# My dog growls at my when him and my girlfriend lying in bed



## BIG45-70 (Jan 21, 2011)

First a little background, we have a puggle named rocky that we have now had for 4 years. He started sleeping with us around a year old and everything has been fine up until about a year ago when his habit of growling and snapping started about a year ago.

Whenever I get up to go to work in the morning or even in the afternoon and she happens to be taking a nap and he's sleeping on the bed with her he will occasionally growl and if I move closer to say goodbye he will somtimes snap at me. He is visually uncomfortable when I move towards the bed. He did the same thing to her when our situations were reversed today. 

She was getting ready for work I and I was napping. She came onto the bed and rocky began to growl. 

One important detail it seems to happen when one of us is getting ready to leave (although I could be wrong.) He does seem to suffer from seperation anxiety and gets really worked up when we leave or when we come home, could it be cause by the stress of this? 

If we are going about are regular duties in the house and rocky is on the bed with one of us, he shows signs of being happy that we are there.

What can I do?


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## Mizuno (Jun 9, 2010)

... first things first... stop letting Rocky on the bed until Rocky knows that it is YOUR bed and not his.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

Yea I could say that this will only get worse if you don't correct it now and it starts with not allowing him to resource guard the bed or who is on it. If he is on the bed and he growls are snaps you need to have him get down immediately no exceptions and do not let him back on it till you tell him too. If he tries take him back the bed. I wouldn't even scold or reward with much verbal commands just so down and take him of the bed yourself. If he is biting you when you try to remove him from the bed that is a whole separate can of worms.

This can get to be a very dangerous habit if it contuies. My friend has chihuahuas and they have this twin sized bed they keep in the living room just for the dogs. They allowed them to take to resource guarding not only the bed but even a certain distance to the bed. They thought it was cute till one of them snipped my ankle for walking by to use the bathroom. If he can get away with guarding the bed then he get away with making anything his. 

It isn't like he is being mean or spiteful he just feels the bed belongs to him and he doesn't feel like someone being there.


however on the other hand.... If he dosen't do this all the time and he is only doing this when you say lean over to say good bye..maybe his vision is messing with him when you go over his head or to the side of him. Can't always assume its just resource guarding but I would say it's prolly the first thing to try and deal with and go from there.


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## Silvicen (Dec 30, 2010)

I totally agree that this needs to be nipped in the bud. If it were one of my dogs there would defenitely be no invitations to my bed. 

You might want to check out N.I.L.I.F. (Nothing in life is free)


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

This is why I'm strictly opposed to dogs on any furniture, esp the bed, mine have their own beds (puppy has her crate) that they sleep in NOT MY BED.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

See I love my dog being able to snuggle with me on the couch and bed. I see no issue with WHEN there IS no problem. You just happen to be given a hurdle to deal with. I don't feel you have to make the dog stay off the furniture forever you just really need to get him to understand YOU control when and what he is allowed to be on and that signs of aggression result in losing furniture privileges.


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## BEX&NYX (Aug 4, 2009)

In a non-confrontational setting (only one person in the room) teach him that "off" means he has to get off the bed. Always reward him for getting off but never for getting on. Then when he shows signs of aggression you'll have a safe way to remove him from the bed and stop his aggression.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

Also remember that physically moving the dog off the bed dosen't really teach him anything. My MIL came over and was in my daughter's room helping her make her bed when the dog came in and jumped on the bed. She yanked my dog by the collar and kept yelling bad dog off now .the next thing I heard was my daughter screaming NO THAT IS WRONG. I thought she was yelling at the dog, to my surprise she was yelling at grandma ( this was delt with later since we don't yell at our elders lol) I went upstairs and my daughter was russeling in her backpack and got a pretzel bag from school and said off the bed lela and she got off and she gave her a pretzel. She said Go to m ommy lela and then lela kinda turned to look at me like "mom is already spying on us"

I was thrilled to see my daughter take the upperhand though and show my MIL that yelling and yanking at the dog isn't going to get any positive effects. Teach "off" or "down" is actually pretty simple if your consistant. I even tought lela the difference between off and scooch over, so she knows when I want her down and she knows when i just need her to move over a bit for me to sit down or fix a cushion or what have you.


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## BEX&NYX (Aug 4, 2009)

"scooch over" !! That's awesome!


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

yea that when took a while I think she caught on to my hand gesture more then the verbal cue. for down or off its always a snap with my finger and then i point to the floor with scooch it a sideways wave of the hand in the direction I want her to go. Took about two weeks before she kinda caught onto it, which for not to really be training it and more it just becoming a habbit that isn't bad.


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