Happy Happy happy and a personality question

Bettyboo222

Bettyboo222

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I am really happy, fianlly had a breakthrough with Biscuit's training off lead. I was stood at one end of the local dog park which used to be a foot ball pitch. I was stood by one of the goals, Biscuit was in the circle in the middle chasing a ball, I shouted 'Biscuit lie down' and he just dropped :) Really happy about that as he came to us 2 weeks and 1 day ago as a very bouncy dog who had no apparent training.

I have got a question about dogs personalities, is it possible for them to have two. I know this sounds absolutly crazy but 95% of the time Biscuit is a lovely dog but 5% of the time he is really different either one of 2 things will happen he will either shut down to you and not respond to anything, this is dangerous if he is off lead as he will just run I have had to actually grab him.

The other thing that will happen is that he will be nasty, his tail will drop to lower than it is normally carried, he will lower his head stare at you and growl and snarl, this happens usually at night when he is being put into the kitchen or if we move him. Normally during the day he will move at just a point.

After either one of these 'personalities' he will suddenly snap out of it and run up to me tail wagging.

Any ideas ?
 
That his training is coming along is fab:) However you are still very new to each other, he is getting to know you and you him. He could be reacting to any number of things in the environment around him, in you (you might be behaving in a subtly different way without realising it) or of course there could be a veterinary cause. Did the rescue check Biscuit out? Was he assessed by a behaviourist or trainer? If so, they may be able to give you some more clues on what the cause might be.

I would try to chill out, don't overdo the training at this point - just get to know one another and get used to living around each other.

As you might know Henry is a rescue, and it is only looking back now that I can see how long it really took for him to fully settle in and be totally at ease - 6 months. At the time, because I didn't know him, I just thought that he was fine but now I can see he was unsettled for a long time. Give it time, you will get there:)
 
Dogs can both shut down or become arsey when they are under too much pressure or when whatever they are doing ceases to be fun and becomes a chore, or when you are asking them to do something they don't want to do.

Glad he is doing well, but keep training to short bursts and don't over-do it.

My dog has shut down a couple of times on me, I haven't even had to say a word, I though he had gone wrong tracking (he actually hadn't in the end, it was me, I lost the corner :( poor sod) and I got very angry and frustrated (inwardly) but he sensed this and just lay down on the ground and said (nope, not playing any more!).
So I took him off tracking for two weeks and just played ball with him, took all the pressure off and then re-started him a fortnight later.

Please be aware of how things like tiredness, irritability, temper, frustration, sadness, anger can rub off on dogs - even if it is the little gits that made you feel that way in the first place. They can be sensitive little sods.
Don't stress too much about training to perfection at this stage, just have fun with him and bond with him :)
 
He was checked by the shelters behaviorist and my own vets bahvoirist and only my vets behavorist saw him when he was growling snarling ect, this was when we asked biscuit to go to his bed.

Think you could be on to something with the subtle differences, at night I am more agitated and I am probably not as gently as I should be. The only training we were doing is basic safety training that are 'nessacairy' in the househould enviorment so sit, wait, lie down, leave and bed :D
 
With my young dog, I use a clicker so that if I am a bit tired or bored it does not come across in my voice and put him off. If I am really pissed off and knackered and can't be bothered, we won't train, just play silly beggars on the living room floor, I don't want to sour him.
 
It sounds like CC might have put her finger on it then, he is telling you that it's just too much for him. Is he sleeping alone? If so, you are agitated, and you're asking him to leave you and go off on his own even though he is still not settled in and feeling totally at home... that can be scary times for some dogs, so maybe he's just looking after himself (from his point of view).

As he gets to know you, it won't matter quite so much if you are a bit antsy, although he might always be a sensitive flower, some dogs just are. Stay cool:cool: And remember that every time you put a deadline onto anything with animals, it will take at least 5 times longer:D
 
Funny Spudlet, there's a dog at our club, her owner was keeping her in the house during the day when people were coming in and out, and out at night when everyone was home and she was jumping up and grabbing him to try and stop it, our trainer said she was feeling that she was being 'sent away' from the 'pack' because as a pack, they would all sleep together at night. Bit of a lightbulb moment for him, he just thought she was being a grabby cowbag.
 
Bettyboo222 said:
He used you sleep upstairs with us but he started snarling at my mum and brother who is only 5 and it wan't worth the risk at night :D
Click to expand...

I can see where you're coming from there. Have you crate trained at all? A safe little space could help him to feel secure, and you could have the crate upstairs, safely locked up so the family is safe but with you so he doesn't feel isolated. Then you can start moving it further away and downstais, if that is where you want him to be permanently:)
 
Crating is a good plan. My pup is crated and when I wake up (he is in the living room, my room is next door) all you can hear is THUMP THUMP THUMP of his tail against the side :p
 
He is still settling in and getting to know you so anything that unsettles him may cause a reaction. Unless you are an expert in dog signalling its very possible you are missing something he is telling you. Thats ok none of us are experts but watching and getting to know your dog you will probably pick up his warning signals and can adjust what you are doing which is
making him defensive.

Rescues usually come with some baggage of some sort and you might be doing something quite innocently which has a different meaning for him in that someone might have beaten him prior to what you are doing.This is what makes rescues so challenging but ultimately rewarding.
 
Thank you for your advice :)

Re - crating this is not possible as when Biscuit was a pup, instead of weaning him gradually apparently he was just put in a small crate (smaller than a pet carrier) and left for days. So when we tried to crate train him he panicked and went to bite anyone who went near him. We ended up having to get the vet to sedate him so we could get the door open, when he was being neautured the vets had to keep him in the puppy socialisation pen as the same thing happened there.
 
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