Help needed please

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SplashofSoy

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My 7 month terrier has done really well so far and never put a foot wrong other than the usual puppy stuff. However this has now happend twice in as many weeks and i am very worried about how to fix/prevent in future.

Since i got him i have always been careful to try and ensure he is not possesive over food, treats, toys etc. I can without any problem take his bowl away, stroke him whilst eating etc and he never flickers.

He comes to work with me and just lounges about my office, people always coming and going and he loves the extra attention etc. On these two occaisions he has been chewing his antler stag bar thingy (recommended on here) and someone has come in. He has just sprung up and barked at them in an agressive manner. I have immediately jumped up and removed him from the situation and shouted directly at him to stop. He stops barking but it takes a few more seconds to calm down. i have removed the antler and he doesnt get it back until he has completely calmed down and settled in his bed.

He has never shown any aggression towards man nor beast on any other occasion other than the two events which were pretty much identical.

It has really upset me and i dont knwo what to do about it. Have i done the right thing when its happened and why it has happened in the first place. He has been a bit more tempremental lately but i put that down to normal puppy development into a teenager but not aggressive and not really anything to write home about, he is a joy to have around. I plan to have his balls removed once he gets to 12 months but do i need to bring this forward?

Any help, advice, words of wisdom very welcome as this has really upset me to see him behave this way and am just mortified.

Thanks
 
Are you sure he was not just startled by someone coming in? as opposed to guarding his antler?

dex barks if he is startled by something
 
I think Lexie might have been onto something there - if he was totally absorbed in his lovely chew, he might have been startled. It is in the nature of a terrier to share their startlements with the world IME;)

Try not to shout - from his POV you are joining in with the barking, as he does not understand the words, just the noise. Try distracting him away with another command instead, something he knows well like a recall, sit etc. When you have his quiet attention, calmly reward him. Ask the person being barked at to ignore him completely - no eye contact, no talking etc so he is not inadvertantly rewarded by them giving him attention.

Try not to stress too much, a bit of barking does not a devil-dog make:)
 
Thanks for the great advice will try and implement that next time by distracting him and calming down that way which will hopefully have a more positive effect. I was just so mortifed that he was barking directly at a person so manically and so upset that they were put in a position which they found quite frightening.
 
Dex does the same, if we are walking along and someone gets out of a car suddenly and he hasnt seen them, barks. If we turn a corner and someone is right there, barks. Something he doesnt understand- ie someone carrying a chair in pub garden- barks.

Its not aggressive just shock.....
 
It is not a matter of you taking the antler but of him relinquishing it to you. If you go towers him he should drop it and let you pick it up rather than you taking it from him.

It could be he is startled or it could be that he is not respecting all humans but as you know it needs to be stopped.

If you have anyone 'doggy' around, get them to come in when he is chewing and to walk up to him and make him give them the antler. If he doesn't bark then they let him chew. That way he will learn he is submissive to all humans.
 
Firstly terriers do get possessive about toys - they can also, when mature, begin to have their own agenda and feeling of self-importance. I personally would not pick him up - because that is actually rewarding him - but get his attention to you, when he comes to you reward him. I would also get him used to people coming and going (he may have been ok before but he is learning now he gets a reaction). Give them a treat to throw down to distract him so he associates people coming in with something nice.

If you need to remove him - and that will be difficult in an office situation but can be done at home - then leave a lead on him, and get the lead and take him out, so you do not handle him in any way i.e. no reward.

Never shout...shouting is aggressive and increases the aggression in him plus he believes you are worried so he is doing the right thing.

Finally you don't have to wait until 12 months, you wait until they are sexually aware and providing that is no less than 7 months then that would be ok. If he is showing character change then his hormones could well be kicking in.

So you should be able to bring neutering forward a couple of months and remember that it takes a few months to see any effect. Also neutering does not necessarily combat aggression, but it can help only when combined with effective training.
 
It sounds to me like he was startled because he was so busy with his chew. And he is a terrier and therefore probably thinks it is his job to Be The Big Man and save you from the world. So in his eyes, someone suddenly came in - he got tense and shouted, you got tense and shouted, he got an adrenaline moment and didn't take any sort of sensible message out of your reaction.

I've found a water spray bottle really useful at quieting the 'terrier alert' barking in a calm, controlled way.
 
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