My 9 month old female Pomeranian is too aggressive!
by Leslie Stevens
(Benton, MO)
My 9 month old female Pomeranian, Ruby, is very aggressive when we try and remove something she “stole,” such as a napkin or toilet paper that she loves to shred (and actually EAT). I usually do the “exchange” method, offering her a “goodie” in exchange for the object she stole. This usually works pretty well, but my husband had a good point. He said if she gets a hold of something that is potentially harmful, he must act quickly and may not have a “goodie” on hand. He says every dog must be trained to the point of allowing us to remove something from their mouths. He suggested holding her down as the alpha male would do, showing who’s higher on the totem pole. This did not work well. Ruby squealed (I was gentle–was not hurting her at all) and I thought all was OK. The next time (that same day), it happened again, and I tried the same thing again. She was even more aggressive this time, snarling, showing her teeth and trying to bite me, etc. I’m now back to the exchange “trade-off.” I’m afraid that tactic may have been encouraging aggressive behavior instead of correcting it, but how can I let her know who’s boss?
I’ve always been aware of and have tried to prevent “small dog syndrome,” but I’m afraid that’s the problem we have! Ruby is also not friendly to strangers, although we have tried our best to socialize her (although maybe not enough). Perhaps it’s because we are an older couple–our children are grown and our grand kids are no longer small, so she has had little interaction around kids or others. She likes the women that come to the house for Bible Study, but when men come to see my husband, she sometimes becomes very aggressive acting: barking and jumping away from them. And it’s not that she’s afraid of men, per se, because she is crazy about my husband and he’s a big guy with a loud, deep voice. Our last Pomeranian, Sophie, was just the opposite of Ruby, as were our dogs before her: a tiny Chihuahua, toy poodle, and a pekingese. Help!
Comments for My 9 month old female Pomeranian is too aggressive!
Average Rating Click here to add your own comments |
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Leave a Reply