Marley'z Mum

JB I dont think I am 'yes butting' as u call it AT ALL....... again if u read over the post from the start I was and am taking this seriously.... I'm not going to go over everything again... started this, today I apologise if I flew of the handle, I do understand people are just worried, maybe if you new me as a person (rather than words on a computer screen) you wouldn't have had to be so worried, believe it or not this whole thing has been eating at me for the last couple of days I will post how saturday goes, if anyone is interested

ok I just had to come back and really well to be honest, maybe move on from this it is not a case of me only seeing what I wanted to see.... yes I was advised those things, but several times.... I was never down playing this issue, if you read back over the post I thought it was a issue from the start, and had people tell me that it can't be aggression he is only a baby! I NEVER came here looking for sympathy, I came wanting idea's, I don't need sympathy! Koalathebear, you have a way with words.... I really don't want to leave this forum, I find it very informative, there are plenty of dog owner's in the world that aren't on here, but I DO enjoy it and have found alot of advice so far very helpful, but cant help but feel there are some that are "looking down there nose at me" so to speak poodlefan, believe me when I say I am not down playing this issue, I honestly believe it goes back to the pain issue (I could be wrong) the reason I say that is, puppy's get under your feet, a couple of times I have caught a little bit of paw or toe under foot, with me, he will just retreat, while I apologise like crazy, well today, after I post last, he got under my daughter's feet just slightly, and he barked at her as if to tell her off? maybe he has no confidence in her not hurting him?? I rang to book him into his puppy classes today, while talkin to her she asked if he had anything we wanted to work on, as she runs a smaller class on a saturday morning... so we are off to that class aswell, hopefully she can help.... if I get no success I will seek further help I believe also that I saved this lil pup from what would have probably ended up being a horrible life, as I believe had they not sold him they probably would have kept him, and he would have had a miserable life from what I saw... he is a work in progress Yes, why?

ok let me just start by saying..... thankyou everyone for your posts You are not saying anything that hasn't already been said, if you had read back over the post, u would see, he wasn't asleep and let me point out people, I have stated before, in every other way u can imagine this pup is fine with the kids, and this issue has probably happened about 4 times in the entire time I have had the puppy, the last time was purely my fault, I live in this house, so I see what goes on and what doesnt. personally I don't think it is, I might be wrong, but I believe he has no confidence in my youngest daughter, mostly, we start puppy classes next week, I will be asking the teacher about it there aswell, I am NOT a moron, if I believe it is getting or looking like it is going to get worse, I will do something about it. I would be interested to know how to teach this...... (before people start jumping up and down and sayin it wont fix the proble) not to fix the problem but purely because I would like to teach him that... the mouthing, biting is not a issue anymore, the kids all play happily outside with him and I have not had the same problem, yes he gets excited and mouths but nothing for them to complain about. Now I am just going to finish this post with this....... I joined this forum because a friend told me about it, and I thought it would be useful to learn some things.... however this will probably be my last post, I am absolutely shocked at the way some people have reacted to this, I am not a moron, I did not need 15 people tell me the same thing, No-one accept Nekhbet has offered me anything that might help, everyone has just set about telling me things I already knew, like don't let daughter pick him up, and yes I made the mistake of telling her to do it again, but I posted the issue hoping someone could give me some ideas.... maybe there weren't any other than see a professional, but again I didn't need everyone to tell me, could most of you not read the post, thought the same as what people had said, and NOT felt the need to say it aswell?? I would have thought for the sake of dogs all over the place, you would want to help people that come to your forum to get advice and help... I am not the only one that has been made to feel completely guilty about whats going on with there dog... I read a post recently about people that were wanting help for there dog they chose to keep outside that was barking... ok it was probably not the most ideal situation for the dog, but I am sure it could have been approached alot gentler than everyone jumping up and down about the dog being outside, that poster has not been back either.... maybe my skin isn't thick enough for this type of thing, but I believe in constructive critisism... so thanks to those that did try to give me some ideas.... and to everyone else, I wont be allowing my daughter to pick up the puppy anymore, again we are starting classes next week, and again, I will not let this situation get out of hand!

Ok can I firstly say..... calm down everyone! she moved him, because I asked her to, so it was my fault not her's! he was laying on some of my clean washing and without even thinking I asked her to get him of as I was busy doing dinner, I had just witnessed her patting him so didn't give it a second thought... but don't worry I was quickly reminded, and he wasn't sleeping thought u may think so, I am far from an idiot! again this was my mistake! yes I think it is probably as simple as he doesn't want her picking him up, because other than this he is more than happy to play with her, cuddle up to her if she is sitting on the floor and allow her to pat him??? He was at the vets on friday, for his 12week needles, he was checked over by the vet then and there was no pain..... from memory when I really think about it, just after we got him, he hurt his side somehow, she picked him up at the time and he winced.... maybe just maybe he associates that pain with her, and mabe he is worried she is going to do it again, rightfully so, probably again this was all my fault, not the dogs and not my daughters, I am affraid I have made my daughter out to be an annoying pain, when she is far from it, she has a tame budgie that she would much rather play with I can assure u! I am hoping I can nip this issue in the butt, by 1. stopping her from picking him up or going near him when asleep or about to sleep, 2. by involving her in training him a lil more so he see that she can reward him if I have no success, and the behaviour gets worse of course I would see a behavioural consultant, again not an idiot.... the kids and the dog need to live in harmony, but the kids come first! as much as I adore this lil man, he isn't one of my kids he is a dog! sorry to upsett people ETA: I am getting a crate in the next couple of weeks

ok just wanted to let people know.... I witnessed what I was talkin bout today... tis definately aggression, he was awake laying down, she was patting him, he was fine, as soon as she went to pick him up to move him he growled, not a cute growl, but a growl that would scare me if he were a big dog..... so now I am trying to find ways to fix this, starting with having her involved in the training of him, when he did it, I growled a loud UH-UH at him and gave him daggers lol and he puts his head down ears back and wag'd his tail.... so dunno?? any other ideas would be great, and yes there are now rules for the couch

hi k9pro I think i mite be doin something wrong in doin this, when u take the food out, u show the food then walk away with it until the point the dog isnt goin mental for it? Then walk bak to its right side the problem i am havin is, i walk away with it, i check how the dog is, he is standin lookin at me an food, i put the food down an walk bak, by the time i get bak to him he is crazy tryin to get to the food Do i wait for him to settle then get him 2 look at me? Am i not puting the food far enough away?

lol @ koalathebear, he certainly has teddy bear in there, hopefully will be able to see what he has in him more when he is older..... Will start makin more rules bout the couch, see how that goes, maybe drag his bed out the laundry during the day... The couch makes it easier to cuddle the teddy bear hehehe

lovemesideways, i can understand that this might be the case for my youngest who is 8, but honestly she isnt like that with him, because of this, plus she knows he gets a lil excited at times an can be bitey an she doesnt like it, an the other daughter is 14 so not so much a "little girl" so personally dont think its just that, also there are rules, when me, my OH or my son say move, he moves or gets moved no questions asked

Nekhbet, thankyou, truly believe there was a little more to this behaviour than just him bein slightly startled, tis hard to explain to people through this.... Poodlefan please believe me when i say, i do the absolute very best i can for this little man, i understand how cold the laundry can get, he has a heat bag in there, that gets heated up a couple times a night due to OH workin shift work... I have thought bout crate training him, but crates are expensive, i cant justify that kind of money when it isnt something i absolutely need, an before u say something bout shouldnt have a dog if i cant afford it, my partner an i both work, i also have 3 school age children, if something went wrong with him an he needed the vet then of course i would find the money, again if its not something i absolutely need i can think of better places for that kind of money... We start puppy classes next week i hope to follow it with obedience classes :-)

the laundry is his room, he sleeps in there at night, it has a baby gate to keep him in, he has his bed in there his food an water, his toys, he can come an go as he pleases, he chooses not to go in there during the day, he sleeps on the couch or one of the single chairs.... Poodlefan i am by no means blaming the dog i absolutely believe a dog will behave a certain way if treated a certain way, i understand the girls are prob doing something but also think the tone has been set an i am trying to fix it b4 it gets to bad When he is called especially if asleep an comfortable where he is he wont move sometimes even 4 me Thanks for ur advice, hopefully i can get it sorted :-)

i think i may have been a lil misunderstood.... 99% of the time the girls leave him alone when sleeping, i am talkin bout when he needs to be moved an i am busy for some reason, if i am goin out, or not goin to be in that specific room Ppl are always tlkin bout puppies learning there place in there pack, he never does it to me, my OH or my son, just the girls, maybe he thinks he is higher in the pack than the girls.... I dont want to have the girls having to make a wide birth of the dog when he is sleeping for fear they will walk past the wrong way Fordogs, i dont think u can really make the comparison, a sleeping new baby wont wake like a puppy when u pik it up...

Hi all for those that don't know me, I have 12week old bitza..... the mouthing the kids issue is nearly sorted, but this morning I have discovered a new issue regarding the kids, well my girls to be exact.... I have 3 kids girl 14 boy 13 and girl 8.... I have discoverd that puppy thinks he is more important than the girls, well atleast thats what I think it is..... when the puppy is asleep or just laying somewhere if the girls try to pick him up or move him, he will growl and snap at them, they aren't doing it all the time so its not that the puppy is just fed up.... he doesnt do it to my son, my son feeds him in the mornings, and he doesnt do it to me or OH. I have decided to start the TOT program with him and may have to start it for the girls aswell..... but any other ideas would be much appreciated, I don't want him to turn into a big dog that the girls have to stay away from when he is sleeping Thanks in advance

Hi.... I have only just found this topic..... I plan on starting the TOT today with my 12week bitza puppy, I have a question..... I have 3 children, oldest girl 14 then boy 13 then girl 8, the puppy seems to be showing some sort of dominance over the girls, or he thinks he is more important than them..... I say this because if he is laying somewhere nearly asleep or awake laying there if they try to pick him up and move him, if asked to or just coz they wanna move him, he will growl at them and snap, he doesnt do this with me or OH, or my son for that matter... my son feeds him in the mornings as I goto work... My questions are.... after I have started TOT with him, should I get the girls to do it to get past this aggression he has towards them? if so would I need to start from the begining with them? I just dont want him to turn into this big dog that the girls cant go near when he is asleep.... I would like a fairly bomb proof dog Thanks in advance!

would TOT work inside? Coz after reading it, it looks like it is done outside, but my pup gets fed in the laundry

Thanks all.... I have taken him to places I know he would be reasonably safe, the in-laws for instance they have no animals but we were there with the whole family, my kids and neices and nephews age rages from a couple of months to 14... so when it comes to kids and adults he is well socialised, I don't know to many ppl with dogs, thats why he hasn't as yet had much socialisation with them, so hopefully when he starts these classes he doesn't get us kicked out lol

Hi all again..... I dont know if I should be worried or not.... my bitza pup is having his 12week needles friday... he hasn't been to any puppy preschool yet, the reason for that is, my local vet usually does it, but decided against it till after winter because they have had a huge amount of parvo cases.... I found another lady that does them but she said he cant come till he has had his 12wk needles, again I assumed because of the parvo problem around here recently (was in the local paper)..... now this is what I am a lil worried about... should I have just kept looking for someone that would have taken him before 12 weeks, the more I read and see on here the right time to take him to socialise him with other dogs was between 8 and 12weeks, so now I am a lil worried there is going to be problems with him and other dogs.... he hasnt really been around other dogs, coz I have been a lil paranoid bout the parvo thing...... should I be concerned about how he is going to be with other dogs because of his age? I am taking him to see my friends dogs in a couple of weeks but they are older dogs, and are great with other dogs, so I figure if he is naughty they will just put him in his place, (I will be supervising of course) but I am worried how he will be with other dogs around his age.... should I?

ummm TeamSnag.... to cut a long story short that I did post in the welcome new member's forum when I first started posting on here.... I basically saved this lil pup from a very bad situation!! so while I realise 3 weeks ago he should have been with his mother, I believe whole heartedly I did this lil man a favour!! While I haven't raised a pup for about 16yrs, I think I am doing ok :-) I know he can't go anywhere untill he has had his 12wk needles and even after that... an I have been rather paranoid about it to be honest, we have had a slight breakout in parvo in the next suburb to me that has been in the local paper.... there are some ppl that will sell puppies early to make the money... and I understand that some breeders believe that if ppl stop buying them early then there wouldnt be a problem, but let me just assure you I am not one of those ppl, however the ppl selling these puppies well, they didnt live in an environment healthy for ppl, little lone the dogs.... soooooo while i feel I have kinda had a lil telling off by you ( ;-) jokes)..... in my last post aswell, I am doing the very best I can with this georgeous lil man who I might add is spoilt rotten lol but thanks for ya comments :-)

whats scruffing?

hadnt plan'd on taking him anywhere till he had his needles, not that silly, especially seein as there is alot of parvo round where i live atm.... I dont know if he can swim, was simply curious to know if ppl had dogs that hated there bath but liked the beach.... Again i wont do anything silly, like throw him as far out as i can an see if he can swim bak lol

hi all Another hopefully not to silly question from me..... I am hoping my 11wk old pup will like the beach, we go a bit in the summer, i am hopin he will like it there an like a swim, however, he really doesnt like his baths much, he tries to climb his way out..... Does this mean he prob wouldnt go in the water at the beach?...... The question seems kinda silly as i type it lol anyway....

thanks SBT123, great pics they are adorable...... Its terrible what some ppl will do, when i am in the market for a new family member, i will be sure to ask on here first

thanks all I really thought it was aggression, coz of the barkin an the way he stands when he does it, he stands an barks leaning like he is ready run..... I would keep him inside when the whipper snipper an lawn mower r on i understand how dangerous they can be, but he still stands at the door where he can see them an barks an carrys on, is that still play?..... Its been a long time since i have had a puppy bout 16yrs, so hopefully my questions arent to silly

Hi all Yet another question from me, my 11 week old bitza is showing some signs of being scared of vacuum cleaner, broom, lawn mower, whipper snipper......lets start with the broom which is probably the mildest issue he has.... my son sweeps our floors... when he gets the broom out the cupboard my bitza feels the need to attack the broom, he isnt barking he just is very snappy with it and if he gets hold he tends not to let go.... he does the same with the vaccuum cleaner, but there is a bit of barking involved, yesterday OH had the whipper snipper out and while it wasnt running he sniffed at it to check what it was, when it was running I had to grab him quick an put him inside or he would have been hurt, he was barking at it snapping at it, I am pretty sure this is aggression towards the stuff coz he is so frantic bout the snapping, and u cant really get his attention.... when he was inside he still barked and scratched at the door to get at it, so I distracted him by doing some training with him with food reward, I am yet to try this while the vaccuum cleaner is goin inside, he is very food motivated, but like I said when he is determined to get at it its hard to get his attention..... any other idea's would be really apprecited as I dont want this to turn into something worse! Thanks

this may seem like a silly question...... But i was wondering if someone could tell me, during looking through local paper in the puppies for sale section i have notice they advertise for american staffy's, english staffy's an staffordshire terriers, could sum1 please tell me what the difference is between these?? Not looking for a pup but i am curious to know the differences.... Ta

thanks everyone, really helpfull hints.... He is a very mouthy puppy, sandra777 i was told he was a staffy x ridgeback but when postd a pic on here was told possibly kelpie in there, so now i just call him a bitza, my lovable bitza, accept when he is biting everyone lol, i think i can stop him biting me its more a prob for the kids, have told em to stand an ignore when they tried it this morning he just barked at em, i told em to ignore that to..... Hopefuly we have some success may have to resort to water bottle, hope not..... Thanks again everyone