Housemates Large Dog Growls At Me- Advise Needed !

[bl0nd3y]

Hi my name is stephanie, about 10 months ago my chihuahua went missing. Devostated and heart broken whilst after numerous attempts of finding her, i decided i didnt want to be alone. so i did some research on the rottweiler and after much information was absorbed i then decided to buy one. Being at the height of just under 5 foot, many thought it was a mistake for me to have such a large dog. I bought my dog- her names treu (pronounced trey-you) its german for loyal.

Anyway alot of effort an time i have spent with my girl, at 7 weeks she was able to sit, and do the "paw" on command which i tought her in 4 days =)

shes now 6 months old, and my tiny little frame has dominance over her (supprisingly, she prob could eat me in one mouthful)....i have tought her sit/stay/come/not to eat until commanded to/on your bed/paw/no biting/gentle play (as im small, i swear she understands not to be rough, either that or im just lucky)

ANYWAY TO THE PROBLEM IM IN NEED OF ADVICE

Ok so this has just happened today, and i have a bad feeling about this, and need to seek anyone who has been in the same situation,

My housemate works away, me and my partner have been living in the same house with him, but he finally has gotten his dog from albany and brought him over to stay while he works away.

The dog is a large 4 yr old Bullmastiff x ridgeback, and iv heared he doesnt like to listen, especially to females, but as its me on my own here most the time, and my time is spent with my own dog, how am i going to do this with another dog present. How am i going to get this "new addition" to respect me being higher in the pack concidering my small physic and soft voice.

I just went to look through the window, and hes lying in MY dogs bed, starring at me wile lifting his lip to show me his teeth... how the hell am i going to dominate this dog, being male/harder to train, older, and oviously slighlty agressive to those who isnt his owner.

How would a large, rescued dog be welcomed into a family, evan if he did show his teeth to his new owner, and growl and bark as they walk past the door.

How can you trust such a large dog with things, such as food, how do i know he wont rip my face off for it. I trust my own dog with my life because iv been there while she has grown, and i love her to death and she knows it. I have no problem being at her level and eating food right infront of her, or having eye contact with her, or taking away her bowel while she eats - so how am i going to ever trust this new HUGE dog, or better yet, how can i get him to respect me?

[~*Shell*~]

Personally I would be taking the dog off to a behaviourist to see the reason behind the aggression and see if they could give me the advice I need. Dealing with aggression is a serious thing and shouldn't be done over the internet. There is no sure way to cure it short of having the dog put to sleep.

[TsarsMum]

that is a massive issue, i think you need to talk to this housemate. maybe the dog should no be there if he is not. what happens if they fight and you cant get them to listern?

how long is said house mate away? who is expected to look after this dog while he is away? thats a big dog with big attudude problem. you should not be scared (and i know i would be) to go out the back or spend time with your own dog.

and i agree with above but as its not your dog you might have problems there. Might have to tell the house mate to get out if he does not want to sort it

Edited August 31, 2010 by dogluva101

[Staranais]

I agree with Shell.

Until this is resolved, I would be crating this dog when you are alone in the house.

[Oliversmum]

I really don't think this is something you can or should have to deal with yourself. My only advice would be to seek the help of a behaviorist. Both yourself and your housemate need to be involved and it needs to be managed professionally. In the meantime, I wouldn't go trying to dominate this dog or confront him in anyway. I would keep yourself and your young dog out of harms way until the situation can be resolved with professional help. Good luck.

[Burkes]

Whoa, firstly I think you need to take a deep breath and be calm. If you have command of your own dog you should be able to command respect from this dog. But it wont happen if you already think that because he is "HUGE" and 'rescued' that he might rip your face off.

A couple of questions:

1. Have you been out to meet with the dog yet or have you just looked through the window?

2. Has the dog been introduced to your dog? Does it show any signs of dog aggression?

3. What does your housemate say? Apart from you hearing that he may not respect females, what other problems does the dog have?

I foster HUGE rescue dogs who have not grown up with me. They have all been the most loving dogs who have got along with all my family, friends, dogs and even cats. Please dont mark this dog just for the reason he is large and a rescue.

ETA: Not saying he isnt aggressive and there aren't aggressive dogs out there. I just didn't get enough info from your post to get that.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Burkes

[TsarsMum]

i dont think he is a rescue i think she ment if hes to be rehomed? maybe i read it wrong

[stormie]

Agree with suggestions of behaviourist help. Up till then I'd be ignoring the dog and treating it like it doesn't exist. The more you fuss over it and try to 'make friends' the more it's going to think it's ranked higher than you.

[Burkes]

i dont think he is a rescue i think she ment if hes to be rehomed? maybe i read it wrong

Ohhh, no maybe I did.

[bl0nd3y]

thanks so much for the replies and advice. i spose i am getting a bit ahead of myself concidering its his first day here. i just like being in control of a creature i know could cause me damage.

Hes not a rescue dog, but i was curious to know how a "foster home" would take in a uncontrollable dog. Well its not the fact hes uncontrollable, he listens to my housemate (whos away for a month and returns for a few days...and unfortunatley its his house to so the chances of asking him to keep the dog elsewhere is slim.

i will be taking care of this dog while his owner works away.

So what does a behaviourist do? im unsure if the dog is aggressive, or trying to settle at the moment, because i havent been in this situation before. whilst doing research before buying my rottweiler, i learnt some small things that re-enforce pack leader status, such as having control over food, if i controlled the food, and made the male eat last, would that lower him in the pack?

Also are males always dominant over females? hes already kicked her out of her bed lol.

Are there any tips such as, not giving him to much attention and trying to hard. Or giving him attention and making him sit before giving him a treat? maby if he does something wrong should i growl at him? should i stare at him through the glass until he backs down?? should i not be scared? can a dog sence my fear, and use it to its advantage?

some of these may be dumb questions, i know, but i noticed my rottweiler bows down to anyone who looks at her for a period of time.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions ...

[Lab_Rat]

Agree with suggestions of behaviourist help. Up till then I'd be ignoring the dog and treating it like it doesn't exist. The more you fuss over it and try to 'make friends' the more it's going to think it's ranked higher than you.

I would have to agree with stormies suggestion!

Are there any tips such as, not giving him to much attention and trying to hard. Or giving him attention and making him sit before giving him a treat? maby if he does something wrong should i growl at him? should i stare at him through the glass until he backs down?? should i not be scared? can a dog sence my fear, and use it to its advantage?

some of these may be dumb questions, i know, but i noticed my rottweiler bows down to anyone who looks at her for a period of time.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions ...

Please DO NOT do this!!! Trying to stare down a dog,( especially when he is in an unfamiliar place and out of his comfort zone) will only make him feel more inclined to arc up, scare you more and make him feel he can continue with that type of behaviour.

[Jeff Jones]

maby if he does something wrong should i growl at him? should i stare at him through the glass until he backs down?? should i not be scared? can a dog sence my fear, and use it to its advantage?

Wow is all I can say. You will only make the situation worse if you do any of those things and you will be extremely lucky if you do not get hurt in the process.

I hope you contact the owner asap and make alternative arrangements for the housing of this dog as you are clearly not ready or qualified to be looking after him.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Jeff Jones

[TsarsMum]

well i would not be going 10 foot near this dog. he is gone 1 month and home a few days?? then he should not have a dog.

I would be saying im sorry but he scares me and i am not feeding or looking after him. the dog is dangerous and if he is like that and the owner knows he will not listern to women then i would not be risking my self for it.

time to look for a new house then

i will also add if a stranger did that to my rotti he would not bow down and i doubt yours would as well.

Edited August 31, 2010 by dogluva101

[Guest Kate_Summer]

As he been for a good long walk(where he could be taught who's in charge) since being at your place or was he just drop off & left by himself?

[spottychick]

Oh my God! Don't do any of those things!! The whole situation sounds dangerous to me - because you are not experienced or comfortable enough dealing with dogs and you don't know enough about this particular dog. For all you know it might be perfectly friendly but you are dealing with something unknown. You need to talk to your housemate about finding some other way of handling his dog situation (why on earth should YOU feed him and look after him for weeks on end?) OR you should move out. I would personally be moving out if the owner wont come up with a better plan.

But I'm concerned about your relationship with your own dog. You sound like you've done some great things with her but please don't do things like take away your own dogs bowl while she is eating!!!

The basis of a good relationship with any dog is more about trust than being the 'dominant' one or out-aggressing them - and certainly if you do things that are unfair and senseless - like removing his bowl while he eats - you are undermining your position as a trusted leader.

[Robbi]

More knowledgeable people than me are offering some great advice to you but dont let the dogs size come into the equation, there are dominant dogs(or dogs that show dominant behaviour) in all sizes. Often the biiger dogs are more laid back in reality. Please dont try to stare down dogs this is a sure fire way to cause big problems as will taking away food bowls etc. I think it would be best for you and both the dogs in your care if you sought professional help, goodluck

[aussielover]

Your housemate left you with his dog for a month? thats a bit unfair isn't it?

How does your dog get along with the other dog?

If you think the dog is aggressive, you should raise your concern with your housemate with the intention of either consulting a behaviourist or housing the dog somewhere else.

Yes, dogs can sense your fear and he may take advantage of this. Dogs have different personalities and they don't like or respect everyone equally.

[raineth]

Personally I think it is totally unacceptable that you have been put in this situation.

This is your house and its meant to be a plcae where you are safe!

Sounds to me like he's giving you some pretty strong warning signals, and you need to take them seriously.

Call his owner up and tell him straight that other arrangements need to be made.

In the meantime prevent the dog from having access to you.

Maybe the owner will be willing to pay for the behaviourist which would be a good way to move forward.

I'm a bit worried though that it sounds like the owner doesn't really care about this dog's poor behaviour, and that he won't be very helpful to you. Hopefully that's not the case.

[persephone]

This is sad Your housemate has not given things much thought, and has left you to deal with things

You come across as being willing to work at things- but also a bit misguided in dog body language/leadership.

If there is any uncertainty/fear on your part- please contact a trainer/behaviourist and get things sorted properly, before there is a confrontation.

Behaviourists are not cheap- BUT it is worth it, to remove your fear, load you up with useful knowledge, and increase your confidence ;)

and , as said- please do NOT stare at this dog, or attempt to 'boss' it.

[Monah]

maby if he does something wrong should i growl at him? should i stare at him through the glass until he backs down?? should i not be scared? can a dog sence my fear, and use it to its advantage?

Wow is all I can say. You will only make the situation worse if you do any of those things and you will be extremely lucky if you do not get hurt in the process.

I hope you contact the owner asap and make alternative arrangements for the housing of this dog as you are clearly not ready or qualified to be looking after him.

I agree, this could be a disaster, even for your own dog.

don't put yourself or dog in any danger, can you kennel housemates dog for him? Tell him the situation and he will have to pay for it? Housemate may have to find alternative accommodation.