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Help with friend's psycho Bouvier



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 12th 05, 12:08 AM
Scuch
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Default Help with friend's psycho Bouvier

Hi, have some questions about the way a friend's Bouvier's been acting;
about every other time i go and visit, the dog "picks a fight" with me.

The dog can be confrontational. It took her a while to get used to
me as a guest. If she sees me walking around from a distance or
can only hear me, she growls. Lately if she sees me up close or
smells me, its OK. The dog is probably nearsighted and doesnt know
the sound of my walk.

One time i walked out of the room for a few minutes, came back with
a drink, and the damn thing starts barking and snarling at me, wouldnt
let me pass.

Another time she had just fed the dog and we were on the other side of
the room, talking about something. Im not paying any attention to
the dog or the food, and i feel this weird nudge on my hand. Not a
bite, just like she ran at me with her mouth open. My friend tells the
dog "no", then the dog goes and does it again.

She walks out of the room. The dog looks at me, picks up some of the
food in her mouth, to make sure im watching and let me know its her
food, which was kind of comical. The dog went back to eating and
tolerated me being in the room.

My friend walks back in, now the dog is between us, and the beast
starts barking and growling at me again.


I think its a dominance thing with that dog, what with the staring and
being possessive over food. She thinks the dog is jealous of us, and
she thinks in general the dog is suspicious of men.

Im looking for suggestions, because the dog should not be "starting" with
someone once theyre already a welcome guest in the house.


  #2  
Old March 12th 05, 12:55 AM
flick
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"Scuch" wrote in message
news:nxpYd.947$db6.193@trndny02...
Hi, have some questions about the way a friend's Bouvier's been acting;
about every other time i go and visit, the dog "picks a fight" with me.

The dog can be confrontational. It took her a while to get used to
me as a guest. If she sees me walking around from a distance or
can only hear me, she growls. Lately if she sees me up close or
smells me, its OK. The dog is probably nearsighted and doesnt know
the sound of my walk.

One time i walked out of the room for a few minutes, came back with
a drink, and the damn thing starts barking and snarling at me, wouldnt
let me pass.

Another time she had just fed the dog and we were on the other side of
the room, talking about something. Im not paying any attention to
the dog or the food, and i feel this weird nudge on my hand. Not a
bite, just like she ran at me with her mouth open. My friend tells the
dog "no", then the dog goes and does it again.

She walks out of the room. The dog looks at me, picks up some of the
food in her mouth, to make sure im watching and let me know its her
food, which was kind of comical. The dog went back to eating and
tolerated me being in the room.

My friend walks back in, now the dog is between us, and the beast
starts barking and growling at me again.


I think its a dominance thing with that dog, what with the staring and
being possessive over food. She thinks the dog is jealous of us, and
she thinks in general the dog is suspicious of men.

Im looking for suggestions, because the dog should not be "starting" with
someone once theyre already a welcome guest in the house.


Looks to me like your friend's Bouvier is being protective. You're the
interloper and always will be; I seriously doubt if the dog will "calm
down."

Your friend might try obedience training. Others who are more experienced
than I am might disagree with me here - I think it's doubtful that the Bouv
is going to get over his guarding and suspicious nature, and the best thing
to do might be for her to crate him when she has company.

flick 100785




  #3  
Old March 12th 05, 07:47 AM
Paula
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On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 17:55:54 -0600, "flick"
wrote:

Looks to me like your friend's Bouvier is being protective. You're the
interloper and always will be; I seriously doubt if the dog will "calm
down."

Your friend might try obedience training. Others who are more experienced
than I am might disagree with me here - I think it's doubtful that the Bouv
is going to get over his guarding and suspicious nature, and the best thing
to do might be for her to crate him when she has company.


Actually, the bouvs I have known have been very accepting of accepted
people although they are very protective when there are strangers
around. If this is a badly bred or otherwise bad example of a bouv,
it could be a situation where the dog just isn't going to get over
being suspicious and possessive even if the human accepts the visitor.
I don't know if that is the case or not. But if it is a good bouv, it
may well just be a case of the human not giving the bouv enough
guidance as to who is acceptable and who is not as well as how to
treat those who are acceptable. Bouvs are strong-willed dogs, bred to
make decisions on their own and plenty willing to do so if their
humans don't step up to the plate. I would start with the owner of
the dog stepping up to the plate by taking control of the dog and the
situation. Crating the dog when she has company is fine if the dog
doesn't take her cues as to how to treat the company, but not because
the dog can't get over its nature, but because the dog needs to learn
that it can either behave with various people as the owner dictates or
it can be out of the picture when welcome visitors are at the house.


--
Paula
"Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy, so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay
  #4  
Old March 12th 05, 03:55 PM
flick
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Posts: n/a
Default

"Paula" wrote in message
...

Actually, the bouvs I have known have been very accepting of accepted
people although they are very protective when there are strangers
around. If this is a badly bred or otherwise bad example of a bouv,
it could be a situation where the dog just isn't going to get over
being suspicious and possessive even if the human accepts the visitor.
I don't know if that is the case or not. But if it is a good bouv, it
may well just be a case of the human not giving the bouv enough
guidance as to who is acceptable and who is not as well as how to
treat those who are acceptable. Bouvs are strong-willed dogs, bred to
make decisions on their own and plenty willing to do so if their
humans don't step up to the plate. I would start with the owner of
the dog stepping up to the plate by taking control of the dog and the
situation. Crating the dog when she has company is fine if the dog
doesn't take her cues as to how to treat the company, but not because
the dog can't get over its nature, but because the dog needs to learn
that it can either behave with various people as the owner dictates or
it can be out of the picture when welcome visitors are at the house.


Yes, I agree with everything you've said. I've had a couple dogs (Shar
Peis) that were very protective of family members, though not actively
aggressive, and it was sometimes best to crate 'em when there were visitors.

At this stage, I'd crate the Bouv when visitors came. And I'd obedience
train. If the Bouv isn't spayed/neutered, I'd do that, too.

flick 100785


  #5  
Old March 12th 05, 04:11 PM
Michael A. Ball
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On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 06:47:37 GMT, Paula
wrote:

...But if it is a good bouv, it
may well just be a case of the human not giving the bouv enough
guidance as to who is acceptable and who is not as well as how to
treat those who are acceptable. Bouvs are strong-willed dogs, bred to
make decisions on their own and plenty willing to do so if their
humans don't step up to the plate...


Any health issues aside, I don't think there could be a more likely
problem, or solution. Paula, you really expressed that well.

The most important thing I've learned at the shelter is that it isn't
always what's been done to a dog that makes it the way it is. All too
often, its a matter of what has Not been done to (or for) the dog.




Zildjian: world class cymbal of excellence.
 




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