minimiss Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 My Pomeranian -puppy- (he's just gone 12 months) is generally a nice quiet boy until I have guests over. He's alright if they sit still but god forbid if they move as all hell breaks loose. Is there a way to stop this? Would it be better to introduce him to new people outside the house and let them into the house first? I've read so many different conflicting methods over the Internet and am wondering what tried and trusted methods DOLers have used. Benny is slowly becoming a little less of a pest now that I don't share my bed with him and he's not crying at the door all night wanting to be let in. I think maybe keeping him in the lounge room at night is showing him his place in the pack whereas before I think he thought he was leader.. Any suggestions are welcome :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 Benny is not a puppy any more :) What is his body language when he barks ? Is it one or two barks ..or continuous? Sounds as if he would benefit from a few more guidelines ..like what you will find in THIS LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 (edited) 1 word Pomeranian They are territorial and protect their property. He might be unsure of strangers 'on his property' at first but once he is comfortable with them he'll settle down. Have a read of a few Pomeraian books online today if you can, it gave me great insight into this/their behavior sometimes. You'll read it and go 'OMG that is Benny' the whole time :D Here is an exert from a book I was reading on night duty: "All dogs bark. Some dogs have a lot to say and bark frequently. Then there's the Pomeranian who really likes to bark. Because he is so alert and in tune with his surroundings, and because he is protective, a Pom feels its his duty to tell you about every sound, sight, scent or change of which he becomes aware" "Some Poms may take naturally to strangers, but many are described by their owners as reserved, standoffish or suspcisous. Because the Pom is vigilant about watching and supervising his home territory, he is not likely to greet newcomers enthusiastically without checking them out. Once you let your Pom know this person is acceptable or he becomes used to the return of frequent visitors and stops barking his alert, he will expect to be the centre of your guests attention" http://books.google.com.au/books?id=xVDa591UNa8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+pomeranian&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_1ypUIr4GsG4iQf84oDIAg&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Get the guests to throw his favourite toy and play with him that is one way to be a Poms BFF. Edited November 18, 2012 by donatella Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimiss Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 That sounds exactly like Benny haha. He just likes to alert me of everything.. Most of it is not negative barking, it's just "oh new person" bark bark bark. Curious and just over excited. He has growled at a few people, but they've tried too much too soon and went straight in for the head pat. He has constantly barked and growled at my housemate, although as soon as I learnt that she kicked him (she did it once in front of me and I went absolutely nuts at her and she said she was just moving him with her foot.. Err... ) anyway I figured from that moment if she did it in front of me then what more behind my back. So I promptly had her removed from the situation. I think with the whole separating us at bed time, is making him learn his place a little more, and we will just have to be patient with guests and they're going to need to be patient with my little bark machine :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisymina Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 That sounds exactly like Benny haha. He just likes to alert me of everything.. Most of it is not negative barking, it's just "oh new person" bark bark bark. Curious and just over excited. He has growled at a few people, but they've tried too much too soon and went straight in for the head pat. He has constantly barked and growled at my housemate, although as soon as I learnt that she kicked him (she did it once in front of me and I went absolutely nuts at her and she said she was just moving him with her foot.. Err... ) anyway I figured from that moment if she did it in front of me then what more behind my back. So I promptly had her removed from the situation. I think with the whole separating us at bed time, is making him learn his place a little more, and we will just have to be patient with guests and they're going to need to be patient with my little bark machine :) My new girl does this too. My two sons have actually made it worse, which has not helped! More a case of training them than the dog! At least one is now working away and the other visits infrequently. But when he does, she thinks it is great to get bark practice in. HIS fault for stirring her up rather than ignoring it. She thinks it is a game. We have some success with distraction training. At one point, I had my brother sitting on the kitchen floor, with his back to the dog, offering her treats. :laugh: My little grandson comes straight to me for treats to give her now. The way to her heart (and to distract her from the barking) is to give her a few treats. UNLESS you are my son, of course! She is learning the "quiet" and "enough" commands and on occasions I have crated her if she is not paying attention to me and over doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 That sounds exactly like Benny haha. He just likes to alert me of everything.. Most of it is not negative barking, it's just "oh new person" bark bark bark. Curious and just over excited. He has growled at a few people, but they've tried too much too soon and went straight in for the head pat. He has constantly barked and growled at my housemate, although as soon as I learnt that she kicked him (she did it once in front of me and I went absolutely nuts at her and she said she was just moving him with her foot.. Err... ) anyway I figured from that moment if she did it in front of me then what more behind my back. So I promptly had her removed from the situation. I think with the whole separating us at bed time, is making him learn his place a little more, and we will just have to be patient with guests and they're going to need to be patient with my little bark machine :) She kicked him? No wonder he barked at her, that's terrible. Did you kick her out? Oh man I would have lost it if I found out anyone lay a hand or foot on my dogs! A lot of smaller dogs see themselves as guard dogs and are there to protect us. Lucy is very dubious of any man that comes to our house and looks at me for the ok :laugh: Once she is okay with them she annoys them the whole time with her ball to throw 3000 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimiss Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 Yup she was immediately kicked out. It is very rarely that I lose my sh!t at people, and that was one time I cut loose. Mole. He's ok with people who sit there and take the time to let him come to them. I suppose he does see himself as my little guard.. I think he does need to be socialised a little more - We'll also be working on that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Well no bloody wonder if he has been kicked by a stranger! He obviously now has some trust issues perhaps? You have to wonder how many times she actually did it. Poor little guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarieEvans Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Your Benny's behavior reminds me of my dog's behavior when she was younger. She would immediately bark at guests to the point that these guests wouldn't want to get inside our house. One way to discourage barking is to quickly turn your back at him and standing still. But it sounds like your dog goes after the guests if they move. What exactly does he do to them after that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 (edited) My Pomeranian -puppy- (he's just gone 12 months) is generally a nice quiet boy until I have guests over. He's alright if they sit still but god forbid if they move as all hell breaks loose. Is there a way to stop this? Would it be better to introduce him to new people outside the house and let them into the house first? I've read so many different conflicting methods over the Internet and am wondering what tried and trusted methods DOLers have used. Benny is slowly becoming a little less of a pest now that I don't share my bed with him and he's not crying at the door all night wanting to be let in. I think maybe keeping him in the lounge room at night is showing him his place in the pack whereas before I think he thought he was leader.. Any suggestions are welcome :) 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. Edited December 6, 2012 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Be careful... One of my dogs' overly extreme territorial behaviour is deeply rooted in anxiety. I would never punish his territorial behaviour around people because I know he's scared. I don't want to add to his distress by punishing him. It will probably make it worse. He has come a long way since I realised I really needed to work on it, but I expect he will need ongoing management for the rest of his life. Unless I can successfully BAT unpredictable cleaners or tradesmen. If Pomeranians have a strong guarding instinct, they are likely to default to territorial behaviour when they are over-aroused or frightened. It pays to get this checked by a professional IMO. Ideally one who has heard of emotional states in dogs. In the meantime, having him confined in some way so he can't bother guests is a necessity. You don't want him practising the behaviour regardless of its origins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Be careful... One of my dogs' overly extreme territorial behaviour is deeply rooted in anxiety. I would never punish his territorial behaviour around people because I know he's scared. I don't want to add to his distress by punishing him. It will probably make it worse. He has come a long way since I realised I really needed to work on it, but I expect he will need ongoing management for the rest of his life. Unless I can successfully BAT unpredictable cleaners or tradesmen. If Pomeranians have a strong guarding instinct, they are likely to default to territorial behaviour when they are over-aroused or frightened. It pays to get this checked by a professional IMO. Ideally one who has heard of emotional states in dogs. In the meantime, having him confined in some way so he can't bother guests is a necessity. You don't want him practising the behaviour regardless of its origins. Good point Corvus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Be careful... One of my dogs' overly extreme territorial behaviour is deeply rooted in anxiety. I would never punish his territorial behaviour around people because I know he's scared. I don't want to add to his distress by punishing him. It will probably make it worse. He has come a long way since I realised I really needed to work on it, but I expect he will need ongoing management for the rest of his life. Unless I can successfully BAT unpredictable cleaners or tradesmen. If Pomeranians have a strong guarding instinct, they are likely to default to territorial behaviour when they are over-aroused or frightened. It pays to get this checked by a professional IMO. Ideally one who has heard of emotional states in dogs. In the meantime, having him confined in some way so he can't bother guests is a necessity. You don't want him practising the behaviour regardless of its origins. Excellent advice corvus! Poms are naturally territorial and think if themselves as little guard dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 (edited) Be careful... One of my dogs' overly extreme territorial behaviour is deeply rooted in anxiety. I would never punish his territorial behaviour around people because I know he's scared. I don't want to add to his distress by punishing him. It will probably make it worse. He has come a long way since I realised I really needed to work on it, but I expect he will need ongoing management for the rest of his life. Unless I can successfully BAT unpredictable cleaners or tradesmen. If Pomeranians have a strong guarding instinct, they are likely to default to territorial behaviour when they are over-aroused or frightened. It pays to get this checked by a professional IMO. Ideally one who has heard of emotional states in dogs. In the meantime, having him confined in some way so he can't bother guests is a necessity. You don't want him practising the behaviour regardless of its origins. 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. Edited December 7, 2012 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 to haredown whippets. He's not a baby and it's not cute because he's orange and fluffy. Blow him up to the size of a rottweiler and tell me if you would think he's just a baby and his behavior is not that bad. As for your room mate, it's YOUR dog and up to YOU to not allow aggressive behavior towards humans. Sorry but you are partly to blame in that situation as you did not protect her from your dog. Mums pomeranian latched onto me one day. I can tell you it hurts like hell, it's not cute and frankly it's dangerous as he managed to sink his teeth into my palm to the bone. Put him in a crate, teach him it's none of his business to guard the place, thanks for the warning but it's the humans job to manage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 I agree it needs be managed or will spiral out of control. I have one who will bark you down but never touch you or sink teeth in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 1 word Pomeranian No - 3 words...Lack of leadership... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Probably we're big softies to the cutest dog ever :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Probably we're big softies to the cutest dog ever :laugh: 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Inside that fluff lies a beast- don't forget ..and, dogs is dogs..whether 4 kg , or 44 kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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