Post by Jenn on Mar 16, 2007 17:23:32 GMT -2
Sophie will be 4 years old in about six months and her age is showing. She is getting grey around the eyes and snout and man, she is crotchety lately!
Last weekend, we dog-sat for a friend of ours. The dog is about a year and a half and really hyper. He is a blue heeler/boxer mix, so he's also pretty big.. but Sophie put him in his place several times. She doesn't like to play as much anymore, but if she wants to play, she will initiate play and when she has had enough, she lets you know.
Sometimes you don't even have to be playing for her to tell you off. The other day, Basil was just sitting by the coffee table, not doing anything. Just staring off into space like the spaz he is and Sophie walked past him and I guess Basil breathed the wrong way or something because she just lost it and went off on him. Chris jumped up to break it up because Basil could not get away on his own (she had him trapped between the table, Chris's leg, the couch and she was on the other side of him). She got in a LOT of trouble for that. I don't know where this is coming from, but it is driving me crazy.
A couple weeks ago, she managed to get a tiny piece of paper.. Maybe about an inch square, but we don't allow them to have paper anymore because it causes too many fights. I went to take it away from her and I stepped on the floor next to her ear (not ON it, NEXT to it) and she freaked out and BIT MY FOOT. She was put in time out in her crate for about 10 minutes after that.
She always seems to feel really bad afterwards and is very submissive, but just out of nowhere, she snaps and goes crazy. It's very frustrating and I hate that she is turning into this crotchety old dog. I feel so bad for Basil because I really think he is a little bit younger than the vet estimates him to be and I know that he just wants to play and hang out with Sophie.
I don't know what to do or even if there is anything I can do other than just keep an eye on them and break things up if it goes too far. I know there are going to be some fights here and there because they are always going to be trying to keep the pack order going, but GEEZ! Sophie is SUCH a little turd.
Last weekend, we dog-sat for a friend of ours. The dog is about a year and a half and really hyper. He is a blue heeler/boxer mix, so he's also pretty big.. but Sophie put him in his place several times. She doesn't like to play as much anymore, but if she wants to play, she will initiate play and when she has had enough, she lets you know.
Sometimes you don't even have to be playing for her to tell you off. The other day, Basil was just sitting by the coffee table, not doing anything. Just staring off into space like the spaz he is and Sophie walked past him and I guess Basil breathed the wrong way or something because she just lost it and went off on him. Chris jumped up to break it up because Basil could not get away on his own (she had him trapped between the table, Chris's leg, the couch and she was on the other side of him). She got in a LOT of trouble for that. I don't know where this is coming from, but it is driving me crazy.
A couple weeks ago, she managed to get a tiny piece of paper.. Maybe about an inch square, but we don't allow them to have paper anymore because it causes too many fights. I went to take it away from her and I stepped on the floor next to her ear (not ON it, NEXT to it) and she freaked out and BIT MY FOOT. She was put in time out in her crate for about 10 minutes after that.
She always seems to feel really bad afterwards and is very submissive, but just out of nowhere, she snaps and goes crazy. It's very frustrating and I hate that she is turning into this crotchety old dog. I feel so bad for Basil because I really think he is a little bit younger than the vet estimates him to be and I know that he just wants to play and hang out with Sophie.
I don't know what to do or even if there is anything I can do other than just keep an eye on them and break things up if it goes too far. I know there are going to be some fights here and there because they are always going to be trying to keep the pack order going, but GEEZ! Sophie is SUCH a little turd.
