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Does my dog hate me?

diemnn Mar 19, 2006 12:07 PM

For the past two days, my sibe has been really mean to me. Whenever I try to pet her, she will try to bite me or show her teeth. We've had her for four months and she has never been mean to me. She's usually pretty happy to see me. She is still nice to my boyfriend who spends a lot more time with her than I get to. She just turned 6 months. So is it PMS? or does my dog hate me .

Replies (3)

anne_elizabeth Mar 20, 2006 03:56 PM

Ahemmmmmmm...we females can get in some very strange moods sometimes...yes you mentioned PMS but I have no idea how that affects dogs. Never researched it but I suppose it's a possibility.

I have a male Sibe and he is 5 months, never have I had any problems with him showing his teeth at me etc. He only tries to "bite" me when he's playing, it's definitely not to be mean.

Maybe your dog is in some kind of pain, that causes her to react this way? Whether it's hormonal or physical etc. might could be determined by your vet over the phone. Just call and ask about it.

Oh yes...maybe teething is a factor? That could make your dog feel under the weather too. I thought I heard they stop teething at 8 months?
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Anne Elizabeth
aetrainer@msn.com

SunshinePuppy Mar 22, 2006 11:52 PM

Sounds like she is becoming an adolescent and challenging/testing you for role as the alpha female. You may want to read up on and start practicing pack leadership and "Nothing in life is free" exercises. Some things you can try are making your pup work for her food. If you feed kibble, divide it up and hand feed it to her throughout the day in exchange for her doing training exercises (come, sit, down, stay, etc). Dont give her attention when she wants it, but intstead call her over and give her attention when you want. If she pesters you for attention, turn away and ignore her. Have your boyfriend ignore your dog when he first comes over and pay attention to you first, then after a few minutes he can pay attention to her. Make your dog sit and wait by the door until you go out first, and then let her follow. Dont let her sleep on your bed.
Make sure your boyfriend is setting the example for her that you are the number one female in the household. Its often hard with a cute 6 month old puppy, but she has to know that you are the top ranking female and it helps if everyone gives her that message clearly. If you and your boyfriend are talking and your pup comes up and pushes her way in and asks him for attention, make sure you both ignore her (or give her a time out if necessary) until you are done. On the other hand, make it a point to interrupt your boyfriend when he is playing with her, and have him stop playing with her to talk to you. Let him know what you are doing so he stops when you come over and focusses attention on you, and then he can resume playing with her when you are done.
Make sure you do exercises with her taking her food, bones, toys, etc away from her and giving them back or exchanging them for an even better treat. If you have not yet done any of these exercises be very careful at first and make sure she is not guarding them from you. It may be a good idea if she has lots of toys around, to pick up her toys and give them to her one or two at a time,so that you control the toys.
It would be nice if everyone could just be equal, though dogs are often concerned with who's in charge and how everyone ranks; and as long as they are working within that structure you need to make sure they know they rank below the humans.
A good pamphlet on Pack Leadership is "How to be the Leader of the Pack" by Patricia McConnell.

KDiamondDavis Mar 23, 2006 11:22 PM

>>For the past two days, my sibe has been really mean to me. Whenever I try to pet her, she will try to bite me or show her teeth. We've had her for four months and she has never been mean to me. She's usually pretty happy to see me. She is still nice to my boyfriend who spends a lot more time with her than I get to. She just turned 6 months. So is it PMS? or does my dog hate me .

>>>>>>>>>>>

With a sudden change like that, she needs to see a veterinarian right away. This is commonly how dogs show pain. If you wait too long, the aggression becomes a habit. She needs to go to the vet tomorrow.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

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