actually a GREAT thing to do is hand out his kibbled food INSTEAD of treats. Take his daily ration and put it in your pocket. That's his "treats" for the day
Humm. Has you dog been around a lot of other people and not barked at them? Maybe he's trying to tell you something. He may not like him for some reason. Has he ever been alone with him? If the BF's son scared him dogs don't forget that easily. Don't totally blame the dog if this is unusual behavior.
That said, my son had a problem with one of his saints growling at one of the other dogs in a bid for dominance. Now he eats last, gets treats last, and has to go outside last behind the other dogs. That cured the behavior because he now accepts my son as the leader of the pack. Dogs just operate this way; it's instinct. They are only comfortable if there is a distinct hirerachy of power. Maybe you need to asset your dominance so that when you tell him to stop barking, he obeys you. but, take a closer look at why he's barking if it is unusual. Don't completely disregard the idea that there is a real reason. Investigate a little further before you decide there is a real problem.
actually a GREAT thing to do is hand out his kibbled food INSTEAD of treats. Take his daily ration and put it in your pocket. That's his "treats" for the day
Humm. Has you dog been around a lot of other people and not barked at them? Maybe he's trying to tell you something. He may not like him for some reason. Has he ever been alone with him? If the BF's son scared him dogs don't forget that easily. Don't totally blame the dog if this is unusual behavior.
That said, my son had a problem with one of his saints growling at one of the other dogs in a bid for dominance. Now he eats last, gets treats last, and has to go outside last behind the other dogs. That cured the behavior because he now accepts my son as the leader of the pack. Dogs just operate this way; it's instinct. They are only comfortable if there is a distinct hirerachy of power. Maybe you need to asset your dominance so that when you tell him to stop barking, he obeys you. but, take a closer look at why he's barking if it is unusual. Don't completely disregard the idea that there is a real reason. Investigate a little further before you decide there is a real problem.
In my original post, I stated that the dog has only been around my bf and I and is not use to any other people at all. And as far as the dominance thing, yes, I am sure my doggy sees himself as alpha male here but that is my fault really cause I spoil him and treat him more human like than dog. We are trying to remedy it but it's not easy at all. Thank you for the advice.
I wonder if the dog would be less excited about company if you had different types of people over to your house, to get used to having a lot of people around. Does he bark at your family members and friends, too?
Honestly, no one comes here at all so the dog has only ever been around my bf and I exclusively. Yes, it is our own fault but we are wanting/trying to fix it best we can. Unfortunately, we are no Cesar Milan, hehe
My dog is a rescue & he doesn't really like other people. He likes us because we rescued him. It's only now that he's older (17!) that he's mellowed out.
We had another rescue who had major separation anxiety. He would bark if someone looked him in the eyes for too long, so make sure the son isn't doing that, it makes dogs nervous if they don't know the person.
What breed is your dog?
One of the best things to do is have the son give the dog a treat. Do you give your dog people food? Apple slices (no peel) cut into small chunks are good, as are baby carrots. These are low calorie things that dogs can have in SMALL amounts. Otherwise, if he is on a schedule, then one of his scheduled cookies can be given to him by the son.
For example, our dog wakes up in the morning & goes outside, then comes back in for breakfast (1/4 cup dog food), then goes back out. At noon he has a dog biscuit (aka cookie) and goes outside again. 4:30pm is suppertime, then he goes out again. 8pm is another cookie & trip outside. So if your dog is on a similar schedule, the cookies can be given to the dog by the son.
And I agree, the dog shouldn't be allowed to bark indiscriminately at anyone. Barking as a greeting when someone first comes in is normal, and dogs do tend to bark when kids are screaming or running. Also on walks at other dogs. You still want him to bark to let you know when something is wrong, but barking because the son is staring at him, or barking every time the kid moves is not acceptable. I applaud the squirt gun idea.
Is there a game your dog likes to play that maybe the boy could play with him? (Frisbee, fetch, throwing a ball, etc)
Good luck & let us know how it goes! My dog loves everyone who feeds him. Last weekend my aunt was visiting from overseas & made breakfast for her husband & kids. I scramble him an egg every weekend because it's good for his coat. So he was kinda checking her out, and she thinks he's sooo cute, so she scrambled him an egg & he followed her around the rest of the time she was here like he follows me around. She also fed him bits of apple out of her hand. He loved that.
It didn't go. I stated in my original post that the son wouldn't come here and he didn't. My bf said maybe next time but he didn't want to force his kid to come here because of the dog if he didn't wanna and I can respect that. I do appreciate all the advice and have it wrote down so when he does come here again, we can implement them. Thanks again everyone.
I use to work with dogs and I can understand your problem. Many people don't socialize their dogs and then find out later that it is a problem. a good example is never using a crate and having a vet emergency where fido is so unhappy becuse he is sick and THEN he is in a crate and REALLY stressed because he has never been in one. OR your dog has never left your side and now you have an out of town emergency/vaccation and you can't go or have to stress out your dog because he has never been without you by boarding or having a dog walker come to your home. Overall you are not alone, but you need to find help ASAP. this could ruin your relationship because your BF SHOULD chose his son over the dog and if this relationship is going to go long term you can't ignore the fact that your dog does not like his son.
Here is a place close to where you live, based on the info above, and I think it is worth a call and an evaluation as to what can help your dog cope with life changes. you have an opportunity to take care of this problem before it gets worse. AND please don't let finaces get in your way. this should be a priority if the realationship is a priority and if not for the realtionship, for the sanity of your dog to feel like life is ok.
Maybe the dog can go to Grandma and Grandpa's when your bf has his son for the weekend. This would help socialize the dog, and give DS some quite time with his Dad and you. After a while the dog might come to enjoy other people. I think if you don't try to remedy the situation, the child will feel as though the dog has importance over him, and with that thought implanted in his mind, a meaningful relationship between you and him will be next to impossible.
I'm sorry but I HATE the squirt bottle idea! Dogs bark by reflex, and they can learn to curb it with proper training, but squirting them in the face every time they bark is cruel and gives the wrong message. Imagine if someone slapped you every time you sneezed. Besides, most people don't even use this training method correctly. They start doing it inconsistently, so that the dog is never sure when it's "OK" to bark and when it's not.
The local humane society and some pet stores have training classes--that help both owners and the dogs. Sometimes these are no charge, or low charge, and it is well worth it to have a properly trained dog. Most dogs want to have our approval, but don't know what is required.
Onederchic, I'll keep my fingers crossed. Hopefully by this time next year it won't be an issue. I think getting him socialized is a great idea. It couldn't hurt, could only help.
I'd never squirt a dog in the face!!! Any time we've done it, it's been on the rump. It gets his attention off whatever he's barking at. Haven't had to do it in a very long time.
While we're (sort of) on the subject, what is with people who bark back at the dog? You don't actually live next door, I WANT him to bark at people who don't belong there. You visit your mother 4 times a year & think he should remember you? Are ya serious?
Sandi's suggestion of treats is a good one. That dog trainer on Animal Planet -- the microscopic British woman, what's her name...Victoria Stilwell, I think? -- anyway, she introduces new people to barking and/or aggressive dogs all the time by having them drop treats around the dog while it's outside on a leash, then giving more treats once they're in the house, until the dog associates visitors with treats.
Another good approach is having them spend time together in neutral territory. If your bf is willing to meet you and the dog with his son on the weekend for a walk, maybe, or some window shopping, whatever, that would help as well. Once your dog is out of his 'territory' it might be an easier transition to get used to having a kid around.
Kids move fast and they're scary, and dogs who aren't used to them can have bad reactions. The only way to fix the problem is lots of patience and hard work. Good luck!
I don't have any advice that others haven't given already. I do think taking him for walks so that he can be around other people is a great idea. Treats can also be a great help, just make sure they are given immediately upon the display of proper behavior or he won't know what he's being treated for and it won't do any good. A spray bottle (not in the face) or some noice (I use a hissing kinda sound for my cats) when he shows the behaviors you don't want might help. I am sorry the boy doesn't want to come there this weekend and I wish you the best of luck.
