Dog growling at my boyfriend

cmf86 · 12-02-2010 3:06pm #1

Ok here is the situation!!

I am normally always in bed first and the dog will lay at the bottom of the bed. My boyfriend would then always come in and put the dog into his bed or else let him sleep on the chair. There was never a problem. Lately Jesse has started growling at my boyfriend when he goes to move him when he is getting into bed.

Why has he just started this all of a sudden and how could i stop it? I know that when a dog growls he is telling you he doesnt like something but he never had a problem before. I heard him growl a few of the nights so I woke up and moved him myself, he never growls at me.

meathstevie · 12-02-2010 6:59pm

What type of dog is it ?

fatmammycat · 12-02-2010 7:05pm

The dog doesn't want to be moved, simple as, and I can't say I blame him. No one wants to move from a comfy bed when tired. If you don't want this to escalate to your boyfriend getting bitten keep the dog off the bed.

star-pants · 12-02-2010 7:35pm

I'm honestly not being funny - but any chance you're pregnant? or have you been ill at all?
A lot of dogs pick up on that sort of change and your dog might be protecting you somewhat.

That's obviously just a maybe. The other choices are to maybe not let the dog on the bed (at least for a while) thus your dog will have nothing to be annoyed over when your boyfriend comes to bed. What happens if you're both in bed and he goes to move the dog?

cynder · 12-02-2010 7:40pm

has the dog been hurt and you dont know about it, not saying your boyfriend kicked the dog but if your dog is ill or has had a accident it might be sore for him to be moved.

also he can become protective of you and is a little jealous.

take him to the vets if that dont work a weekend of watching the dog wisperer might help.

juanyjuans · 12-02-2010 9:50pm

Jesse has obviously fallen in love with you and is jealous of your boyfriend.

kylith · 12-02-2010 9:53pm

I second the recommendation to keep the dog off the bed altogether.

I'd be afraid that trying to copy CM's training techniques without proper training and supervision could be dangerous.

cmf86 · 12-02-2010 11:40pm

he is a west highland terrier, so he has the crabbit streak in him!

Thanks for all the replys everybody! I was thinking of keeping him off the bed but im too much of a softie and i have him back on tonight again, ill never learn.

No im not pregnant, but I did have a lung infection if that counts, lol, would he pick up on that, lol!

He will just have to learn to stop it or i will just have to be hard and not let him up on the bed! I just dont like the fact that it has came out of the blue.

I dont actually really like the Dog whisperer dont find it all that helpful. I actually prefer to watch Victoria Stillwell, i find her excellant and have learned alot of tips from her that actually worked.

star-pants · 12-02-2010 11:46pm

Seriously if you're unwell the dog may be protecting you. When my mother gets very sick my two dogs will constantly check up on her, and be very gentle.
My younger dog who loves to chew our fingers when she's in a chewing mood, never ever chews my mothers fingers (my mother's got a longterm illness), if she finds she's got my mother's finger/hand in her mouth, she just pushes it out with her tongue and licks.
She'll chew on all of the rest of us, but not her.

Obviously be firm with your dog anyway, tell him to stop. And hopefully he'll pick up quickly enough, but it could also be that you were/are unwell.

fatmammycat · 13-02-2010 12:06am

I doubt this is the case Star Pants, it's one thing a dog becoming more gentle because he/she senses illness, but this dog is warning her boyfriend. He does not want to be removed from the bed and is happy to challenge the human who attempts to do so. This will become a situation where a bite is the next move, and then what?
OP. I had a dobermann with a lot of problems when I got him, and resourse guarding was one of those issues. If he was on the sofa or bed or where ever, and did not wish to be moved by someone he would growl/snarl. He was a-ok with me moving him, but that is not enough in a household. In the end the best thing for everyone was that he was not given any bed or sofa space, but his own bed, where he quite happily slept. Unless you are willing to deal with resourse guarding and possibly a tired and irritable dog, I would STRONGLY suggest leaving your dog on the ground and letting you and your beau have the bed. This dog is already letting you know he is unhappy being moved, don't push him.

star-pants · 13-02-2010 12:09am

fatmammycat wrote: »

I doubt this is the case Star Pants, it's one thing a dog becoming more gentle because he/she senses illness, but this dog is warning her boyfriend. He does not want to be removed from the bed and is happy to challenge the human who attempts to do so. This will become a situation where a bite is the next move, and then what?

I'm aware it may not be it, I'm just pointing it out. I never said the OP shouldn't discipline the dog (I said it in that post that she should), in fact I did say in my earlier post that perhaps she should remove the dog from the bed.

Piste · 13-02-2010 2:13am

I was watching an episode of "it's me or the dog" where there was a dog that hated men. She would be up on the bed with the wife but as soon as the husband would enter she'd growl. Victoria Stilwell's solution to this was to get the man to enter the room and if the dog growled, the wifve would immediately remove her from the bed. The dog quickly learned that growling = no more comfy bed =

and stopped growling at the man. Maybe you could devote some time to training your dog this way? I mean it took a while, the guy was entering the room again and again and again. Your dog should get the message eventually though!

Magenta · 13-02-2010 3:53am

I agree with the posters who think it is a dominance/jealousy thing.

cmf86 · 13-02-2010 10:22am

Piste wrote: »

I was watching an episode of "it's me or the dog" where there was a dog that hated men. She would be up on the bed with the wife but as soon as the husband would enter she'd growl. Victoria Stilwell's solution to this was to get the man to enter the room and if the dog growled, the wifve would immediately remove her from the bed. The dog quickly learned that growling = no more comfy bed = and stopped growling at the man. Maybe you could devote some time to training your dog this way? I mean it took a while, the guy was entering the room again and again and again. Your dog should get the message eventually though!

Yeah i saw that episode, thats what I am doing now if he growls at all I remove him from the situation or deprive him of want he wants. I think Victoria Stillwell is brilliant.

mrgardener · 13-02-2010 3:03pm

My dog used to do something similar to me. In the end I brought her to the vet and the vet checked her over and decided that she was getting old and was cranky! After a few weeks she was back to normal again.
Thats dogs for ya:P

Sam Kade · 18-02-2010 9:35am

All this protecting the owner thing and dogs prefer women is nonsense. We have a west highland terrier 6 months old. The reason he growls is that he doesn't want to be moved simple as that. West highlands can wrap you around their little finger when they want something they start this sorrowful cry and if they don't want something they growl.

littlelady · 18-02-2010 9:54am

cmf86, I have 2 westies & the male westie is exactly the same. I'm first to bed every night & like you I am a complete softie, the dogs probably have me trained rather than the other way around. When the bf comes up to bed and tries to move him the male westies growls, never shows his teeth , more of a grumble and will not move off the bed for him, I have to get out of bed go to the bedroom door and call him over to me. I dont know if it is a dominance thing or whether he just doesnt want to move off the comfy bed. The female westie just jumps off the bed, does a big stretch & toddles off to her own bed.

Dog growling at my boyfriend

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