Should I start to get concerned about this?
I'm VERY ticklish, and Jason likes to tickle me sometimes because he knows I hate it.  Well, I'll start screaming for him to stop, and Jasper comes and starts barking at Jason. Again, he gets between me and Jason and barks at Jason - not letting him touch me again.
The cable guy came the other day to do some repair work, and he came in the house. Jasper stood between him and me the entire time and barked whenever he said something or moved closer to me. I know me and Jasper have a good relationship. The dog never leaves my side, and he's always nudging my hand wanting to be petted. Even if he's passed out and dead to the world, when I get up and leave the room, he's going to wake up and follow me. At first, I thought he just wanted in on the fun too, and that was his way of playing and "protecting" me, but when the cable guy came the other day, I found it odd that he reacted the same way towards me. The cable guy just talked to me. I ended up having to put him in his kennel, because he (and I) were afraid of what he might do with the way he was barking. Anyway, do you think he's playing or should I start to worry over this and try to correct it? |
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| I wouldn't correct it, but I would control it. You may need this protective shield some day.
Does the dog think he's higher in the pack order than your children? Change that by putting them in charge of feeding....for starters. Make sure Jasper sits on command by them before receiving food. Others here could probably help you develop a means of communicating to the dog when you are in trouble and when in play, also a way to quietly sit and watch strangers but to assume all are hostile. You've got a wonderful dog, but it's time for more education. |
| To me, he sounds like he's being protective of his mommy.
Also, he's so keen on your emotions that if it's slightly bit off normal he notices it and is expressing it. When my dog does this, I tell him "No, Royce" and he stops. It's a way to let him know that I'm ok, and I don't need him to be protective. If he continues his barking I put him in his kennel till he's calm. He's gotten somewhat better. I think it's somewhat instinctive.. |
| Bailey does the same thing if Tim and I hug for too long or dance together. He'll jump up on us or try to get between us. We think he's jealous because I'm not supposed to love anyone but him. He's never seemed threatening, just spoiled and whiny! |
| Callie does the same thing! When my husband is hugging me or tickling me or anything like that, she does her best to get in between us. Or if she can't get to us, she barks and jumps and has a fit.
I always wonder if she is jealous or if she thinks I need protecting. I tell her no, and sometimes that will calm her down for a second but then she is back at it. I didn't realize this was such a common behavious - I am interested to hear how other people have dealt with it. |
| Yipes! I wouldn't let my dog show any aggression towards my children! Stop that firmly but kindly. Explain to the kids when all is calm, not during a tickle session, that there is a certain word or phrase you will use and they must stop immediately so you can correct the dog. Then firmly tell the dog no, use your body language to enforce it. Use Cesar's "touch" if you have to.
You are the pack leader and responsible for every pack member. Dogs don't think like children.....heck, they don't understand our language! Discipline is different (somewhat) than with children. If a dog misbehaves during play in the puppy pack, he is ostracized for a few minutes while the game continues. Teach your children how to gently enforce dog behavior. Learn how to get the dog in a relaxed state and let the kids partake in petting, rubbing the dog during this time. The kids and dog need to develop a trusting relationship with the dog.....it's not there now. Remember, these are herders/drovers so they will respond to disorder in a predictable manner, you have to teach the dog just how to herd. |
| Thanks everyone. I'll start telling him no when he does it. He really isn't aggressive (yet). The boys and Jason are all able to pet him when he is barking (a lot of protection he is, lol).
The boys already feed him and Joy. They make them sit before they get fed, so we're already doing that. They do the same with treats. That's one of their daily chores. I get the morning feedings though since the boys sleep later than I do (usually). Hmm...not sure what to do to help their relationship more. They already play with Jasper a ton. Jasper even let Brandon ride him like a horse the other night.  Jason said Jasper took him to the other end of the living room and then sat down. Brandon got off and Jasper started licking him. Had I seen it at the beginning, I would have stopped that since he's still too young to make sure his hips are good (although they should be).
He really is awesome with the kids, but he just barks and them and Jason (my husband) if they mess with me. I guess maybe he just likes me a bit more? |
| Mine (both adults) always felt it was their job to break up fights, as they saw it, so wrestling, tickling, etc. if the 'victim' was shouting, that got a response, no matter who the 'victim' was. Both dogs would bark and try to insert themselves between the victim and attacker--no growling, just barking, lots of tail wagging, but they'd really want to break things up. However, they also could be called off, if need be.
My first OES came to us when my kids were young--ages 4 to 13. He would 'tattle' on the kids if he felt they were being naughty: fighting, or wrestling or shouting too much. He'd bark at them, then come find me, and get me to come to see what was going on. My dogs tend to like everybody, but on the rare occasion if they don't, I pay attention. One meter reader seemed to be 'wrong' to my first dog and he'd make sure he stayed between me and the service guy at all times. No growling or barking, no aggression, he just kept his body between us. I paid attention and believed him that perhaps this guy wasn't so trustworthy. |
| Wow TGIR -- what a great dog! |
| Yes, he was a great dog. We lost him in January, just 2 months shy of his 14th birthday. He was MY dog--a real sweetheart, and mine in every sense of the word. He was very opionated--could be very much a pain in the rear, if his opinion didn't agree with ours.
Now we have Archie, who is 7, and who was raised with Merlin, who passed away, and two new puppies, Sophie and Sherman, both OES puppies who are 4 1/2 months old. All have very distinct personalities. Archie was always a goofball, much more clownish than Merlin. He's really grown up and grown into the role of mentor to the puppies. They're good for him because they love to run and romp and that's what Archie really needs. They've also given him a purpose: someone has to tell those youngsters what's what. BTW, anyone have any experience raising littermates? Sophie and Sherman seperately are great. Together, they tend to be, well, little demons. |
| I had Luke and Beau who were littermates. They were totally different personality wise, Luke was (and still is) the devil, Beau was an angel who hated to be dirty or in trouble. They got along great with just a few minor fights over the years. |
| Sophie and Sherman are very distinct, personality wise. My difficulties with them are that separately, they are nicely behaved and interested in pleasing the humans in their lives. Together, they tend to be focussed on one another much more and will ignore humans and egg each other on in whatever it is that they are doing. Sometimes this is a good thing and fun to watch: they've invented a version of king of the hill that they love to play with each other. But if we call them away from something they shouldn't be doing, they just look at each other and ignore us.
When we picked them out, both seemed like such mellow puppies. Sophie was the smallest and is still much smaller than Sherman. She's alpha, and I expect her to challenge Archie, our 7 year old for his position when she gets a few more pounds on her. She loves to be the center of attention and any action that there is--human or dog. Sherman is omega. When they line up for treats (impossible to treat just one dog), he will move to the back, even if he was there first. Sophie is shoulder to shoulder with Archie, no matter what. Both are very smart and very good with other dogs and with people of all ages and sizes. I've been extremely impressed with how well they do with young children, considering we don't have young kids anymore. But they are quiet for the little ones, and like our older dogs always did, just seem to instinctively gear their activity level towards the age/size of the child. And--this is really good--no nipping at heels when people run. We had to train that out of our other two dogs. They're more barky by a lot than the others. Working on that one. Also, they aren't making it through the night, potty wise, but until last night, also not waking us up to go out, either. By this age, our other dogs were 99% reliable, and made it through the night unless there was a tummy upset. |
Anonymous wrote: Also, they aren't making it through the night, potty wise, but until last night, also not waking us up to go out, either. By this age, our other dogs were 99% reliable, and made it through the night unless there was a tummy upset.
How old are they? How long have you had them? I encourage you to join so we can see pics!!!  |
| That was me, above, Guest, with the two puppies. I will join, today, I promise. Just haven't gotten around to taking the time.
Sophie and Sherman are 4 1/2 months old. We've had them since they were 8 weeks old, so they were young when we got them. I have this week off, so things are going better. I think part of the problem is that my husband and kids who are home for the summer (which is a big part of the timing of getting the puppies) are much more lax than I was when I was training the first 2 (I was home all day then). So, I am taking this week to try to undo about 10 weeks worth of lax training. They have to be watched every single second, which is harder with 2 than with one. They will very quietly leave the room for a second and yes, I will find a puddle, even if they've just been out for a very long walk or a good long play. However, they're getting the message that it isn't acceptable. I've caught each in the act and really scolded in my best deep disapproving voice. Made a big impression. They've always gotten tons of praise every time they go outside, so it's timing/disapproval when they're wrong that's been missing, I think. |
Wow - good luck with beginning training yourself! You're right - consistnecy is a big thing!!! They'll get it soon enough - boy are they CUTE - and I'm sure a handful!  |
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