Salukifan

No, I don't. Seems to me it was all going along just fine until you felt the need to weigh in with more comments on your own dog. Again. But off you go and be productive. :) Believe it or not, people were actually trying to help MM. From where I sit it would be better to take the behaviour seriously and be told by a professional that it's nothing to worry about than the opposite. MM I don't know if you have or want a partner but this would be best nipped in the bud on that account alone. Something tells me that your dog wouldn't take kindly to that. If you don't want him to be spending his life in another room, perhaps a visit from a decent professional would be a good idea.

NO DONATELLA, YOUR DOG ISN'T BEHAVING IN THE SAME WAY. Clear enough for you? She ISN'T demonstrating similar traits and the fact that you think that she is is frankly a bit perplexing. Your dog offers play behaviours. There is nothing playful about what MM's dog is doing. So you drawing comparisons and suggesting that MM's dog wouldn't hurt anyone because your dog won't is a step too far. You don't know anything of the kind. The comparison isn't at all helpful to MM's situation as far as I can see. And you're constant suggestions that people are being dramatic isn't either. MM should be taking this seriously. Lock the dog up and/or get some help MM. No much more needs to be said does it?

And the sighthound thread in the breed forum.

Gee, we're talking about your dog again. But which part of "this isn't about your dog" don't you grasp?? Your dog isn't growling at people. All hell isn't breaking loose when guests move in your home is it? If your help to MM on this one keep explaining away this behaviour as "he's just being a Pom" and blaming others for the dog's behaviour then all I can say to MM is "good luck". She's going to need it. What I read was someone who was concerned about what her dog is doing. I would be too.

I'm finding that your leaps to conclusions would make Evil Kneviel proud. I never suggested anything of the kind. I did say that this is aggressive behaviour that shouldn't be written off by reference to breed. If the dog is no problem, then why the thread. And if it is a problem, the advice has been given. Lock the dog up or risk that someone will get frightened enough for a repeat of what's already happened. Surely one incident is enough?

Barking is interpreted by some people as a prequel to aggression. And frankly sometimes it is. A frightened person will act to defend themselves if they perceive a threat to be imminent. So let your dog bark at people and some will target your dog. We've had plenty of stories about it here over the years. Fail to act to stop it with people in your home and when you aren't around, they can do what they please. That's the real risk as i see it.

Yep, because sometimes being "lovely" isn't going to save the day. And God forbid, when your little darling has just been bitten by a GSD, MM and it's coming back for the next go, lets see what you'd be prepared to do. I've kicked the shit out of a dog and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And my dog is alive because of it. And if I think a dog is going to take a piece out of me or one of my dogs you bet your life I'll swing a boot. And I make no apologies for it. Sure beats waving your hands and watching your dog die or ending up at casualty yourself. But hey, that's me - I'm such a meanie.

I honestly doubt it. This is quite common behaviour from dominant dogs and abuse is rarely the trigger. As I said, stop looking for excuses. Frankly if I seriously thought a dog was going to take a piece out of me, I'd be swinging a foot too. Now you're just being offensive without knowing the dog, the owner or the flatmate. Hardly. Ever been bitten by a dog Donatella? Even a tiny dog's bite hurts like stink, can require stitches and definitely requires a tetanus shot. I'm trying (not very well it seems) to suggest that a dog behaving aggressively is a dog at risk from reprisal. Given that MM's first post said that "all hell breaks loose" when her visitors move, then my guess is that risk is real and still current.

I honestly doubt it. This is quite common behaviour from dominant dogs and abuse is rarely the trigger. As I said, stop looking for excuses. Frankly if I seriously thought a dog was going to take a piece out of me, I'd be swinging a foot too. No dog breed is unique MM. Poms are a spitz breed and have a lot of behaviours in common with other spitzs.

If every behaviour the dog is demonstrating indicates that it isn't comfortable around other dogs, then the solution is simple from where I sit. Don't ask it to be. It's the owner who has to keep the dog safe. Seems to me that she's expecting behaviour from the dog that it simply can't give.

I know Minimiss would have consulted a Professional IF the situation was completely out of control and not something she cannot nip in the bud now and early. Well you clearly have knowledge the rest of us don't. We're forced to work with what the OP has written. But lets be clear that this appears to have been going on for some time. Personally I think a professional is a good idea.

Oh, an "in" joke. Riiiight. What's funny about the behaviour of a dog that's seen it kicked and a housemate asked to leave? You're excusing or attempting to explain this by reference to breed. That doesn't fly with me. The dog's being a little tyrant and there's nothing about that that can be explained by the word "Pomeranian". This dog isn't "defending" his owner in the sense that you are thinking. He's protecting his owner the way he'd protect a bone. This is about what he thinks he owns, not a threat. There is no threat. So no more excuses eh? As has already been pointed out, if this was a larger dog, this behaviour would be bloody dangerous.

What sort of pleasure does the owner of a fearful or aggressive dog think the animal gets from "socialising"

He should be checked for coccidia and fed a balanced diet. If kept on chicken and rice, the poor bugger will get rickets to add to his issues. Take him to a vet.

And that can be the worst thing you can ever do for small dogs. As mentioned already - would you accept that type of behavior from a large breed dog? So long as my dog doesnt hurt or bother anyone, what's the problem in how my dog is? Strangely enough Donatella, I didn't think we were talking about YOUR dog. And from where I sit, the OP had made it quite plain what her problem with the behaviour is. Well THIS dog IS being aggressive. If you can keep foremost in your thoughts that this (again) isn't about your dog, I think we'd all be getting somewhere. The breed standard for Poms requires them to be "Extrovert, lively and intelligent" . I don't recall anything in the breed standard that suggests that aggression towards strangers is acceptable. They are tough little buggers who, without boundaries, can become little terrorists and that cute as a button appearance means that some folk want to treat them like cuddly toys, not dogs. THIS dog, needs to be quietly and firmly appraised of the idea that it's his owner's house, not his and that her views on acceptable house guests are the ones that matter. That's for both his own protection and his owner's quality of life. He doesn't need to be pitied or excused. He needs to be brought back into line.

In oil Sheridan... either fish or olive oil. I avoid the soy oil. If I was concerned about fat, I'd be feeding the springwater stuff too. I don't feed pet mince. My dogs get enough chicken bones and the non-chicken stuff tends to be riddled with preservatives.

Excellent advice corvus! Poms are naturally territorial and think if themselves as little guard dogs. Then perhaps their owners need to change that thinking. A "guard dog" that, in the presence of its owner, proceeds to display unwanted aggressive behaviour to invited guests, needs to be controlled. I've seen exactly the same story play out with a dog owner, their partner and a dog that escalated to threat displays whenever the partner went to move in the house. Action was finally taken when the dog didn't allow the partner, in the absence of the owner, to leave his chair for over half an hour. On that occasion, it was a GSD, not a Pom and frankly it was bloody dangerous. Young, entire male dog who was, quite frankly, far too big for his boots and who thought he got to determine who was allowed to do what. But the point is that ANY dog that seeks to control the movement of invited guests in its space needs to have its notions of what it gets to control readjusted. And quickly. I dont care what the breed of dog is. This kind of behaviour simply isn't on. Sensible owners don't allow dogs to behave like this when guests visit. And if you can't deal with it, you lock the dog away.

I feed all dogs only once per day. Whippets: Younger dogs are on Royal Canin Medium Junior. Herbie is on Hills K/D as he has early stage renal issues. Poodles: Royal Canin Mini Senior (8 +) Apart from Herbie, the dogs' kibble gets spiced up with various kind of mince or tinned fish. All dogs get meals of chicken RMBs and recreational beef bones. The odd meal of 4 Legs gets into the mix. I do add a bit of organic coconut oil to the Whippet's diet. The poodles won't touch it. Why do I feed this? The dogs like their food (RC is the only brand Howie will always eat), do well on it and I can get RC at a good price though their breeder's club. Most of the sighthound folk I know well swear by RC. Herbie needs a special diet and sadly the RC kidney kibble isn't available in Oz. I also think they're doing really well on their diet.

Two things: It's not the firmness of stools that empties anal glands. It's their BULK. Small, hard stools do not assist with the process. This is why psyllium husk or other fibre sometimes needs to be added to a dog's diet to assist. Bones won't help at all. Anal glands are expressed by stool moving through the lower bowel. If hips are out of alignment,muscle also tends to be affected and this tends to be reflected in trouble properly emptying the glands. Muscle tone matters – this is why fat and unfit dogs also tend to have gland issues. Regular walking can be of real benefit. It's not a coincidence that many dogs defecate on a walk. Be under no illusion that anal gland issues can be very painful for the dog. A dog licking its rear end should be taken to the vet ASAP in my opinion, before you end up withi mpacted glands, nasty infections and potentially a burst abscess. Very senior dogs who have never been regularly chiropracted will probably not get particularly good improvement from a visit. You take a dog to prevent issues developing as much as you do to 'fix' problems. Fused bone can't be repositioned and arthritis won't be cured. Prolonged spinal and hip misalignment throws muscle and ligaments into all kinds of trouble which is why regular chiropracty can, in my opinion, help prevent issues like ruptured ACL's.

Good point Corvus.

The first thing you need to realise is that he is not a puppy. He's an adult with a challenging behavior that wouldn't be very pleasant for your guests. How extensively has or was he socialised with people as a pup - both inside and outside your home? Does he attend training classes with you? To be quite frank it sounds to me like he's being a territorial little shite and that you need to persuade him otherwise. My view? Stop excusing the behaviour (he's not protecting squat Donatella) and either use an aversive like a water spray or otherwise prevent the behaviour by separating him from your guests. You've already had evidence of what can happen when he pushes his luck with an intolerant person. Its up to YOU to prevent people taking matters into their own hands. He'd be crated in another room if he were mine.

Anal glands can be an issue if hips are out of alignment.

Find a good canine chiropractor and get her hips checked. I would also return to the vet to ensure there is no infection.

I use Agrani Hina shampoo on the Whippets. Gives a great shine to their coats, has a pleasant smell and a little goes a long way. I currently use the CC White on White for white legs but will try the Agrani one when it is finished. I use Groomers EPO on the poodles and it gives a great finish on a wool coat.

How cool is that? I see one dog has a good dose of Whippet in it. A driveable cart will be the next big thing in dog toys maybe. :cool: