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Behavior, Housebreaking, Obedience / Male chow mix snapping
« on: August 07, 2006, 09:25:15 am »
I really need some help with my male chow mix. We got him about a year and a half ago when he was abandoned with his litter. He was only a week old and we bottle-fed him. He's always been a big baby (he's about 75-80 pounds), but has a lot of the stereotypical chow behavior problems. He hates strangers and will get up in any visitor's face and bark. Once he gets to know you, though, he's a complete teddy bear.
That alone wouldn't be too much of a problem, except he's starting to snap when he's punished. He's been crate trained since he was little. He will go into it without any complaints when we're going out and even will put himself up if he knows what he did was wrong. But more and more often he'll instigate a standoff. He'll bark and growl. If I back off, he'll usually cool off and let me put him up (less so with my husband). But if we stand our ground, or push it, he'll get snappy and aggressive.
I'm not sure whether we should continue to stand our ground despite his behavior or back down. I'm afraid backing down makes him feel he has the upperhand and respects our authority less. I don't think he would ever bite us, but I can't take that chance. We have a 6-month-old baby whom he adores and is nothing but gentle with, though clumsy. But he has yet to warm up to my husband's kids and barks endlessly at them. We can't take any chance with the kids so we can't just let him loose to bark and threaten like he does adults.
Sorry about such a long post. But we really need to get him in check or we'll have to get rid of him. He's my baby, but the family safety comes first.
Any advice?
That alone wouldn't be too much of a problem, except he's starting to snap when he's punished. He's been crate trained since he was little. He will go into it without any complaints when we're going out and even will put himself up if he knows what he did was wrong. But more and more often he'll instigate a standoff. He'll bark and growl. If I back off, he'll usually cool off and let me put him up (less so with my husband). But if we stand our ground, or push it, he'll get snappy and aggressive.
I'm not sure whether we should continue to stand our ground despite his behavior or back down. I'm afraid backing down makes him feel he has the upperhand and respects our authority less. I don't think he would ever bite us, but I can't take that chance. We have a 6-month-old baby whom he adores and is nothing but gentle with, though clumsy. But he has yet to warm up to my husband's kids and barks endlessly at them. We can't take any chance with the kids so we can't just let him loose to bark and threaten like he does adults.
Sorry about such a long post. But we really need to get him in check or we'll have to get rid of him. He's my baby, but the family safety comes first.
Any advice?