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Puppy growling


Firsttimecavmun
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Hey everyone, we have a new pup Cavalier King Charles she has settled in very well and gets along with everyone and all the other animals and is very sweet and affectionate but!! I have a big concern and that is she is very quick to growl at us. It happens when we pick her up to take her outside to the toilet, when she wants up on sofa and you go to pick her up she'll growl. And then this morning she was lying on sofa and I leant near her and spoke to her softly and she growled at me!! Any tips on how to handle this and any idea why she'd be doing it?! 

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She is 12 weeks old and no it's not just when leaning over her. She was growling at the vet at times when vet was examining her.  Vet was really good with her spent a lot of time with us both. 

 

Unfortunately she came came from interstate so I never got to meet the parents or other puppies! 

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Have you spoken with the breeder at all ? Do you know how puppies were raised ? Were they indoors/ socialised /outdoors /in a kennel ...

The breeder .. what do they do with pups? Show , maybe ? 

Ok .. is there any chance puppy has an injury at all ?

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Not spoken to breeder yet but was thinking of contacting her. From what I understand she no longer does anything with them. She was raised on a property and I'm not sure if she was inside or out all the time don't think she was kennelled at least not from any pics I received. 

 

I did wonder if she may be in pain but sometimes the growling comes even when your not touching her! 

 

I am am concerned as I have 4 children and don't want them to end up bitten. I'm gutted cause we picked her breed thinking there wouldn't be any issues re temperament 

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7 hours ago, Danois said:

Behaviourist for advice - and a decent one. 

 

Also so a further vet visit to rule out that she is not growling due to pain. 

 

7 hours ago, The Spotted Devil said:

Yes agree with Danois. Sorry but there are too many elements and it's such a critical stage to be giving advice over the internet. 

Definitely!

Ideally , you should seek help from a VETERINARY  BEHAVIOURIST - who can check  everything physical and temperament-wise. 

if you would like  some help finding someone , just let folks on here know  roughly where you are .

 

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Yep same here - vet first, to specifically rule out that she is in pain and then a behaviourist - and quickly.  If this type of frontline behaviourist doesn't suit then you might need a vet behaviourist. 

 

The sooner you get going on this the easier it may be to manage - and less expensive.  Here's one I used many years ago and found good for both classes and individual consultations - but there are others around too.  Good luck and will be interested to hear how you get on. :)

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Agree with get its health checked to make sure its not sore somewhere, muzzle if need be for a good look. Then get some help, make sure its someone who knows what they are talking about.

For now, keep it off the furniture on the floor so you done have to pick it up or a child might nudge it and get bitten, put a lead on if need be to take out to toilet.

And pics from where it came from can be decieving, it may have come from a kennel and was taken indoors for pics, makes it look better.

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5 hours ago, westiemum said:

Snap Perse - we crossed!

 

And here's  an SA veterinary behaviourist  - haven't used them but look to be well worth considering.  Your vet might also be able to recommend someone if they themselves can't help. :)

Just along the road from me will be giving them a call 

 

I have spoken to the breeder and she said she's never had an issue with any of her dogs and that she was fine with her and her kids and other animals. She said she was more fiesty than the others but that's all. She was allowed to be inside or outside. 

 

Should I try being really firm with her when she does it so she knows it's wrong and see if I can get her to stop? 

 

I know behaviourists cost a lot and right now I don't have a lot of money to spend on that. 

 

Im pretty sure she's not in pain but going back to vet on Friday so will get them to check her over anyway. 

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<<<Should I try being really firm with her when she does it so she knows it's wrong and see if I can get her to stop?  >>>


if you don't know WHY she is doing it ,  and you are not  certain on your technique - it may make things worse ....

perhaps, after a thorough vet check .. try this   &nbsp;CLICK &nbsp;
 If you want ,  take a couple of photos , or a video & post here   ... that gives  a better idea of her body language , etc ... :)

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Hi Cavmum,

 

I'm sorry to hear not all is well with your Cavalier! It must be quite scary to hear your puppy growling, especially when you have kids.

 

In relation to being "firm" it is actually incredibly important that you DO NOT punish or intimidate her for growling, including by saying "no!"

 

Growling is not a bad thing to do. It is a warning sign. Your dog's voice. She's saying "Hey! I don't feel comfortable with xyz! Please stop!"

 

So your job is to help her become more comfortable with whatever you are doing, where it is important to do so, and for this you do need expert help. Some dogs just don't like being cuddled, kissed, picked up or disturbed when resting and that's ok (some humans don't either!).

 

Some of what you will learn will be:

- Changing the emotional state of your puppy so she feels less threatened by your actions

- Teaching and rewarding other behaviours like getting off the couch herself and walking away when she's uncomfortable

- Learning how to manage your puppy's environment to lower stress

- Learning about dog body language and how to interact with dogs, which is incredibly important for your kids in particular.

- Setting your puppy up for future success in general, in particular with noises, people, animals, situations, etc. You are currently at the tail end of your puppy's Critical Socialisation Period so the clock is ticking loudly here.

 

If you punish or intimidate your puppy for growling she will be liable to start SKIPPING the growling part and going straight to snapping, biting, etc. You don't want that! Or, conversely, your punishment may lead to learned helplessness (depression) which you don't want either.

 

Behaviourists cost money but it is an investment. You will have 15 or more years with this dog, and it will be much cheaper to get good help now then leave it until later. A stitch in time saves nine especially when you're dealing with a puppy. Another alternative may be to return to return the puppy to the breeder.

 

The behavioural trainer that Westiemum posted looks good. Here's another list though not all do behaviour consults. An even better thing to do would be to get a consult from AVBS or call to see if they can recommend a behavioural trainer near you.

 

Here are some articles about growling that you may like to read:

5 Steps to Deal with Dog Growling

How to Handle a Growling Dog

Grouchy Canines: Dogs who Growl or Snap

 

Also take a look at this:

The Canine Ladder of Agression — when you see low key signs of stress/agression it is your job to lower the stress (again, don't punish or threaten your puppy!) so she doesn't escalate.

 

Since you have children, also take a look at the videos on this site:

Stop the 77

And this fantastic resource from the Vic Government:

Pet Town

 

All the best with your puppy but again, please don't try to go this alone or leave it to worsen. Please seek help now. Early intervention is the best possible thing you can do for your puppy and family.

 

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45 minutes ago, juice said:

I second doing NILF . I think it's pinned somewhere . 

Firstly I would not let it on the furniture , it's not earned it . 

I think " fiesty " as the breeder put it might be an understatement . 

 

yes ...... I wonder what  puppy was like 'at home' .

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