My dog growls and tries to bite my boyfriend

[filmstarusa]

I recently adopted a 2 year old rescued Chiweenie. He's a very sweet dog, but he growls and tries to bite my boyfriend when he tries to kiss me goodbye in the morning. He loves my boyfriend otherwise, and sits on his lap and plays with him. But when my boyfriend comes near me he gets very possessive / protective. Not sure which. He sleeps in the bed with us and is fine, but in the morning he gets upset when my boyfriend kisses me goodbye. It's causing us stress. We love the dog and don't want to return him, but we would like to fix this. Tonight my boyfriend tried to kiss me goodnight as he was going to bed earlier than me, and the dog growled at him. (We were on the couch at this point). My boyfriend said he is now scared to kiss me because he's afraid of getting bit. And if he gets bit the dog is out. I don't want the dog to come between my boyfriend and I, but I also don't want to give up on the dog. He's very sweet otherwise. We have only had him for 2 weeks.

[maximoo]

keep a little cup of treats nearby and just b4 bf kisses throw a few treats away from you 2. Dog will be busy eating treats & begin to associate as kissing as a good thing. good luck!

[DianeLDL]

Thanks for the information.

Our chihuahua mix also jumps up and growls wen my husband and I kiss or even one day when I put my hand on husband.

We have been working on ignoring him, but I like the treat idea.

We will have to try that. By the way, our dog is not allowed in the bedroom except when we are in a hotel.

Diane

[jacksdad]

I recently adopted a 2 year old rescued Chiweenie. He's a very sweet dog, but he growls and tries to bite my boyfriend when he tries to kiss me goodbye in the morning. He loves my boyfriend otherwise, and sits on his lap and plays with him. But when my boyfriend comes near me he gets very possessive / protective. Not sure which. He sleeps in the bed with us and is fine, but in the morning he gets upset when my boyfriend kisses me goodbye. It's causing us stress. We love the dog and don't want to return him, but we would like to fix this. Tonight my boyfriend tried to kiss me goodnight as he was going to bed earlier than me, and the dog growled at him. (We were on the couch at this point). My boyfriend said he is now scared to kiss me because he's afraid of getting bit. And if he gets bit the dog is out. I don't want the dog to come between my boyfriend and I, but I also don't want to give up on the dog. He's very sweet otherwise. We have only had him for 2 weeks.

having to choose between a boyfriend or the dog...that is easy...the dog

Ok, all kidding aside, if you have only had him for 2 weeks that helps explain a bit.

so why this happens, could be a couple possibilities. but the most likely I have heard attributed to this...humans hugging and kissing looks like fighting to dogs. another is a variation on resource guarding.

Maximoo gives a good place to start. you build kissing means good things to the dog. to kind of expand on how that would look.....

first, you and your boyfriend are going to had to set some time aside for a little while to kiss. I am sure he will be very disappointed by this

to change the association of kissing to a good thing you have to follow one or both of the following "rules".

Kiss, then provide treat. kiss, then provide treat, kiss then provide treat.

or

kiss, and as long as the kissing is happening, treats happen.

the order is important. if the treat happens first, it is actually possible for the treat to predict the kiss and that would not help you. you want kiss to predict the treat.

other things you can do turn it in to a "game". ask your dog to sit. quick kiss. turn to dog, treat and love and play happens. repeat.

keep sessions short just a couple kisses to start, but repeat a handful of times through out the day.

[DianeLDL]

Jacksdad and Maximoo,

Thanks. I never realizd it as resource guarding or thinking it was dog fighting. (I guess sexual relations would look more like fighting.) We actually thought if was being protective which I guess is resource guarding in a way or even being jealous, but we weren't sure which of us he is guarding since we have had Sandy as a couple. Also, we thought that he just wanted us to include him as a family or group thing. But, dogs don't really go for hugging, but Sandy is affectionate and likes to sit on our laps. He will go from one to the other.

We will try the kissing, then treats or hugging then treats.

And now, we embark on another, but shorter trip up your way, Jacksdad, to Los Altos Hills and my parents.

Diane

[jacksdad]

have a safe trip.

[DianeLDL]

have a safe trip.

Thanks.

Diane

[filmstarusa]

Thank you. We will try the treat thing and see if it helps.

[jacksdad]

Yes, That’s very irritating and annoying situation. Small pets like Chiweenie are attention-seeking, and when they see their owner is getting close with anybody else, they feel ignored and starts growling. Offer your pet some treat or involve in any game to divert his attention, else take your pet to the training center to handle it better.

Getting professional help can be a good course of action. however, you do need to be sure the "training center" is actually qualified to work behavioral issues. Many are not, they only teach basic "obedience skills", which for many behavioral issues isn't where the focus needs to be to solve the "problem".

For example, petsmart and petco, neither of these "training centers" are setup, nor at least in the case of petsmart allowed to work behavioral issues. their trainers are just there to teach you how to get your dog to sit, stay, down etc. This "issue" could also apply to independent dog trainers as well, some are not qualified to work behavioral issues, some only think they are, and some want nothing to do with behavioral work. So it is important to do your home work when seeking professional help to make sure you actually are paying someone who is qualified to help address your specific issue.

While these basic skills are helpful for every dog, and can be helpful in an over all plan, but they are often not THE "solution" for behavioral issues.