Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Puppy
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    North Providence Rhode Island
    Posts
    5
    Thanked: 16

    Rescued pup is growling at people - help!

    We rescued a 9 m/o Chocolate purebred on Saturday - Within just a few
    hours he became very attached to the three of us (me, hubby & adult son) but is totally Mom's
    Cling on. Anyone who approaches him he growls and clings to my leg.
    Is he being protective of his new mom? Last night my son's girl came
    in with him and he went right to my son but would not go near the girlfriend
    and growled ...really growled .. I went and got "treats" and put them in her hand
    within a few minutes he was loving her. All we know is his owner "dumped" at an
    over crowded Shelter in Louisiana ..moving. How long was he there don't know. He came
    up north via 16 hr trip Fri/Sat. Gansett has had training: he's house broken, crate trained, walks
    very well on leash ...just the growling and very very skittish. How do we help him to over come this?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    most likely he is very afraid. might have had zero socialisation/did not meet any new people growing up. At least, I would guess this more than "protective" but it's a guess.

    I'd give him some quiet time with few guests and quiet walks if you can for now. If a guest comes by they should ignore him and an adult be away from the guest (as far as possible) and keep feeding him. He needs to be far enough where he is not growling and able to eat. once you are in the same room and he is "ok" (over many sessions) the guest can (still not looking at the dog) from a distance toss treats.

    He'll need a full desentization process with people. not pushing beyond what he is comfortable with and lots of reward in the presence of humans. and not overwhelming him.

    But I'd definitely recommend an assessment and working with a reputable trainer.

  3. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Tanya For This Useful Post:

    Annette47 (05-08-2017), Charlotte K. (05-08-2017), Labradorks (05-09-2017)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Doreen Davis's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    753
    Thanked: 607
    Hi there, congrats on your new pup. Our Stella is a rescue and our Anthony, while of great lineage and a great breeder, needed some time to get used to being in a real 'home'.

    Rescue pups need significant time to acclimate to their new surroundings. Even though they bond with you quickly, everything is very new to them.

    So I agree with Tanya, take everything slowly, have him on a regular schedule which they draw security and confidence from. We had a regular routine in the morning and evening i.e. feeding, napping, exercise etc. and that helped with confidence.

    We also found a reputable trainer with behavioral experience and had them evaluated....shy, unsocialized or whatever the assessment, once we had that as background we went about with training.....in our case we immediately went into a group training class...in your case they may recommend waiting a bit so as not to overwhelm.

    The final takeaway we had is to set these pups up for success, don't force friendly people on them, no matter how well meaning. Now that I have shyer dogs than the previous pets we owned, I am amazed how inappropriate my own interactions and those of others are to shy dogs. Bringing a hand over their head to pet them, looming over them or making sudden gestures....I now give people a mini training class before they encounter Anthony and Stella and we have progressed well.

    If this guy just came over the weekend I'd give him plenty of space, getting used to you, your house and your routine and then get the training/behavior evaluation and introduce new folks/situations slowly.

    Good luck and don't be afraid to holler, plenty of lab folks here happy to help/.

  5. #4
    Puppy
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    North Providence Rhode Island
    Posts
    5
    Thanked: 16
    Many thanks! Our two previous Labs (same liter) were totally different cause we had them from 8 weeks - 13 years old. So a rescue lab is all new and different to us. Our Zach & Sadie would go with anyone ... too trusting! lol In any event, our new baby will get all the love, time and patience he needs ... we are beyond full of so much love!

  6. #5
    Best Friend Retriever silverfz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Land of Holes
    Posts
    618
    Thanked: 182
    A rescued dog takes 3 months are to adjust as per alot articles i read. Bonding is the one thing you need to work on if any first . Fear will go once he get comfortable with the surrounding.


    Having said that we gave up on rocco after 3 weeks as he was growling at my 4 yr old son. We could not risk an incident. the rescue told us he was kid friendly. The rescue does not have a return policy . so we got lucky and found a local rescue that took him and found him a home. they did full evaluation and was deemed not kid friendly and he happly lives with a single lady and her other dog . She did tell us he does growl at little kids. We do miss him he was so sweet except the way he growled at my son. We just felt it was too risky with a small kid .We realized kids are just different in the eyes of the dog.

    good luck and i am sure he will feel more comfortable in a few weeks. Do start training right away. its a great bonding tool.

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •