Jealous dog

Are your dogs jealous of people you love? When my boyfriend hugs me, my Homer almost always barks and jumps. It's annoying and I don't know what to do with it. When the three of us are walking in the park, my boyfriend can't hold my hand because if he do, Homer tries to bite him. It was funny at the beginning but now it's not . Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Claudine, Misha started to exhibit this behavior after my Dad died. I think she had become protective of me during that strange period when she had her breakdown. I didn't realize it until one day she was on my lap and she growled and snapped at my youngest niece.

It was then I realized that this behavior could be dangerous. What I've done is if she acts like this in anyway, she is scolded and she goes on the floor. She loses her privilege of being on my lap. I also make sure when people come over, especially new people, that she is on the floor. I don't want to encourage her to protect me.

Do you ever watch the Dog Whisperer? The very first episode might be helpful for you. There was a little dog called NuNu who had become protective of one of the people in the household. So much so, the other person could not sit next to her without being attacked. Cesar Millan provided some good tips on how to break the protectiveness and stop the dog from being territorial.

Here is the video if you never saw it. This dog might be farther gone than your dog, but I think you might recognize some behavior. Also, note that NuNu was very small like Homer.

 

I guess some dogs are protective of their owners, and could get jealous of others who are close to them. As for whether I have had a dog be jealous of another person, no this hasn't happened. But I do have a dog Buddy who is jealous of my other dog Oso, and this is the first time I have encountered this. I have had multiple dogs in the past, but never had them be jealous of each other. But Buddy when we are showing Oso attention such as petting him, has to run over and nudge Oso out of the way. So I have a dog who is jealous of my other dog.

 

The closest thing to jealously Mishka does is when she wants to join in on any kinda of affection. Nothing really to be concerned about but if I'm being the slightest bit romantic, I'm forever looking over my shoulder. Mishka will come over and try to get between us. She also has the habit of putting her tongue out a little as if she wants to be kissed.

 

Thank you for your responses. Melody, I haven't seen this video before, it might be helpful, thank you. This problem with Homer is really bothering me. Right now I'm just trying to ignore his barking when my boyfriend is near. Maybe he'll get used to it? I've noticed another strange behaviour - Homer gets very angry not only when other people are touching me abut also when I'm stroking myself. I guess he is the only one who can be petted by me. He is also quite jealous of my parents and my sister. Maybe he wants all the attention?

 

From my experience with a girlfriend from long ago whose dog bit me on the earlobe when I sat on the edge of her bed I never got used to it. My ear lobe itched for years and it was a reminder.
I certainly hope you can iron out Homers behaviour. I would see about consulting an animal behaviourist.There are plenty out there.
http://www.justanswer.com/sip/dog-t...C=1&JPAF=txt&JPMT=b&JPNW=g&JPCD=20120611&Jclt

 

No, no, what I meant was that I hope that Homer will get used to the fact that I actually want to be hugged by my boyfriend . Nobody is allowed to bite my boyfriend, not even Homer . Thank you for the link, It might be helpful!

 

Has your boyfriend tried playing with your dog? Maybe if they go for some walks together or play with some toys together, it'll break the ice and he won't see him as such a threat?

 

Thank you for your response, but unfortunately this won't work: Homer already likes to play with my boyfriend. He also likes when my boyfriend is petting him. Everything seems perfectly fine until my boyfriend tries to touch me in Homer's presence. I think that Homer wants all the attention on himself.

 

Dogs will try and run the roost, if you don't instill some discipline into them when they're displaying unwanted behaviour. I don't always subscribe to Cesar Millan's way of doing things, because I don't hold a lot of faith in his dominance theory in relation to dogs. I DO agree with the fact that he shows people how to make sure their dog understands who's boss, but I don't necessarily think he goes about it the right way.

One thing you might want to consider, is crate training. You'll need to be prepared for some very sorry sounding whining and barking, but ultimately, it's a good way of making sure the dog understands that you're in charge. Give him the chance to behave nicely the next time you and your boyfriend get close, and if he doesn't, simply pick him up, and put him inside the crate. Let him make as much noise and whining as he wants to, and just ignore him. Be close with your boyfriend, don't pay attention to the dog, and let the dog see through the crate, that you and your partner are doing it, regardless of whether he likes it or not.

If he settles down in the crate, let him out, and see what happens when you and your boyfriend cuddle up again. If he kicks off some more, put him back in the crate, and repeat until he gets it that he ISN'T in charge of your cuddle time. It might take some time to get through to him, but keep at it. At some point, you might be able to cuddle with the BOTH of them, and not have to worry about Homer being awkward.

 

I'm not sure if I have enough of a strong will to do this . I'm a little ashamed to say this, but Homer always does what he wants and this would be a shock to him. He is small so he can't be dangerous and I never thought that it's so important to train him. Most of the time he is a very lovely dog and he is friendly but this jealousy really is a problem.

 

It would be a shock to him, because he's been allowed to do as he pleases for his life, but what you have to think about is--do you want him to carry on interrupting the time with your boyfriend? You're supposed to be above him in your hierarchy, but at the moment it sounds like he's ruling the roost. It must be bothering you somewhat, because you've asked the question. Crate training is one of the best methods of dealing with things like this, because it ALSO gets your dog used to being in a crate, so it's not seen as a CAGE, but as a place of calmness. A lot of dogs that go through crate training end up sleeping in there all the time, because they associate it with being restful.

It's always important to train your dog, no matter what size they are. Letting them run riot means things like this happen. He might be small, but what if he bit someone? Small teeth can make very deep marks. These are all things to keep in mind.

 

Thank you, I'm sure it's a great advice. You just need to understand that I'm not a reasonable person at all when I think that my Homer is unhappy. But I guess a little of discipline would be good for him. I'm doing my best to make things better

 

That's quite clear, although I should warn you that if you ever decide to take him to some formal dog training, a dog trainer will probably tell you that you need to harden up just a little bit, in order to help you and your dog. Giving him what he wants all the time won't help him, in fact it's got the potential to make him worse. He sounds as if he is very protective of you and very territorial which is what we want from our dogs in terms of guardianship, but you can teach him to be the same way, in a more positive manner.

Good luck.