How can you stop the jealousy?

[londontami 4]

romeo, my 1.5 y.o shih tzu bichon has become extremely jealous if another animal even gets close to me - he chases them like he wants to kill them. he does something else which i find pretty odd:

one day i was laying on the bed, he was laying kinda next to me. one of my cats (a male who is his best friend) came up and got next to me and romeo was right next to him - however, he chose to jump down off the bed and go around to the side where the cat was so he could jump up and down and bark ? he could have just barked at him right where he was, but instead he chose to jump down and run around the bed to do it?

i have another female cat that he continually chases if i turn my back - if she gets any where near me, he could be sleeping and if he just hears her name, he gets up and goes crazy and wants to chase her.

it all comes down to jealousy - he wants me all to himself. he also sits on top of my lap a lot and my husband says that is bad to let him do that. i've never heard anything about that, but he says something about dominating me???

he is my first shih tzu and i am not used to this behaviour or any behaviour problems actually. is it too late to do anything about it?

[oOShih Tzu LoveOo 426]

It's never too late. It does sound like he is dominating you. He "claims" you, which is why he act's that way when another animal comes around you. What kind of training has he had? I always highly recommend NILF training. He need's to know that he get's NOTHING without working for it. I've done it with all of my dog's and have NEVER had a problem with them dominating me. A dog (or any pet for that matter) need's to know their place. ALL human's are "above" them. If I were you, I would start training NOW. It could escalate to him biting human's.

Here are some helpful link's about NILF training:

http://www.terrificpets.com/articles/102212265.asp

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/nothingfree.htm

Also, when he goes after the cat's (or does anything to terrorize them), grab him by the scruff and FIRMLY say "no!".

Good luck!

[GMA 981]

Best advice you will ever hear.

[londontami 4]

those links are interesting - the method, not so sure its for me.

i guess i am letting him dominate me though, that is something i need to cut out. i like having my dog get on the bed or sofa when he likes, that's just not something i've ever been concerned about. whether its right or wrong, its the way i like it.

thanks for hte input though.

[oOShih Tzu LoveOo 426]

those links are interesting - the method, not so sure its for me.

i guess i am letting him dominate me though, that is something i need to cut out. i like having my dog get on the bed or sofa when he likes, that's just not something i've ever been concerned about. whether its right or wrong, its the way i like it.

thanks for hte input though.

You have to establish your dominance somehow. Right now he KNOWS you are his and it could be hard to change that, especially if you don't know much about training dog's and the way they think. I don't control when mine get on the couch or the bed. I just take the important part's of the training and use them the way it works for me. My dog's NEVER walk out of the door before I do, they've learned to stay back until I'm out. For treat's they always have to do a trick, they aren't just given.

Dog's are pack animal's and NEED structure. Before I knew anything about training, they had NO structure and weren't very happy. Not that I did it on purpose, but I didn't know any better. Now they know their place in the pack, they are 1,000 times happier and I see that everyday .

If you aren't willing to do NILF training, I would highly advise you to hire a professional trainer. It's not a question as to IF he will start biting humans, it's WHEN! That could turn into a serious problem, small dog or not, it's a liability.

Good luck!

Edited March 19, 2013 by oOShih Tzu LoveOo

[oOShih Tzu LoveOo 426]

Here is a link on how to establish and keep dominance over your dog:

http://www.dogbreedi...topdogrules.htm

Also, here is a quote from one of the articles on their page:

"When dogs live with humans, the humans become their pack. Whether you realize it or not, your dog has an order of the pack in its head. In a lot of households the leader is the dog. It is very stressful for a dog to have to take over the role of leading humans as it can never be in complete charge. Humans will always do things the dog does not approve of, for example, leave the house for work. It is when dogs perceive themselves as the leader in the house that a lot of unwanted behaviors emerge. Some humans deem these behaviors as "traits" and "personality." A lot of humans tolerate the bad behaviors, but a very large percentage of humans do not. They get rid of the dog for behaviors that absolutely could have been corrected if the humans had changed their ways. Dogs are one of the most misunderstood animals in the world.

One story that comes to mind is about a man who had just rescued a Labrador Retriever. He said that for the first few weeks the dog would just look at him and growl. He gave the dog lots of love and affection. Then one day the dog walked up to him and pushed its nose into his arm begging to be loved back. He said from that point forward the dog loved him back. The reality is that the dog was growling at the new owner in order to establish who was going to run the new pack. When the dog was satisfied that the new owner was below him in the order he went over and demanded to be petted by pushing into the human, nudging his arm up. When the human complied to the dog’s demand and pet the dog the deal was set; the Lab was now the leader of the new pack. The owner had said that the dog loves him but is not so sure about everyone else. This was not the dog loving him, it was the dog taking over.

This Labrador Retriever will now have to live out his life trying to control a human who will sometimes listen to him but sometimes not. This will put a great deal of stress on the Lab. A dog that is living with humans and is in charge of the humans is not a happy dog, but a stressed dog, as he will always be worried with trying to keep the humans in line and safe from harm."

Edited March 19, 2013 by oOShih Tzu LoveOo

[londontami 4]

well this is a lot of food for thought. i am looking for a trainer right now. while i love his playful personality and how loving he is, you are right, he is in charge. its tough though cause he is a lot faster than me!!! hahahaha. he can get up the stairs and chase after the cat in zero to 60 in under 2 seconds!

thanks for the input, i guess i have to take the bully by the horns (so to speak!)

Edited March 21, 2013 by londontami

[oOShih Tzu LoveOo 426]

well this is a lot of food for thought. i am looking for a trainer right now. while i love his playful personality and how loving he is, you are right, he is in charge. its tough though cause he is a lot faster than me!!! hahahaha. he can get up the stairs and chase after the cat in zero to 60 in under 2 seconds!

thanks for the input, i guess i have to take the bully by the horns (so to speak!)

I'm not saying he won't be loving and playful at all. Both of mine are still very loving and playful. Just a lot happier now that they have a stable pack .

[londontami 4]

tiny update - i have started to implement just a few things and i am seeing a small change already. i go out the door first and come back in first, and he actually was looking for me to do this . . .

he now has to sit before he gets his food.

i no longer let him sit on my lap, unless i invite him. i am being calm but stern in teaching him to listen to me and the word NO. he is actually starting to come around...!!!

[oOShih Tzu LoveOo 426]

tiny update - i have started to implement just a few things and i am seeing a small change already. i go out the door first and come back in first, and he actually was looking for me to do this . . .

he now has to sit before he gets his food.

i no longer let him sit on my lap, unless i invite him. i am being calm but stern in teaching him to listen to me and the word NO. he is actually starting to come around...!!!

Great news! Now just keep it up and you will see a whole new dog. They love having structure .

[Luna 8,676]

Good start! You can build on that easily. Did you notice that Romeo seems a little - well - relieved? :)

[londontami 4]

he was showing me all the signs that he wanted to have a leader in the pack - i just didnt see them! he is so eager to please, its unbelievable. the fact that i am seeing an improvement already is so encouraging! thanks for opening my eyes!