Here are a few current pictures She is changing so much! She is just over 10 weeks old now. Loves to play. She resource guards a bit and we are working on that..... if our small dog gets near something 'important' to Kameko she turns all psycho puppy but we will work through it. Socialization is going very well, too.
@cdenney, yes, they are! I took a few pictures of her and she had one partially floppy ear and one erect ear. I took Kuma out for about 30 minutes or so and when we came in her other ear was up! It shocked me a little lol
@ttddinh, thank you! I'll try to remember to post new pictures now and then
Just an update: Kameko is doing great. She is such a sweet pup and very intelligent. She is 12 weeks old (as of this past Thursday) and mostly house trained (has the occasional accident but rarely has any these days!!). We have been socializing, socializing and socializing some more and she is doing great with that. Today she met a Border Collie and an Australian Shepherd mix and got to visit for a little bit and did well. She has a wild and free spirit but shows a great deal of restraint for one so young. You can tell she really wants to pounce or chew or whatever and then it looks like she thinks about it and decides to leave it! She has learned to wait for me to give the go words to eat so food manners are perfect now. All in all- wonderful pup and I am so happy to have her! Pictures to come soon!
Oops my previous comment got saved from your last update instead of posted. She's adorable She looks very attentive to what you're doing in the pictures. Glad to hear she's growing up as a well mannered little girl. More pictures I bet she's growing like a weed!
I had to upsize Kameko's crate....... again LOL This should be the size she needs for a long time to come. She doesn't have the picky food crazies that Kuma has shown us (THANKFULLY!) and she is food motivated (for now anyway) so training is going pretty well. She is getting some red undertones on her back and neck. She is a hoot and is always a rock star at the pet store lol people seem to be drawn to her and she laps up the attention...... usually.
New pictures coming soon. She has grown/changed so much since she came to us!
Has anyone's AA pup shown food aggression at around 4 months old? Any suggestions for working through it? It is only when one of the other dogs nears her crate. Everyone eats in their crate except Kuma.
Kameko will be 4 months old on the 18th. Just recently she started growling and nipping if the other dogs neared her crate while I was measuring or serving food. Any ideas?
Calling the trainer tomorrow but wanted your thoughts.
Alright, I type this with a heavy heart. Trainer suggests hand feeding so I did that during all feedings today. Tonight I went to change out her blankie and give her a fresh one (in her crate) and she snarled and growled and did a half hearted snap. I was on my hands and knees when this happened and was half in and half out of the crate, which I have done hundreds of times. Making some calls tomorrow to try to get some help working through this. I love this dog and have to help her. Something isn't right here....... She has been a dream until recently. I can stroke anywhere and she seems happy when I do it. I can clip her nails with no problem. Bath time is fine. Vet checked her out and she is healthy........ It seems to revolve around feeding and was focused towards other dogs until the crate incident a few minutes ago. Any ideas?
She has been with us since she was 3 1/2 weeks old, I use positive reinforcement only, she is continually socialized in and out of the home with people of all ages and dogs, her crate is now in our living room, she is pretty obedient, she has loads of toys/chews, and I can't think of anything else that might be relevant but will answer whatever questions I need to. I am not new to this and this is not the first dog I have had with aggression problems but it is the first one to start this young and, honestly, I am so close to this that my emotions are clouding my ability to think outside the box at the moment and I need some input please.
i know you have a multidog home, since she has hit her early tweens has her status at home changed or is she angsty about her position in your pack? it seems she is resource guarding her food and crate which would imply violations to it from somewhere, what have your other animals been up to?
Well I'm not sure about pack relationships but I've been through the exact same thing as you with Mika at four months old. She's nine and a half months now.
With two to four dogs together for feeding depending on the day of the week, Mika is fed in her crate at my mom's house. My sister's puppy is fed in hers. She's Mika's age. Mei who is a notorious resource guarder can be fed outside of her crate, and we have to keep food from her crate because it makes it worse. Koda is fed out and can be fed with anyone so him and Mei are fed out together. Does that all make sense?
My niece was helping me feed the puppies. She let Mika out and didn't pick up the bowl. Her puppy Minnie ran over to check out her bowl and Mika attacked. She went for a bite not a warning. Luckily I was close enough by to scoop her up. I almost got bit. That was the first time we had an incident. I have got to admit her temper shook me up because she was so young. I thought for a second that she might grow up to be hell on wheels.
Another time she spilled water in her crate and I went to take the bed out. She came running up and snapped an inch from my eye.
There's been a couple other incidents like her in her crate another dog walks by and she goes off on them inside. Mei does the same thing so I'm used to it.
I personally see it as normal behavior. I'm not scared of Mika or Mei. They live their crates and they guard their space from other dogs. What I do is make sure that their crates are kept from other dogs and that everyone lives by the rule not to go near each other's crates. Mei's crate is in the back spare bedroom. Mika's crate was pulled into another spare bedroom and when we feed everyone is separate. If I need to change out bedding I just go in the room and do it without Mika in there.
Now that Mika is older, her crate has come back out to the living room. The other dogs don't go near it and we don't have issues. Over time she began to trust me more. I can now go in and give her rubs goodnight and she doesn't care. She would growl at me when she was younger.
I say manage it. You know the triggers make sure they don't happen until you can figure it out.
@cdenney, I have thought about all of that, too. I am very consistent about each dogs crate being their own and the dogs are not allowed in each others crate at all and I start this from day one. Each dog has his/her own food bowl that is strictly his/hers. Everything is pretty much the same as always with the exception of moving her crate downstairs to the living room. We made this move because of her resource guarding food. She is the only dog downstairs before/during/and for a little while after feeding times. Everyone but Kuma eats in his/her crate and always has and we did this to keep down conflict. Thank you and keep the thoughts coming
@tjbart17, thank you for all of the information. We did move the crate to separate the dogs and I hope that helps. We will manage it as best we can. Luckily we have the space to spread the crates out! Normally changing out the blankie was something she would follow me into the crate for until tonight. This is the first time she has growled or snapped at me. She could have made contact if she had chosen to because I was not expecting it so she did show restraint by giving the warning and not following through with the snap. All of these triggers are popping up out of the blue so as I see/learn them I will avoid them (if that makes sense!). And don't worry about typo's.... I appreciate the input, typo's and all
@Kuma123, Our JA puppy was exhibiting signs of resource guarding toys and food towards other pups during pup social and pup classes when she was about 4-5 months old. She never exhibited any snapping/growling behavior towards the humans though Given her triggers were other puppies, we either took away the toy so there's no source of conflict, or gave her more treats when another puppy approached so she'd associate other pups in proximity with good things, but I don't think either of these methods make sense in your situation.
Can you describe the relative positions and distance where you, Kameko and the other dogs are when you say "she will be growling and nipping if the other dogs neared her crate" when you are measuring and serving food?
Honestly I'm more worried about the Kameko snapping at you when you reach into the crate to change the blanket. The way I'd manage it would be to lure her out of the crate with a puzzle toy or a chew treat to occupy her, and then get into her crate to change her blanket.
Kameko's also at the age where she's starting to teeth and possibly grouchy/in pain when she's hanging in her crate. Do we know enough to rule out that she doesn't have physical discomfort and doesn't want to be bothered?
It seems she is resource guarding her food and crate which would imply violations to it from somewhere.
This does not have to be the case. Dogs and people can develop a fear of something (which is what resource guarrding is) without ever having a bad experience with it. You don't have to be bitten by a spider to be phobic of them. There is no reason to assume that her resources (crate, food) have been taken from her by the other dogs or people.
@Kuma123 You say she got a clean bill of health from the vet. What exactly did they check? Specifically, did they do a urinalysis or a thyroid panel? What bloodwork? How about her teeth?
When a dog is unwell it can act out to a more extreme degree because it knows it is sick (therefor vulnerable) and feels more threatened than normal. We discovered this was the case with Mosura's fear problems. She had an antibiotic resistant UTI for who knows how long. As soon as we discovered it and got special meds for it, all of her health problems cleared up -- and her behavior turned around too! She was suddenly willing to come up to and meet strangers in her yard and and no further incidents of terror at objects when a visitor had been at the house. Not to say that the UTI caused her fear, but feeling unwell and vulnerable definitely seemed to increase her fear.
I asked about teeth because a bad tooth can be very painful and easily missed in most vet visits.
Do you think that her leaving her mother at such a young age had anything to do with this behavior? Puppies learn vital things from their parents during those first weeks. What the cut off week is is debatable, but I would think 3.5 weeks is too early. Im sure others can chime in on this in regards to what puppies learn with their mothers, , as im sleepy and my brain hurts and im done typing, lol
(That's definitly not to say you did a bad thing by taking her away so young, not what I mean to imply. I read the situation you were in and I absolutly commend you on taking her in and giving her a good home!! Youre doing well thus far
@rikumom, when the growling and nipping started Kameko was in her crate and Kuma and Jerzzee were in the middle of the room waiting for me to measure and give out the food so I would say probably 4+ feet away from her but this growling was quick/minimal and she acted completely normal after that for a couple days. Now it is if the dogs come within a couple feet of the cage while food is being measured or served. But now that she is in the living room this will not be an issue. I have a gate at the top of the stairs and I close it about 15 minutes before meal time to keep the other dogs away from her when she is getting ready to eat or eating.
@poeticdragon, we had a CBC panel done, checked teeth thoroughly because she tripped coming up the steps and banged her mouth, fecal, and general exam. We did not do a urinalysis or thyroid testing but I can definitely have that done. I really appreciate your post! I am calling the vet back this morning to get her in again......
@jellyfart, I understand what you are saying and I took no offense at all I have taken in numerous pups at various ages (even younger than Kameko) when the situation required it and she is the first to show these signs. Out of the pups I have raised myself they tend to be more affectionate/eager to please and velcro dogs instead of this behavior. We have made sure she has/had lots of time with other pups to learn from each other as they would with their siblings, etc. (I'll go into more detail here if needed).
Comments
@saya, she is 10 weeks old now and is taller and kind of lanky so I do need to post more pictures.
@shibamistress, thank you! She is doing very well. Eats like a pig, too haha
@ttddinh, thank you! I'll try to remember to post new pictures now and then
Kameko is doing great. She is such a sweet pup and very intelligent. She is 12 weeks old (as of this past Thursday) and mostly house trained (has the occasional accident but rarely has any these days!!). We have been socializing, socializing and socializing some more and she is doing great with that. Today she met a Border Collie and an Australian Shepherd mix and got to visit for a little bit and did well. She has a wild and free spirit but shows a great deal of restraint for one so young. You can tell she really wants to pounce or chew or whatever and then it looks like she thinks about it and decides to leave it! She has learned to wait for me to give the go words to eat so food manners are perfect now. All in all- wonderful pup and I am so happy to have her! Pictures to come soon!
@ttddinh,
She is a hoot and is always a rock star at the pet store lol people seem to be drawn to her and she laps up the attention...... usually.
New pictures coming soon. She has grown/changed so much since she came to us!
Kameko will be 4 months old on the 18th. Just recently she started growling and nipping if the other dogs neared her crate while I was measuring or serving food. Any ideas?
Calling the trainer tomorrow but wanted your thoughts.
She has been with us since she was 3 1/2 weeks old, I use positive reinforcement only, she is continually socialized in and out of the home with people of all ages and dogs, her crate is now in our living room, she is pretty obedient, she has loads of toys/chews, and I can't think of anything else that might be relevant but will answer whatever questions I need to. I am not new to this and this is not the first dog I have had with aggression problems but it is the first one to start this young and, honestly, I am so close to this that my emotions are clouding my ability to think outside the box at the moment and I need some input please.
With two to four dogs together for feeding depending on the day of the week, Mika is fed in her crate at my mom's house. My sister's puppy is fed in hers. She's Mika's age. Mei who is a notorious resource guarder can be fed outside of her crate, and we have to keep food from her crate because it makes it worse. Koda is fed out and can be fed with anyone so him and Mei are fed out together. Does that all make sense?
My niece was helping me feed the puppies. She let Mika out and didn't pick up the bowl. Her puppy Minnie ran over to check out her bowl and Mika attacked. She went for a bite not a warning. Luckily I was close enough by to scoop her up. I almost got bit. That was the first time we had an incident. I have got to admit her temper shook me up because she was so young. I thought for a second that she might grow up to be hell on wheels.
Another time she spilled water in her crate and I went to take the bed out. She came running up and snapped an inch from my eye.
There's been a couple other incidents like her in her crate another dog walks by and she goes off on them inside. Mei does the same thing so I'm used to it.
I personally see it as normal behavior. I'm not scared of Mika or Mei. They live their crates and they guard their space from other dogs. What I do is make sure that their crates are kept from other dogs and that everyone lives by the rule not to go near each other's crates. Mei's crate is in the back spare bedroom. Mika's crate was pulled into another spare bedroom and when we feed everyone is separate. If I need to change out bedding I just go in the room and do it without Mika in there.
Now that Mika is older, her crate has come back out to the living room. The other dogs don't go near it and we don't have issues. Over time she began to trust me more. I can now go in and give her rubs goodnight and she doesn't care. She would growl at me when she was younger.
I say manage it. You know the triggers make sure they don't happen until you can figure it out.
@tjbart17, thank you for all of the information. We did move the crate to separate the dogs and I hope that helps. We will manage it as best we can. Luckily we have the space to spread the crates out! Normally changing out the blankie was something she would follow me into the crate for until tonight. This is the first time she has growled or snapped at me. She could have made contact if she had chosen to because I was not expecting it so she did show restraint by giving the warning and not following through with the snap. All of these triggers are popping up out of the blue so as I see/learn them I will avoid them (if that makes sense!). And don't worry about typo's.... I appreciate the input, typo's and all
Our JA puppy was exhibiting signs of resource guarding toys and food towards other pups during pup social and pup classes when she was about 4-5 months old. She never exhibited any snapping/growling behavior towards the humans though Given her triggers were other puppies, we either took away the toy so there's no source of conflict, or gave her more treats when another puppy approached so she'd associate other pups in proximity with good things, but I don't think either of these methods make sense in your situation.
Can you describe the relative positions and distance where you, Kameko and the other dogs are when you say "she will be growling and nipping if the other dogs neared her crate" when you are measuring and serving food?
Honestly I'm more worried about the Kameko snapping at you when you reach into the crate to change the blanket. The way I'd manage it would be to lure her out of the crate with a puzzle toy or a chew treat to occupy her, and then get into her crate to change her blanket.
Kameko's also at the age where she's starting to teeth and possibly grouchy/in pain when she's hanging in her crate. Do we know enough to rule out that she doesn't have physical discomfort and doesn't want to be bothered?
@Kuma123 You say she got a clean bill of health from the vet. What exactly did they check? Specifically, did they do a urinalysis or a thyroid panel? What bloodwork? How about her teeth?
When a dog is unwell it can act out to a more extreme degree because it knows it is sick (therefor vulnerable) and feels more threatened than normal. We discovered this was the case with Mosura's fear problems. She had an antibiotic resistant UTI for who knows how long. As soon as we discovered it and got special meds for it, all of her health problems cleared up -- and her behavior turned around too! She was suddenly willing to come up to and meet strangers in her yard and and no further incidents of terror at objects when a visitor had been at the house. Not to say that the UTI caused her fear, but feeling unwell and vulnerable definitely seemed to increase her fear.
I asked about teeth because a bad tooth can be very painful and easily missed in most vet visits.
(That's definitly not to say you did a bad thing by taking her away so young, not what I mean to imply. I read the situation you were in and I absolutly commend you on taking her in and giving her a good home!! Youre doing well thus far
Keep us posted!!
@poeticdragon, we had a CBC panel done, checked teeth thoroughly because she tripped coming up the steps and banged her mouth, fecal, and general exam. We did not do a urinalysis or thyroid testing but I can definitely have that done. I really appreciate your post! I am calling the vet back this morning to get her in again......
@jellyfart, I understand what you are saying and I took no offense at all
I have taken in numerous pups at various ages (even younger than Kameko) when the situation required it and she is the first to show these signs. Out of the pups I have raised myself they tend to be more affectionate/eager to please and velcro dogs instead of this behavior. We have made sure she has/had lots of time with other pups to learn from each other as they would with their siblings, etc. (I'll go into more detail here if needed).
it sounds like the resource guarding related aggression towards other dogs is being managed. You be safe changing her bedding.
(this one is so you can see her red around her ears)