Behavioral problems

[Petros]

Hello everyone. I have a 6 month old (estimation) Great Pyrenees (also estimation) and I am looking for your help about some behavioral problem that I had noticed.

1. He is very friendly with the strangers. When he sees a person at distance gives him a threaten bark (not always), but when he comes close stops barking and close him waving his tail and sniffing. This behavior is absolutely unacceptable by me. I don’t ask to be aggressive but I want to be at least cautious with strangers and threaten him more as they approaches. How I can achieve that?

2. The dog has developed a friendly relation with one of my neighbors. So 3-4 times per day leaves my homes garden and go to his house. I had seen that he had pet him and feed him sometimes and I think that every time the dog goes there awaits something like that. How I can make the dog forget his friendly feelings for him and treat him as a possible threat every time he sees him? I just want to notice that I have bad relations with the specific neighbor so any talk with him is impossible.

3. He barks sometimes at night. This is really annoying. How I can stop that? A muzzle will help? (The dog is living outdoors).

Thank you for your time

 

[poodlesmom]

Personally I wouldn't want my dog to treat everyone as a possible threat and I think that would open up alot of potential problems. If what you are looking to attain is a dog that will protect you if the need arises I think the majority of our furpals will do that if they perceived we were being threatened. In my experience I have found my dogs to be pretty perceptive when it comes to their initial response to a stranger - the ones they have been skeptical of are people I also was a little leery of myself. I also think for a dog to make that "connection" with their human there has to be alot of interaction between them which is much easier to attain when the dog lives with their person and not outside apart from the family.

His barking could be for a variety of reasons ranging from boredom to actually alerting you to something or someone that is around. I wouldn't recommend muzzling at all abd I'm not even sure it would stop him from barking. Muzzling should only be used for uncontrolled or unpredictable aggression.

Your furpal is still a baby and as he matures you will see some personality changes.

The only way, especially at his age, to keep him from going next door for a visit is to fence his yard. Personally, your personal relationship with the neighbor aside, I would much prefer the friendliness between them. There is nothing worse than having a dog hater as a neighbor or having a neighbor that your dog barks & threatens all the time. That would tend to make for an extremely stressful situation.

I just want to say both your pup & cat are gorgeous! There is a pyrennes in the obed. school we go to and they are a wonderful breed!

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I'm sure that if anyone were to harm you, he would protect you. I don't see any point in making a dog more aggressive really. Personally I want my dogs to be calm and reserved enough around strangers. And they are, but if they sense anything about someone, they are there guarding me from that person.

If your yard isn't fenced yet, you should fence it. It's not a good idea to expect a dog to respect invisible boundaries. I agree with poodlesmom about your neighbor. But I do think you should talk to your neighbor about feeding your dog, though you may not like your neighbor much. Politely explain to him that you do not want him feeding your dog. Try to remain civil with him.

Pyrs are barkers. If you don't want him barking, don't yell at him to be quiet. Dogs are pack animals and often bark together. If you start barking, your dog will think, "Hey, I should bark more too!" Instead teach him a hand signal that let's him know that he must be quiet. Clap your hands or wiggle your fingers or something. A muzzle probably won't help and shouldn't be used for anything else than aggression problems. Besides, wouldn't it be uncomfortable to sleep with something around your mouth?

Welcome to the boards .

 

[Barb04]

No advice but just had to say I love the picture. Your pup's face reminds me of Max a little (an Anatolian Shepherd). I love the look!

 

[Renee750il]

First off, your dog is still a pup at 6 months. A challenging bark is a good indication that he is going to be true to his breed and be an effective guardian. Pyrs have been bred for countless generations to use their own judgment regarding threats and be able to act independently for the safety of their flocks. They are not human aggressive, but will take care of you should the need arise, provided you have that bond with your dog. There are a lot of changes that take place as a dog becomes more adult.

Second, it's in your and your dog's best interest that he NOT be aggressive toward this neighbor! All you need is an unfriendly neighbor that your dog reacts badly toward to end up with a dead dog or one that's taken away and destroyed as a dangerous animal. The fact that your neighbor is friendly toward your dog leads me to think that perhaps he has a more open mind than you're aware of, or that he likes dogs and doesn't care who the dog belongs to, or even that he's doing it to irritate you. From the photo you've posted (gorgeous dog, by the way) I'm guessing that maybe he's going under the fence? If so, in a few months he's not going to fit under the fence anymore, lol!

Any dog left outside at night is going to bark. A muzzle won't stop the barking; it will probably increase it just because of sheer frustration.

Now, if you really want a dog to be protective of you, leaving him outside all the time isn't the best way to do it. He'll be protective of his territory. And besides, how much protection is he outside alone? None to speak of! And you're missing so many of the rewards and wonderful things that come with having a dog.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I wasn't able to see the picture earlier, but I can now. What a gorgeous dog! (and kitty too)

 

[CreatureTeacher]

The absolute LAST thing you should be is disappointed in your dog. You ought to be thanking your lucky stars that your Pyr is friendly. He's not stupid. If a threatening situation arises, he will show his nasty side to protect you, his "flock". Just purely by virtue of his breed, your dog has a guarding instinct that will always be active. You should never, ever try to develop that instinct beyond what it already is if you don't want your dog taken away and put to sleep. Your dog will know a threat if and when one is presented. Until then it's natural for him to be friendly. For goodness sake, don't ruin his childhood and the rest of his happy life by trying to make him mean. Don't forget that your dog is a living, thinking being, just like a child. You wouldn't teach your child to attack and hate strangers. Your dog deserves consideration, and has the right to live happily.

Renee is on the money with the barking. If you leave him outside, he's going to bark. Pyrs are incredibly social, and a lonely one is not healthy. If you continue to leave him outside, barking is going to be the least of the obsessive behaviors he develops. You can look forward to social urination (on you or your friends), lunging, familial withdrawl, social mistrust, chewing, biting, clawing, chasing...the list goes on. Your dog's innate desire to be with (and protect) his family will literally make him insane if you deny him social contact with you. I wouldn't be surprised if he chewed right through a muzzle. Putting a muzzle on him won't solve the problem. It will only make it worse. Bringing him indoors at night, even if he's crated, is the humane and effective solution.

 

[shredhead (DOG LOVER)]

It seems like you want a watchdog more than a pet to me. Thats just me.

I say its ok that he's not agressive. WHy would you want him to be. Thats how dog attacks happen. You should also definitely fence in your yard cuz he could easily get out and get hit by a car or something like that.

Also the barking is usually a way to alert you that there is something happening like an intruder. If he keeps barking, why don't you bring him in the house and let him sleep on or by the bed. That way your both happy.

-Jon

 

[Petros]

Thank you all for the respond. Reading your experienced opinions about my dog’s very friendly behavior reassures me that if he sense danger he will respond. But after an incident that happened today I start to lose faith to my dog’s guard skills. During lunchtime, at 1:00 o’ clock, I saw through window my uncle entering the garden’s main door and coming to home. The dog was standing near the house and about 40 meters away the main entrance. He also saw my uncle coming in and waiting to approach. When he get about 7-8 meters distance the dog stand up and started to move closely. At the same time my uncle speed up. The dog seeing my uncle moving faster to him (actually he was coming to house) supposed that was an aggressive action. And how do you think he reacted? HE RUN AWAY. He doesn’t even stand ground to bark at least once. Instantly, he starts running very fast and only when he reached the back yard begin to bark. This is ridiculous he sees a danger and runs away? What king of guard dog can he be if he is so soft? That’s way I want him to be more cautious against strangers. Not aggressive but cautious. Now he counter every human closer than 10 meters as friend.


As for the barking is a minor problem. I have the dog 4 months and he had barked only 4-5 times during the night.

What do you think about his reaction I described above? What I can do to boost his guardian skills? (There is no dog trainer at my area so everything it needs have to be done by me)

 

[poodlesmom]

I still think he is really still a baby and you will definitely see him have more confidence and personality development as he matures. As mentioned in an earlier response, guarding is a natural trait for this breed and I think it is rare for it not to develop. I truly believe should there be an actual need arise for him to protect you when he is older he will prove to be up to the task. You really wouldn't want him to be overtly aggressive all the time.

My 2 standard poodles were never trained to be protective and actually never met anyone they didn't like. However, one time a friend came to visit who my dogs had met briefly in the past. While she was here visiting she started to play rough on the floor with my grandsons. Both dogs perceived it as tho she was threatening and hurting the boys as they were screaming (she was tickling them) and they immediately went on the offensive. Luckily I was in the same room & immediately yelled NO as they went running across the room growling & snarling. If I had not been there I have no doubt they would have done whatever they felt necessary to protect their boys - I had never heard them sound so ferocious & mean. After she stopped with the boys & went and sat down in the chair they went over to her and they were fine with her & willingly played fetch with her. The threat in their eyes was over so she was again AOK. Friends who they know very well and who visit quite often are able to rough-house with the boys and the dogs don't react negatively to it - in fact most times they will join in.

I think your pup will develop just fine.

 

[Love4Pits]

I agree with everyone above that he is just a baby still and will develop fine in the future. Also I would rather have a dog who is people friendly then constantly nervouse everytime they see a stranger (this will be acting aggressively) on the street. You could have seriouse problems in the future and may risk losing your dog by wanting him to be aggressive towards others. But like everyone says he will grow to be true to his breed and protect you when you are threatened which is not when random people approach you on the street. This is just my opinion.

 

[Renee750il]

He really is still a baby, Petros. The best thing you can do for him is to help build his self confidence and social skills. He needs to know that you approve of him. If you chastise him or scold him for running or even hiding, it will erode his developing self confidence and keep him from becoming the brave guardian his breed is known for being.

My Shiva was very much like your dog, and is still unsure of herself in some situations, but she's still young too - about a year and a half. But - you should see what happens when she thinks someone or something might be a threat to me! It doesn't matter if she is still a little afraid; there is nothing worse in her view of the world than something threatening me or her territory (or her food for that matter, lol).

Take your dog for walks, socialize him, praise him and give him lots of love and attention and he will take care of you. Remember, too, that Pyrs generally have very good judgment about situations and people, so encourage him whenever he makes a proper decision - like deciding your uncle was okay as long as he stayed within a certain area.

And remember to let him be a puppy for awhile.

 

[BigDog2191]

Everything I wanted to say has already been said.

Good luck with your Great Pyrenees. (It's very beautiful!)

 

[nohea]

Let him be a puppy and remember that the stronger he is bonded to you, the more he will want to protect.

 

[Fran27]

It seems to me that you didn't get the right dog if you're looking for a guardian... Just a thought.

 

[Petros]

Thanks again for your answers. I am relieved knowing that his behavior is been caused more from his young age than the lack of courage. But I have one question. When in time will be more protective, he will be protective only with me or also with the house?

About the barking, yes even this few times was very annoying. Besides that I think that is a growing problem, which will be major very soon. Only the past week he woke me twice barking from boredom. Because I need fast and reliable results I am considering the purchase of an anti barking collar. I turned down the electric collar as brutal and I am thinking a collar that uses sonic tones to discourage the dog to bark. I found this collar http://www.hitecpet.com/superhushpuppy.html but I need your opinions about that. Has anyone used a collar like that? Is effective? Can you suggest me something that will have fast, humane and reliable results?

 

[Renee750il]

He should be very territorially protective as he gets older.

All the anecdotal information I've ever heard about the barking collars is that they generally make the problem worse. A dog's natural inclination, when confronted with something they don't understand, is to bark.

The way you stop boredom barking is by giving your dog things to do so that he won't be bored - and by playing so hard that he's too tired to bark unless it's something important. Bear in mind that any attention - positive or negative - that you give a bored dog is good attention and only reinforces the barking. You give him attention when he is being quiet and reinforce the idea that quiet gets him what he wants - your attention.

 

[Petros]

I already tried to exhaust him playing with him before he sleeps. But even that don’t helped. He gets up very early, 3 or 4 at the morning, and he bored because he haven’t much thinks to do. Also the toys I leave for him don’t interest him after few minutes playing with them. He interests more about them when I throw to him and I play with him. What about citronella collar? Does anyone know if they are effective?

 

[Saje]

Gorgeous dog.

I'm not sure what you want from him.

You are upset that he only barks at strangers in the distance but you want to get a collar that will stop him from barking even though he only barks at night about once a month?

You want him to be protective of your home and family but you don't invite him into your home and include him as part of your family? I think my neighbours are ok but I wouldn't do much more than sound an alarm if they were being broken into.

You want your dog to be aggressive? What if he attacks a family member, child, the mailman... There is a good chance he will be taken away and put to sleep.

I think you need to rethink why you want a dog. If it is for protection you might be better of investing in a good alarm system and some self-defence courses.

My dogs would protect me to the death. I have no doubt about that but I would never want them too. I love them and would never put them at risk from either an intruder or the authorities.

My dogs do bark but not incessantly. Only when they have something to say. Like: this is my yard now bugger off. Or: this is my girl now bugger off. Or: I'm the baby and you are NOT welcome in my family. LOL That is something else I wouldn't take from them. I like to know that they are able to try and communicate. There is no guarantee that I will understand as I'm not completely fluent in Dog but I try.

I hope you will consider these things. Your dog is gorgeous and I'm sure he'd make a wonderful addition to your family if you'd open your door.

And I wouldn't use any collar on him. He sounds like he's just perfect how he is.

 

[CreatureTeacher]

No magic collar is going to fix the barking, Petros. Your dog needs MENTAL STIMULATION. You can't just play with him for 10 minutes a day and expect him to be satisfied. He needs stimulating toys that make him think. He's a puppy, and he needs an outlet for his physical energy. He needs to be taken for walks in new and different places every day. He needs to play constructive and exciting games with you.

Your dog will only want to protect you if you give him something to protect. If he doesn't love and admire you, there's no reason for him to want to protect you. He can't come to love and admire you if you don't show yourself to be a kind and competent leader.

Dogs are hard work. They are just like children. They take a lot of time and energy. You can't just toss them in the yard like a lawn gnome. They are thinking, feeling animals with rights and emotions. Your dog needs to be an included member of your family. Plastering a cruel collar on him is not going to help. He needs your attention and your love. If you don't think you can give him that, maybe you ought to think about installing an alarm system and buying a stuffed toy instead of keeping a dog.