Cross Breeds - Help please i dont want my puppy to turn into a menace!?

Help please i dont want my puppy to turn into a menace!?

Please can anyone offer some advice to me, my female jack russel / collie cross breed puppy, who's just about 5 months old, is getting to be problematic when out walking. When she sees someone in the street, be it either walking away or towards her she growls deeply, and the fur on her neck and back stands up. The closer they get she barks and if its someone i meet and want to talk to she wont stop barking. If someone want to pet het she growls more and has snapped at a couple of people now too. She's never actually bitten anyone or bore her teeth to them, she is just very intimidating towards anyone whilst out and about. It's getting to the point that i dont really want to meet people while i'm out and I avoid the issue. I really dont want to be in this prediciment and would like to know what i can do to help her (and me) I tried having my paner hold the lead today whilst out a walk, and she was great, she never even growled once. Yet..... the moment i took control she growled and barked at the first person we passed, then my partner took the lead again and she was quiet again....... what to do?

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Take her to obedience school. cHeck you're local newspaper for doggy schools. Seems like she has been abused is it me? Whatever goood luck on ur puppy! =]
Click the link http://www.healthypet.com/library_view.aspx?ID=99&sid=1 Have a nice day , Grrrr :-)
You really need to see a professional regarding this issue. Seek out a reputable dog behaviorist in your area. It may be expensive, but the evaluations are usually free, and regardless, it's worth it if you don't want your dog turning out to be really vicious. This behavior can be attributed to the dogs parents and breeding or to its history and socialization. Please see a professional!
I would address it now while she is still young. Get her in obedience training so she learns to respond to your commands and so she gets socialized with other people and dogs. If a group class won't work, then work with a professional trainer. Do it soon, the younger the better.
Your dog needs to be properly socialized. You can take her to training classes. Check with your local pet stores and shelters/pounds. My local shelter offers a group "puppy kindergarten" class for almost no money...these classes are open to anyone (you didn't have to get your dog at the shelter to participate). Don't avoid the issue...your dog needs to get used to being a 'good citizen' around other dogs and people. Good luck!
Your dog thinks you are her possession. She wants you to herself and is warning evrything and everybody that you belong to her. You need to become the pack leader and be the dominant one. Get Cesar Millan's book. "Cesar's Way".
to the dogs home. Another abandoned pet heading for the gas chamber oh well it keeps me in work mmmmuuuuuuuuhhhhhaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa
your puppy is being over protective of you what you need to do is detract ur puppy with a clicker these are the best way to train ur pup in all comands. the clicker wroks buy every time you want ur pups attention click the clicker and then when ur pup looks at you give the pup a treat (only 1 dog biscuit tho, dont want to end up with a fat puppy..lol). and in a very short time ur dog will ease of the barking and growling.... good luck..
Have you tried picking your Dog up when it is acting this way and letting it get familiar with whatever is bothering the Dog. I would suggest using a bit of caution on how close you allow it to get to whatever it is barking at, just until you see its reaction. It may be nervous around new things and needs you to reassure it. Hope this helps good luck.
Have you looked into it's diet???
Your dog needs to learn to behave in public. When you see someone coming you need to be 2 steps ahead you know its going to happen put it in check before it happens. A quick tug of the lead "no" in a stern voice. Get it to mix with as many people as possible, there are many puppy training classes available. You have to disciplin your dog without being to hard but being firm enough your dog knows you mean business. Do not hit your dog either by hand/newspaper lead etc this will do nothing except worsen the dog.
I agree with the advice to take her to obedience cl assess I wish I had taken my last chihuahua I thought he would grow out of it he was friendly with people he knew but not with strangers. A lot has to do with breeding he was a mistake and the runt of the litter and was bullied by his other litter mates he was loved very much by everyone but that was the only thing that spoil ed him. I have another pup now from a breeder and he is different again he is so friendly with most other dogs he wants to play but he has his likes and dislikes but he has never shown his teeth like my other chi did. So make the effort you will have him a lon g time.
sounds like she has a fear of people, rather than being protective it sounds like a fear issue for her, shes seems to be intimidated by people around her. If she was being protective she would normally only do this if people were coming towards you. I keep German Shepherds who are very protective over my children and will "guard" them if people come toward them or stray to close without permission first. The raised hackles show that she is entering into fight or flee mode and as she is on the lead she deems that their is no choice but to 'fight', the barking serves as a final warning, as she sees the person who is getting close as extremely threatening. This problem is likely to be linked back to the pups fear phase between 8 and 16 weeks old. Did she have good socialisation with people at that stage, or did she have a bad experience with anyone. Look back and think. The experience may not have seemed bad to you but it may have affected her deeply such as a visitor closing the door on the way out to the garden and catching the end of her tail or someone unexpected slamming a car door outside the front garden when she was out. Or the first time she was walked down a busy street.These things seem to us to be normal but to a little pup out in the big wide world they can be very frightening. As others have said the problems must be addressed as soon as possible as it will become habit as she gets older. Trying to avoid the situation will not solve it as at some point it is enevitable that you are going to come across other people. Firstly until you get the problem under control the quickest option would be to muzzle her so she has no opportunity to bite anyone. I do not agree with muzzling dogs but for your peace of mind and for others safety this would be a quick fix until you get the problem solved You must become the dominant figure who the pup deems as reliable and trustworthy whilst you are out. she will then look to you for protection rather than become agressive when out. She will sense your tension when you see people and will become all the worse knowing that you are uneasy with the situation as you being 'leader' are showing a negative response to the events unfolding. There is a book called The Dog Whisperer you can get it in petsmart in the UK which if you follow the methods will build this leadership quality you need with ure dog. I used it training my dogs (2 German Shepherds) and i can take them anywhere off the lead and they will do what, when and where they are told without question or hesitation. There are several things that i would try (at different times) with ure pup 1. Aversion - take treats if its into food or a ball/ fav toy if its into play on your walk, look out for the situation about to occur and draw the dogs attention with the reward item, to begin with the dog may ignore the reward after a short period, if this happens regain its attention, once the situation has passed get the dog to sit and give the reward telling it "good dog". Do this EVERY time you come across the problem, dogs learn quickly with positive association especially Collies. 2. Sit and Stay- Teach your dog in the house to sit and stay, then carry out the command regularly when you next go out for a walk, as soon as you become aware that the problem is GOING to occur, get the dog to sit and stay until the person/people are past. Give ure dog a treat every time it does this command when you go out. Again its positive association. This method may be slightly harder than the first as the dogs attentions are going to wander back to the people more easily, however if you hold the treat close to it, it should be able to maintain its focus long enough for the people to pass. 3. Back home - this option may not be the best choice as ultimately it is doing what the dog wishes as it does not like people in the first place and wants to return to its safe area. You could however use it if say you were acouple of weeks into the other two and the dog was being really obnoctius one day( i know how 5 month old puppies can be :) ) If all else has failed then tell the dog "bad dog" turn round and march straight home. DO NOT SPEAK TO URE DOG ON THE WAY BACK NO MATTER WHAT. Show annoyance in ure actions, (heavy steps, dirty looks, and stern looking face). When you get home take off its lead tell it to "go to its bed" and leave it there (NO CONTACT WHAT SO EVER) for at least an hour may be two. It sounds horrible but it quickly shows the dog that you will not tolerate that behaviour. Lastly i know its probably difficult not to pull or tug on her lead when she is doing this, but by doing this you will only make her more agitated. You see it as pulling her away from the situation, but she sees the lead as another advasery that she has to contend with that is in cohouts with the big scary people who want to hurt her. I'm not a dog trainer or an animal behaviourist in any way shape or form but i remember having dogs in the house since i can remember anything and i am passionate about dogs. The main point is that if you put the effort in with ure dogs' training you will be able to overcome the challenge that you are faced with and ure dog will be all the happier for it :) Hope i have been of help
She is trying to protect you, she needs socialising to help her realise people are not a threat, which means either taking her to training classes, or taking her out three or four times a day, preferably to a fairly crowded area, when you do meet people, make sure you dont tighten the lead, as this will translate into anxiety to the dog, keep the lead loose, and try to relax, as dogs take a lot of cues from their owners body language, stroll along, but at first try to stay a leads length from people, but dont snatch the dog back, if she meets someone and dosnt get aggressive, praise her to the skies and give her a treat, if she does, just keep walking, ignoring her, she will soon get the idea.
there is one main rule which i have used in training many dogs(mainly akitas) and that is to ,,master a dog,and coax a bitch,, is she protective over you with your partner,or is it just strangers,have you had dogs before,bitches can become protective,nothing wrong with that as long as you are still in control,have a friend who is strange to the dog,walk towards you and let her off the lead,she is still a babyand like a child needs to be taught the right and wrongs.
She needs to go to training class. When you see people or other animals and she starts the barking growling thing ignore the behavior and redirect her attention with a squeaky toy. When people approach ask them to ignore the dog and let her go to them. She also needs to be socialized in different settings. Take her to pet stores and walk her around for 30-60 minutes and dog parks to play. The more socialized a dog is the better behaved in most cases
You need to let your dog know your in charge.. and when you say stop.. she should stop.. take a squirt bottle out with you. every time she does this with a stranger.. squirt her and tell ner NO.! If its someone you know.. and they are comfortable petting her. let them pet her.. if she snaps or growls.. TAKE CHARGE. tell her no! let her know she has done wrong.. (DO NOT HIT HER) but be very very firm with her. have whome ever pet her.. do not let her win.. she is controlling you. and has dominated you. it will take some time to break her.. also watch the dog whisper'r. he is awesome. and has some great ideas. I told someone else to watch him.. he is very very successful. GOOD LUCK!
Both breeds, Jack Russell and Collie's are very highly strung, and exciteable and need lots of exercise. You haven't mentioned if you bought your puppy from a breeder, or if she is a rescue dog who you have adopted. If she hasn't had much contact with other puppies, or initial contact with humans when she was younger, then she won't be socialized. She could be frightened of people and other dogs, and it is showing up in her behaviour, where she growls deeply, and her hackles begin to rise! This could be what is called 'fear aggression', and with patience, love and understanding she can be cured of it completely. I would avoid confrontation with anyone else, or other dogs and I would walk in the opposite direction, until your puppy understands that people and other dogs are not going to harm her, and that they are not a threat. Eventually, as she matures and becomes more confident, then she will be able to mix with other dogs and people. Another suggestion, would be to take her along to puppy socialization classes, where she can meet other pups and their owners in a relaxed environment. Most vets organise puppy classes in your area, good luck.
I have a barker myself. She also is definately an "ankle biter". Chloe is a 5 month old toy chihauhua. I feel for you. I have purchased a mesh muzzle, which is totally safe for her. I allows her to breathe through her nose as well as her mouth but does not allow her to bark or bite. Absolutely no longer than 20 minutes on the dog during a period of 6 hours or so. She definately did not like that at all. I had to purchase a second one as she got a hold of the first one and ripped into shreds, of course she thought well, that's the end of that. That was until I brought home the second one, all she has to do is think I am going to put it on her and she stops barking immediately as well as biting and is a totally different dog. When going out with her, I take it along as a reminder and just show it to her if she starts to behave badly. I paid 4.00 at a PetSmart. Best purchase I made for her, her behavior patterns are becoming more in line and she's much more loving towards others.
apparantly your partner is the "alpha" dog in your household and she regards you as lower than her. She needs to be taught that you are above her. This means some serious training, don't let her get away with anything. And be consistent. put a "choke" training collar on her and hold it up high on the neck, the higher the more control you have, when she misbehaves give a sharp jerk on the collar then let it loosen, this is a correction and if it continues tighten a bit more and more until she gets the idea. She is only doing what you let her get away with. Along with the correction kind of put the toe of your foot into her side, not hard just enough to distract her, change her mind so to speak. If you don't correct her now you are in for big problems later on, a growl is just one step away from a bite and have no doubt she will eventually bite. You could also try the gentle lead where the end of the leash fits over the snout but I'm more in favor of correcting the problem than covering it up. Another idea is a shock collar, one with a tone on it, they learn real quick with a shock collar, use the tone button first, if she doesn't respont then a zap. supprising how quick they come around to your way of thinking. if she's old enough to misbehave she's old enough to be corrected. And remember to show her you are pack leader and she needs to learn her place in the pack and its not above you. Once the order has been established and she knows her place everything else will work itself out.