Growling

My new Corgi seems to get along well with the other dogs she lives with---a husky mix and a hound mix, but every time they come near me she growls at them. Any advice on how to teach her nicely that it's okay?

Thanks again!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on January 21, 2009 at 8:13pm

Hey Maggie, could you tell us a little more background info? like how old, who was in the house first, gender, how they were introduce, how long have they been in the house together, what type of incident triggered what type of behavior?

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Permalink Reply by Maggie on January 21, 2009 at 8:15pm

Lady is almost 5... I actually just got her. Bella (the husky) was here first, then Maeby (the hound) was here second... they have been together for a few years now, and Lady has just moved in. We had Maeby outside, then let Lady out to meet her. They got along fine, just sniffed around. Then we let Bella out, and the same thing happened. Lady just seems to be nervous around them. She follows me around every where I go, and when the other dogs come to me she growls at them.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on January 21, 2009 at 8:40pm

ok, gotcha. Since Lady just arrived, it'll take her sometime to get used to the new environment, all the dogs in the house will need time to re-adjust and figure out the boundaries. Corgis love to be at the center of all attention, depending on her personality, she may be very independent once she gets comfortable, or she could be your shadow. Do you know anything about her past by any chance?

The proper way of introducing them to your dogs should be done at a mutual place, like a park a mile away from home, where there are many different scents, walk all the dogs together, tired them out, focus on walking, by the time your 1 mile walk is done, their energy should be drained. Once you get home, on leash and take her to every single room in the house, you may want to begin by feeding her separately on the other end of the house, corgis can be food possessive, to avoid an accident, you should separate them and feed them apart.

It will take around 2 solid weeks of work for everyone to settle in, when she growls, immediately snap her out of it and let her know that it is an unwanted behavior, you can say "er er" or any sound that you want her to ID with. direct her attention to you, make sure she does not escalate, the sooner you ID the "look" the better. Let us know if you have specific questions. Keep us updated!