herding or aggressive?
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| my oes is 1 1/2 years old and has a "mad five minutes" also where she cant control herself. she runs really hard and fast and charges me with a quick nip on the hand or arm then runs away like she wants me to chase her. however, i have noticed that when we take her on atleast a 40 minute walk she does not get so rowdy. exercise seems to be the only cure. i think she just gets frusterated with so much pent up energy. |
Is it kind of a rumbly growl in her throat? Then she comes over to poke at your daughter with her nose and runs away again? Does Maggie have a toy in her mouth when she's doing it? Because this all sounds very familiar  Bailey does it all the time. We refer to it as him "taunting" us. He'll get a tennis ball in his mouth, then come really close and make that growly sound, then run away as if to say "I have the tennis ball and you can't have it - come chase me!".
What you're doing now is rewarding her behavior. She wants you to chase her, and she's winning. Here's how you stop it - ignore Maggie and walk away. Make it clear that when she exhibits that behavior, play is over. Take your daughter and go in the house. Leave Maggie outside until she's calm. It won't take long, because once you take yourself and your daughter out of the game, it's not fun anymore. Also, I'd suggest that you never chase her. First, because it makes her the winner, and you don't want her thinking that she's in control. Second, because some day she may get out of your yard or off her leash and you're teaching her that running away from you is fun. If she's showing that behavior she has some energy to burn off and it would be better to take her for a walk, or take her to a dog park where she can play this way with other dogs. |
| I'd have to second Sue on that one. Merlin does similar stuff to that, but I don't have any kids so he doesn't do the exact thing, but he'll do it with my fiance's friends when they're just being guys and messing around. Merlin will get really close and growl and try to nip a little ( he's only nipped a couple times) but then runs away. He's goofy, but they all are. so yeah, I agree with Sue though, don't let Maggie win and remove you and your daughter from the "game." |
Thank you so much for your suggestions.No, Maggie does not have a toy in her mouth when she does this kind of behavior( she does get one in her mouth though every time she plays with my daughter, that's why I am never concerned when the two of them play). Yes, I did try to remove my daughter from the "scene" and I tried to pick her up,but Maggie even jumps up to try to nip at her. That's why I don't think it is an invitation to play.But I will try to go inside and let Maggie chill out, instead of chasing her  I also had another thought: could it be jelousy? Maybe she is trying to get my daughter away so she can get the attention instead?Maggie usually needs lots of attention, but she has other, nicer ways  of getting it. |
| Seems that we have the same problem here. Whenever I let them out, they have their 5 minutes of madness, they circle the park at full speed and Lennon growls at Sofa if she gets ahead, then she chases him barking and the cycle repeats again. It's scary looking but I've never seen them harm each other. It's true, don't chase your dog outside, it'll only make it worse because then they'll think you got some game too and you can end up biting the dust (Personal experience... bleh). Best is to ignore them or get a toy so they are distracted and not chasing each other.
By definition a dog cannot be jealous, it's a human emotion that we try to put in our sheepies when they act like it. Sofa is nippy when she tries to herd and lennon pushes, each one has a different style of getting your attention. I've been teaching sofa not to nip when she gets exited by pushing her down before she jumps, and rewarding her when she sits and she's exited with a treat or lots of petting, slowly it's been working. Remember that dogs understand much faster by providing an alternate behaviour instead of telling them no. Maybe picking up your daughter and giving your dog a toy or using the SIT command will work, that way you teach it's not acceptable but there's something else that is. Lennon and Sofa also do a lot of "taunting" to each other when they are bored. We just tell them to be quiet and remove the toy so they know its not an acceptable behaviour. They don't bother that much with that, but it can get very nosy if you leave it unchecked... Visitors get bugged eyes every time they do that! |
saulmr wrote: It's true, don't chase your dog outside, it'll only make it worse because then they'll think you got some game too and you can end up biting the dust (Personal experience... bleh).
Yuck! Poor Saul!  |
| I think that when you lift your daughter up and out of the way it still is part of the game for Maggie. To me, it sounds like typical sheepie behavior of trying to get a rowdy game going and seeing the action of your daughter going up seems like fun to her. I think maybe if there could be something to distract Maggie at that moment to make her forget about wanting to play with you or your daughter, that might work. |
| I'm guessing your daughter is eye level or lower, Maggie views her as a playmate. |
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