Suspicious puppy.

[broccolini]

Puppy is 15 weeks old and starting to get guardy on walks. When she sees something or someone she decides needs her attention, she will sit and watch them. She doesn't bark, growl or lunge but she won't move.

I've been letting her have a minute or two to watch, then I make her move on. Should I not let her do that at all? Should I have her do focus exercises? What?

I expect her to be like this so I'm not trying to "correct" it; I just want to make sure I do the right thing so she doesn't get carried away and think she needs to kill everyone in the neighborhood.


Thanks.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Thats what I do. I allow Apollo a minute to look, and if its something approachable Then I try to let him inspect it, and then expect him to move on. A TM is NOT going to focus on you when they're feeling guardy.

 

[thelady_v2010]

Mine does it too. And, in the dark, he growls and barks at men. He is WAY more guardy at night.

 

[broccolini]

Ok, great.

Today, the neighbor was out working on his yard. She's met him before but she sat at the window and growled/barked all day.

I finally brought her out to see him. As soon as he talked to her and put his hand out for her to smell, she was thrilled to see him.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Sounds about right. She'll get used to him being in his yard. Apollo only rarely barks at our neighbors now, as long as they stay in their yards. If ANY of them set foot in our yard he barks, and if the younger daughter from across the street is even walking down the road he'll growl (he doesn't like her AT ALL).

Also try, when she's alerting at the window, go and look, and tell her thank you I see. Apollo will usually settle after we do that (it took some repetition) though he'll often still watch. If its something you WANT her to alert to (like someone walking up the drive) reward her and tell her she did good.

 

[mx5055]

Bella (5 months) is a "watcher" too, and when she goes into this mode all the focus training and all the commands we've been working on and that she seems to be doing well on just disappear! If I have her on a leash (and so far we are only using a flat collar) I give her about 30=60 seconds and if she still doesn't respond to me I'll pull out a treat (which so far has worked) and then move her a long. It's more unnerving when we are at home in the front yard and she does it (not on a leash). She knows the neighbors (hates the guy next door and growls at him whenever she sees him) but the rest of the neighbors she accepts....accepts the people walking by with or without dogs/kids, accepts the kids playing, helicopters above, etc., but, every once in awhile someone new will catch her attention and she is on "full alert" and sits up straight, tunes me out, and is totally focused on that person. If I can't get her attention back to me, I take her back inside the house and go through a few commands with her and "reconnect". It's weird, I've never had a dog that did this before...it's hard to describe. LOL Sry I guess I'm no help here

 

[broccolini]

I completely expect her to ignore me so at least it doesn't come as a surprise.

Maybe Bella has some TM in her pedigree.

 

[ruthcatrin]

I completely expect her to ignore me so at least it doesn't come as a surprise.

Good lol

 

[mx5055]

I completely expect her to ignore me so at least it doesn't come as a surprise.

Maybe Bella has some TM in her pedigree.

LOL Bella came from a rescue with no papers, etc., so the reality is who knows what's in her? Except for lately...she's got a lot of "sassy" in her

 

[thelady_v2010]

I completely expect her to ignore me so at least it doesn't come as a surprise.

Maybe Bella has some TM in her pedigree.

Mine is a Cane Corso, yours?

 

[mx5055]

Mine is a Cane Corso, yours?

Bella is a cc...

 

[thelady_v2010]

Bella is a cc...

That is what I thought, what about the OP? Sounds like ours are all similar

 

[ruthcatrin]

Broccolini's pup is a TM

 

[jenypri]

This must be a mastiff thing, because both of my girls do this!