Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Psycho Dog!

So when we first got Bentley he was a wonderful well behaved dog. Then he started giving me problems. When we first got him we let both dogs sleep in our room with us. But once we found out Bentley has awful allergies and sneezes and reverse sneezes so loud it would wake us up every night they got kicked out! This did not make Bentley happy. We moved his little bed just out of our room but he then adopted the body pillow that spends most of it's time next to the bed as his new bed. He was determined to let me know this was now his spot. It started out when I would go to get him and move him out of the room he would growl at me, but I could still pick him up and take him out. I just thought he was letting me know, hey I don't want to leave, I'm going to but I don't want to. Well then it progressed to him growling, bearing his teeth, then he added barking. Finally it progressed to the point that one night I had come up stairs to go to bed. Bentley was already up there, laying on "his" pillow. He saw/heard me coming up and didn't even wait for me to get to the room. He came at me down the hall. Now I know Bentley is a little dog but there are some big teeth in his mouth. And I was bitten by a dog as a child so I'm always a little nervous about that anyway. So I was pretty terrified. So terrified that I let out a scream that would have won an award it it had been in a horror movie! I sufficiently scared Brent! He came tearing out of the bed room and rescued me from our dog! Well I had a dog trainer at the house the next week (it would have been the next day, but our schedules wouldn't accommodate that) She gave me some great pointers, taught me a lot! She gave us a choke collar for him. She said the choke collar reminds them of the feel of being snatched up by Momma dog when they are pups and do some thing wrong. It speaks to there natural instinct. She said we had to be VERY consistent. Don't let him get away with so much as a growl! Time to put my foot down and show him who is top dog! Well as traumatizing as it was on me (I cried a good cry one night, I'm a silly girl) it seemed to be working. With a snap of my finger and a low stern out he would leave the room. I was SO happy and excited! We had honestly thought that if the training didn't work we would have to get rid of him. I can't have a dog that is coming after me! Just thinking about that makes me sad! But Bentley was responding very well to the training. There was like 4 days in a row with no problems! Then one night, Brent was already in bed, I was tired, Bentley went out of the room and as I was closing the door, he growled a little tiny growl. I thought I'm too tired I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that. That was a VERY bad decision! Now we has started back at day one. It is like I had done nothing at all! Worst thing, he seems to have gotten worse, like the little growl made him braver. He actually bit me a few days ago! Thank goodness he is little, the actual bite didn't hurt much. Although in talking to the trainer, we both don't think his intention was to hurt me since he didn't break skin. But the bruise it left was quite tender. Epically when I'm giving massages!!! So the trainer encouraged me to keep doing the training and be consistent and give it a week or two and see if he goes back to his good obedient self he was just getting to. If he gets any worse or does it again though.....I don't even want to think about it. That would be too sad! So pray our little Bentley can learn to be a nice dog!!! Here are a couple of pics of where he bit me!! You can't see too well but it gives you the idea.




1 comment:

The Bray Family said...

Be the leader of your little pack and make sure those dogs know it! I know you love him, but I'm so glad you know that you absolutely cannot have a dog that will bit you, even if he is little!
Be a good doggie Bentley!!