Space And Object Aggression

[Guest cande9653]

Hi! I'm a brand new greyhound owner of lovely KK Fireheart. We absolutely adore her! The only issue she seems to have, though, is a scary one. She growls when you approach her when she's laying in her bed. She also growls and snaps if you approach her when she's chewing a rawhide. I totally get this and understand that we should probably just leave her alone in these instances. The only thing is that my office is a dog friendly office and I would love to be able to bring her with me every day. I've brought her twice so far. I bring her bed with me so she will be comfy and to maintain consistency. But, none of my co-workers can get near her and some are even afraid of her, since her growl sounds VERY menacing. And sometimes she's not even on her bed when she growls (she growled at my boss who was just slowly approaching her as she was standing). Obviously, she can't come with me if she scares everyone and i hate that. Is there anything that can be done to try and eliminate this behavior? I know that if she would stop growling, everyone would love her because she really is a sweetheart. So far, all I've done is say a firm "No!". But, she just looks at me like, "yeah, and what are you going to do about it?".

[Roo]

How long have you had her? Growling at your boss could just be nervousness at having a new home and suddenly all these new people at the office. If you haven't had her long, can you give her some time to settle in to your home and to learn to trust you before bringing her to your office? Maybe just stop in for a short visit on occasion until she starts to seem more comfortable.

 

As for growling when she's on her bed, could you post a sign on your door or cubicle that says "Please let sleeping dogs lie - do not touch!" or something?

 

Others with more experience will chime in, but I'd personally just leave her be when she's on he bed. My girl was like this - snarled something fierce if you got near her when she was laying down. We just skirted around her for a couple years until we realized that she'd calmed down. Before she passed, we were able to sit NEXT to her bed (we couldn't be touching it, but next to it was fine ) and pet her. Sometimes it just takes time, but sometimes they just like having their own space.

[Guest cande9653]

Two weeks . I know that is a really short amount of time. I guess I was just thinking she would be happier with me at work, than alone at home. I will give her more time. Thanks for your advice!

[MaryJane]

First thing - no rawhides or bones or anything else that would be considered a high value for a dog. Don't give any food that takes more than a minute to chew and swallow (dog cookies are fine). The reason is that her behavior will get worse as she tries to protect the item until she finishes - if you eliminate the time she feels she needs to defend it, then she should stop feeling threatened.

 

When she is on the bed, from a safe distance get her attention and toss a cookie to her. Do it a few minutes later. Do it about 6 times in an hour. About every 2nd day, move a bit closer to toss the cookies. You can call this something like "cookie throwing time" and tell her that it is "cookie throwing time". If she starts growling, stop the game until the next day. After about 3 to 4 weeks, you should be able to get close to her without her growling because she will be expecting cookies. After a few weeks, try petting her head (very carefully) before you give the cookie.

 

This takes weeks to do and at some points, you might have to regress until she feels comfortable again. This would hopefully allow you to get close to the dog on the bed but, it would not necessarily translate to other people. And, you would probably have to make sure that she is aware that you are coming.

 

Are you walking her at all. Walking about 20 to 30 minutes a day helps to create and maintain a bond with the dog and helps with trust issues. Above all, this sounds like a trust issue where she is fearful and telling others to keep their distance.

 

Good Luck.

[Acadianarose]

I saw Fireheart when she was up for adoption! We adopted from the same agency. Congratulations! She is beautiful!

 

First, Payton did the same thing when we adopted him in August. It got scary for a while and I considered returning him, but he is much better now. We had (still have actually) a treat bowl above his bed and anytime anyone would walk by, we would drop a treat. It did not take long before he starting looking expectantly when someone walked by his bed.

 

Also, no rawhide, kong, or anything like that unless she is in her crate. As a matter of fact, I gave Payton a rawhide for the first time this past weekend and I did not put him in his crate Although he has not growled at anyone in a couple of months, he growled at DD when she walked by him.

 

Finally, you can also call Lesley if you have any questions. She will always have time to help.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

 

 

So far, all I've done is say a firm "No!".

 

I would advise against this. A dog growling is a dog communicating with you. She's telling you she's uncomfortable. If you take away her ability to communicate in this manner, her next option is to snap or bite in order to advertise her displeasure/fear.

 

Respect her need for space at this time. Earn her trust and bond with her. Over time she'll most likely settle down, and you can probably get her used to being approached while she's laying down.

 

My grey used to be very reactive when laying down. She'd growl and come up snapping at the human who got too close. Now I can practically lay on her and she doesn't care. Most adults can pet her, and she'll ask for more. She still growls at the cats if she thinks they might walk on her, and she has to wear her muzzle when kids come to visit because she will still growl and snap if they get close while she's laying, or if they hug her while she's standing.

 

She also used to guard objects. I worked with her on trading up, and can now safely remove just about anything from her, raw meaty bones being the one exception.

 

In your girl's case, I think it's just a little too much a little too soon. She'll probably end up being great for you to take to work. I get to take mine on occasion too.

[greysmom]

Two weeks is awfully soon to be taking her to work. You don't know her and she doesn't know you - yet. Particularly since she is a space and resource guarder.

 

Do your alone training and let her stay home for a while until she becomes used to home life. Then you can consider adding your workplace into the mix.

 

Yes, some greys come home and are instantly comfortable, have no issues, and fit into your life seamelssly. You have one that will need some more time and more patience. Her entire world has been changed in the course of a few hours one day. Now you need to help her become a good companion and housemate.

[Charlies_Dad]

I agree with others, too much too fast. You need to give her some more time and I would not give her a rawhide to chew on or anything high value for any long period of time. Our angel Charlie did this when we first got him and so we 'traded up' to start to eliminate it and he became the sweetest boy. It just takes a bit of time.

[Guest cande9653]

Y'all are so sweet and have given me lots to try. I love this community!

[Guest DeniseL]

It sounds like everything is new, she is overwhelmed and scared. When she is scared she growls to tell you that she is uncomfortable and to keep your space. with time she will almost certainly get better. Give her time to understand her new life. She needs consistency and predictability, a routine. Miami growled at us all the time in the first few months, I had to learn to give him s p a c e. And my girl Thyme, would growl at us the beginning when she had a high value treat or stuffy that she loved. We solved that by not giving them to her until we were all more comfortable and trusting of each other. Good luck, building trust doesn't happen overnight, but it will happen