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Posted by Chelle on February 17, 2003 at 10:25:23:

In Reply to: Bichon wanting to play, then growling - driving me crazy! posted by mommacude on February 16, 2003 at 21:45:59:

...that's why behaviors that people don't like tend to develop and get really strong in smaller dogs. As puppies the behaviours are "cute" and acceptable (or even encouraged) unlike the larger puppies where it's annoying from day 1 and get's dealt with. Training will really help this dog. Use positive training methods and private lessons to start so you can get one-on-one focus on the problems you are concerned with. Dogs can't jump up on you when they have a solid "sit" and when they have other outlets for their energy- like using their brain- other not so desirable behaviors tend to be lessened. Clicker training might be a good thing to try as well. Bichons tend to be very smart and work well when they know what's expected of them. You'll see initial results fast with a clicker and that will keep both of you going though the harder stuff.

As for growling, dogs growl for many reasons and I do know some growl when they are playing for the joy of making noise. I'm not very comfortable with a dog growling at me during play though. They are starting to get too worked up. I am thrilled when my dog is having fun playing, but she still needs to be mindful that I'm a human and I don't play by dog rules nor with dog teeth (I have a 2 year old in my house so the rules are strict). My dog get's too worked up playing tug games. So, we don't play them. Instead we play "find it" games, "fetch" games, or even doing basic tricks. All these games are based on basic obedience, but your dog doesn't need to know that. They have fun finding "dad" hiding behind a door or finding food on a shelf. Hope that helps.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Small dogs tend to be spoiled... mommacude 02/17/03 (0)