Hello all, I have done a search and read posts on this 'problem' but I am wondering if my scenario is something different.

My 5.5 y/o pup has exibited crate aggression when other animals walk by and occasionally when humans walk by and she has food. We simply moved her crate to a private room and have had no problems. I am able to put her there, ask for a sit, and feed her no problem.

Yesterday I was putting her in her crate (btw, this is a 9 pound dog in an extra large crate. Never had a accident, so I assumed this was OK) and I leaned in while she was going in--I was going to adjust her bed at the back of the crate. She snarled and snapped at me. I just removed myself and walked away. Lesson learned.

But then last night we were watching a moving and had the puppy on our bed. She was just lying quietly with us. One of the cats wondered over to the foot of the bed and she lunged and snarled at him!

The puppy is very comfortable with the cats, they sometimes play and she will ignore them when I ask for attention. She has never snarled at them before--except when they walked by her crate when she was eating (before we moved the crate to a private room).

I'm wondering what people think about this? I can deal with the crate aggression--I just ignore and leave her alone. But I can't deal with aggression elsewhere, especially since there was no food or even a toy to be aggressive about.

Thoughts? Thank you in advance.

Is this dog five and a half months? Or five and a half years?

I would not allow my dog's snarl and snap at me go unaddressed, even in her crate. You've done the right thing by putting the crate in a quiet area and leaving her alone when she eats, but you should be able to have access to the crate without being threatened, imho. I'd have had her come back out of the crate and worked on general obedience for a while (put her on a long dow, sit, down, etc...) to let her know that type of behavior is going to have consequences. By ignoring it, you are telling her she is the boss and YOU will do as told.

The incident on the bed would have resulted with her being nudged off the bed - period, and not not allowed back up without being invited (if at all). She is claiming the space as hers and not allowing the cat to invaid her space. I would not be surprised if she doesn't start growling at you when you sit down on the bed or touch her while she is up there...

A 5.5 y/o dog is not to old to learn new tricks, so I'd be working with obedience, structured walks, etc... to re-establish yourself as the leader of her little world. I'd also make sure she is getting plenty of exercise - it works wonders in helping redirect excess energy. If you aren't familiar with Marker Training, check into that - it is wonderful and a non-confrontational way to work with any dog. (Tons of info on this site.)

There are some great articles on pack structure and ground work on this site which would be of help as well. Bottom line, you've got a bossy little dog who might have gotten away with a lot of obnoxious behavior because she is only 9#.

BTW - this advice is assuming you have no reason to suspect any medical or pain issues. If so, get her a thorough checkup to rule out any of those possibilities.

Sorry for the confusion, she is 5 months old. We are having a blast with marker training, she is limited in what she has learned only because of MY attention span. She knows sit, down, shake, here, eyes, and is learning to give me a paw for nail cutting. She is often tethered to me, always has a drag line, and only gets on the bed at my request (rare).

I don't feel she is disrespectful at other times, though I'm starting to see a little pushing of boundaries, which seems normal for her age. She may be starting to teeth, so maybe there is a little pain in that area (she's late at 21 weeks, the vet said "little dogs don't always follow the rules." I said he had NO idea how accurate that statement was!).

Does that change the thoughts? Or maybe I do need to be more focused on pack structure and puppy ground work?

Thanks for replying.

ETA I am home with her all day and we live on a farm, so she gets plenty of exercise, both structured and non structured.

I'd be putting her back through a groundwork routine. It sounds like somehow she's gotten the idea that she can be a bit bossy and the groundwork is a good way to show her clearly in a non-confrontational way just what the pecking order is in the household.

I do have to say that I am a bit concerned that a puppy is showing that type of aggression toward you. This is the type of thing I wouldn't be that surprised with in an older fearful dog, or even just an older dog for that matter. But this type of aggression is a bit unusual in a 5 month old pup that is doing well in other regards.

Do you know her breeding/background?

 Quote: kim condon

My 5.5 y/o pup has exibited crate aggression when other animals walk by and occasionally when humans walk by and she has food. We simply moved her crate to a private room and have had no problems. I am able to put her there, ask for a sit, and feed her no problem.

Yesterday I was putting her in her crate (btw, this is a 9 pound dog in an extra large crate. Never had a accident, so I assumed this was OK) and I leaned in while she was going in--I was going to adjust her bed at the back of the crate. She snarled and snapped at me. I just removed myself and walked away. Lesson learned.

Okay - I've got some more to add!

Yes, it was a lesson learned for her "I can guard my food/my space and get away with it"

She started with the other animals, got away with it and moved on to you. It works. She's aggressive and the cats/humans leave her alone in her little kingdom. I agree with Barbara - I'd have taken her out and put her in a down and continued arranging her crate, then put her through some OB then back in the crate.

I would quit feeding her in her crate. Any food comes through you. Hand feed everything during training. No more bed.

Put her in a down when she is just hanging out with you so she doesn't have the opportunity to decide whats going to happen around her.

Somehow she has figured out that she can be boss and that needs to stop.now. It needs to become very black and white to her on who runs things. Lots of structure and NILIF.

 Quote: Kim Condon

Sorry for the confusion, she is 5 months old.

Does that change the thoughts? Or maybe I do need to be more focused on pack structure and puppy ground work?

I definitely thought you meant a 5 y/o (year old) dog, so yes, the info changes things a bit for me. As Mara said, I'd be a bit concerned about any aggression out of a pup this young and would definitely go back to ground work/pack structure/nilif with her immediately. I'd also recommend no on the bed or any furniture, invited or not, till this pup learns who is boss.

Do you have any of the LB DVDS on these topics?

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

 Quote: Kim Condon

Sorry for the confusion, she is 5 months old.

Does that change the thoughts? Or maybe I do need to be more focused on pack structure and puppy ground work?

Do you have any of the LB DVDS on these topics?

Lots. Time to dust them off...

 Quote: Mara Jessup

I'd be putting her back through a groundwork routine. It sounds like somehow she's gotten the idea that she can be a bit bossy and the groundwork is a good way to show her clearly in a non-confrontational way just what the pecking order is in the household.

I do have to say that I am a bit concerned that a puppy is showing that type of aggression toward you. This is the type of thing I wouldn't be that surprised with in an older fearful dog, or even just an older dog for that matter. But this type of aggression is a bit unusual in a 5 month old pup that is doing well in other regards.

Do you know her breeding/background?

She is from the pound. She is half Chihuahua half Rat Terrier. These dogs are apparently bred down here in the South (they are called Feists) to work on farms killing rodents, etc. I got her at 9 weeks old and she was clearly failing to thrive. A good raw diet and lots of attention and she is thriving in a big way now!

I won't give the incessant regurgitated info but i'll tell you what I would've done. If my 5.5 month old pup growled and snapped at me in the crate I'd have smacked him upside the head and continued on fixing the crate.