Serious Problem!! Sheepie tried to Attack little kid!!
Once I convinced Lily it was okay she finally got out of the car and started bouncing around being her usual self. She was playing and greeting everyone just as she always does. Then Brent my 11 year old nephew walked out of the cabin. All of a sudden Lily started growling and barking. I corrected her and even gave Brent some treats to feed Lily so she would be more comfortable with him. Everything seemed to be great. My husband and I were outside the cabin sitting on the porch talking to my mother in law and father in law. Lily was sitting infront of me between my legs. Brent comes out of the cabin and starts to walk infront of me to sit down in a chair. All of a sudden Lily bolts toward him and I kid you not if I had not grabbed her, she would have bit him!! I have NEVER seen this kind of behavior in her. I mean NEVER!! I about died when she did this. It shocked me and everyone else too. Another thing I have noticed is how protective of me she has become. I take Lily every where with me, even to work. She is great with everyone it seems but every once in a while it seems she just won't like someone. Now she has never tried to bite anyone until Brent this last weekend but it does worry me that she has begun to start thinking about it. When I put gasoline in the car if anyone, I mean anyone gets in her sight she will start growling and barking. Which is good in many ways but seems out of character for a sheepie. Or is it? Are they protective dogs? Please if anyone has any idea what is going on and how to correct this behavior would you let me know. Thank you so much!! Cindy |
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| No, this isn't normal OES behavior. They can be protective if they seriously think you're in danger. But without any genuine provocation most greet the world assuming all are their friends unless intentions prove otherwise. They should be a friendly, but above all confident dog; they will stand their ground if need be, but don't typically go looking for trouble. That said, what you're describing rings some bells: You start with a dog with confidence issues, at an age when even a confident pup can start to backslide, and now you take her everywhere with you (been there, done that) and probably fuss and baby her, don't we all? Which in her mind translates into you're cute and lovable, but not much in the leadership department (that's a guess, but did I mention been there-done-that?   ) and she is in the uncomforable position of being a dog looking for leadership, but in its absence, feeling compelled to try to step in and "do your job", which she temperamentally is ill-suited for, and so it goes. In an insecure dog like that one thing I would do is start teaching her some independence and trying to bolster her confidence. She needs to know she can be on her own, and no one dies, because odds are you're setting yourself up for separation anxiety. Too, a more confident dog isn't going to go flying after the scary 11 year old in hopes he'll go away. Especially one is is well trained to listen TO YOU and look to you for cues as to what she SHOULD be doing and who doesn't have a care in the world because she trusts you know what you're doing and you've got her back. That doesn't mean worry and fuss over her. It means a quiet and consistent confidence that she will do as you ask and you will worry about the rest and all will be fine in the world. Now, in simpler terms what you're also describing is (most likely) a form of resource guarding: the car, you. At a guess worsened by her anxiety. It needs to stop, obviously. I don't have any magic solutions but I think in addition to leaving her home now and then - is she crate trained? - I'd march her little tushy off to a good manners/obedience class and work on rebuilding my relationship with her that way so she'd hopefully realize that, yes, I am (benevolently) in charge and she need not worry her fuzzy head trying to step in and take care of me. Just some thoughts off the top of my head. My first OES was as you describe. She was fine as a youngster, well, she didn't have the best temperament to begin with, anxious, a little fearful, I didn't know what proper OES temperament was supposed to be like back then. And, of course, she was a bit overindulged <cough, cough>. I just doted on her and took her EVERYWHERE, including work, and quickly became her whole world. And she interacted just fine with the rest of the world until one day she just sort of blew up. She only got worse, too. It took me years and years to figure out what was wrong. Your girl's just a baby. I should think with consistency and patience you can work her through this. Hopefully others have insights as well. Kristine |
| Thank you Kristine!! Great advice!!! I do leave her at home sometimes so its not like she is constantly with me. Just more than most dogs probably. lol I have other dogs too but they are quite elderly so I tend to bring Lily with me in order to give my other dogs a break from the spastic sheepie. lol Everything you said makes great sense! Infact, I think you hit it right on the nose and I am going to start working on her gaining more independence. Thank you so much!! |
| I agree with Kristine, from all I've researched and seen about dog training/psychology, this situation is mostly due to a lack of clear leadership role by you. Dogs get stressed if they feel there's a leadership vacuum and they feel like they have to fill it. I'm sure you will be able to fix it and with your leadership clearly defined, Lily will actually be very happy and relieved. |
| I've been really sick since a surgery I had back in April. So its not usual for me to spend a few days in bed each week. Needless to say, Tonks and Luna have lost their confidence in me as a leader. Long story made short; Luna did the exact same thing your Lilly did. I called our trainer, and on her advice we have been doing hard core obedience and manners with both girls ever since. I signed up for "life time training" with our trainer back when we first got the girls. So I can drop in on any of 4 or 5 classes a week, without paying or any advanced warning. I've been taking them to anywhere between 2 and 4 classes a week (depending on how I feel) and in addition I have a trainer doing 2 dog walks with them a week as well. Those walks include training for heel, leave it, sit... anything they can think of while out and about in our neighborhood. Its really helped make a difference for Luna; she's back to her sweet self with significantly less guarding. So i'd agree with Kristine; try and ramp up your training, to help Lily feel more like you are in control, and she doesn't have to be! |
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