Hostile dog

fallingtrees

My BF's dog goes nuts and snaps when I exercise. I thought eventually he would get used to it, but instead he's getting weirder. Any ideas?

brevislux

Animals are often scared of big sharp movements... Get him out of the room?

Trechechus

Yeah. Putting him in a different room is probably the best route.

BigTireFlipper

My BF's dog goes nuts and snaps when I exercise. I thought eventually he would get used to it, but instead he's getting weirder. Any ideas?

BF needs to step up to be the Alpha and teach the dog that the behavior is unacceptable. (through non-violent means of course). If the dog tends to behave only when BF is in the room then you'll need to learn some Alpha behavior to stop the dog from being a turd as well. I'm channeling Ceasar Milan here. Hit up Youtube for some great tips from dog trainers on how to teach the dog to behave properly. As an adult I've been a dog owner for over 25 years. I currently have a stubborn staffordshire terrier (bully breed) and have been through a lot of the same experiences. To quote Ceasar, "The human needs to be in charge." Best of luck.

fallingtrees

BF is Alpha. Dog wants to be Alpha. Dog is jealous of me, barks when I enter the room and gets between me and BF. Doesn't want me to sit on the couch next to BF, doesn't want to give up shotgun seat in the pickup, etc. Goes absolutely bananas over any display of affection between BF and me.

Dog is NOT allowed in the bedroom.

It would be easiest to put the dog out, but we really need to desensitize him, and to stop this jealous behavior. I've been living here over a year now. I've done the sit, stay bit, and given some of the meals and treats, and so forth, trying to assert myself as Alpha Female. Lately, though, the jealous behavior has escalated. He's started snapping at me and our other dog.

Part of the problem may be his breed--Australian Cattle Dog. I think my erratic movements trigger his predator/herding instincts. Although, our other dog is fine with my dancing, and when no one else is around, he'll join me. It's fairly comical. And I had a cattle dog before, and she was the sweetest, sunniest, most playful little thing. Chased cars, though.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

Full a kong with wet food, freeze it, then give it to him to play with whenever you exercise.

toronto_j

Lock him up in another room or get your BF to take him out for a walk.

AmykinsCatfood

My BF's dog goes nuts and snaps when I exercise. I thought eventually he would get used to it, but instead he's getting weirder. Any ideas?

BF needs to step up to be the Alpha and teach the dog that the behavior is unacceptable. (through non-violent means of course). If the dog tends to behave only when BF is in the room then you'll need to learn some Alpha behavior to stop the dog from being a turd as well. I'm channeling Ceasar Milan here. Hit up Youtube for some great tips from dog trainers on how to teach the dog to behave properly. As an adult I've been a dog owner for over 25 years. I currently have a stubborn staffordshire terrier (bully breed) and have been through a lot of the same experiences. To quote Ceasar, "The human needs to be in charge." Best of luck.

Caesar Milan is full of BS. Dogs don't think that way when they are domesticated. Just move the dog.

**Edit since I saw OP's second post.

Seriously the alpha thing is a bunch of crap. Domesticated dogs don't think the same way that wild dogs do so trying assert your dominance is only going to get you bitten. My best advice as a trained Veterinary Assistant is this: Spend more time alone with the dog. When the dog is fed (should be twice a day) YOU and ONLY YOU are going to feed it. This will establish a connection between you and the dog. You being around means food is coming, and to an animal that is probably the easiest way to bond with them.

Play with the dog constantly- wear him out. Working dogs without a job to do are bored and prone to aggression and herding behavior. If you have a big back yard, play fetch with him. Get him an obstacle course that he can learn to navigate for treats.. herding dogs absolutely LOVE these and they can be really inexpensive to build with boxes and things you have around the house. Do clicker training in the house so that when you click the clicker, he goes to a designated spot and stays there while you exercise. When you're done, give him some treats or play time.

It's not hard, you just need to be patient and work with the animal.

rowlandsw

I agree the dog needs more discipline, shove it into another room or crate it. That'll eventually get it to figure out if it acts up it's not going to like what happens. That or buy one of those electronic dog trainers and give it an earful.

tesha_chandler

I don't think it's that he needs to be punished, I think the dog probably doesn't understand what you're doing. Try going for a jog and taking him with you on a leash? It will help him adjust.

tibby531

Lock him up in another room or get your BF to take him out for a walk.

ooh! or take the dog for a power walk yourself. build up some good feels/rapport/sharing is caring, maybe?

keithaj1

Give him treats before and after you exercise. He will begin to associate your exercise with a treat and look forward to you working out.

caroldavison332

Consider power walks. running. Fetch aka toe touch with dog. Become the alpha. Only you feed. Give treats. Take for walks. No on couch or bed. Don't give him an earful of anything. Otherwise exercise in another room.

scottkjar

Caesar Millan did a great job with Cartman.

craftywitch_63

My BF's dog goes nuts and snaps when I exercise. I thought eventually he would get used to it, but instead he's getting weirder. Any ideas?

I have 5 dogs, one is a shepherd mix, one is a pit bull mix, two are Corgis and one is a Miniature Pinscher. I've trained dogs all my life, I trained my first dog at age 10, and that's been a while. Just saying that so you understand that I'm pretty good with dogs (okay, one doesn't necessarily follow the other but all five of mine mind pretty well.

My first question is: How do you get along with the dog at other times? If you have a pretty good relationship overall, you should be able to teach him better behavior.

Australian Cattle Dogs are herders, incredibly intelligent and very high energy. Try draining some of that energy before you exercise. Either you or your BF take the dog for a long walk, or better yet a run, or throw a ball, play with him at a really intense level. Really tire him out. Then exercise for a short while, like 5 mins. in front of him. Nothing fast or jerky. Do that for a couple of days and every couple of days increase the time that you work out, also increasing the intensity. This will not be quick and like any breathing entity he may occasionally backslide but he should become accustomed to your workouts in time.

That whole alpha dog thing? I'd like to SUE Cesar Milan for that c***!! He's dumber than any of his dogs. The only thing he knows is "dominate the dog." Really, Cesar, you massive dumb@ss? Some dogs do need to be shown who's boss sometimes but that's all the "One-Note Whisperer" can do.

:flowerforyou:

quicklabs

Cattle dog = If it's moving, I've got to herd it. It's hard wired instinct.
Best to exercise away from the dog. You have to pick your battles with a cattle dog.

Previous poster is dead on right about Cesar Milan--I can't even watch him, I get so angry. Clueless is right.

AllieBear88

Caesar Millan did a great job with Cartman.

BAHAHA

Tsst!!!

fallingtrees

BF has an expression: A good cattle dog is a tired cattle dog.

The weather finally broke today so we could take the dogs to the beach. Rocky about exploded when we got there, just a blur of flying sand. We did a lot of rowdy throwing of sticks into the surf. (Throw stick. Dog runs after stick, loses it in the surf. Sticks end up on beach. Run up and pick up abandoned sticks and run back out of the way of the next wave. Throw stick. Repeat. Trip over slower dog and get all wet anyway.)

He does like running through pipes, and I've thought that he'd like agility courses. We could build one in the construction yard, lol. He's used to going out on construction jobs, and winter has been very slow. He probably has a severe case of Cabin Fever.

This dog has never really liked anybody but his master. He does not play with other dogs, just bosses them around. He is jealous of me, and of the other dog. It's only lately, though, that he's gotten snappy and peevish.

I did talk with a veterinarian friend today, and she's going to get us connected with a trainer she uses. Meanwhile, the prescription is to have as much fun with the dog as I can, do the feeding and treat-giving for a while, get him to associate me with Fun.