Aa
What to do?
I got Charlie when he was 8 weeks old. He was the only left from the litter and 'Mom & Dad' weren't there. I've had dogs all throughout my life and I consider myself 'updated' when it comes to dogs. At 8 weeks old Charlie began to display signs of aggression. He didn't want to be held or kissed. He was a biter but I stopped that. He was easy to house break and appeared to be very smart. Every toy introduced to him had to be torn up and destroyed, his excessive barking had me purchase a Sonic egg; it helped other dogs from barking but Charlie barked even louder. He is very active and demands me to play ball with him. It's the only activity he enjoys now is chasing his ball. At one year old the Vet suggested that I neuter Charlie and I did. My sister tried helping by purchasing the 'wrap blanket' calming vitamins, calming water...etc., etc. If I leave him alone neighbors tell me he is non-stop barking. Separation issues are pure insane! His personality is strange. He stares at me while I am trying to watch TV, cries if I am on the computer and will bark at me for no reason. Charlie is active....Oh this is hard for me to write/explain.....here goes.....Charlie has this stuffed bunny that he 'uses daily' (several times a day) for sexual release. I find it strange because he has been doing this since 8 weeks old. He will be 3 in January. His ritual is strange and disturbing. He doesn't like to be around other dogs ....my sister has two Main Coon cats that are larger than he is and he is always trying to get them to play with him. He runs me ragged with the walks and playing. He is at my side in the house always. I go to clean, he follows me every step. I'm concerned and know this can't possibly be 'normal'. Vet just says he is a very anxious, active and aggressive dog. Does this sound like a 'normal' dog to anyone? I appreciate your comments and suggestions please! Oh and he doesn't like to be loved or cuddled. He will give 'kisses' but no sitting quiet on my lap just cuddling.,
Hello Ellen and thank you for your comments! Charlie is a multi-poo. Part Maltese and poodle. I think the poodle in him is the main culprit for his strange and hyper condition. As I posted just previous I'm hoping he will grow out of it. A trainer did nothing for his strange sexual desires and I have found that when I reject him or don't play with him he seems to understand that and will 'chill out'. Wish me luck!
Hello Jerry and thank you for your post. As you said you learned by showing your pet the rejection side of daily life made me smile. I too learned that when he is too demanding and I ignore him, his attitude changes quickly and he slows down a bit. I've had him in training but don't think it was the right person and not enough time as his efforts did nothing to change any part of Charlie's behavior!
Thanks again for your feedback! This is going to be a lifetime deal here and I haven't got a whole lot of constant rejection in me, but he's still young and I'm banking on what other people tell me....and that is "he will grow out of his bad habits." Here's hoping!!
Thanks again for your feedback! This is going to be a lifetime deal here and I haven't got a whole lot of constant rejection in me, but he's still young and I'm banking on what other people tell me....and that is "he will grow out of his bad habits." Here's hoping!!
Charlie sounds like he might be a good candidate for NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free). NILIF training makes them work for absolutely everything they get, be it a food treat or even petting from you. Everything is given as a reward for having behaved correctly. If he has been displaying humping behavior since he was 8 weeks old then you are dealing with a VERY dominant personality here, so you are going to have to be the Alpha dog 100% of the time, no down time allowed. Since Charlie is neutered, he isn't using the stuffed toy several times a day for sexual release, because neutering would have relieved him of thinking about that. He is dominating the toy, plain and simple, and that dominance is manifesting in all parts of his behavior. Google NILIF and you will see what it entails.
Ghilly
Ghilly
We have a 9 year old rescue Westie (Terrier) that was neutered by the rescue person when the dog was an estimated 8 years old. He was in very poor condition when the animal control in Jersey City NJ picked him up in Liberty State Park, about dead from starvation.
I mention this brief (and little that we know) history before telling you he is very demanding and a barker, and will nip. He happily is not an insentient barker, just demands in/out/food/attention with loud barking - he is also deaf... and he may make me the same, a very large bark for a small (20 pounds) dog.
I consider him to have a lot of "attitude" and some of it is loveable, some is not. He doesn't have any sexual interests/behavior that I have noticed, and he has spend up to a week with two other dogs in our care, both larger than him and both neutered - on 9 year old male Labradodle (40 pounds est) and a 3 year old female Goldendoodle (70 pounds est). They get along fine, but both bigger dogs tend to give the Westie space. The Westie really doesn't know how to play with other dogs... albeit he lived for about 9 months with the rescue worker and her two Westies and a few other rescue dogs.
He surprised be a few days ago when I had him off the leash on a country road and a tractor came bay at about 20 mph. The dog was off the road with me about 100 feet and he didn't hear the tractor coming, but he saw it as it passed just opposite us and he took off after it as fast as he could, which was not fast enough to catch it. About 200' down the road from me I came up to the road with the leash clearly displayed, he turned and started done the road away from me. I chased him down the road (really walking fast I'm to old to run after a dog, even one with very short legs) this went on for at leas a half mile, first down the road, than back toward the parked car and beyond it. He finally gave up... and was in big trouble with me. I did not physically punish him but I gave him the "Mad and Reject" treatment - may not be the best thing to do, but I learned one thing. When he felt he was not "welcome" he became very quire, no barking at all. I was reluctant to make up as the quite was appreciated, but we are near back to normal and the demand only barking has returned.
One take away from this story, it looks like he could be trained not to bark, indeed I stopped him from barking, but the "cold" relationship was too much for me, I'll take some barking, but I am trying to signal (he is deaf) him that barking makes me unhappy.
I mention this brief (and little that we know) history before telling you he is very demanding and a barker, and will nip. He happily is not an insentient barker, just demands in/out/food/attention with loud barking - he is also deaf... and he may make me the same, a very large bark for a small (20 pounds) dog.
I consider him to have a lot of "attitude" and some of it is loveable, some is not. He doesn't have any sexual interests/behavior that I have noticed, and he has spend up to a week with two other dogs in our care, both larger than him and both neutered - on 9 year old male Labradodle (40 pounds est) and a 3 year old female Goldendoodle (70 pounds est). They get along fine, but both bigger dogs tend to give the Westie space. The Westie really doesn't know how to play with other dogs... albeit he lived for about 9 months with the rescue worker and her two Westies and a few other rescue dogs.
He surprised be a few days ago when I had him off the leash on a country road and a tractor came bay at about 20 mph. The dog was off the road with me about 100 feet and he didn't hear the tractor coming, but he saw it as it passed just opposite us and he took off after it as fast as he could, which was not fast enough to catch it. About 200' down the road from me I came up to the road with the leash clearly displayed, he turned and started done the road away from me. I chased him down the road (really walking fast I'm to old to run after a dog, even one with very short legs) this went on for at leas a half mile, first down the road, than back toward the parked car and beyond it. He finally gave up... and was in big trouble with me. I did not physically punish him but I gave him the "Mad and Reject" treatment - may not be the best thing to do, but I learned one thing. When he felt he was not "welcome" he became very quire, no barking at all. I was reluctant to make up as the quite was appreciated, but we are near back to normal and the demand only barking has returned.
One take away from this story, it looks like he could be trained not to bark, indeed I stopped him from barking, but the "cold" relationship was too much for me, I'll take some barking, but I am trying to signal (he is deaf) him that barking makes me unhappy.
Yep, possible Terrier or Border Collie came to mind.
Without having litter mates or "Mom" around to discipline him may be part of the problem and who knows how he was handled and raised, agree.
Humping behavior is usually a sexual or dominant display but can certainly be caused by anxiety, boredom, etc. you might try diverting his attention to something else when he does that.
Have you tried leaving him with a few Kong toys when you are gone to keep him busy? Like 10? LOL!!
Has he had any obedience training at all? I recommend everyone go through at least one basic obedience class and I don't mean PetsMart classes. If you have a local breed club, they may have classes or ask your Vet. If you have a good instructor, they may be able to help with the behavior issues. It is also a good place, under supervision of a knowledgable person, to socialize him more.
It sounds like he is very in tuned to you and that is a good thing. Now, you need to establish yourself as the pack leader. I suggest you look up NILF (nothing in life is free) dog training. You do have to be consistent and don't expect miracles overnight.
Or, you could get him a friend to play with. :-).
Without having litter mates or "Mom" around to discipline him may be part of the problem and who knows how he was handled and raised, agree.
Humping behavior is usually a sexual or dominant display but can certainly be caused by anxiety, boredom, etc. you might try diverting his attention to something else when he does that.
Have you tried leaving him with a few Kong toys when you are gone to keep him busy? Like 10? LOL!!
Has he had any obedience training at all? I recommend everyone go through at least one basic obedience class and I don't mean PetsMart classes. If you have a local breed club, they may have classes or ask your Vet. If you have a good instructor, they may be able to help with the behavior issues. It is also a good place, under supervision of a knowledgable person, to socialize him more.
It sounds like he is very in tuned to you and that is a good thing. Now, you need to establish yourself as the pack leader. I suggest you look up NILF (nothing in life is free) dog training. You do have to be consistent and don't expect miracles overnight.
Or, you could get him a friend to play with. :-).
True. Breed could have a lot to do with his personality. If he's a little terrier, they tend to be very high strung and demanding. Also some of his behavior may stem from how he was treated the first 8 weeks he wasn't with you. You may want to see about a personal trainer who will come to your house to see how he acts. Also making a video of his actions may help the trainer too if he decides to act differently around people. I'm sure a trainer could break a lot of these habits and make you both happier. We had a Rat terrier who was pretty demanding and high strung. The trainer taught both our dog and us how to respond to him. Life was much better for all of us. I hope it works out well for you both.
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