Do You Let Your Dogs Get Snarky With Each Other?

[Guest Jubilee251]

Right now, Molly has couch privileges. Jet does not, mostly because he is the newbie and also just because the couch is too small. Molly has NO space issues with husband and I, and it has never been a problem for us to share the couch with her.

 

She doesn't have much space issues with Jet either, for the most part. They will lie relatively close to one another, and she doesn't mind when Jet walks by/over/around her bed. But this morning, she was on the couch and Jet came over to say hi to me (I was also sitting on the couch), and clearly, she felt possessive. She snarked at him, baring her teeth and gave a warning snarl when he inadvertently came too close.

 

I said NO!, and made her get off the couch immediately. Was this right to do? I know people don't tolerate it when the dogs have couch/bed issues with humans, but what about other dogs in the house? Do you not allow your dogs to snarky with each other over the couch or bed?

[JAJ2010]

That's the same thing I would have done. I have a younger hound though that needs to be reminded of her manners everyone one in a while. I allow that snarking because I know my older hound is being fair and won't take it too far. Other than that... No snarking at kitties, humans, over bones, toys, etc. Snarking gets VOG and instant banishment for a bit.

[Guest Greytluv]

I do the same thing

[Guest Adrianne]

Wilbur got snarky a few times with Ollie when she was younger, and I allowed it. It wasn't over a bed or a couch; just space issues. Ollie would bounce all over the place and invade his space when he was sleeping. I allowed it because he was only teaching her some manners, and he NEVER took it beyond the initial scary baring of teeth and loud noise-making.

 

Ollie did learn that when Wilbur was sleeping, she was not to play anywhere near him. If she accidentally tossed a toy near him while he was sleeping, her game was over. If he went to sleep in the hallway, she was either confined to the front of the house or the back of the house because she dared not try to pass him. She would NEVER dream of taking something away from Wilbur (like she does with Larry.)

 

Was she afraid of him? Absolutely not! One of her favorite things to do was to quietly snuggle up to him and sleep with him, and he didn't mind that at all. Even as a small pup, she just learned to be respectful of the old man, and he taught her every bit of that.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

It depends on the situation if I allow the snarkyness. If it is an issue of someone being stepped on, then by all means they can voice their dismay at being stepped on. Now if in your situation it would appear that your little girl may be showing some signs of being posessive of you, not the sofa. That is something that I wouldnt allow. I dont think you need to remove her from the sofa, but a correction to let her know to stop is all you need to do. You said she doesnt seem to have space issues on other occasions, that is why I dont think it is a space issue so much as a "mommy is mine" issue. My boy Bart will snark at fosters when they try to get on the sofa with him, and I allow this as fosters are not allowed on furnature. If I catch him snarking at Olive or Jesse when they try to get on the couch with him, I simply give him the "look" and he knows to quiet down. Each situation calls for something different, there is no "my hounds never are allowed to growl at each other" rule. At times it is very appropriate for them to voice their opinions on situations, and other times, not so much. You did fine. You just need to be sure to give them equal lovin so this behavior doesnt escalate.

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

I would have done the same thing! I do NOT allow snarkiness in my household because once it ended up with Spencer needing a bunch of stitches. So when I hear the first growl, I immediately yell Stop It - they now know that phrase very well! I use that phrase instead of No just so I don't overuse the word No and they tune it out.

[Meandmy]

I agree with everyone above. We brought in Pretty Girl in May and she is completely oblivious to personal space as well as doggie communication. If Tori snarks at her trying to be possessive of something, like a toy - which Pretty Girl has no interest in but may walk close to - or the sofa, which PG doesn't get on anyway, then that's not acceptable. I would do exactly as you did. But if PG is just in her space because she's a pain and doesn't "get it", I'll let Tori growl at her to let her know to give her some room. Unfortunately, PG doesn't seem to understand growls either, so occasionally Tori has to bark at her to get her to pay attention. That's ok, too, as long as no snaps.

[TheFullHouse]

In my opinion, you did the right thing. It's what I would have done. I don't allow "possessive" behavior of anything in my home, whether it be the furniture, food, toys or myself. Molly may feel the sofa is hers and personally I would allow Jet on the sofa if he wants to be on there. It would be first come, first serve in my house or they can share. You'd be amazed at how small they can and will curl up into a ball if it means both can sleep on the sofa. I've walked into my living room to find 3 curled up into balls, sleeping all over each other because they all want the sofa. If I hear growling or snarling (and I can tell my dogs voices from one another), the one who growls gets down.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Yes and no. Growling because another dog wants to get up on the bed? No way. However, I don't begrudge them correcting each other for "rude" behavior. By that I mean, for example, when one jumps on the bed and lands right on another one.

[kudzu]

I said NO!, and made her get off the couch immediately. Was this right to do?

Absolutely. Your overall approach is spot on. You are your own resource not hers & thus she is not entitled to guard you.

 

I feel the same way about the human furniture as I do about a dog resource guarding me. It is MY couch & I get to say who sleeps on it. Period. Now, some snarking is normal & may well be fair. Ex. "Go away cause I'm sleeping & don't want a bed buddy" is just fine if it is a DOG bed the snarker is currently occupying & the snarkee was being pushy or clueless. "This toy I am not currently playing with but is on the bed I am occupying is off limits, Bozo," is totally fair as well. However, if it was MY bed or MY couch, regardless of whether I was on it or not, dogs need to learn to share politely. Standing over, stepping on, etc. are not polite & may warrant a snark. Dog one warning dog two away completely from the couch or a human bed is not fair.

 

Really, it sounds like your two are still working out their place in the household not that there are two of them. Just keep an eye out for further inappropriate resource guarding so it cannot escalate. And have fun!

[kudzu]

I want to add one thing to consider. In the incident you described I truly believe it the immediate eviction from the couch that was the important part. It sounds like your "NO!" came afterward the actual event. In that case saying "NO!" afterwards, even just by a second or two, may not have the effect you are going for. Anything loud & abrupt can be used as a distraction or an interrupter to short cut an ongoing, escalating event. Used after the fact though, you run the risk of miscommunication. That doesn't mean I don't use "No" because I certainly do. But I am just not sure "NO!" is that effective in communicating what we want in the situation you describe.

 

If I say "NO!" after the fact, even just a second or two, I run the risk of using it when the dog at fault is actually behaving closer to the way I want. Also, with two or more dogs involved & still close by the other dogs may feel corrected as well even if it wasn't their fault. I have actually seen this effect & later regretted yelling even just that one word. An even worse possibility is that if you yell "NO!" & dog two backs off, snarky dog could, for that brief second before eviction, think the guarding worked. It is similar to leash pulling. Dog advances even just a few inches before the leash pop so the pulling still earned some reward despite the correction of the leash pop afterwards. I believe that reward/correction combo can make it take longer to extinguish the behavior. At least it certainly has been that way in my experience. Does that mean I am always able to overcome my instincts & put that info to good use. Nah, but I sure do try & have seen better results when I am able to follow through that way. So I just thought it worth sharing this.

[greysmom]

I generally have a "no tolerance" policy for snarking, no matter what the cause. There's a big difference though between snarking and teaching manners and expressing themselves.

 

No resource guarding of anything - beds, toys, treats, space, people, anything. I supervise all meals and they are never left alone with something of high value. BUT - If my wild child Toni starts getting uppity and in somebody's face (and I don't stop her first) they are absolutely allowed to tell her to knock it off. Same deal if somebody gets stepped on and they growl a bit. I don't ever let an incident go without changing the dynamic myself so mostly they never get beyond a comment or two.

 

Basically, it comes to knowing your dogs, their individual comfort zones, and each ones' response to pressure on those zones. I think you did the right thing.

[Guest Jubilee251]

You'd be amazed at how small they can and will curl up into a ball if it means both can sleep on the sofa. I've walked into my living room to find 3 curled up into balls, sleeping all over each other because they all want the sofa.

 

You know, I heard this a lot prior to adopting Molly...but I think mine are both broken in this aspect. There is no such thing as "curling up" in our household, only "take up as much room as you possibly can."

[sobesmom]

In my opinion, you did the right thing. It's what I would have done. I don't allow "possessive" behavior of anything in my home, whether it be the furniture, food, toys or myself. Molly may feel the sofa is hers and personally I would allow Jet on the sofa if he wants to be on there. It would be first come, first serve in my house or they can share. You'd be amazed at how small they can and will curl up into a ball if it means both can sleep on the sofa. I've walked into my living room to find 3 curled up into balls, sleeping all over each other because they all want the sofa. If I hear growling or snarling (and I can tell my dogs voices from one another), the one who growls gets down.

 

That's exactly how we do it here. Even with a mix of circumstances - all dogs are allowed on furniture, or one is, one isn't (fosters don't get couch privelages for a bit). Growling at another dog for simply being NEAR a couch is an automic OFF - that's possessiveness, and the bill I receive every month tells me that "I" bought the couch - so NO. I also won't tolerate if one dog is one the couch and another tries to bully it's way on and intimidate the first off. NO. Still - MY couch. I'll share with everyone, but nobody gets to act like they own it.

 

It seems to work - and generally everyone gets along fine and piles all over the couches being NICE. We rarely have furniture issues after a couple simple corrections. Rules work. Stick to them.

[Guest Jubilee251]

Husband said Molly growled at Jet again yesterday when he was giving Jet some lovin'...so it does seem to be a case of guarding us. He quickly corrected her. And then Jet growled at Husband this morning...just one of those weeks where everyone is full of piss and vinegar!