Hey..so I have an 8 year old whoās never growled in his lifeā¦we moved last year and had a baby so a lot of changes for himā¦hes not a huge fan of the baby but heās generally pretty good with herā¦lately my wife and I have been laying on couch with the dog and he does a low growl at us if we start to snuggle with himā¦Wel move away and hel give us paw to come back but then will tense up and do a low growl again ..any ideas why this is suddenly happening?
8 year old suddenly very grouchy
- Thread starter Epc2188
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- Jan 20, 2016
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He may be guarding one of the 2 of you. Does he do this when there is only one of you on the couch with him? If he's guarding you then that problem needs to be addressed right away or it can spiral out of control quickly. He may be assuming an alpha role in your family. It may come to not allowing him on equal ground with the pack leader(you or/and your wife)...and he definitely needs to be 3rd on the totem pole. That would mean no more sharing the couch with you...or ANY furniture...especially your bed.
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- #3
Hel do it with both of us on the couch or 1 of usā¦the wife gets worried and steps back..i just get in there more and he starts licking my face cus I know he wonāt bite me..im thinking heās lashing out at the less attention due to the new baby?( who he has growled at her too for crawling up to him which I wont let happen again..but at the same time hel wag his tail and lick her so heās hot n cold lately)
- Jul 28, 2011
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Agree with Chip... reset the boundaries and make sure he knows you are alpha. As does your wife, he has to know you are his leaders so he falls back in line of the pack.
- Jan 20, 2016
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Over the years, we have experienced this before with a few of our dogs. If any dog ever growls at us for any reason...off the couch or out of the chair they go until they learn that growling will not be tolerated. I would guess that this behavior will get worse if allowed to continue without correction. At the first hint of a growl(a growl is intended to promote/provoke a reaction)push the dog away and off the furniture. Surprise them and yell "NO"!
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- #6
Thats what the wife says to doā¦online stuff says to never yell at the dog for growling because then hel go straight to biting and that itās a good thing your dog growled to let you know heās not comfortable..Iāll start trying to disciplining him though cus we canāt just let him go around growling on occasion for no good reason
helsonwheels
Well-known member
I think your dog smells the baby all over you & lost his place. Just make sure you never leave the baby n him alone. You might want to take a baby blanket n let Watson sleep with it. Might help him come around with the smell.
1Chumly
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- Feb 19, 2015
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Does this happen at any particular time of day? As he is an older dog, Sundowners (doggy dementia) came to mind. Any other different behavior than normal?
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- #11
Mostly at night but thats the time we all wind down and watch tv before bed
Casper
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- Apr 28, 2013
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Iāve pretty much got this same going on right now. I have a hand fed, very tame, but in demand of my attention 24/7 Cockatoo Parrot who is flighted, so she travels whenever and wherever she wants, only caged when Iām not at home, or during her sleep times. I also have Rocky, who is my 12 yr old senior Bully. The Cockatoo receives sunflower seeds as treats, and when Rocky sees that, he immediately jumps on the couch beside me, and growls a low growl, which turns into a soft bark, then louder until he gets treats. Treating either as a 50/50 part of the family is not working, The parrot needs at least 2 hours a day minimal time out of the cage, and Rocky doesnāt like it at all. This behavior just started recently, and since she can fly to me all over the house, he is not liking it. It has been a real challenge working out a happy medium between the two. Iāve had the parrot (Zoey) for 4 years, since she was weaned, and my Bully for 12, but the older Rocky gets, the less patient he is with her, and her constant need of attention. So basically I have no solution for you, but itās not just your Bully. The reset might fix thisā¦ iāll be following to learn.
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- #13
Iāve been thinking..the vet and myself believe he has some arthritis due to pretty bad limping after physical activityā¦so he gave us some pain relievers that could be used every day or as neededā¦i havenāt given them to him yet because he hasnāt been limping but maybe heās in some everyday pain which makes him not really want us to touch him at night
- Jul 28, 2011
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Yes, it could definitely be from pain. Keep us posted
- Dec 9, 2016
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another thing you can have the vet check is his thyroid.
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