Dog Calendars, Dog Breed Information, Training Aids & Everything Else |
 Profile Logout
|
 |
|
 Forum Pics Shop Ask a Trainer Find a Trainer Adopt a Dog Dog Websites |
|
|
Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Ev lives the Lower Mainland of Beautiful British Columbia, Canada where she has been training dogs since 1969. She is experienced in many methods including clicker and motivational training. Ev is an original Superdog Performance Team member and her own dogs have travelled and performed with the Canadian SuperDogs since 1984. She has also served as an A.A.C. judge ans is an original Member/Trainer with the Dogwood Pacesetters Agility Club.
Click here to join Evelyne's mailing list and receive an email each time a new
column is published.
printer friendly
email this column
comment on this column
[Edit]
12/2/2007
Thank you for your time. My male Catahoula puppy is now 7 months old. He growls at me when I get within 12 inches of his face & then turns his head real fast. I'll be petting him & talking to him, but he gets this real serious look on his face & growls when I get close, and tries to get up & leave even. Two times I noticed him growling at toddlers, when they approached him. This happened on different days. How can I correct this and why is he doing it? Yes, he is timid. (scubanut61, Oklahoma)
Be thankful that he is still a puppy because there's still time for conditioning, socializing and training before things get out-of-hand.
First thing I would do is get a complete Vet check done on him. It is possible that he is having mouth problems like a baby tooth that didn't fall out and is now abscessed or perhaps a cavity that is causing him pain - there may also be a problem with his ears, etc. You need to rule out anything that might be making him feel uncomfortable with having people around his head and face - then if that all checks out, you can work on the mental aspect.
Catahoulas are also known to have very verbal talks with their owners in the form of growls. This is hard to determine as I have not heard it personally. Be sure you are not confusing 'talking' for 'growling'.
There's also the possibility that he is 'challenging' you - he is at the age where a lot of breeds tend to 'test' their owners on how far they can go with things. If he is growling AND he is not in any discomfort or pain then a dominance pattern may need to occur to re-establish who is the alpha in the household.
As for the toddlers, Catahoulas are usually one person dogs and do not take to strangers so if he has got no toddlers in his immediate family, he may take a dislike to them and it would be advisable to avoid children in the future.
If he has no discomfort or pain AND you determine that he is growling and not talking then there are 2 different approaches you can take to help curb this behaviour.
- The 'passive' approach would mean to take baby-steps in getting closer and closer to his face each time he is near you. This may mean taking hold of his collar gently and just holding him from moving away for a few seconds, then increasing this time-held and then eventually getting closer and closer for a few seconds each time. This approach also takes time and patience and he could be almost a year with this type of conditioning before you see any positive results.
- The
'tough-love' approach. This requires a strong personality in you, precise timing in your actions and words and some physical strength. It is not something you just 'do' but must prepare for. The instant he growls while you are petting him, you would need to 'roll' him and growl back.
Timing: it must be quick on the roll and the release so as to take him by surprise and yet allow him to make a decision
Strength: you have to be able to take hold of his collar on either side of his neck and gently but firmly pull him to the ground and roll him onto his back pinning his head to the ground by the collar. (The pinning not only establishes eye-contact which is important for this lesson but a firm grip will also keep your face from being bitten or nipped).
The instant you roll him, you need to growl in his face in a very low-tone but spontaneous gut-growl then release, stand up and Praise in a very happy, higher pitched tone with no petting (pretending it never happened).
A mother dog will do a similar training practice when her puppies get carried away in play. She will sometimes step on them with her foot and give a quick, meaningful growl then release and go about her business. Sometimes she will just snap'n'growl but it is always quick, decisive and never in an angry mood or carried on for more than a split second.
If you feel uncomfortable about the 2nd method, then try to seek out a behaviourist or training professional in your area that could help you with it or demonstrate the procedure.
This 2nd method is also something you don't want to do wrong or you could make matters worse. It is a technique that can work if done correctly and at the right moment. It is also a technique that need only be done a couple of times at the most with maybe a yearly reminder - it is not done daily or every single time you have a growling dilemma. There are other reasons why he may be growling and this technique is only used for dominance issues.
I wouldn't try to condition or socialize him with children or other strangers until you are totally comfortable with him With You. If you have issues with him, then you cannot expect him to respect or learn from you, with others.
First you need to rule out any physical discomfort - then determine for sure, that he is not 'talking', before proceeding with any mental discipline or actions.
If you need more clarification about either of the methods above or if I can help further, via the written word, then please email me direct.
Canine Caretaker Training/Consulting
http://www.k9care.ca
"United We Stand."
http://www.standunited.ca
|
Are you a trainer? Interested in being involved in the Ask a Trainer column? Click here!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
