Should I Be Concerned About My West Highland White Terrier’s Behavior Towards My Sister?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
He is 7 months old. He has no problems with me, my mom or my dad. I would say that mom and dad do the bulk of taking care of him. I do my fair share. He is extremely loving with me and my mom and dad but with my sister, he growls at her quite often and “snapped” at her today for trying to move him over from the couch where she was.
He is a male. My sister is 17 so it is not like she is a child either. She plays with him every so often but I don’t think she has ever taken him out on walks and stuff. I get the feeling that he either does not respect her as much or does not trust her.
Regardless, I do not want him snapping or growling like that at anyone. I am particularily concerned if strangers or little kids come to my house. How can I make sure that this does not happen with my sister again?
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Your sister doesn’t need to start taking care of your dog. That is completely wrong. What if the dog snaps at a neighbor who comes by? Would the plan to just start having everyone come by to take care of the dog?
No that first answer is completely wrong. The dog needs to be taught manners. When this happens you need to explain that this is completely unacceptable behavior. Watch Cesar sometime on Dog Whisperer.
The dog does not get to snap at anyone who doesn’t take care of it. He will interact with many people that he needs to not snap at–your sister, a neighbor, the vet. Despite the fact that he is a little dog, if he bites someone who reports it, he can be put down as a vicious dog. Unfortunately bad owners create that by not teaching the dog right from wrong.
You (or whoever is the dominant one in the pack) need to remove the dog from the couch and clearly say No bite.
The dog needs to be taught that he is not the pack leader. It is typical with new dog owners (especially if this if a first dog) for owners to be affectionate and cuddle the puppy. This is completely the wrong thing to do. Puppies need discipline and exercise more than affection. When people cuddle the puppy, the animal sees it as weakness on the humans part. This leads a dominant personality to decide that he is the pack leader.
Look up some ideas on how to start reestablishing yourself as the pack leader. Do you let your dog jump on you or do you invite the dog before he can come? Does your dog have a tendency of trying to climb you and be taller than you? When you walk, do you allow the dog to lead and sniff whenever it wants? These are dominant behaviors that need to be stopped as soon as possible.
Remember to animals there is no sob story of being a rescue dog. They live in the moment. And there are only 2 types of beings- leaders and followers. If the position of leader is not taken, the dog will become it.
The dog doesn’t get to chose who he is going to respect or not respect. You demand how he treats people in your home. He doesn’t own the couch. He doesn’t own the house. He doesn’t own you either so make sure this behavior is not guarding or possessive of you either.
I have a rat terrier. My dog did this with my sister who is 30 after a month of having her. I work during the day and my sister works part time. I had my sister watch her and take care of her througout the day. My dog got so used to being around me that she was a little skeptical of my sister at first. She growled and snapped at her sometimes. But now my dog loves my sister. Start having your sister do more for your dog like feed her, take her out to potty and on walks. Your dog will then see that she is there to help take care of him. It will be okay!