Puzzled by the growl
So I'm worried: I can't read this behaviour, and therefore I don't know how to react. Am I missing something? Any ideas about what this behaviour is about and how I should react? |
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| could be that he is in pain....perhaps mention to vet.
Or, due to his age could be a dominance thing. Does he like being groomed? If you can brush the area without any comment from him I would go down the dominance line. I am sure more knowledgeable folks will post as well. Good Luck! |
maf wrote: Fitzwilliam is 5 months old - and is generally a happy, friendly guy - really obliging, very social. But every once in awhile he'll grumble a really low little growl when his shoulder/rib area is touched. He's done it to me, to my boyfriend, and to my 11 year old niece. It's not always the same spot that triggers the growl/grumble - just the same general area. He doesn't do it very often, it just seems to happen out of the blue sometimes. Today, however, when one of my friends was greeting him, he touched him in that general area, and Fitzwilliam totally growled at him, it was more of a snarl than a growl actually.
So I'm worried: I can't read this behaviour, and therefore I don't know how to react. Am I missing something? Any ideas about what this behaviour is about and how I should react? What a wondrful little fellow! He is doing nothing wrong at all. He is actually doing whatever he can to avoid biting you. He is trying to tell you that it bothers him to be touched there. He needs to be seen by a vet and assessed for what it is that is causing him discomfort. Please help him out before he thinks that nobody is listening to him, and he really tells the person that is hurting him to stop. |
| Fitz is very tolerant when I'm grooming him - he doesn't seem overly sensitive anywhere. He doesn't seem to be in any pain - the vet thinks he just doesn't much like being touched on his shoulder, kind of like some dogs don't like their paws touched. So it could, in fact, be a dominance thing.
A very wise woman recommends that I have people greet him only once he is sitting & direct them to approach slowly and pet him on his head only. So that's the new plan - it's good to have a plan! Thank you all, (and Marianne  ) |
Hi! 
Just wondered how it's going and if you have seen any results in the sit down and head petting? Once we've rule out any medical issues , sometimes it's quesswork on our part. It may be a particular quirk your pup has and for some reason just dislikes being touched there. However Fitzwilliam has learned that behavior and could learn to be desensitized to it. That could be another solution you could try. You mentioned he doesn't like being touched on the shoulders and you could in a behavioural kind of way - start desensitizing him to that problem. Don't let others do it to avoid stressing him and I also agree a growl is a warning. Socialized dogs growl while aggressive dogs just bite. Panda had a lot of issues and while it took consistency and time - I desensitized him to a lot of things that previously stressed him out. Hoses, sticks, fireworks, vaccuum cleaners, lawnmowers were some. Desensitizing involves exposing them to the thing that bothers them all the while chatting happily (distracting) to them or giving lots of praise. The first time you do it for a mere second, next day - 2 seconds if that's what it takes..then increase the time daily - BUT ALWAYS END ON A GOOD NOTE. Don't wait for the growl to happen before you stop..stop before. Once you are confident you can ask a trusted friend to touch him in that area and then give lots of praise. Sometimes we have to teach them not only what we don't want them to do but teach them what we want them to do as an alternative. In this case not growling would be praised. If we meet again I'd offer to be the one to try it after you've worked with him. Lastly, I still wonder as it's the shoulder area if there isn't something that's causing joint pain of some sort that is making this friendly boy react that way? I know the vet checked but I'd still perhaps ask for the area to be x-rayed or get a second opinion as you never know if he is experiencing pain in that area. Good luck! Marianne |
hey i just noticed that everyone on this post is from canada!!! whoo hoo!! i get my pup in a few days - soo excited (kinda nervous - don't tell!) i've been waiting like a year! just wondering if anyone has an oes contact here in alberta?? i live in edmonton and knew of someone in calgary but they moved  just looking for a oes friend in the area? |
| It's difficult to say for sure whether Fitzwilliam is getting better re: his shoulder issues. He hasn't growled at anyone recently, but then I've been discouraging people from getting that up close and personal with him. Really, people used to totally dive at him, he was so darn cute. It's possible that he was getting overwhelmed. He's getting big now though: everyone who sees him still wants to touch him, but are less inclined to be so over-the-top about it. I was discussing it with his breeder: she mentioned that pups may go through a "fear period" at around four months. Maybe part of it was fear/nervousness?
He does really well with the sit down and head petting, thank you Marianne - I think that's working. I do kinda get the feeling that he'd prefer people, strangers especially, to not get any more intimate than that though. I've been touching/rubbing his shoulder area whenever he does his cuddly "I wuv you/I missed you" ritual (which he does every time we've been apart for more than 5 minutes, his memory is kinda short  ). He's totally okay with being touched anywhere then. Othertimes, when I'm touching him in his shoulder area (like when I'm holding him back from eating his favorite snack: TP) there comes a point where he almost starts to, I dunno, "stiffen" - no growling anymore though.
As for the vet - I've discovered that she has only ever had one other OES patient - but that she hasn't had good experiences with him at all. I'm afraid she's maybe prejudiced against the breed. So yes, a second opinion may be called for. I'll feel like a total shmuck if it turns out he's been in pain.
(Tera - congrats on your new pup - it's not always easy, but it's so much fun, it's so worth it! And this forum is so helpful to help you over any bumps along the way!) |
Bosley's mom wrote: What a wondrful little fellow! He is doing nothing wrong at all. He is actually doing whatever he can to avoid biting you. He is trying to tell you that it bothers him to be touched there. He needs to be seen by a vet and assessed for what it is that is causing him discomfort. Please help him out before he thinks that nobody is listening to him, and he really tells the person that is hurting him to stop.
Take him to the vet to see if something might be hurting him. If they found nothing is wrong with him, maybe he just doesn´t like to be touched there and he is letting you know. One of my dogs HATE to be scratched behind his ear... It´s just part of his personality I guess... |
| Poor Fitzwilliam is in the vets at the moment, or his Mum might have got him home. fingers crossed |
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