Is my dog being aggressive or playing?

[fwed]

My dog MiMi has never showed signs of aggression towards me or my girlfriend since we had her, about 8 months now. She is always very playful and likes to cuddle with us.

Recently I noticed however when I try to get her, she will run and hide under the futon. When I stick my hand under the futon to grab her, she snaps and her teeth start to show, she starts quiety growling and gets in a defensive type stance.

It also happened with my girlfriend today too as she was trying to get her out from under the futon, she snapped at her also.

Sometimes MiMi does like to play like when i grab her mouth and swing my hands at her face, she'll start trying to play bite and I hear her growling, I can tell this is just play because when she bites me it doesn't hurt but those times under the futon, it seems like she is actually showing hostility.

Why is she doing this and how to stop it?

 

[corgipower]

She's not showing hostility.

She's showing fear. Something has caused her to be afraid and want to go hide under the futon. When she's under there, she's still scared and now she's feeling trapped when you reach for her, so her only choice is to warn...and possibly bite if the warnings don't work.

Don't reach under the futon for her. Try to find ways to entice her out, or just ignore her and let her come out when she's ready.

More importantly though is to figure out why she's afraid in the first place. A vet check might be in order. Then I would keep everything very light and positive with her - find a good behaviorist who uses positive motivation methods.

 

[Snark]

Sounds defensive to me... What were you going to do with her once you 'got' her? Does it mean an end to cuddling, playing, your company? If so, have you done this often enough that she knows your coming to get her means an end to her fun?
I'd stop trying to grab her, and like corgipower said, try to entice her out. Once you get her out, let her go again and keep enticing her to come to you so she'll learn coming to you doesn't mean the fun stops.

 

[Tsume'sMom]

My dog MiMi has never showed signs of aggression towards me or my girlfriend since we had her, about 8 months now. She is always very playful and likes to cuddle with us.

Has the dog been spayed? Changing hormones when comming into season can change behaviors.

Recently I noticed however when I try to get her, she will run and hide under the futon. When I stick my hand under the futon to grab her, she snaps and her teeth start to show, she starts quiety growling and gets in a defensive type stance.

It also happened with my girlfriend today too as she was trying to get her out from under the futon, she snapped at her also.

This sounds fearful.

Sometimes MiMi does like to play like when i grab her mouth and swing my hands at her face, she'll start trying to play bite and I hear her growling, I can tell this is just play because when she bites me it doesn't hurt but those times under the futon, it seems like she is actually showing hostility.

Rough play is a big no-no. With this kind of play you have made biteing acceptable.

Why is she doing this and how to stop it?

The why is not important. The how is to stop rough houseing, get into some good training classes, work though her behavior, and treat your little dog like a dog and with respect.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Rough play is a big no-no. With this kind of play you have made biteing acceptable.

I "rough house" with my dogs all of the time... playing bitey hands is a very effective way of teaching SOLID bite inhibition. The key is that it's controlled, I start and end the game, and anything roughing than teeth barely touching me is an instant end to the game (but they haven't done that since they were puppies). Dogs use their mouths for much more than BITING. They play with their mouths, too!

It is interesting that she does this when you "get" her. What do you get her for? How do you go about "getting" her? Do you mean you're putting a leash on her or do you grab her by the collar?

I would stop "getting" her altogether. An 8 month old should already have a fairly reliable recall. Through out the day, while you're watching tv or on the computer or cooking or whatever, call her to you and reward her with a delicious treat at random. As many times in the day as you can. Try to start doing it when she's already nearby or coming to you... set her up for success in obeying the "come" command. You could get a clicker to mark the behavior just as she's starting to come to you. Never force her to go anywhere, drag her, or pull her out from under the futon. You want her to want to come to you, you don't want to have to force her to comply! It's a VERY good idea to enroll her in positive reinforcement only obedience classes to get a good foundation of trust.