Personality Changing?

takumi2takumi2
edited May 2009 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
My 1 1/2 year old neutered male shiaba, Takumi seems to be more quiet lately. When he was younger, he used to play with other dogs more. He does stil play a little with other dogs at dog park, but not as much as he used to be. He often looks at me and starts barking, asking ME to play with him. He used to chew everything in the house, but not amy more. I know chewing is a common practice for puppies and not destroing anything in the house is a good thing for owners. He mostly sleeps when he is in the house, and it seems to me that he is bored. I sometimes miss those days when he was a bad boy....lol
Also I've noticed lately that he sometimes gets a little aggressive (growling) when other dogs do something that he does not like (I don't know what it is, though) at dog park, even though nothing serious has happned so far, thanksfully.
I know every dog has different personality. Maybe I worry just because his personality now is not like what I want him to be.......a very playful dog.
Is he just maturing? Is there anything I should be worrying about? Please advise, folks!!

Comments

  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    First of all, growling is a means of communicating boundaries. He is telling the other dogs to back off and behave. As long as he is not escalating the situation I would not classify that as aggression.

    What you are describing is what most of us look forward to with our young dogs. Maturity. Take a momentary sigh of relief and enjoy it. You shouldn't be concerned.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited May 2009
    I agree with Jess. I think most (especially first time) dog owners expect their dog to stay (in spirit) a puppy forever. And there are breeds that do for a several years of their life. Allowing your dog to mature is a great and natural thing, a beautiful thing. You can still initiate play with your dog, you can still go romping through a field and play in a puddle. You can still chase the squirrels. Just not the same that a puppy does when first learning to experience the world around him. But your dog isn't a puppy anymore, embrace the change and find new ways to enjoy your time together!

    And how do I know?
    Because my little darlin' is about to turn two years old, and she's still a beautiful soul.
  • takumi2takumi2
    edited November -1
    Yes, I AM the first dog owner. I think there are still a lot to learn, then.
    Thank you for the comments, JessicaRabbit and tsukitsune. I am glad that I have people to ask anything about shibas. There are many knowlegeable and experienced people here!
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    I have been around dogs and owned dogs all my life - I learn new stuff daily (it seems) when it comes to my shiba. There'll still be times when your shiba just gets puppified all of a sudden and plays like crazy.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited May 2009
    Thats true, too, LJ! Pam (Hachi's mom) is finding that each and every day, Hachi gains more confidence and with that confidence comes more pure bliss.. she'll just play and play... She'll be 3 this year.
  • wliu003wliu003
    edited November -1
    mine is a weird case. ever since kelly has been spayed, her personality seems to have heightened. She has a TON more energy, more dominant and territorial(to other dogs), can be a little disobedient at times. maybe she has a late rebel stage? haha.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited May 2009
    It takes a few months for dogs (male and female) to stabilize their hormones after being spayed/neutered. Also people tend to WAY over use the word dominant in regards to canine behavior and often to apply it to situations where a dog is simply communicating. What are her displays or territorial dominance? Remember humping is often just juvenile play (rude, but play nonetheless).
    As far as occasional disobedience, unless you are 100% consistent with training, scheduling, and discipline; dogs sometimes are merely unsure of their owners expectations of them. We put astonishingly high(read:unrealistic) expectations on dogs. Considering they don't understand english, they are a completely different species, and we as a species are horrible communicators.
  • lepercannlepercann
    edited November -1
    I definitely agree about the maturity thing. Sounds like Takumi is just maturing. I remember when Sadie was a puppy she was INSANE, out of her mind, and so crazy. All of a sudden, at around 2 yrs old she calmed down and now she lays around a lot (at 7 yrs old). She still can be a little crazy Shiba, but mostly she is calm. Triton was born mellow I think. Nothing fazes him.
  • wliu003wliu003
    edited May 2009
    Jess- her dominance deals mostly with food and territory. Because she lives with 2 dogs (husky during the week and a maltese on the weekends) she was used to sharing. but since her spay, she has been growling anytime another dog gets close to her food, bed, or even in my room. one incidence there was actually a dog fight but luckily we had 4 guys there to quickly break things up and no dog was hurt. It is getting better though.

    also, its funny that you mentioned the humping, because she just started doing that too, maybe about a week ago. also, before her spay she used to mark her territory in other peoples yards, and she continues to do so after shes been spayed.

    I did mention that she can be a little disobedient at times, but to elaborate a little more, She will still respond and obey the commands but it just takes longer and more repeating for the command.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    What you are describing is not actually dominance. It is resource guarding. Something that is best handled with the guidance of an experienced behaviorist.
  • rockinhlabsrockinhlabs
    edited May 2009
    I guess I got lucky compared to some of the comments in this forum (or it's yet to come). My Skippy is 11 mo old male and he's is soooooooooo calm and loving. He does make his little "werf" when someone he doesn't know is coming up the drive or I'm not in his sight. However, I've never had to experience the craziness, chewing, etc. that other's discuss. He's wonderful around our labs and is a big baby when it comes to playing, tummy rubs and just hanging out. He was hand fed for 3 months then we were able to adopt him into our home. I'm wondering if that has anything to do with his laid back personality at such a young age????
  • jadatheshibajadatheshiba
    edited May 2009
    I had the privilege of watching Jenny's dog Pong Pong go from immature puppy to "maturityhood". You described exactly how she was to a T and how she changed to this calm submissive dog (who spends most of her time correcting Jada and Chloe).

    Having both a calm dog and a hyperactive Jada (who only gets tired after hours of running for about a 20 min nap and she'll be ready to destroy destroy destroy), I'm beyond impatient for the day Jada will calm down.

    It's funny though, the 1 1/2 day that Jada was off to get spayed, Pong Pong showed a lot more of her puppy playful side with her gone during walks and even in the house. I suppose she feels the need to show Jada correct behavior when she's there. And when she's not, she's a tad bit more playful than what I've grown accustomed to.
This discussion has been closed.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2024