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-   -   Snarling border collie aged 1 (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=275794)

  • Oct 31, 2008, 07:00 PM
    Has2LoseWeight
    Snarling border collie aged 1
    Hi,I'm sixteen and I got a dog in January this year and we absolutely adore him, everyone in my family loves him and its clear he likes them too as he's always wagging his tailwhen he sees them. He is just turned one, he's a border collie who is not neutured and is not going to be. The last few weeks he has started snarling A LOT! Especially at my mum, sometimes at me and rarely at my dad. It really scares us when he does it because he crunches up his nose (like you would see rotweillers do on TV :P) and snaps to bite. He hasn't bitten any of us yet because we are to quick to move but it is just a matter of time. He is doing it more and more often , always in the morning or if he hasn't seen you all day (like my mum because she works all day and so does my dad but he doesn't do it so much to him because he is like the alpha male ha) We are really worried, we thought he might be on heat but its really weird because we will call him him over to us and he will come running to us and wagging his tail or rolling over for us to rub his belly but then in a second he changes and just glares round at us really slowly and crunches up his nose snarling ready to bite. PLEASE HELP!
  • Oct 31, 2008, 07:22 PM
    Wondergirl

    Your family is his pack. Your dad must be the alpha dog (since your dog doesn't snap at him) and now your dog is setting up a hierarchy with him in second place and the rest of you below him. He snaps at you to keep you in line, just like he would with dogs below him in the pecking order.

    You are going to have to become superior to him, not by beating him or abusing him but by showing him you are his boss, that you too are an alpha dog like your dad. Go to your library and get dog training books or tapes by, for instance, the Monks of New Skete. Others on this site will offer more suggestions.

    Why won't you get him neutered? That would help solve at least part of the problem.
  • Nov 11, 2008, 05:22 PM
    Has2LoseWeight

    We wouldn't dare abuse or beat him. But we started doing that thing where if he is naughty we squirt a little bit of water at him, and that's been working very well recently and he hasn't been snarling so much, only about 2 times in the last week when he's been really tired. But he's back to his old self :) thanks for your advice.

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