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Need help with keeta's behavior

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:42 pm
by sdasilva27
Hi all!
I've been away for a long time but I really need help!

Keeta's behavior is out of control and I'm at my wit's end. I now have a (human) son. When I became pregnant, keeta started to change. He forces himself to lay against the couch. If you're sitting above him and move, the couch cushion moves behind him and he snaps and growls at you (he even foams at the mouth). He at times will react the same way and snap at air if there isn't someone sitting there. He's made contact a few times. It's always been to adults but I'm worried that he may go at the baby one day (they're never alone together). He'll also lay on top of our feet and if you move, he snaps again. It also takes a good 5 min to get him in or outside (yes, even outside he seems to argue over)! He's never listened that well but now completely ignores everyone unless it's on his terms and he comes over asking for scratchies. We've taken him to the vet and they can't find anything wrong. We've tried to tell him no and act stern when he growls or snaps but he could care less. What else can we do? As I type this, I'm in another room with the baby, hubby isn't home and he's growling at air....

Re: Need help with keeta's behavior

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:19 pm
by Rory's Dad
Sounds like the changes at home aren't to his liking. Aside from the fact that he is not getting the attention he used to get, which he probably isn't thrilled with, their are new sounds, smells, and schedules that have upset his routine.

It's a tough cycle, but his behavior is also likely to be increasing your stress level, which he senses. The natural response from you is a harsh tone, etc which reinforces his perceived loss of status in 'the pack'. Since the vet doesn't see the dog in his home environment its difficult to assess an emotional situation, they just check for physical issues in most cases.

My female is not a very relaxed dog, she is clingy and stubborn at the same time. Our vet recommended pheromone aroma therapy. Not a 100% fix but it has made a huge difference with her. Not to recommend a brand, but I have copy/pasted a description of the benefit claims for you to see if it might be worth a try. It was pretty quick to see the change in Amber (almost instant to a few hours).



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Re: Need help with keeta's behavior

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 4:29 am
by sdasilva27
The odd thing is that he's not really into attention. Even before the baby, he just wanted to be left alone except to get food. He would take a few minutes to decide if he wanted to go outside and would lay at the couch. He just didn't start the growling and snapping until a couple months into the pregnancy. I wasn't even showing yet. We have several dog beds in the house and places he can lay where he won't be bothered but he refuses to use them. We had taken him to the vet to ensure that he wasn't in any physical pain that was changing his behavior.