Why is Phoebe barking and nipping at callers, and how can she learn to feel safe? As time goes by 9-year-old Cockerpoo’s barking at passing people and at the front door gets worse. Now when they open the door for a delivery, she may even nip the person’s ankles. To Read more
Just as we don’t always feel like being touched and fussed, so it is for many dogs. To make her feelings quite clear to the girl who doesn’t stop otherwise, Pippa will now snap.
Why does a small dog bark, growl or snap when people reach out to touch her?
Rusti is a tiny 13-month-old Miniature Dachshund. She is wary of people. Too often an approaching person means a large hand over her head.
She looks so cute people feel compelled to touch her.
When Patch is ‘on duty’, if he’s sufficiently aroused, scared or worried, the natural escalation from barking is to nip. The barking says Go Away. They don’t go, so he nips them. That does the trick. Now they back off.
She had had four homes before she was even four months old. A man was giving away Callie and her tiny siblings in a car park. The crucial formative weeks of her life won’t have been the best.
Why would a young Cocker Spaniel refuse to play with people but happily play with another dog?
Rocco is a young Cocker Spaniel who won’t play. Unusually, he’s not at all interested in chasing something that is thrown for him.
He does, however, get a huge buzz out of charging, barking, at approaching people.
He won’t play tug games either with his humans, though loves to tug something with their other dog.
Why is a friendly dog out on walks suddenly barking and snapping when visitors come into the house? He barks at people coming into his home. He loves people when he’s out. Border Collie Bud is friendly and relaxed with everyone when out of the house. He likes to say hello. At home Read more
Just down the road from where I live there are a couple of Boxers loose in the front garden. Whenever anyone with a dog goes past, these two go mental, to the extent that they then, in their frustration, attack one another. This is unfortunately the only route to the best local dog walk.
Why would a friendly dog be fine in busy places but react aggressively when people visit his home? Beautiful Indie is another Shepherd-type dog that is reactive to people – particularly people coming to his house. He was abandoned as a puppy of three months old on the streets of Read more
A friend came to the fence – someone who Finley knows. He looked happy and friendly as she said ‘Hello Finley’ and ran over to her, trailing the lead. As soon as she put her hand out over the fence however he leapt up and bit the sleeve of her coat. She narrowly missed a damaged hand and it took me by surprise also.