways, one of which is a growl. We as humans don't like this and curb this behavior. So what happens then, you have a hound that has one less method of communication and should you miss the early signs (such as yawning, lip smacking, tail tuck, or numerous other subtle signals), they only have the last option which is the mouth. When other dogs jump up in my dogs faces, I tell the dogs OWNER to take care of their hound, otherwise MY hound will correct them, and thats all it is, a correction. When your dog growls, snarls and eventually gets to the point where they "air snap" (very different than an attack) it is not your dogs fault, or even wrong of your dog to do this. The other dog needs to understand that the behavior is unacceptable. Unfortunately nearly everyone with small dogs thinks their dogs are "just saying hello", whereas in dog language this is puppy behavior that the momma dog usually takes care of (again, a problem with humans raising dogs to be pets and not allowing dogs to learn how to be dogs).

You should take heed with the low growl that is barely audible, that coupled with the raising of the lip to bear the teeth is a prelude to a bite. I would use a squirt bottle on your cats to keep them away from your hound.

I do believe your method of removing your hound from furniture and such when growling is very appropriate. Personally I don't give any new hound furniture privileges until about 6 months or so anyways.

Your hound will have a constant change of personality over the next months and even years. Enjoy and keep asking questions here.

 

Chad

 

 

I agree w/this 100%. My Max gives warning growls when the cat rubs up against his soft crate which is screen so it is like the cat rubbing against him. Queenie(older cat)knows she is really pushing it by doing this so I always correct the cat not Max. Right now w/all the snow and everyone confined to the house more including the cats, I have had to re-introduce the spray bottle w/ the cats to show what the boundaries are. When I walk Max & Sara and we are approached by an off leash dog that is heading toward us aggresively, I use my stern voice to scare it off, there is a Golden Retreiver puppy that is on an invisible fence and she runs @ us and gets in their face until my 2 growl @ her, she wants to play and they are not interested, I don't reprimand them for growling as they are warning her! The owner is an idiot and does not get that this pup is gonna get hurt eventually. Sounds like it's still all new to your pup and her personality is just emerging

[Trihounds]

I always like Chad's posts as they dont waste words and I agree with him on this one.

 

My kittehs will hear a low growl from both dogs if they get too close while relaxing. It's the hierarchy of their 'new' pack, which includes the humans as well. The dogs feel they are above the cats and know they are 'below' the humans. There is no aggression - just communication and everyone seems to get the message as it was intended.

[Guest katethegreyt]

As far as her interaction with other dogs, sounds perfectly normal to me. Why do you feel the need to "work" with her behavior to admittedly rude dogs? Greyhounds are unlike any other dog in that they communicate the way dogs are designed to communicate. We as humans mess this up when we raise them in our house to be pets. A dog can communicate in a few ways, one of which is a growl. We as humans don't like this and curb this behavior. So what happens then, you have a hound that has one less method of communication and should you miss the early signs (such as yawning, lip smacking, tail tuck, or numerous other subtle signals), they only have the last option which is the mouth. When other dogs jump up in my dogs faces, I tell the dogs OWNER to take care of their hound, otherwise MY hound will correct them, and thats all it is, a correction. When your dog growls, snarls and eventually gets to the point where they "air snap" (very different than an attack) it is not your dogs fault, or even wrong of your dog to do this. The other dog needs to understand that the behavior is unacceptable. Unfortunately nearly everyone with small dogs thinks their dogs are "just saying hello", whereas in dog language this is puppy behavior that the momma dog usually takes care of (again, a problem with humans raising dogs to be pets and not allowing dogs to learn how to be dogs).

You should take heed with the low growl that is barely audible, that coupled with the raising of the lip to bear the teeth is a prelude to a bite. I would use a squirt bottle on your cats to keep them away from your hound.

I do believe your method of removing your hound from furniture and such when growling is very appropriate. Personally I don't give any new hound furniture privileges until about 6 months or so anyways.

Your hound will have a constant change of personality over the next months and even years. Enjoy and keep asking questions here.

 

Chad

 

I don't disagree with you at all, which is the reason I've mostly been trying to keep her out of situations where she has to deal with obnoxious dogs, and when it occurs, rather than reprimand, I just remove her from the situation and do my best to keep the other dog away until we can exit stage left. I guess I was just looking for confirmation that this was okay and that I was doing the right thing by not reprimanding her = ) I haven't wanted to actually correct her in these situations because I think her irritation is generally warranted - so I'm glad to hear others on here mostly agreeing. I think people are just so used to rambunctious and super expressive lab types that they think all dogs love to play like that from the get go and should be allowed to. There is a reason we picked out a greyhound as our breed of choice, haha.

 

Plus, she does not exhibit extremely strong signals that make me think she is about to explode in a snarling striking frenzy, rather that she is about to go "cranky corrective grandma" on the other dog (which I'm sure would bother little Poopsie's owners, even if he did desperately need the correction, haha).

 

As for meeting new dogs at, let's say, a friends house where the other dog lives: I've read a good amount about these types of situations, but I'm still very much a novice in practice. We would love to take her with us on trips where we stay with friends that have dogs (all pretty well mannered with good owners, but I'm not sure that they might not be a little exciteable upon introduction). Is there a best way to have everyone meet on neutral territory to help things go more smoothly? I think this is the biggest reason I was curious to get more thoughts on her behavior.

 

As for grumblies towards the cats: I definitely got suckered into letting her on the furniture early, though I had planned to keep her off for the first few months = ) She has always been so responsive to "off" when told, that I was hopeful it wouldn't be a problem (I'm a sucker for a snuggly dog all up on my furniture, darnit). I agree with working with the cats to stay away is a good one (I've already gotten that across at feeding time) - I just wanted to see if others had had similar experiences that didn't escalate. The squirt bottle on the cats is a good idea, and I've used it effectively with them before, so perhaps that will get the "let sleeping dogs lie" point across, haha.

 

Anyway, these are honestly minor issues compared to how wonderful she is and what a great addition to our life she has been in just these few weeks (my fiance is totally smitten with her, he's like a doting papa). I love the nuances of animal behavior and training, so this is proving to be a very interesting and fun learning experience as well. Give me a 1,200 pound horse with behavioral issues, and I'm confident in my training skills - still a little new with dogs however, so I'm thoroughly enjoying all the advice here.

 

We start obedience class next week with a highly recommended trainer with greyhound experience, so I'm very excited! Should be a great experience for my fiance as well.

[JJNg]

I agree with not reprimanding the growling at the cats. Growling and bearing teeth are normal communication signals, and she is actually being quite appropriate by using these signals to tell the cats she doesn't like them too close when she is resting. Punishing her for using these signals may create a negative association that makes her dislike the cats and lead to a bite. I think we humans often create more problems by interfering with normal communication. Obviously, we also need to stay aware of safety, and step in if you are concerned someone may get hurt.

 

Got these photos of Willow and my 10-month-old kitten the other day (ignore the demon eyes ). Willow never even lifted her head up and Indy eventually wandered off to explore other things. I knew Willow wouldn't hurt him and just watched without saying a word (and too photos ). If he pushes too much, at most, she might give a warning snap without making contact, and then he runs away.

 

 

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I think you are doing a wonderful job.

 

My suggestion on meeting other dogs would be to allow them to meet the way they naturally should meet, which is nose to butt. Most people don't understand this is the natural way of dogs meeting, but believe me, it is. Have your hound on leash and walk in a sweeping arc around the other dog so that their faces do not get too close, as you pass the head arc toward the back of the hound and allow them to sniff each others hind ends. This is if the other hound is on a leash as well. If the other dog is not on a leash, allow your hound full extension of the leash so that she can move around the other dog comfortably and you will see her go for the back end of the other dog (possibly). The reason I say possibly is because I have one hound that is a "breed snob". My boy Bart will not so much as acknowledge another breed of dog other than greyhounds. He will take one quick sniff of the nose of any other breed (yes the nose, he doesn't meet other breeds like normal) and subsequently ignore them. If he sees a Grey, he will make for the rump, quick as can be. Your girl may or may not understand that other breeds are dogs like her. One thing to remember though is when she meets other dogs it should always be in a neutral area. If you take her to your friends house, they should bring their dog outside and you should all take a quick walk together so that they can acclimate to each other without the home dog being protective of its turf.

 

(BrucieDad- Thank you for the compliment)

[turbotaina]

Yup, I think Chad nailed it in his posts

 

FWIW, my dog isn't terribly tolerant of obnoxious dogs, either. He'll give all the right doggie signals, but most dogs just don't know how to read them since most were removed from their dams/ittermates at 8 weeks or so. He'll end up with a growl and snap, if need be. Normal dog behavior. If the owner of the obnoxious dog won't control said dog, I just leave. No point it letting it escalate when you've got a clueless dog/owner team.

[MaryJane]

Everyone seems to have covered all the typical suggestions so I'd just like to say that it is refreshing that someone as new to greyhounds as you are seem to have done all your homework and know their "quirkiness". It seems that you are handling the dog park situation well and are aware of what is causing the "grumbling" on the couch.

 

I will mention that I have a female that loves other dogs and people but, she will not tolerate being sniffed by other dogs for "more than the appropriate time". Rather than working on correcting her, I've just make sure that other dogs do not "linger".

 

Good Luck

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

will mention that I have a female that loves other dogs and people but, she will not tolerate being sniffed by other dogs for "more than the appropriate time". Rather than working on correcting her, I've just make sure that other dogs do not "linger".

 

 

Mine is like that too. There is a prescribed ammount of time another dog is allowed to sniff and one nanosecond longer gets corrected. Although, my little hypocrite will gladly sniff another dog for minutes at a time. I've been working on rewarding her for the times she allows a longer sniff without a fuss, and I'll tell her to cool it if she's being completely obnoxious, but I don't punish her for it.

[Guest katethegreyt]

I think you are doing a wonderful job.

 

My suggestion on meeting other dogs would be to allow them to meet the way they naturally should meet, which is nose to butt. Most people don't understand this is the natural way of dogs meeting, but believe me, it is. Have your hound on leash and walk in a sweeping arc around the other dog so that their faces do not get too close, as you pass the head arc toward the back of the hound and allow them to sniff each others hind ends. This is if the other hound is on a leash as well. If the other dog is not on a leash, allow your hound full extension of the leash so that she can move around the other dog comfortably and you will see her go for the back end of the other dog (possibly). The reason I say possibly is because I have one hound that is a "breed snob". My boy Bart will not so much as acknowledge another breed of dog other than greyhounds. He will take one quick sniff of the nose of any other breed (yes the nose, he doesn't meet other breeds like normal) and subsequently ignore them. If he sees a Grey, he will make for the rump, quick as can be. Your girl may or may not understand that other breeds are dogs like her. One thing to remember though is when she meets other dogs it should always be in a neutral area. If you take her to your friends house, they should bring their dog outside and you should all take a quick walk together so that they can acclimate to each other without the home dog being protective of its turf.

 

(BrucieDad- Thank you for the compliment)

 

I think she may well be a bit of a breed snob - I am a little bit too, so it's only natural = ) It doesn't help that everyone constantly gushes over how pretty and cool she is - she correctly assumes greyhounds are a step above, haha. I haven't been able to do a greyhound play date yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's more her cup o' tea from what I've read on here. For some reason, a lot of dogs seem to want to come up to her face - she is much less annoyed when they come up to her back end and will often reciprocate with some of her own bum sniffing as well as long as the other dog isn't too emphatic about it = ) Thus far, she has seemed more friendly with dogs that are closer to her height, though she is fine with dogs that aren't quite as tall if they are not being overly energetic - still, she hasn't really met a dog yet she wants to play with, she mostly sniffs then goes off on her own.

 

If both dogs are leashed, I have tried to encourage bum to nose rather than nose to nose (that's asking for trouble with horses too, haha), but as you've all mentioned, there are some rather clueless owners out there... There's one guy in my building who often heads out on the freight elevator around the same time we do in the morning. He has TWO giant rambunctious labs - both still puppies in the brain but full size and even on the large end for labs. The first time we got on with one of them, Aoife just stuck her head in the corner and stayed on the opposite side of me away from the dog and was aloof as can be (thank goodness). The lab was on the opposite side literally scrambling up the sides of the elevator trying to get over to say hello while the owner blocked him with his body - thankfully the freight elevator is large. The owner said, oh, can he just come over for a sniff? Then he'll calm down. (HA!) I said, no, I don't think she would like that much. Needless to say, we usually wait for another elevator now if we see them on it. I can't for the life of me understand why someone would have two dogs like that that are practically uncontrollable on the leash AND be living in a loft downtown.

 

As for meeting new dogs at new houses, neutral territory and going on a walk together sounds like a very good idea. I just want to be able to bring her with us places, so I guess the more we do it, the better she'll be.

[Guest katethegreyt]

I agree with not reprimanding the growling at the cats. Growling and bearing teeth are normal communication signals, and she is actually being quite appropriate by using these signals to tell the cats she doesn't like them too close when she is resting. Punishing her for using these signals may create a negative association that makes her dislike the cats and lead to a bite. I think we humans often create more problems by interfering with normal communication. Obviously, we also need to stay aware of safety, and step in if you are concerned someone may get hurt.

 

Got these photos of Willow and my 10-month-old kitten the other day (ignore the demon eyes ). Willow never even lifted her head up and Indy eventually wandered off to explore other things. I knew Willow wouldn't hurt him and just watched without saying a word (and too photos ). If he pushes too much, at most, she might give a warning snap without making contact, and then he runs away.

 

 

 

Just wanted to add: these pics make me feel MUCH better. That's about what Aoife does (not always with teeth), but she never moves an inch from her lounging position. It's funny, because she will flat out refuse to get on any of the furniture if the cats are already on it. I guess once she stakes her claim, she wants it to stick = )

[Jackandgrey]

Just to mention that my Jill had a grumbly growl that I worried about in regards to me when she came home as a two year old. I dutifully booted her off the furniture because it wasn't on. As the years went by I came to know that for her, it was in know way a threat. It really was just grumping. As in "do you have to move so much when I'm so comfy?" or whatever. But we knew each other very well. I used to just laugh at her and grump right back. Sigh. I miss that now.

 

Anyway, I would never correct a growl but would try to avoid the circumstances that illicit one. As you get to know your girl better over time, you will definitely learn to understand each other's language more clearly when you are as motivated as you are.