I'm not happy.
Both my pups are 4 months and I'm concerned about Tweeter.
Tweeter is the loudest and pushiest of the two. He instigates barking at unfamiliar things but acts fearful when I urge him to investigate the new things. He also does this with people who come to the house. He will bark and growl at new people. I do not inhibit the growling. The barking is more difficult.
What concerns me is that twice now, two different people have come to the house and Tweeter just wants to keep barking. I try to silence him by working with a, "quiet," command and it will work for a few seconds, but then he'll continue right on. I give the guests treats to give to the dogs and both puppies will tentatively hop forward, grab the treat, hop back, then continue barking as if the treat didn't mean anything. If a person reaches out and Tweeter doesn't realize the person has a treat or the person wants tries to pet him, Tweeter will give a quick growl and snap at the person. Today he bit a contractor working here at the house. Two weeks ago he snapped at a friend of mine who just barely got his hand away in time. I didn't see the second event as my head was turned away at the moment Tweeter did it. When he snapped at my friend I hesitated a few seconds out of complete shock and then told him,"No!," firmly and pushed him off the couch where he was sitting between me and my friend. I later thought that his behavior was explained by my friend's size, his quick hand movement, and the fact that my friend was sitting right next to Tweeter.
Today's event tells me that wasn't an isolated incident and Tweeter wasn't cornered in any way. The contractor had given Tweeter treats before and this time put out his hand to pet Tweeter and Tweeter just gave him a quick bite. I WISH I had seen it because it happened so quickly that I didn't know about it until a few minutes later when the contractor told me it happened. Rather than react to the bite or say anything to me, he stood-up and walked away from Tweeter. I thought nothing of it until the contractor said something.
Off the property, both dogs still get nervous around unfamiliar places and people. They don't, "warm-up," to people and even if they see someone a few times. I try to make sure everyone they meet gives them at least one treat but frequently the pups won't approach the person to take the treat and the person will tire of trying before the treat is taken.
I'm taking both of them to puppy socialization class. There Tweeter is a holy terror. He'll go to the center of the circle and bark at all the other dogs or run up to me and look for comfort then run back to the center to continue barking. In these situations I try to give him calming signals or just ignore him. It doesn't seem to work even though they're now on their third socialization class. The trainer says they want to play with the other dogs but don't know how to do it. The trainer who runs the class has urged me to keep them outside as much as possible to get used to the noises and sights of the outside world and I'm doing that. In class she handed Tweeter around the room to various people to hand him treats and he seemed ok, but when the one guy who was holding him moved his hand suddenly, Tweeter snapped at it even though he had been in the guy's lap for at least 5 minutes. This prompted some concern from the trainer.
Boomer is much more laid back. He'll bark a little but he doesn't bite and while he moves back from being touched, he's better at overcoming his fear. I let him mouth my hand but if he bits too hard I will withdraw my hand with a sharp, "OW!," make a displeased face, and then withold all attention or push him from his perch on the couch and then withold all attention. He NEVER growls at me, allows me to take away his food and treats, touch him anywhere, let's me bathe and groom him, and otherwise is very affectionate. If anything, around me, he's a total pussycat. I have no fear of him at all.
I want to enroll Tweeter in the training class as soon as it starts because this cannot continue. He still has his puppy teeth and I'm lucky that he can't do much harm yet, but when he gets older he'll be dangerous if he continues like this. I wish I knew how this happened as his brother is so mellow. Pumik are supposed to be alert watch dogs, but are known in Hungary as a town dog because while they're not necessarily friendly, they're not known to be aggressive either. The trainer is quite concerned about what kind of adult he will be and I am too.
Thanks again!
Both my pups are 4 months and I'm concerned about Tweeter.
Tweeter is the loudest and pushiest of the two. He instigates barking at unfamiliar things but acts fearful when I urge him to investigate the new things. He also does this with people who come to the house. He will bark and growl at new people. I do not inhibit the growling. The barking is more difficult.
What concerns me is that twice now, two different people have come to the house and Tweeter just wants to keep barking. I try to silence him by working with a, "quiet," command and it will work for a few seconds, but then he'll continue right on. I give the guests treats to give to the dogs and both puppies will tentatively hop forward, grab the treat, hop back, then continue barking as if the treat didn't mean anything. If a person reaches out and Tweeter doesn't realize the person has a treat or the person wants tries to pet him, Tweeter will give a quick growl and snap at the person. Today he bit a contractor working here at the house. Two weeks ago he snapped at a friend of mine who just barely got his hand away in time. I didn't see the second event as my head was turned away at the moment Tweeter did it. When he snapped at my friend I hesitated a few seconds out of complete shock and then told him,"No!," firmly and pushed him off the couch where he was sitting between me and my friend. I later thought that his behavior was explained by my friend's size, his quick hand movement, and the fact that my friend was sitting right next to Tweeter.
Today's event tells me that wasn't an isolated incident and Tweeter wasn't cornered in any way. The contractor had given Tweeter treats before and this time put out his hand to pet Tweeter and Tweeter just gave him a quick bite. I WISH I had seen it because it happened so quickly that I didn't know about it until a few minutes later when the contractor told me it happened. Rather than react to the bite or say anything to me, he stood-up and walked away from Tweeter. I thought nothing of it until the contractor said something.
Off the property, both dogs still get nervous around unfamiliar places and people. They don't, "warm-up," to people and even if they see someone a few times. I try to make sure everyone they meet gives them at least one treat but frequently the pups won't approach the person to take the treat and the person will tire of trying before the treat is taken.
I'm taking both of them to puppy socialization class. There Tweeter is a holy terror. He'll go to the center of the circle and bark at all the other dogs or run up to me and look for comfort then run back to the center to continue barking. In these situations I try to give him calming signals or just ignore him. It doesn't seem to work even though they're now on their third socialization class. The trainer says they want to play with the other dogs but don't know how to do it. The trainer who runs the class has urged me to keep them outside as much as possible to get used to the noises and sights of the outside world and I'm doing that. In class she handed Tweeter around the room to various people to hand him treats and he seemed ok, but when the one guy who was holding him moved his hand suddenly, Tweeter snapped at it even though he had been in the guy's lap for at least 5 minutes. This prompted some concern from the trainer.
Boomer is much more laid back. He'll bark a little but he doesn't bite and while he moves back from being touched, he's better at overcoming his fear. I let him mouth my hand but if he bits too hard I will withdraw my hand with a sharp, "OW!," make a displeased face, and then withold all attention or push him from his perch on the couch and then withold all attention. He NEVER growls at me, allows me to take away his food and treats, touch him anywhere, let's me bathe and groom him, and otherwise is very affectionate. If anything, around me, he's a total pussycat. I have no fear of him at all.
I want to enroll Tweeter in the training class as soon as it starts because this cannot continue. He still has his puppy teeth and I'm lucky that he can't do much harm yet, but when he gets older he'll be dangerous if he continues like this. I wish I knew how this happened as his brother is so mellow. Pumik are supposed to be alert watch dogs, but are known in Hungary as a town dog because while they're not necessarily friendly, they're not known to be aggressive either. The trainer is quite concerned about what kind of adult he will be and I am too.
Thanks again!