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Old August 26th, 2003, 08:28 AM
Vmar Vmar is offline
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Unhappy Agressive dog at crate time

My dog brandy is a neutered 2 yr old rescue terripooh we have had about a month. This past week he has decided that he likes his crate but he goes ballistic growling and snaping when we lay a hand on the crate to close it. We have been feeding him in his crate(the food is removed at night and only a treat is in it) and leaving snacks in it for a treat during the day. He is crated at night (the crate has to be away from our bedrooms) we only go out for about an hour or so during the day and he is crated then. I am reallly upset by his behavior and I'm afraid it may ruin the way I feel about this little fluff ball. I won't allow my children near the crate and have kept them from witnessing his bad behavior. I now use an oven mit to close the door. Should I just ignore this behavior and walk away or should I stay with him to have him settle? He is very willing to go into the crate so he must feel comfortable there.
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Old August 26th, 2003, 10:18 PM
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Carina Carina is offline
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Sounds like he could be feeling awfully territorial about his crate and feels he has the right to snap at you for getting in his space - could that be it? If that's the case, a regimen of obedience training so he realised his rightful place in your household would make a BIG change in his behaviour. Dogs are like little kids; they need and feel secure with rules and structure in their lives! And they truly love their leaders, so don't feel like you are being mean to him by imposing very firm rules; often overall behaviour will change when the dog is trained. Do an internet search on "NILIF" (Nothing In Life Is Fee), you'll get some good ideas. Terrier mixes can be very opinionated!

I have Rottweilers, and one is an EXTREMELY hard headed and dominant rescue. On the rare occasions he tries to challenge me, I don't punish him (he'd win!) I DO snap on his training pinch collar, and march him through some polite leash walking, sits, downs & stays...just to establish that he is NOT in charge. Dutch is also never allowed on furniture, he must wait for permission to go through doors or in & out of cars, and he must sit or down for any treats or meals. Without these ground rules, he could be a dangerous dog - with rules, he is loving and obedient (most of the time!) Your dog is lots smaller and you don't have to be so draconian, but for sure rules are extremely important to dogs and they are happier when they don't feel like they have to challenge or defend themselves or their stuff.

There's a fabulous author named Jean Donaldson - if you can get a copy of "Mine" or "Culture Clash" it would be well worth your time. In fact I think everyone who owns a dog should read "Culture Clash" it's an amazing book about understanding dog behaviour and a very easy read.
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Old August 27th, 2003, 09:49 AM
Vmar Vmar is offline
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Honestly, We are getting rid of the dog today! WE decided that he diddnt need to go into his crate just into the basement. Well he started growling when he came back from his night walk outside. We couldn't get him even downstairs. We tried treats and everything. when I went to take his leash off he bit me. He parked himself outside my sons room and growled. We have many small children in the are and he must go he is getting more agressive every day. I'm afraid I needed advice immediatly. I couldn't put a training collar on if he is eating my hand.
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